Operating Instructions Multifunctional charger “V-Charge 300 Triple” Item No.
Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction...........................................................................................................................................................4 2. Explanation of Symbols........................................................................................................................................4 3. Intended Use.......................................................................................................................................
Page 12. NiMH and NiCd Rechargeable Batteries............................................................................................................25 a) General ........................................................................................................................................................25 b) Charging Batteries ("CHARGE")..................................................................................................................
1. Introduction Dear Customer, thank you for making the excellent decision of purchasing this Voltcraft® product. Voltcraft® - This name stands for above-average quality products in the areas of measuring, charging and grid technology, characterised by technical competence, extraordinary performance and permanent innovation.
3. Intended Use The charger "V-Charge 300 Triple" has three independent charge/discharge channels that each have a two-line lit display and four operating buttons. The charger is used to charge and discharge rechargeable batteries of the type NiMH/NiCd (1 - 15 cells), LiPo/LiIon/ LiFe/LiHV (1 - 6 cells) and lead batteries (1 - 10 cells, 2 V - 20 V). The charging current for channel 1 can be set between 0.1 A and 20.0 A. The charging current for channels 2 and 3 can be set between 0.1 A and 10.
5. Safety Notes Read the operating instructions attentively and particularly observe the safety notes. If the safety notes and the information in these operating instructions regarding proper handling are not observed, we assume no liability for any resulting injury/property damage. In such cases, the warranty/guarantee will also lapse. a) General • T he unauthorized conversion and/or modification of the product is inadmissible because of safety and approval reasons.
c) Location for Installation • The charger is intended for dry indoor use only. It must not become damp or wet. Never set it up near a bathtub, shower or similar! If the charger is operated via the mains cable, there is danger to life from electric shock in case of moisture/wetness on the charger/mains cable! • Avoid direct sun irradiation, strong heat or cold. Keep the charger away from dust and dirt. The same applies to any rechargeable battery that may be connected.
d) Operation • The charger may be operated either via the mains voltage (100 - 240 V/AC, 50/60 Hz) or via a stabilised direct voltage of 11 - 18 V/DC (e.g. via an external vehicle lead battery or a suitable mains adapter). Use only one of the two connection types, but never both at once. This may damage the charger. • Do not wear any metal or conductive materials, such as jewellery (necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc.) while you are working with the charger or batteries.
6. Rechargeable Battery Notes Although use of rechargeable batteries in everyday life is a matter of course today, there are many dangers and problems. In particular, with LiPo/LiIon/LiFe/LiHV rechargeable batteries with their high energy content (in comparison with conventional NiCd or NiMH rechargeable batteries), various regulations must be observed in order to avoid the danger of explosion and fire.
• The charger has three charging channels that are independent of each other, so that up to three rechargeable batteries/rechargeable battery packs can be charged (or discharged) at once. However, only connect a single rechargeable battery/rechargeable battery pack to each of the three charging channels. Never connect the charging channels to each other! • If the product is not to be used for an extended period of time (e.g.
• Ensure that the battery does not overheat during usage, recharging, discharging, transport or storage. Do not place the battery next to sources of heat (e.g. speed controller, motor), keep the battery away from direct sunlight. There is a risk of fire and explosion if the battery overheats! The battery must never heat up to more than +60 °C (observe any additional information from the manufacturer!). • I f the battery is damaged (e.g.
7. Usable Rechargeable Battery Types Rechargeable battery type LiPo LiIon LiFe LiHV NiCd NiMH Pb Rated voltage (V/cell) 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.7 1.2 1.2 2.0 Max. charging voltage (V/cell) 4.2 4.1 3.6 4.35 1.5 1.5 2.46 Voltage for storage (V/cell) 3.8 3.7 3.3 3.85 - - - Charging current for quick charge <= 1C <= 1C <= 4C <= 1C 1C - 2C 1C - 2C <= 0.4C Min. voltage after discharge (V/cell) >= 3.0 >= 2.9 >= 2.6 >= 3.1 >= 1.0 >= 1.0 >= 1.
8. Operating Elements 1 Lit two-line LC display 2 "START/ENTER" button: Starting/continuing charging, confirmation of a setting/operating function 3 "INC." button: Selecting the rechargeable battery programme in the main menu, entering values (increasing value), menu selection (forward), displaying the voltage values of the individual cells when charging lithium batteries with a balancer connection 4 "DEC.
9. Commissioning a) Connection to a Voltage/Current Supply Attention! Always connect the charger to the voltage/current supply first; only then must a rechargeable battery be connected to the charger. The charger offers two different options for operation: • Operation via the mains voltage (100 - 240 V/AC, 50/60 Hz) • Operation via stabilised direct voltage (11 - 18 V/DC, e.g. via an external vehicle lead battery or a mains adapter) Never use both operating modes at the same time.
b) Connection of a Rechargeable Battery to the Charger Please observe the following points before connecting or charging/recharging the battery: • If you have not done so already, please read chapters 5, 6 and 7 completely and ensure that you have understood the information there.
Procedure when connecting a battery pack to the charger: 1. Connect the charger to the voltage/current supply. 2. Select one of the three charging channels. First connect the charging cable to the two 4 mm round sockets of the corresponding charging output (#1, #2 or #3). Ensure correct polarity (red cable = plus/+, black cable = minus/-).
c) General Information on Operation of the Menus • Select the desired submenu from the main menu using the "INC." or the "DEC." button as described and confirm your selection with the button "START/ENTER". • In a submenu, you can call the different settings with the buttons "INC." and "DEC.". • To modify a value, push the "START/ENTER" button - the display then flashes. Modify the value flashing in the display using the "INC." and "DEC." buttons. For quick adjustment of a value (e.g.
10. Menu Structure Both the menu structure and the displays shown on the next pages may change in newer firmware versions.
11. Lithium Batteries (LiPo, LiIon, LiFe, LiHV) a) General The rechargeable battery programmes for LiPo, LiIon, LiFe and LiHV rechargeable batteries generally differ only in the voltages and the permitted charging current, see table in chapter 7. When charging a lithium battery, there are two different phases. First, the rechargeable battery is charged with a consistent current. When the rechargeable battery reaches its maximum voltage (at a LiPo rechargeable battery, e.g., 4.
b) Charging Batteries without Balancer Connection ("CHARGE") Of course, you can also charge multiple-cell lithium rechargeable batteries with a balancer connection with the rechargeable battery programme "CHARGE". However, the individual cell voltages are not reconciled here, so that one or several cells may be overcharged.
If these two numbers do not match, please check the settings on the charger and the battery itself. It may be that the LiPo battery has been completely discharged, or a cell may be faulty. In this case, the battery should not be charged, as there is a risk of fire and explosion! You can return to the previous configuration menu using the "BATT. TYPE/STOP" button. • If the two numbers match, you can start the charging process by briefly pushing the "START/ENTER" button.
If a lithium rechargeable battery with balancer plug is connected to the charger, you can switch to the display of the individual cell voltages by pushing the button "INC.". Briefly push the button "START/ENTER" for the charger to return to the normal display. Important! Only a battery pack with exactly the same voltage for each cell provides the maximum performance and service life for a model airplane/vehicle.
d) Fast Charge ("FAST CHG") When charging a lithium rechargeable battery, the charging current reduces continually due to the charging method used, the fuller the rechargeable battery becomes (when the rechargeable battery has reached its maximum charging current and the charger switches from continuous current to continuous voltage charging). This will, of course, also extend the charging time. At quick charging, the continuous voltage charging method uses a higher charging current.
f) Discharging Battery ("DISCHARGE") Normally, it is not necessary to discharge lithium batteries (contrary to NiCd batteries) before charging. The battery can be charged immediately, independent of its current status. If you want to discharge a rechargeable lithium battery anyway, you can set the discharge current. The maximum possible discharging current depends on the battery type, battery capacity and number of cells. The max.
12. NiMH and NiCd Rechargeable Batteries a) General The rechargeable battery programmes for NiMH and NiCd rechargeable batteries generally differ only in the internally used charging procedures. The settings in the menus are the same. The charger must be in the main menu. Select the rechargeable battery type matching the rechargeable battery used here with the button "INC." or "DEC." (NiMH or NiCd), see figures on the right. Confirm the selection by pressing the "START/ENTER" button.
Use the buttons "INC." and "DEC." to select a different rechargeable battery programme; use the button "BATT. TYPE/STOP" to return to the main menu. • If the value for the charging current must be changed, push the "START/ENTER" button. The charging current flashes. Change the charging current using the buttons "INC." and "DEC.". Keep the respective button pressed for quick adjustment. • Confirm the set charging current with the "START/ENTER" button.
d) Recharge Rechargeable Battery Again ("RE-PEAK") The charger automatically ends charging of NiMH and NiCd rechargeable batteries when the rechargeable battery is fully charged. Recognition of when the rechargeable battery is fully charged is according to the delta-U procedure. The function "RE-PEAK" performs this recognition again. This way, you can not only ensure that the rechargeable battery is truly fully charged, you can also check how well the rechargeable battery can take quick charging.
e) Discharging Battery ("DISCHARGE") To put partially charged NiMH/NiCd rechargeable batteries into a defined starting condition, they can be discharged with this rechargeable battery programme. Specifically NiCd rechargeable batteries should not be recharged from a partially discharged condition, since the capacity may reduce by this (memory effect). The rechargeable battery can also be used to measure the capacity of rechargeable batteries.
f) Cycle Programme ("CYCLE") To test rechargeable batteries, form new rechargeable batteries or refresh older rechargeable batteries, you can perform up to 5 cycles in sequence automatically. The two possible combinations are "Charge/Discharge" ("CHG>DCHG") and "Discharge/Charge" ("DCHG>CHG"). The values that you have set in the charging programme ("CHARGE") or discharging programme ("DISCHARGE") are used as charging or discharging current.
13. Lead Batteries (Pb) a) General Lead batteries are completely different from lithium, NiMH or NiCd batteries. Despite their high capacity they can only provide low currents. The charging process is also different. The charging current for modern lead batteries must not exceed 0.4C; 1/10C is perfect for lead batteries.
• If the value for the charging current must be changed, push the "START/ENTER" button. The charging current flashes. Change the charging current using the buttons "INC." and "DEC.". Keep the respective button pressed for quick adjustment. • Confirm the set charging current with the "START/ENTER" button. The maximum possible charging current depends on the cell number and the max. charging output of the charging channel used.
• If the value for the discharging current must be changed, push the "START/ENTER" button. The discharging current flashes. Change the discharging current using the buttons "INC." and "DEC.". Keep the respective button pressed for quick adjustment. • Confirm the set discharging current with the "START/ENTER" button. • To begin the discharge process, keep the "START/ENTER" button pressed for longer (approx. 3 seconds).
14. Saving/Loading Rechargeable Battery Data The charger has 10 memory slots in which you can store often-used settings. For example, the data (cell number, charging procedures, charging current) for 3 different LiPo flight batteries can be saved there, so that you do not have to set them anew every time. a) Saving Battery Data • Select the function "BATT MEMORY" in the main menu of the charger with the button "INC." or "DEC.". • Confirm the selection by pressing the "START/ENTER" button.
The following functions are available: Depending on the set battery type (LiPo, LiIo, LiFe, LiHV, NiMH, NiCd, Pb), different setting functions are available. For example, the setting function for the charge end voltage per cell is only available for lithium rechargeable batteries. Therefore, always set the rechargeable battery type first and only then the other data, so that the charger can offer the matching setting functions.
Discharging end voltage per cell DSCH VOLTAGE 3.0V/CELL Here, the voltage per cell at which discharging ends can be set. Attention! Never set the voltage too low. For lithium rechargeable batteries, this may cause deep discharge and permanent damage to the rechargeable battery! Observe the table in chapter 7 and any special information of the rechargeable battery manufacturer. Charging end voltage per cell TVC=YOUR RISK! 4.
Delay time for delta-U recognition (for NiMH and NiCd only) PEAK DELAY 1Min The charger ends charging of NiMH or NiCd rechargeable batteries according to the delta-U method. Set for how long the charger is to continue charging after this recognition here. Voltage for delta-U recognition (for NiMH only) DELTA PEAK SENSE 4mV/C Set the voltage here where the delta-U charging procedure recognises a fully charged rechargeable battery.
c) Loading Battery Data • Select the function "BATT MEMORY" in the main menu of the charger with the button "INC." or "DEC.". • Confirm the selection by pressing the "START/ENTER" button. The memory number flashes. • Select one of the 10 memories with the buttons "INC." or "DEC.". If there are data in the memory, the display will alternate, e.g., between the rechargeable battery type and the cell number, as well as the charging and discharging current.
15. Voltage Display for Lithium Rechargeable Batteries The charger can also display the current voltages of the cells of a lithium rechargeable battery (LiPo, LiIon, LiFe, LiHV). For this, the lithium rechargeable battery must have a balancer connection that must be connected to the respective channel of the charger. Proceed as follows: • Select the function "LI BATT METER" in the main menu of the charger with the button "INC." or "DEC.". • Confirm the selection by pressing the "START/ENTER" button.
17. System settings The system settings of the charger summarise various basic settings. They are pre-applied with the most common values in the delivery condition. Depending on the rechargeable batteries you want to charge or discharge, however, certain changes to the values are sensible. Proceed as follows: • Select the function "SYSTEM SET ->" in the main menu of the charger with the button "INC." or "DEC.". • Confirm the selection by pressing the "START/ENTER" button.
Calculate the time for the safety timer as follows: Examples: Battery capacity Charging current Timer time 2000 mAh 2.0 A 2000 / 2.0 = 1000 / 11.9 = 84 minutes 3300 mAh 3.0 A 3300 / 3.0 = 1100 / 11.9 = 92 minutes 1000 mAh 1.2 A 1000 / 1.2 = 833 / 11.9 = 70 minutes The factor 11.9 is used to permit charging 140% of the rechargeable battery capacity (the rechargeable battery is guaranteed to be fully charged then), before the safety timer trips.
Display of the rechargeable battery and charger temperatures Ext.Temp Int.Temp 0C 37C This function shows the external rechargeable battery temperature and the internal temperature of the charger. The external temperature can only be displayed if an external temperature sensor is connected to the corresponding channel (not enclosed, but available as an accessory). Loading factory settings (reset) LOAD FACTORY SET ENTER This recovers the factory settings (reset).
18. Warning Messages on the Display REVERSE POLARITY The polarity of the rechargeable battery connections has been switched. CONNECTION BREAK The connection to the rechargeable battery has been disrupted, e.g. if the battery has been disconnected during the charging process. CONNECT error Check Main Port The rechargeable battery was connected with reversed polarity. BALANCE CONNECT ERROR The balancer connection of the rechargeable battery has been connected incorrectly or with reversed polarity.
19. Information on the Charger Various information is indicated on the display during a charge/discharge process by repeatedly pressing the button "DEC.". If you do not push any button for a few seconds, the charger will return to the normal display. Voltage of the battery at the end of charging/discharging End Voltage 12.60V(3s) Input voltage IN Power Voltage 12.56V Display of the temperature at the external and internal temperature sensor Ext.Temp Int.
20. Maintenance and Cleaning The product does not require any maintenance. You should never take it apart. The product should only be maintenanced/repaired by a specialist or specialist workshop or it may be damaged. Any rechargeable battery connected must be disconnected from the charger before cleaning. Then disconnect the charger from the voltage/current supply.
22. Technical Data Operating voltage ���������������������������������������� Mains voltage input: 100 - 240 V/AC, 50/60Hz Direct voltage input: 11 - 18 V/DC Never use both inputs at the same time. This may damage the charger. Loss of guarantee/warranty! Charging/discharging channels ������������������� 3 Charge current channel 1 ���������������������������� 0.1 - 20.0 A (depending on the cell number and rechargeable battery type) Charge current channel 2 & 3 ���������������������� 0.1 - 10.
This is a publication by Conrad Electronic SE, Klaus-Conrad-Str. 1, D-92240 Hirschau (www.conrad.com). All rights including translation reserved. Reproduction by any method, e.g. photocopy, microfilming, or the capture in electronic data processing systems require the prior written approval by the editor. Reprinting, also in part, is prohibited. This publication represent the technical status at the time of printing. Copyright 2017 by Conrad Electronic SE.
