Smart Technology Batteries

APPLICATION NOTES

It has come to our attention that users of the 6300/6310 are experiencing shortened battery capacity while using the unit in the field. Typical symptoms related to batteries are:

Reduced usage life
Recharging in ten to fifteen minutes
The display shows "USING AC POWER" vs. a %number
A blinking 25% bar on the battery itself after full recharge

This occurs when rechargeable batteries are used in short spurts and then recharged (topped off) on a regular basis. Rechargeable batteries should be fully discharged and fully recharged to maintain full capacity.

Rechargeable batteries, in particular "Smart Technology" batteries need to see what the ground floor is and what the top floor is in order to maintain full capacity. If you use the battery from 100% down to 75% and recharge on a frequent basis, 75% becomes the ground floor not 0%.

In order to bring the capacity back up in these batteries they must be cycled anywhere from one to five or more times and from 100% down to 0%. There are two ways to accomplish this.

The first method is simple and effective. Place a battery in the 6300/6310 and turn it on, once at the menu select "Utilities" and "Discharge battery". Leave the unit on until it shuts off due to lack of power. The 6300/6310 monitors battery level in this state and will fully discharge the battery. Place the battery in the charger until fully charged. Repeat this cycle several times until full capacity is achieved.

The second method is a special charger which will combine both a complete discharge and complete charge cycle into one unit. These charger units are considerably more expensive and require a greater time to cycle the battery. The part number is A6302-03.

The best method is to completely discharge the battery while running the 6300/6310 and then completely recharge it using the charger. Topping off of batteries before a job is not recommended. If you must be certain that a battery is ready for use, completely discharge the battery and then recharge it and leave it in the charger until ready to use. The charger maintains a trickle charge to keep the battery full without degradation of the battery.