Safety Notes And Handling Instructions Relating To Nickel-Metal-Hydride Rechargeable Batteries - GRAUPNER mx-10 HoTT Set Programmierhandbuch

Safety notes and handling instructions relating to Nickel-Metal-Hydride rechargeable
batteries
As with all sophisticated technical products, it is vitally
important that you observe the following safety notes
and handling instructions if you wish the equipment to
operate safely and reliably for an extended period.
Safety notes
• Rechargeable batteries are not playthings, and must
be kept well away from children.
Store rechargeable batteries out of the reach of child-
ren.
• Check that the batteries are in perfect, serviceable
condition before every use. Do not re-use defective or
damaged batteries.
• Rechargeable batteries must be used within the
specifi ed limits stated for the corresponding cell type.
• Do not heat, incinerate or short-circuit rechargea-
ble batteries, and never charge them with exces-
sive currents or reversed polarity.
• Never use rechargeable batteries consisting of
parallel-wired cells, combinations of old and new
cells, cells of different construction, size, capaci-
ty, make, brand or cell type.
• Batteries installed inside equipment should always be
removed from the device when it is not in use and not
about to be used. Always keep equipment switched
off in order to avoid deep-discharged cells. Batteries
must be recharged in good time.
• The battery to be charged should be placed on a
non-infl ammable, heat-resistant, non-conductive
surface for the whole of the charge period. Keep
infl ammable and volatile objects and materials well
clear of the charging area.
• Batteries must always be supervised when on char-
ge. Never exceed the maximum fast-charge current
specifi ed for the cell type in use.
• If the battery heats up to more than 60°C whilst on
charge, halt the charge process immediately and
allow the pack to cool down to about 30°C.
• Never recharge a battery which is already charged,
hot, or not completely discharged.
• Do not make any modifi cations to batteries. Never
solder or weld directly to cells.
• If incorrectly handled, rechargeable batteries are at
risk of combustion, explosion, corrosive action and
burns. Suitable extinguishing materials include fi re
blankets, CO2 fi re extinguishers and sand.
• Escaped electrolyte is corrosive - do not allow it to
contact skin or eyes. In an emergency rinse the area
immediately with plenty of clean water before seeking
medical help.
• The cells' air vents must never be blocked or sealed,
e. g. by solder. When soldering, the iron temperature
should not exceed 220°C, and each joint should be
completed in less than twenty seconds.
• To avoid cell deformation, do not exert excessive
mechanical pressure on battery cells.
• If a battery should be accidentally overcharged, use
the following procedure:
Simply disconnect the battery and leave it on a non-
infl ammable surface (e. g. stone fl oor) until it has
cooled down. Never hold the battery in your hand, as
there is a risk that cells might explode.
• Always observe the recommended rates for charging
and discharging.
General information
The capacity of your rechargeable battery diminishes
with every charge / discharge process. Stored batteries
may eventually exhibit reduced capacity.
Storage
Batteries should not be stored in a completely dischar-
ged state. Store them in a dry enclosed space at an
ambient temperature of +5°C to +25°C. If you are storing
a battery for a period longer than four weeks, ensure
that the cell voltage does not fall below 1.2 V
Balancing individual battery cells
• To balance new battery cells, i. e. to bring them all
to the same state of charge, charge them at what
is known as the 'normal' rate until they are full. As a
general guideline a fully discharged battery needs to
be charged for a period of twelve hours at a current
corresponding to one tenth of the capacity printed on
the cell label (the "1/10C" method). After this treat-
ment all the cells will be fully charged, and exhibit
the same voltage. This method of balancing battery
cells should be repeated after every ten fast-charge
processes, so that the cells are repeatedly balanced;
this helps to ensure an extended useful life for your
batteries.
• If you have the facilities to discharge individual cells,
we recommend that you make use of this before eve-
ry charge process. Otherwise the battery pack should
be run down to a discharge voltage of 0.9 V per cell.
For example, this corresponds to a fi nal discharge
voltage of 3.6 V in the case of the four-cell pack used
in the transmitter.
Charging
Ni-MH batteries should only be charged using the speci-
fi ed currents, charge times and temperature range, and
should be supervised constantly when on charge. If you
do not have access to a suitable fast charger, i. e. one
Safety Notes 75