FAQ
Q. Are all batteries charged at the same time?
A. Yes
Q. Is it safe to leave a battery on the charger?
A. The charger terminates the charge process once the battery is fully charged. After that the battery can remain on the charger indefinitely.
Q. I placed a battery on the charger, the charger doesn't acknowledge it? What's wrong?
A. If the battery is fully charged, the charger
will attempt to charge it for up to 1 minute, after that time the charger
will report "Channel #XX Ready"(TC400) and illuminate the Green
LED.
A. The battery is not fully inserted. Remove, and firmly insert all the
way.
Q. I have several different batteries - Panasonic HVX200 and Sony PD170 style. Can I charge multiple types of batteries at the same time?
A. Yes, make sure to order a custom configuration version of the charger so that it will come equipped with the correct matching plates.
Q. Can I use Solar Power to charge batteries?
A. While selecting a panel, make sure it is rated at ~ 60W or more (http://www.batterystuff.com/solar-chargers/P362watt.html
or http://store.sundancesolar.com/sh80wasopane.html)
for the TC400 family, TC40 requires ~40W, and TC200 requires about 25W.
Please note that since panel voltage is not regulated there is a possibility
of damaging the charger.
We recommend connecting a regulator such as: model PST-DC4411 (http://powerstream.com)
between the panel and the charger.
Batteries
Q. How do I relate amp-hour rating, say 6,000 mAh, to battery
capacity in Wh in the case of a Panasonic DVX100 battery?
A.
Multiply the Ah number by the battery voltage (7.2V nominal for the Panasonic
DVX100 camera).
In this example 6 * 7.2 = 43.2 Wh
Q. How much run time can I expect to get from a battery?
A. Run time is calculated by dividing the Wh rating of
a battery by a camera's power consumption. In the case of a DVX100, its
power consumption is about 8W. Dividing 43.2 Wh by 8W results in about
5.5h calculated run time. Manufacturing variations and aging may result
in slightly different actual results. Your mileage may vary.
Instant run time calculator
(just enter mAh or Ah battery capacity and camera power drain numbers)
Instant run time calculator
(just enter WH battery capacity and camera power drain in W)
Q. Do I need to discharge my Li-Ion battery before charging?
A. Li-Ion chemistry does not benefit from discharging.
Doing so does not make it last longer, and deep discharge will shorten
Li-Ion battery life cycle.
Deep discharge vs. shallow
discharge
Discharge at different current
rates
Interpreting "C" : While discharging at 1C it takes a battery 1 hour to fully discharge; discharging at 1/2C takes 2 hours; discharging at 2C takes 1/2 hour.
Q. Do Li-Ion batteries have "memory"?
A. Li-Ion chemistry is inherently memory free
Q. What is "battery memory"
A. This effect was first discovered in the early days of Ni-Cad chemistry.
Since that time the "memory effect" has sometimes been misunderstood
and exaggerated. Please refer to this
article
Q. My battery has started to expand, specifically the plastic case is expanding on the top and the bottom, can I still use it?
A. We recommend discontinuing the use of this battery as these are signs of imminent failure.
Q. My battery does not last more than a few minutes. Can this be fixed?
A. Li-Ion batteries can not be rejuvenated by charging/discharging
them, or using any other "tricks." Expect 2-3 years of service
before run time deteriorates.
