POPULAR MECHANICS Battery Recharger P913N622 User Guide

POPULARMECHANICSBattery RechargerDisposable & Rechargeable Battery ChargerUSER MANUAL

MODLE NO. P913N622

CONGRATULATIONS

Thank you for your purchase of the Popular Mechanics Battery Recharger. Our products are engineered to meet the highest standards of quality, functionality and design. We hope you get the most out of it and enjoy using it for many years to come.

IMPORTANT

Please read all the information contained in this booklet before using the charger. It gives you important instructions on the safety, use, and maintenance of the appliance. Please keep these instructions in a safe place. An online version of this guide is available on our website: www.pm-gear.com

KEY FEATURES OF POPULAR MECHANICS BATTERY CHARGER

• Advanced microprocessor control for safe and user-friendly operation.
• Supports most domestic size batteries including AAAA, AAA, AA, C, D, N, 9V, 6V dolphin/lantern and prismatic sizes.
• Supports Alkaline, Titanium, RAM (Rechargeable Alkaline Manganese), NiCd (Nickel Cadmium), and NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries.
• Automatic detection of different sizes and types of batteries.
• The individual charging feature supports up to four mixed sizes and types of batteries simultaneously.
• Extends 9V and 6V dolphin/lantern battery life up to 5″ times.
• Extends Alkaline and Titanium battery life up to 15′ times.
• Recharge RAM batteries up to 25* times.
• Recharge NiCd and NiMH rechargeable batteries up to hundreds of times.
• Overcharging protection prevents damage to batteries.
• Built-in battery tester function to measure the strength of each battery.
• Simple plug-and-play operation with no confusing and complicated switch settings.

SAFETY FEATURES

ReCharge has been designed to meet the highest safety standards. A combination of hardware and software controls have been employed to deliver the following multi-protection schemes:

• Alkaline battery charge-safe protection
• Faulty battery detection & rejection
• Overcharge protection
• Short circuit protection
• Negative Delta Voltage protection
• Zero Delta voltage protection
• Temperature Protection
• Wrong polarity Protection
• Timer Protection

POPULAR MECHANICS BATTERY RECHARGER COMPLIES WITH THE FOLLOWING INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY:

• AS/NZS 3108:1994; AS/NZS 3350.1:2000; AS/NZS 3350.2.29:2001
• EN 206041A; EN 60335.1; EN 60335.2.29
• EMC & C-Tick (AS/NZS 1044:1995); CE (EN50082-1)
• FCC Part 15 Class B – ANSI C63.4-1992
• UL 1310 — Fourth Edition — Class 2 Power Units
• CSA Standard C22.2 No. CAN/CSA-223-M91;
• CSA Informs — Power Supplies No. 3
• CSA Technical Information Letter No. 0-13 (Battery Charger for Charging Alkaline Batteries)

QUICK START

STEP 1: TURNING THE CHARGER ON

• Extend the power cable stored in the base compartment.
• Plug the charger into a proper indoor electrical outlet and turn on the power, the red LED lights up indicating the charger is active and ready for use.

STEP 2: CONNECTING THE BATTERIES TO THE CHARGER

• Place used batteries to be charged into the charger slots according to their different sizes as follows and ensure all batteries are connected correctly to the charger. Pay attention to battery polarities.
• AAAA, AAA, AA, C, D, N batteries can be inserted in any of the four main
• 9V battery should only be plugged into the 9V terminals provided (the far-left slot).
• 6V dolphin/lantern battery should be connected to the charger via the pair of cable clips provided, which can be extended out from the base storage compartment. Please ensure that the RED clip is connected to the POSITIVE (+) terminal of the battery and the BLACK clip is connected to the NEGATIVE (-) terminal of the battery. If wrongly connected, our built-in reverse protection circuitry will activate, and the charge current will be cut out. (GREEN light not flashing).

STEP 3: OBSERVING THE CHARGER’S STATUS

Once batteries are firmly in contact with the charger’s metal plates, the charger’s indicator lights will be activated straight away, showing the different states as follows:

• RED LIGHT ON — The power is ON and the charger is ready for use.
• GREENLIGHT FLASHING — battery is being charged.
• GREENLIGHT ON — Charging completed, and the battery is ready for use.
• GREENLIGHT OFF — Faulty or no battery present or improper battery
• GREENLIGHT TURNS OFF AFTER FLASHING — Battery is faulty, exhausted, and/or is no longer rechargeable. Promptly dispose of these batteries to avoid eventual battery leakage.

IMPORTANT NOTES WHEN USING

POPULAR MECHANICS BATTERY RECHARGER:

• DO NOT charge Carbon Zinc (such as those with no battery type printed on them or those labeled as SUPER HEAVY DUTY or GENERAL PURPOSE) or Lithium batteries (such as those used in cameras, 3V or 6V and labeled — LITHIUM) in this charger (Refer to Table 1 for details of various different battery types and how to recognize them). Charge only Alkaline, Titanium, RAM (Rechargeable Alkaline Manganese), NiCd, and NiMH batteries.
• Charge alkaline cells before they go completely flat. If the cells are discharged beyond the point of return (now Greenlight), chances are that they will not be revived properly. Most electronic devices are cut off at the 9-volt level.
• Alkaline cells should be disposed of promptly if they are rejected by the charger (green light turns off after flashing) or their service life is very short after recharge.
• After batteries are charged, test them individually in the battery tester slot before use. Only batteries that show the same voltage strength should be used together. Mixing weak or partially charged with fully charged batteries will result in your device not functioning properly or not powering on at all. Also remember not to mix use different battery types together (eg: Alkaline with rechargeable).
• For best results, charged alkaline cells should be promptly removed within a few hours after charging is completed. Continuous connection to the metal plates (whether the charger is ON or OFF) for a prolonged period will shorten battery life. Recharged alkaline cells should be used as soon as possible as they are not suitable for long-term storage due to their rapid self-discharge.
• The charger has four main slots with four corresponding green lights. Only put one battery per slot. Do not try to put one battery on top of another in a single slot.
• Different brands of alkaline cells may give different results, depending on the chemical composition used in making the product.
• Each slot has 3 battery contact positions: bottom, middle and upper. For best results, high capacity (over 2200mAh) NiMH AA batteries should be recharged on the upper contact position.
• Please do not connect the 6V cable clips to any other types of batteries except 6V dolphin/lantern batteries as recommended.
• The 9V and 6V batteries occupy the first and fourth slots respectively. When a 9V or a 6V battery is being charged, do not place another battery in the first (far left) or the fourth (far right) slot as they may conflict with one another.
• When charging a 9V or 6V battery, leave the battery in the charger for an additional 2 to 3 hours after the green light appears to absorb additional trickle charge power.
• 9V and 6V dolphin/lantern alkaline batteries are not charged using the “individual cell” technique due to their internal structure (multiple cells linked together in series to give a higher battery voltage). Any fault or weakness amongst the cells can result in the battery being poorly recharged or not useable at times. Do not expect too much of these
• The maximum NiCd/NiMH battery capacity supported in this charger is 4000mAh (for C & D sizes). Those with capacities above this limit are outside the scope of this charger and should not be recharged in this unit as an overload may happen, causing damage to the charger. A specialized charger is required to handle them and should be available at the place where these batteries are sold.
• Cycle life is based on the battery receiving proper care and depends on the depth of discharge. In general, shallow discharges provide more cycles than deep discharges.

TESTER FUNCTION

The charger has a built-in battery tester, which measures the voltage level of batteries, one at a time, and displays this strength using the 4 green lights. When a battery to be tested is placed into the tester slot with the rest of the remaining slots being empty, the voltage level of the battery is displayed for about five seconds and if the battery is not removed from the tester slot, automatic charging will proceed. In tester mode, the 4 x Green lights move horizontally from left to right indicating the following conditions:

NO GREEN LIGHT	The battery is dead or voltage is extremely low
1 X GREEN LIGHT	Very low strength voltage
2 X GREEN LIGHTS	Low strength voltage
3 X GREEN LIGHTS	Medium strength voltage
4 X GREEN LIGHTS	High strength voltage

Rechargeable Batteries

The tester shows only a maximum of 3 Green lights for rechargeable batteries when “full” as their voltage rating is 1.2V instead of 1.5V like that of alkaline batteries.

CLEANING

Turn the power off and remove the plug before cleaning of the charger.

• The Plastic Body can be cleaned with a damp cloth and then wiped dry with a soft cloth. Do not use any abrasive or solvents on any plastic
• The battery compartment contacts can be cleaned using a piece of cloth dampened with Methylated Spirits solvent (available from most hardware stores). Alternatively, a clean pencil eraser can be utilized to rub off any dirt or deposit that might adhere to them.

WARRANTY

• Popular Mechanics P913N622 – Two (2) Year Limited Warranty
• What is covered by this warranty? Popular Mechanics warrants this product to be free from defects in materials or workmanship under normal use during the warranty period.
• What is not covered by this warranty?
• Any Product not purchased from Popular Mechanics or from a Popular Mechanics Authorized Reseller.
• Any Product that has been damaged or rendered defective (a) as a result of the use of the Product other than for its normal intended use; failure to use the Product in accordance with the User’s Manual that accompanies the Product, or another misuse, abuse, or negligence to the Product; (b) by the use of parts not manufactured or sold by Popular Mechanics; (c) by modification of the Product; (d) as a result of improper transportation or packing when returning the Product to Popular Mechanics.
• How long is my warranty? Two (2) Years Repair or Replacement The warranty period commences on the date of purchase. Your original purchase invoice (sales receipt) showing the date of purchase of the Product is your proof of the date of purchase.
• How do I obtain warranty service?

Popular Mechanics service is here to help you. Submit your warranty claim via our website: www.pm-gear.com/warranty

POPULAR MECHANICS P913N622 SPECIFICATIONS

Microcontroller	Multi-Chemistry battery charger’s high-performance 8-bit microprocessor, CMOS, fully static, employing advanced RISC architecture with integrated analog-to-digital converters and multi-channel high-speed input/output ports controlling the whole charging process in real-time.
Input Voltages	220V – 240V 50Hz for SAA, GS & BS Standards 110V -120V 60Hz for UL, CUL & JIS Standards
Output Rating	16.5V max, 4 x 250mA max, 10 Watts max.
Supported Battery Sizes	1 to 4 x AAAA, AAA, AA, N, C, D & prismatic sizes (1.2 or 1.5V) 1 x 9V and 1 x 6V dolphin/lantern batteries
Supported Battery Types	Alkaline, Titanium, RAM (Rechargeable Alkaline Manganese), NiCd, and or NiMH batteries. (Do not attempt to charge battery type not specified.)
Supported Battery Capacities (NiCd/NiMH)	AA-size — Up to 2500mAhC & D size — Up to 4000mAh(Do not attempt to charge higher than the above limits as an overload may happen, causing damage to the charger)
Charging Time	1 to 17 hours (time variation depends on the type, make, size, and condition of battery)

Charging Currents Selection	Fully Automatic
Battery Tester Function	Built-in simulation of voltmeter, which measures the strength of each battery and displays the voltage level via the 4 x green LEDs.
Charging Currents Selection	•Alkaline battery charge-safe protection•Faulty battery detection & rejection•Overcharge protection•Short circuit protection•Wrong polarity protection•Negative Delta Voltage protection•Zero Delta Voltage protection•Temperature protection•Timer protection
Safety Compliance	•AS/NZS 3108:1994; AS/NZS 3350.1:2000; AS/NZS 3350.2.29:2001•EN 206041A; EN 60335.1; EN 60335.2.29 & CE (EN50082-1)•EMC; C-Tick (AS/NZS 1044:1995) & FCC Part 15 Class B•UL 1310 — Fourth Edition — Class 2 Power Units•CSA Standard C22.2 No. CAN/CSA-223-M91•CSA Informs — Power Supplies No. 3
Net Weight	1 Kg

BATTERY TYPES GUIDE

The table below shows some of the most common features and properties of Disposable and Rechargeable batteries

TYPICAL FEATURES	COMMONLY USED DOMESTIC BATTERIES
Carbon	Alkaline	Titanium	RAM	NiCd	NiMH	Lithium
Battery Labeling	Carbon Zinc,Heavy-Duty,General Purpose	Alkaline	Titanium	RechargeableAlkalineManganese	NickelCadmiumNiCd	Nickel Metal HydrideNiMH	LithiumLi
Nominal Voltage	1.5V	1.5V	1.5V	1.5V	1.2V	1.2V	1.5V, 3V, 6V
Available Sizes	AAAA, AAA, AA, C, D, N, 9V, 6V Dolphin/Lantern
Suitable for usewith devices of“Drain Rate”	Low DrainExamples: Remote controls & Torches …	Moderate to High Drain Examples:General light-duty electronic devices, motorized toys, Radios, and MP3 players … (This group of batteries are not suitable for use with applications as listed under the “High Drain” column).	High Drain Examples:Digital Cameras, Discman, Walkman, Heavy-duty motorized devices (Also support most applications as listed under Alkaline batteries).
Supported By PopularMechanics P913N622	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
StandardCycle Life	1	1	1	Up to 25	Up to 600	Up to 500	1
Cycle Life underPopular MechanicsP913N622	Not Supported	Up to 15	Up to 15	Up to 30	Up to 1000	Up to 1000	Not Supported

Table 1: Domestic Battery types with some of their common properties

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