Graupner mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II  Order No. 6404

 

Introduction

 

Congratulations on your choice of the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II, which is a top-quality high-technology German-made product. The mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II has already become very popular thanks to its robust SMT construction, reliable charging characteristics, great versatility and not least its ease of operation, based on just two press-buttons. Now, with new hardware elements and expanded software, including charge and discharge sections for lead/acid batteries and new functions in the Ni-Cd battery charge section, the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II has become even more capable and versatile.

 

The charger is maintenance-free, but it is in your own interests to protect it from dust and damp. The case slots are necessary for cooling and must never be covered or sealed. All you have to do is keep to a few easily remembered guidelines, and you can safely leave your valuable batteries to the care of the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II's fully automatic circuitry, giving you a unique combination of operating convenience and reliability. No doubt you will watch the messages on the charger's screen the first few times, but you will soon see that the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II's micro-computer does a straightforward job of charging your batteries as fully and as quickly as possible whilst protecting them from damage. But that's not all: you can discharge batteries, "balance" packs, and measure their capacity. This applies to Ni-Cd sintered-cell packs as you would expect, but also to nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries and lead/acid and lead/acid gel (Pb) batteries.

In spite of the charger's ease of use we urge you to read the following instructions right through to ensure that you understand the extensive range of features, and to help you understand the warning messages.

 

2. Warnings and safety notes

 

Although the charger carries the CE symbol, this is not a charter for you to be careless when operating the unit!

Whenever you have to handle the charger please watch out for sharp-edged parts such as the heat sink on the rear of the case, as you could easily hurt yourself.

Please bear in mind that there are certain hazards involved in rapid-charging Ni-Cd batteries. Never leave the unit unsupervised when it is connected to a power supply.

When the charger is being used it must be standing on a non-flammable, heat-resistant, electrically non-conducting surface. Keep inflammable and volatile substances away from the charging area and well clear of the batteries connected to the charger. If a fault should arise this will prevent a major problem and serious damage.

Transmitter charge sockets are usually fitted with a protective diode, and in this case you can only rapid-charge the battery if you by-pass the diode. If you intend doing this, be sure to read the transmitter's operating instructions beforehand. To avoid possible damage to the transmitter's internal circuitry the charge current should not exceed 1.2 A.

We always advise that transmitter batteries should be removed from the transmitter before charging, so that the transmitter is not damaged if you have an accident.

The charger must be used with the original connecting leads, and the leads should not be modified in any respect.

Do not connect the charge leads to each other in any way, and avoid short-circuits. If you ignore this warning you could cause serious damage to the charger and / or battery.

Check the unit regularly for damage to cables, plugs, case etc. If you find a fault, or if the software reports a problem, do not use the unit until it has been repaired.

The mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II is designed for use with a 12V car battery. It is used only when the car is stationary and the engine stopped. The engine must be stopped before you connect the charger to the car battery, and must not be started or run for all the time it is connected.

Do not connect a car battery charger to the car battery when the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II is also connected to it.

You can expect malfunctions or damage to the charger if you...

have a switch or fuse in the connecting leads;

do not use 4 mm gold-contact connectors, and if you remove the standard terminal clips in spite of our warnings,

use the unit with the car engine running;

connect it to an unsuitable mains power supply unit (PSU).

This charger can only operate reliably in conjunction with a main PSU if the operating voltage is correct and the PSU has adequate current load capacity. Correct operation also depends on other factors such as continuous current supply capability, sensitivity to the voltage transformer's pulse frequency, adequate output capacity (one area where high-quality laboratory mains power supplies are often deficient) etc., and as a result you must carry out your own tests to establish the PSU's suitability for the charger. We are unable to accept any liability for operational problems or damage to the charger or other parts of a combination system. As a general rule we cannot recommend any of the currently available laboratory mains PSU’s for connection to the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II without modification - and we cannot rule out the possibility of subsequent damage to the charger. To avoid any danger of damage to the charger now or later we recommend that you only use the ULTRA POWER 150 Order No. 6400.

To avoid short-circuits between the banana plugs on the charge leads, please be sure to connect the lead to the charger first, and only then to the battery. Reverse the sequence when disconnecting. Our safety EMV charge lead T Order No. 6404.16 avoids the problem of exposed banana plug contacts as a spring-loaded insulating sleeve protects the plugs.

It is essential to avoid short-circuits between the charge outputs or your batteries and the car bodywork, as the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II is not protected against this. It is best to place the charger on the ground.

Before you start charging check that all the connections are correct (the "right way round"), and that they all make firm contact.

The charger develops considerable heat in use. The ventilation slots in the case are designed to cool the unit and they must never be covered or closed. Make sure that excess heat can dissipate freely, and allow the charger to cool off after a rapid-charge. Protect it from direct sunshine, dust, damp and rain.

The following types of battery and cell must not be connected to the charger:

Packs consisting of different types of cell;

Mixtures of old and new cells, or cells of different makes;

Non-rechargeable batteries (dry cells);

Batteries which are not expressly approved by the manufacturer for the charge currents which this charger will set automatically;

Faulty or damaged batteries or individual cells;

Fully charged or hot batteries;

Batteries with integral chargers or charge terminators;

Batteries which are installed in another device, or which are connected electrically to other components.

 

Notes

Always heed the charging recommendations provided by the battery manufacturer and keep within the stated charge currents and charge times. Only charge batteries, which are expressly stated to be suitable for these high cì¥Á9 ­

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0>0>0>0>\orrectly and reliably with it, and that it really does charge it fully. The safe way to do this is to measure its capacity.

If you wish to charge a small number of high-capacity cells, carry out a test-charge first to check that the automatic charge termination circuit works correctly. The low charge current with 4 - 6 cells produces a much less marked "kink" in the voltage curve, and this problem is exacerbated with packs of high nominal capacity. The danger in these circumstances is that the charger will fail to detect the Delta Peak when the pack is fully charged.

In the LCD screen the letters a, b, ... will appear in sequence between the charge time and the voltage display to indicate the likelihood of a full charge. If after repeated tests the charger cannot establish a continuous fall in voltage, the letters on the screen will be erased. The "full" indication is not necessarily shown immediately after the letters appear. In fact, the letters a, b. ... often appear at the start of a charge process, especially if the pack contains deep-discharged cells. A flashing "t" after the charge time stands for trickle charge (maintenance current).

Safety note: as a general rule after the charger has switched off the current and declared the battery to be "full", always check that the charge quantity indicated on the screen corresponds to the value you expected. This is the sure way of detecting when the unit has terminated the charge prematurely, thinking the pack is fully charged. Do this as a matter of course, and you will avoid the danger of crashed models due to non-fully charged batteries. Premature charge termination is always a possibility, and its likelihood varies according to many factors. The danger is greatest with deep-discharged batteries, small numbers of cells and particular types of battery.

Guarantee note: when chargers are sent back to us for checking we regularly find that we cannot reproduce the fault in spite of prolonged testing, and this is probably due to differences between your conditions and ours. You can help us by giving clear details of any fault; "doesn't work properly" doesn't give us much to work on!

 

Before you send your charger back to us for repair please carry out a series of check measurements using a fully-charged car battery. We want to know that the fault can be reproduced every time, and that you have kept to all the recommendations and notes included in these operating instructions.

 

If we find your charger to have no defects we are obliged to charge you for our time - even if this occurs during the guarantee period.

 

3. CE approval

 

This product satisfies all the relevant and mandatory EC directives. These are the:

 

EMV directives: 89/336/EWG, 91/263/EWG, 92/31/EWG.

 

The device has been tested in accordance with the following norms, and has passed all approval procedures:

Interference radiation: EN 50 081-1:1992

Interference susceptibility: EN 50 082-1:1992 and EN 50 082-2:1995.

 

What this means to you as end-user is: you have purchased a product whose design and manufacture meet all the targets of the European Community for the safe operation of electrical equipment.

 

As mentioned above, the test procedure includes a check of the units' interference radiation, i.e. whether the battery charger produces interference. The charger covered by these instructions has been tested under practical conditions at maximum charge current and with a high number of cells and has passed all the tests, remaining within the limits for interference. Measurements have also been made under atypical conditions, such as with a low charge current or only 7 cells, in which the voltage transformer is not in circuit. Under these conditions the charger does not produce the maximum interference level.

 

Another test involves checking the charger's vulnerability to interference, i.e. whether the units are susceptible to interference from other devices. The battery charger was subjected to radiate RF signals emulating a television transmitter or a radiotelephone.

Avoiding interference:

Please check that:

 

... the ferrite ring in the cables to the car battery has not broken down. The ring is designed to prevent the power leads acting as an aerial and radiating the voltage transformer frequency and processor pulse frequency in a manner which could present interference problems.

 

... all charge leads for battery 1 and 2 are as short as possible. The maximum total cable length from the sockets to the battery should be no greater than 20 cm. Twist the cables together to help suppress interference.

 

... all charge leads are passed through the ferrite tubes (Order No. 6404.16) supplied with the charger. These tubes will be familiar to you, e.g. from the connecting lead between your PC and monitor. Like the ferrite ring in the car battery leads, they serve to reduce the radiation of interference-producing frequencies and must be used with this charger in order to meet the CE regulations.

 

4. Fitting the EMV tube

 

Make up your charge leads from 2,5 mm2 flexible wire, one wire red (+) and one black (-).

 

The length should be no greater than 20 cm including the cable from the connector to the battery. This means: if the cable attached to your battery is 5 cm long, the charge lead for this battery should be no longer than 15 cm.

 

Solder a banana plug to each cable.

 

Use the cable tie supplied to link the two wires together about 4 cm from the banana plugs.

 

Slip the bare ends of the charge lead through the EMV tube supplied.

 

Link the two wires with a further cable tie where they exit the tube.

 

The charge lead should now look as shown on the title page of these operating instructions.

 

Twist the wires together and/or hold them together with pieces of heat-shrink sleeved.

 

Now solder to the wire ends the connector required to mate with your battery. Don't forget the heat-shrink sleeves required to insulate the solder joints.

 

You can obtain a ready-made charge lead with shielded banana plugs and an integral EMV tube in the form of the EMV charge lead-T, Order No. 6404.20.

 

5. Range of functions

 

The charge and discharge programs are divided up into five groups which you can call up in the sequence listed below using the "+" or"-" buttons. The program, which you see on the LCD screen, is the one selected, and it will be carried out immediately the battery is connected.

 

You can now adjust the automatic charge termination circuitry for Ni-Cd batteries in such a way that Ni-MH batteries can also be charged (see Section 14 Adjustment facilities).

 

2 lead/acid charge programs                                        PB L, PB I

2 lead/acid discharge programs                                   PB-e, PB-E,

7 Ni-Cd battery manual discharge programs                -50 mA, -0.1, -0.2, -0.33, -0.5, -0.75, -1

5 Ni-Cd battery fully automatic programs                    -E, -LE. 3EL, -EL, L

12 Ni-Cd battery manual charge programs                  +D100 mA. 0.25A, 0.3A, 0.4,

0.5, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.5, .... 5.0A

6. The first step

 

Take the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II out of its packaging for charging.

 

It could overheat otherwise due to lack of air circulation. See also Section 4. Warnings.

 

Connect the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II to the car battery.

 

There should be no batteries connected to the charge outputs 1 and 2.

 

Take care to connect the charger to the car battery "quickly and painlessly". Don't allow the terminal clips to "wobble about" on the car battery terminals otherwise the "Ready" message may not appear. If this should happen immediately disconnect the charger, wait for five seconds, then connect it again, as it would otherwise be in an undefined operational state which could result in damage. In conjunction with a main PSU this is the sequence: first connect the mains PSU. Then connect the charger to it.

 

The LCD screen will show "V6.ZZ GRAUPNER" and "mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS H", where V6 is the version number of the charger software.

 

The screen then shows the termination sensitivity for the Akku 1 (battery 1) output:

 

"A1 Abschaltung" (A1 termination) and "xxxx", where "xxxx" stands for one of the three charge termination sensitivities available.

 

The screen will then show the message "A1 bereit (ready) Auto L".

 

The cursor, which you see below the screen text for Akku 1, refers to Akku 2 (battery 2). It is at the far left under the "A" on the A1 LCD text, close to the white "bereit" legend printed on the front panel.

 

Before you start the charge process, check that the charge programs set on the charger are suitable for your batteries.

 

Usually the fully automatic "Auto L" charge program is the right choice. The fully automatic programs measure the state of the battery repeatedly during the charge process to check whether it can accept more current, and then automatically adjust the charge rate to suit. For this reason it is not necessary to know the exact type of Ni-Cd sintered cell provided that the pack is within the permissible capacity range of 100 mAh to 4 Ah.

 

But note: the fully automatic programs can only work if the charge lead is of adequate cross-sectional area (2.5 mm2 - even for charging transmitter and receiver batteries) and the battery cells are soldered or welded together, i.e. not fitted in a battery holder.

 

Once the battery has been fully charged the current is switched off. The screen shows the "full" (inverted small "v") or "empty" (inverted small "I") indicators after the charge time. It also shows the quantity of energy charged in or discharged. The buzzer sounds for a short period. A flashing "t" indicates that trickle charging is taking place.

 

The "Akku 2" (battery 2) charge output cannot be adjusted; it always supplies a charge current of about 330 mA. It is designed only to charge four-cell nickel-cadmium batteries of 100 mAh or greater capacity.

 

7. Ni-Cd battery programs, "Akku 1" sockets

 

When the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II is disconnected from the car battery then re-connected, it always sets itself to the fully automatic L charge program (Auto L).

 

If you want to use a different program, select it using the two press-buttons before you connect the battery you want to charge or discharge.

 

When your chosen program has finished, i.e. when the battery connected to the charger is completely charged or discharged, the integral buzzer sounds briefly. You can also switch the buzzer off by pressing the + or - button. At this time the LCD screen informs you of the result of the program.

 

If you want to see more detailed information during the charge process than that shown continuously on the LCD screen, please read the section entitled "Checking".

 

Selecting programs

 

You select programs using the "+" and "-" buttons.

 

To adjust any particular program you have to press the buttons repeatedly at about two presses per second (or hold them pressed in), as a single brief press only brings a check message (status display) on the screen without changing the program settings.

 

Press the "-" button to take you to the discharge and lead/acid programs, and the "+" button to reach the manual charge programs. Between the discharge programs and the charge programs with manual current selection you will find the fully automatic programs.

 

The + and - buttons are disabled when the screen shows any of the following indicators: a, b, c, !, v, I, t.

Ni-Cd charge programs with manual current selection

 

If you select one of these programs the charge process starts immediately with the current you have selected, and continues until the charger determines that the pack is "full" (voll). The buzzer and screen tell you that the charge process is completed, the charge current is switched off, and occasional short pulses of current are supplied to keep the pack full ("t" = trickle charge),

 

The charge time, final charge voltage, charged-in capacity and an inverted "v" (full) are displayed until you disconnect the battery. This data can be interpreted to provide valuable information on the Ni-Cd pack's charge characteristics, its capacity, and any erroneous "full" detection.

 

Note that under certain circumstances the microprocessor will automatically reduce the charge current at the start of the charge process or during it if the selected current and the constantly rising voltage threaten to cause the unit to overheat.

 

The following rule of thumb is a good starting point for determining a suitable charge current:

 

Charge current = 2 x C (C = nominal battery capacity)

Example:          a 1.2 Ah battery (C = 1.2 Ah) should be charged at 2 x 1.2 = 2.4 A.

You should set 2.5A (rounded up) on the charger.

The D.1A continuous charge program is designed for the slow charging (balancing) of battery packs, and features no time limit and no automatic charge termination. It supplies a pulsed current of about 400 mA, giving an average charge rate of about 100 mA. The 250 mA program also has no time limit, but the automatic charge termination circuitry does apply.

Ni-Cd charge programs with fully automatic current selection "Auto L"

Fully automatic L (L = Laden = Charge)

 

When set to this program the charger automatically calculates the appropriate current for the battery connected to it. In order to do this the charger continuously analyses the battery during the charge process and constantly adjusts the charge current to suit the battery's ability to absorb energy. It starts with a brief period of charging at 300 mA, subsequently raising the current through the period before finally reducing it again towards the end of the process (if necessary). The program continues charging until it detects the "battery full" condition. It then switches over to a trickle (maintenance) charge. The charge time, the final battery voltage and the charged-in capacity are then displayed on the liquid crystal screen and can be read off. The buzzer sounds briefly.

 

Note in order to differentiate between the other charge and a discharge program, the fully automatic L program announces its start with a double beep when you connect the battery.

 

Ni-Cd battery maintenance programs "AutoEL", "Aut3EL"

Fully automatic EL (E = Entladen = discharge; L = Laden = charge) and fully automatic 3EL (EL 3 times)

 

When set to this program the charger first discharges the battery connected to the Akku 1 output using the initial value (as described in the description of the program "fully automatic E"), then reduces the discharge current steadily until the battery reaches the final discharge voltage. It then recharges the pack fully.

 

This cycle helps to erase the memory effect of sintered cells. As such the program is useful for rejuvenating transmitter and receiver batteries, which in normal usage are never completely discharged (e.g. used 1 x weekly).

 

Brand-new batteries and packs, which are not maintained regularly often, require more than a single discharge/charge cycle in order to balance them completely, and in this situation the fully automatic 3EL program can be selected to carry out the complete cycle three times in sequence.

 

When the unit has switched off the rapid charge current the screen shows the charge time (not the previous discharge time), the final battery voltage and the charged-in capacity, as with the standard charge programs.

 

The buzzer sounds briefly to indicate that the cycle is complete.

Ni-Cd capacity measurement program "AutoLE"

 

Fully automatic LE (L = Laden = charge; E = Entladen = discharge)

 

When set to this program the charger starts by giving the cells connected to the Akku 1 output a full charge, then discharges them down to the final discharge voltage (initial discharge current value: see "fully automatic E").

This program is useful for observing the characteristics of individual battery packs during their useful lifetime. You can detect changes in their performance and make deductions about their further usefulness for critical and non-critical applications.

 

When the discharge current has been switched off. The LCD screen shows the elapsed discharge time, the final discharge voltage and the capacity removed from the battery. The buzzer sounds briefly to mark the end of the process.

Ni-Cd discharge program with fully automatic current selection "Auto-E"

Fully automatic E (E = Entladen = discharge)

 

With this program the batteries connected to the Akku 1 output are discharged to the final discharge voltage. The charger sets the initial discharge current according to the unit's maximum discharge power and Maximum permissible discharge current. The discharge current is reduced several times during the process, and when the battery reaches the final discharge voltage the discharge current is relatively low. It is then switched off altogether, and the buzzer sounds briefly.

Ni-Cd discharge programs with manual current selection

 

When the charger is set to any of these programs the discharge process starts immediately when you connect the batteries and ends when the final discharge voltage is reached. For the whole of the discharge period the discharging takes place constantly at the discharge current you nave selected, or at a lower current if the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II cannot cope with that value.

 

In contrast to the programs described above where the battery's total capacity can be read off, in this case you can find out the residual (remaining) capacity of a partly discharged battery (e.g. how much "juice" has a receiver battery got left after a whole afternoon's flying?).

 

When the discharge current has been switched off, the LCD screen shows the elapsed discharge time, the final discharge voltage and the capacity removed from the battery. The buzzer sounds briefly.

 

Note: in general terms a good discharge current to give an accurate measurement of battery capacity is as follows:

 

Discharge current = 1/1 OC. i.e. a 1 Ah battery should be discharged at 100 mA.

 

However, higher discharge currents still give reasonable accuracy for most requirements.

 

General note: the final discharge voltage with all the Ni-Cd discharge programs is set at around 0.85 V/cell.

 

The microprocessor can calculate the number of cells connected to the charger with adequate accuracy.

 

8. Lead/acid programs, "Akku 1" (battery 1) output

 

The lead/acid charge programs all have the prefix "PB" in the program designation. PB stands for Plumbum - lead - the 82nd element in the periodic table of elements.

 

The PB programs offer one real innovation: they are able to detect automatically the number of cells in the battery. However, in order to detect the correct number of cells and set an appropriate charge current they require fully charged batteries in good condition.

 

If you connect a battery, which is already three-quarters charged, or an old, exhausted battery (with reduced nominal capacity), you will not see the high charge currents, which you might expect. These programs are only suitable for charging and discharging lead/acid and lead/acid gel batteries rated at exactly 2, 6,12 and 24 V (1, 3, 6 and 12 cells respectively), otherwise the charger will be unable to assess the number of cells correctly. The lead/acid battery programs are reached by holding the "-" button pressed in. You can only change between the Ni-Cd and PB program sections when there is no battery connected to the Akku 1 output.

 

Lead/acid batteries have entirely different characteristics from sintered-cell Ni-Cd batteries, which are familiar as the power source in model aircraft, model cars and hydroplanes (racing boats). If you wish to exploit the full capacity of lead/acid batteries note that they can only supply relatively low currents, otherwise 'heir voltage collapses quite quickly. The same applies to charging; battery manufacturers usually state 20 hours to reach full nominal capacity (charge current 0.1C, voltage limited). The mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II's PB charge programs work as follows: when the battery is connected a charge current of zero is applied, rising steadily at a rate of about one minute per amp/hour capacity. A flashing indicates this + sign on the screen in front of the current value. When the battery is approaching maximum voltage, the charge current is gradually reduced again in order to avoid exceeding the maximum voltage.

 

The charge programs described here are capable of giving lead/acid batteries a virtually full charge in just a few hours. The first time the battery reaches the voltage limit for cyclic charging (approx. 2.45V/cell) a letter "a" appears on the screen after the charge time. The battery is then about 3/4 fully charged, and the remainder of the capacity is reached much more slowly. The subsequent rise in capacity is indicated on the screen by the letters a, b, c, ..., each letter approximating to a 5% increment. This second stage takes about the same amount of time as was required to reach the 3/4 full stage (letter "a"). The charger screen shows "full", the buzzer sounds briefly, and the charge voltage limit is reduced to the value required for continuous charging (approx. 2.27V/cell). The charge current is also reduced at this stage, but it is not switched off altogether, as a little current is required to top-up the battery and maintain its state of charge. The unit aggregates the charged-in amp/hours and shows the result on the screen together with the actual charge voltage.

 

This information is not specific, but it should give you a clear idea about the behavior of a lead/acid battery in conjunction with the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS ll's PB charge programs. Don't be surprised if the charger shows "full" at around 70% of the battery's stated nominal capacity, especially with low-capacity batteries (up to around 3 Ah). Bear in mind that the nominal capacity i.e., useful life, of a lead/acid battery is reduced very quickly by incorrect handling (overcharging, repeated full discharges and - in particular - deep-discharging). We strongly recommend that you read the instructions and notes supplied with your lead/acid battery.

PB charge programs

PB-L and PB-I. Both charge programs analyze the battery at the start of the charge process to determine the appropriate charge current, but then set different charge currents: PB-I charges at lower currents, PB-L at higher currents. In general terms the PB-I program is kinder to the battery and tends to give a higher full charge, especially with low-capacity batteries. If you want to "rapid-charge" a lead/acid battery, or top it up just before use, you should use the PB-L program.

PB discharge programs

PB-E and PB-e. The two discharge programs also have different purposes.

 

For an accurate determination of your batteries' capacity you should use the PB-e discharge program which discharges at a maximum of 200 mA.

 

If you want to discharge a battery, or if you have to discharge a high-capacity battery, you should use the PB-E program. This starts by discharging at the highest possible current (like the Ni-Cd fully automatic E program) and then reduces the rate steadily to a relatively low current. Both programs discharge down to a final discharge voltage of around 1.73V/cell.

 

9. Charging and discharging 1-3 Ni-Cd cells at the "Akku 1" output

 

Please note the following restrictions and safety notes:

 

Charging: normally the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II indicates that the battery has not reached a certain minimum voltage by showing a warning on the screen and sounding the buzzer. If the low voltage persists for 30 seconds or more, the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II then switches itself off. These warning messages can be suppressed if you select the 100 mA (D.1A) continuous charge program with the battery disconnected, and then connect the pack. You can then-select the charge program you wish to use, with the battery still connected.

 

Warning: a single cell presents a severe test to the automatic charge termination circuit since the voltage peak is very slight. Although our special 16-bit A/D converter represents the most efficient basis for automatic termination circuitry which exists at present we cannot guarantee that the system will work perfectly with packs of so few cells. It may work perfectly, but It may also cut the charge off too early, too late or not at all. Note also that the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II can by no means reach its maximum charge current with such small numbers of cells, and for this reason the kink in the voltage with high-capacity cells is even less pronounced than usual because the charge current is so low

 

Discharging: to discharge the pack selects your choice of program before you connect the battery in the usual way. The hardware of the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II is not designed to discharge 1/2 Ni-Cd cells or 1 Pb cell. The diodes used as a reverse polarity guard and the transistors employed in the circuitry mean that discharging below 2 Volts is only possible at reduced currents and is virtually impossible in any case under about 1 Volt.

 

10. Charging Ni-Cd (receiver) batteries at the "Akku 2" (battery 2) output

 

Connect a four-cell receiver battery to the sockets marked "Akku 2" on the right-hand side of the case. The mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II immediately starts charging the pack at about 330 mA.

 

The cursor (the underline character which appears under a letter on the LCD screen) shows the battery voltage set during the measurement phase: not the voltage during the charge process.

 

The approximate voltage can be read off from the Volt scale printed on the front panel, When the battery has reached the prescribed charge voltage limit of around 6V the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II switches to a pulsed charge if the battery is fairly small: the better the battery maintains its voltage during the pauses, the longer the pauses become and the shorter the pulsed charges.

 

If the voltage limit mentioned above is not reached during the charge process, and the Delta Peak circuit (working in the background) fails to detect a fully charged battery, the automatic time monitor switches off the charge process after about 9 hours. This may well happen if you are charging high-capacity cells. This limits the maximum charge capacity to around 3 Ah.

 

11. Checking

 

Charge termination sensitivity: every time you connect the me-ULTRA DUO PLUS II to the car battery the screen will show for about one second the charge termination sensitivity set for the Akku 1 output.

 

Charge current setting: if you press one of the two "=" or"-" buttons once briefly, the mode set by the user appears on the screen for a short period, e.g. "Vollautomatik L" or, at the same point, the manually set

current.

 

If the current shown on the screen is lower than the value you have set manually - when no button is pressed - then the charger has reduced the current automatically because it has reached one of the limit values. This usually means that the maximum converter power has been reached, indicated by a "*" symbol on the screen before the current value. The charge current is also reduced if you connect a fully charged pack, or a faulty or unsuitable (non rapid-charge) battery.

 

Note: you can still call up the capacity display after you have disconnected the battery.

 

Car battery voltage: if you hold both buttons pressed in, the screen will show the actual voltage of the power source (car battery).

 

Capacity display: if you hold both buttons pressed in to check the car battery voltage, and then release them simultaneously, you can read off the quantity of charged-in energy for Akku 1 and Akku 2.

 

The capacity value for Akku 1 appears on the left of the screen, for Akku 2 on the right.

 

Discharge quantities are shown prefixed by a minus sign.

 

If you have switched, say, from a discharge program to a charge program by pressing buttons, but without disconnecting the battery, the resultant charge quantity will be shown as a positive or negative quantity depending on whether more energy was charged in or discharged during the period of connection.

 

Status display. 3EL program: since the 3EL program takes several hours to complete, the charger displays a reminder of the current charge / discharge cycle on the screen - but only in the Auto3EL program: 0 for ready, 1 for the first discharge, 2 for the first charge, 3 for the second discharge… up to a maximum 6 for the third charge.

 

12. Protective circuits, error messages, warnings

 

The mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II contains a wide range of protective circuits and monitoring systems to check the car battery voltage, the charger's temperature, the maximum charge power and more. In some cases exceeding the limit values leads to a shutdown of the charge process (e.g. if the car battery voltage is too high), in others to a display of error messages on the LCD screen and the buzzer sounding. The values previously shown on the screen can then no longer be called up.

 

The symbols < and > in the error messages mean: ">" = "larger than" and "<" = "smaller than".

 

The error messages are generally self-explanatory, such as:

 

"Warnung #5, Autobatteriespannung = MIN" (Warning #5, car battery voltage = MIN), so there is no need for a detailed list.

 

Instead of this we will present more details of a few typical operating errors, which you should be aware of before you send the charger back to us for repair, as you can usually sort out the problem yourself.

 

When chargers are returned to us we regularly find that we cannot reproduce the fault described in spite of prolonged testing, probably due to different conditions. You can help us by giving clear details of any fault; "charger doesn't work properly" doesn't give us much to work on!

 

If we find your charger to be fault-free we have to charge you for our time - even if this occurs

during the guarantee period.

 

Before you send your charger back to us for checking please carry out a series of check measurements using a fully-charged car battery to ensure that the fault is not caused by one of the following problems:

 

"Fehler41. Ladezeit groesser Maximum" (Error 41, charge time longer than maximum) (i.e. >3 hr / >4

hr)

 

This error often appears when you try to slow-charge a receiver battery at the Akku 1 charge output in order to balance the cells.

 

If the fully automatic charge current setting circuit is to work properly it is essential to use a charge lead of 2.5 mm2 cross-section. We recommend that you take a charge lead designed for a drive battery and connect to it an adaptor lead to suit your receiver battery: this lead should be no more than 5 cm long. In most cases the short lead to the receiver battery does not falsify the charger's analysis significantly, but please note that it is never permissible to use a switch harness with integral charge socket as a charge lead.

 

"Akku 1 abziehen" (disconnect battery 1)

 

"Fehler 61. Wandlerleistung groesser Maximum" (Error 61, converter power greater than maximum)

 

"Fehler 82. Akku Spannunq groesser Maximum" (Error 82, battery voltage greater than maximum) (e.g.>50 V for a 10-cell battery)

 

Other apparently irrelevant errors

 

The charger will produce these and other inexplicable error messages under certain circumstances if...

It is connected to a car battery, which is simultaneously being charged by a car battery charger:

It is connected to mains PSU which is not a suitable power source for the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II. "LEER" (EMPTY) message in a Ni-Cd charge program after about 30 seconds To erase the memory effect characteristic of Ni-Cd batteries models often discharge their packs manually down to 0 V, although this is not possible with this charger. To allow for batteries in this condition it is now possible to start a charge process even with completely discharged cells, but you will see this warning at the start of the process until the pack reaches a certain minimum voltage.

 

CAUTION: this message appears if voltage does not rise fast enough after the battery has been connected. This can be a sign of reverse polarity if a completely discharged battery is plugged in with reversed polarity. Moreover it is possible for the charger to charge such a battery "the wrong way round". If you connect completely discharged batteries (approx. <1V) it takes the charger about 10 minutes to calculate the correct number of cells.

Nothing on the screen when you connect the charger to the car battery:

If the charger does not show the usual "bereit" (ready) message within one second of connecting it to the car battery, disconnect it for a few seconds and try again.

 

Remedy: the secret is to connect the terminal clips quickly and confidently, and not to allow the clips to make intermittent contact.

 

"Akku 1 (2) abklemmen" (disconnect battery 1 / 2):

The unit is unable to decide whether it should select a lead/acid program or a Ni-Cd program, so this message appears if you connect a battery (to be charged) before you connect the charger to the car battery. You will see the same error message if the "watchdog" circuit is tripped in the middle of a charge process. The "watchdog" responds if the microprocessor finds itself operating in "uncharted waters", perhaps as a result of outside interference.

 

"Fehler #75. Sicherung defekt" (Error #75, fuse blown)

The internal fuse blows if you short-circuit the positive terminal of the Akku 1 charge output to the negative terminal of the car battery, with or without a battery connected. You will have to open the case and replace the T 10 A fuse. Disconnect the unit from all power sources before you open the case and take care not to damage the press-buttons.

 

13. Important general notes and tips

 

Note that the automatic charge termination circuitry can have problems with cells discharged down to 0 V. To keep the memory effect at bay model car operators routinely discharge their packs completely via a 68-Ohm resistor per cell. This process "unbalances" the battery, and its voltage does not rise uniformly during the subsequent charge process. This can lead to the charge process being switched off prematurely.

 

A common cause of excessively low charge currents when the fully automatic Ni-Cd programs are in use is unsuitable charge leads. This is the basic rule: fully automatic current calculation is based on the internal resistance of the battery connected to the charger. The lower the internal resistance of the battery, the higher the load the battery can tolerate, and the higher the charge current, which the charger can supply

However, the charger cannot differentiate between internal battery resistance, cable resistance and connector resistance, so the first requirement if it is to calculate the correct current is a charge lead of adequate cross-sectional area (2.5 mm2 - even for a receiver battery) and a length of no more than 75 cm. The same applies to connectors: you must use high-quality connectors on both ends of the cable (gold-contact types).

 

If you use thin charge leads and/or a combination of switch harness and charge lead the resistance of the cable and connector is usually higher than the internal resistance of the battery, especially if the pack has only a small number of cells. In these circumstances the calculated current will be less than half of the maximum possible current. Manual current setting is then the only recourse, but this is not possible with the fully automatic programs.

 

When analyzing Ni-Cd batteries the charger's microprocessor takes into account factors such as "willing" and "unwilling" Ni-Cd cells - i.e. some cells can accept higher charge rates than others.

 

If you enter a charge current, or the charger automatically calculates a charge current, which is outside the range of the charger (the example above, or 4.0A with 30 cells or more than 2A with only 4 cells), then a "*" symbol appears on the LCD screen between the voltage and current values. The screen will then show the charge current actually in use. at which the charger's permissible parameters are not exceeded, Please don't be surprised if your batteries are not so willing to accept charge in Winter when using the fully automatic charge programs as in Summer - a cold cell simply cannot absorb as much energy as a warm one, During the measurement phases (indicated by a "!" symbol on the screen between the voltage and current values) the operating buttons are disabled (have no effect). They are also disabled when the charger detects a falling charge voltage, to prevent your button-presses interfering with the charger's "full" detection process. You can watch the automatic charge termination circuit working: Akku 1 detects several successive falls in battery voltage, which causes it to switch off the rapid-charge current.

 

Between the charge time and the voltage indication on the screen you will see the letters a, b, c ... in turn as indicators that the battery is fully charged (see also PB charge section).

 

When the battery is fully charged you will see a flashing "t" (trickle charge) at this point on the screen.

Ni-Cd batteries are kept topped up with a pulsed charge, lead/acid batteries with a low-level continuous current.

 

If a problem arises and the charger fails to terminate the charge, there is a "back-stop" safety system: if the charger fails to detect "battery fully charged" after more than three / four hours of Ni-Cd charging at the Akku 1 output and after 9 hours charging (not connection time) at the Akku 2 output, the charger automatically cuts off all running charge processes and shows the excess time on the screen. The exception to this is the 100 mA continuous charge stage (display: D.1A) and the 250 mA stage. If this happens you can no longer read off the charge time.

 

If a time of 3 hours is exceeded at Akku 1 or Akku 2 when the charger is set to automatic mode, then something is wrong with your charge lead, your connectors or your battery.

 

The charge lead may not be of 2.5 mm2 cross-section, you may not have used high-quality gold-plated connectors to the battery or the charger, you may have a dry joint in your connections, or your battery may simply be too "tired", or unsuitable for rapid-charging.

 

Please take the trouble to locate the cause of the problem! Altering the 3-hour time limit is not the answer - in most cases something is going wrong if the charge time reaches even one hour. The automatic current calculation circuit should set a charge current of at least 1C after 5 -10 minutes.

 

When you disconnect a fully charged PB battery it may take several seconds before the software detects that you have disconnected it. There is a technical reason for this, and it is perfectly normal behavior.

 

14. Further adjustment facilities

 

14.1: Using the charger with an external car battery:

If a battery, which is not required to start a car engine, powers the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II then that battery can safely be discharged to a lower level than normal. If you want to do this, you have to change the setting when you connect the charger to the car battery by pressing the "-" button while you make the connections. Hold the button pressed in until you see the message "AutobattLeer=10V" (car battery empty

= 10V) in the first line of the screen. This confirms your set preference.

 

The voltage range corresponding to the low battery warning message (#5) is now set at 9.75 to 10.5 V, and the charger switches off altogether when the car battery voltage drops below 9.75V (error #72).

 

The action of pressing the "-" button when connecting to the car battery is not stored internally, i.e. you must do it every time you connect the unit to the car battery.

14.2: Selecting and adjusting automatic charge termination sensitivity:

You can modify the way in which the Delta Peak charge termination circuit works. There are three sensitivity levels:

 

Normal

Sensitive

Sensitive with delay.

 

1. Normal: Delta Peak termination based on the standard proven detection criteria:

this setting is the most straightforward in most cases.

 

2. + 3.: Sensitive and sensitive + delay: Delta peak termination with sensitive response characteristics:

 

This circuit switches off the charge current when the charge voltage levels off (i.e. no real peak), as tends to happen with hybrid cells (1700 SCE, RED AMP ..., many transmitter batteries).

 

Explanation: using the "sensitive" setting you may find that the charger switches off right at the start of the charge process when it is connected to deep-discharged cells. This can be avoided by setting the charger to the "empf+v" (sensitive + delay) mode, in which it starts the charge with a delay period and does not activate the automatic termination circuit until it has given the pack an 8-minute charge.

 

This means: the first 8 minutes of the charge process are completed without the charge voltage being monitored, so the cells are charged for a minimum of about 10 minutes regardless of their condition.

 

Warning: if you connect fully charged cells for a top-up with the charger set to "empf+v". The pack will probably get very hot for this very reason.

 

Charging Ni-MH batteries:

 

Experiments with charging Ni-MH batteries have produced good results using the two sensitive ("empf) settings, provided that the charge current is set manually and not above 1C (i.e. 1100 cells should be charged at a rate of 1000 mA).

 

Warning: in our experience the batteries which cause most problems with detection of the "fully-charged" state are those which don't get anywhere near their stated nominal capacity when on charge. This can result in the charger not switching off at all. Setting Delta Peak charge termination sensitivity: While you are connecting the mc-ULTRA DUO PLUS II to the car battery hold the "+" and "-" buttons pressed in until the screen shows the message "A1 Abschaltung" (A1 termination) "xxxx + mehr (more)".

 

You can now select the sensitivity.

 

"xxxx" means normal, empf (sensitive) or empf+v (sensitive + delay).

 

Press the + button repeatedly to show the three possible settings - the screen shows "mehr" (more). Press he - button to select the value on the screen. It will be stored permanently on an EEPROM until you change he setting again.

 

When the adjustment procedure is concluded you will see your selected charge termination sensitivity xxxx n the screen one last time before the charger gives its "Ready" message - as if you had just connected the unit to the car battery.

 

15. Specification

 

All data refer to a car battery voltage of 12.5 V, recommended car battery: 12V/>42 Ah

Tolerances at Akku 1: current typically 5%; max. approx. 15% or 250 mA (whichever is greater)

Tolerances at Akku 2: current typically 5%; max. approx. 10%

 

Akku 1 output

 

Ni-Cd & Ni-MH batteries:

 

No. of cells

4 - 30 cells

Capacity

0.1-4Ah

Charge currents / max. power

0.25-5A/135 W

4 cells

2.1 -2.4 A

7-16 cells

up to 5.0 A

21 cells

3

24 cells

4.1 -3.4 A

30 cells

3.3-2.8 A

Discharge currents / power

2.1 -2.0 A

Discharge currents / power

50mA-1 A/10W

Safety power-off approx,

3 (4) hr

PB batteries:

 

Voltage

2,6,12,24V

Capacity

min. 1 Ah

Charge current

0.25A - 5A

Maintenance currents

a few mA

Discharge currents / power

100mA-1 A/11 W

Akku 2 output:

 

Ni-Cd batteries:

 

No. Of cells

4

Capacity

min. 100mAh

Charge current approx.

330mA

Full voltage limit / Delta

approx. 6 V

Peak termination point

Safety power-off approx.

9 hr

Other features:

 

Weight approx.

710g

Dimensions (W x D x H) approx.

142x146x33 mm

Overall height (include, buttons)

39mm

Power supply

11-15V

Low voltage warning

approx. 11.25V

Low voltage power-off

approx. 10.75 V

Max. power supply current at 11 V

up to 15 A

No-load current drain

approx. 200 mA

 

Appendix - query form

 

Please answer all the questions below accurately and in full.

Please send this form back to us if the charger is defective.                                                                               

 

Battery

Your details

Example

Purpose (transmitter, receiver, drive)

 

Transmitter

Manufacturer

 

Sanyo

No. of cells / voltage

 

8 / 9,6 V

Capacity

 

1700 mAh

Type

 

1700 SCE

Inter-cell connections

 

Soldered

Soldered Connector on charge lead

 

Latching

Charge lead:

 

Original <xyz>

Length

 

1,5m

Cross-section

 

0.14mm2

Connector to charger

 

Banana plug

Power supply

 

 

Fault with mains PSU:

 

yes

Type

 

Power 150

Output voltage

 

13V

Output current

 

11 A

Fault with car battery:

 

no

Nominal capacity, car battery

 

45 Ah

Charger:

 

 

Type

 

DUO Plus II

Charge output used

 

Akku 1

Selected charge program

 

Auto L

Max. charge current (automatic)

 

0.83 A

Charge current at/before fault (automatic)

 

0.25 A

Charge time

 

133 minutes

Battery temperature at termination

 

30°C

Error message

 

# 52

 

Appendix - Checking measures

 

Dear customer,

If your charger does not work as you expected, please carry out the following series of tests.

If you complete all the points listed below and the problem still persists, separate the query form from the instructions and complete the form. Send the charger, the charge lead .the problematic battery and your completed query form back to us.

 

If you send the charger to us and we cannot reproduce the fault, we are obliged to charge you for our expenses and you will receive the letter printed below. In most cases you can avoid this by tracking down the problem yourself.

 

Re. your charger, sent to us for repair:

 

Dear customer,

 

The charger you sent back to us has been thoroughly tested and found to be in working order.

 

Your description of the fault, if supplied, did not provide sufficient information for us to locate the defect, or the defect did not occur.

 

It could be that the faults you experienced are due to the use of an unsuitable main PSU, unsuitable connectors or charge leads which are too thin.

 

We have prepared a query form for you, which should help us to localise your problems.

 

Before you send the unit back to us again please completes a series of test charges, which meet all the requirements, listed below.

 

If the fault still persists, then please send us the charger, the charge lead you are using and the problematic battery, together with the completed form. Describing the fault exactly. The words: "charger doesn't work properly" don't help us much!

The following measures will exclude the most commonly occurring problems.

Measures:

1) Connect the charger to a fully charged car battery of at least 60 Ah capacity. Don't use a mains-powered PSU.

 

2) Use the original cable to connect the charger to the car battery, including the original terminal clips.

Connectors such as banana plugs, cigar lighter adaptors etc. are not suitable.

 

This boils down to returning the charger to its "as supplied" state. If this involves soldering, make a solid job of all joints - no "lash-ups" please.

 

3) For the charge lead to your batteries, including transmitter and receiver batteries, use cable of 2.5 mm2 cross-section. The automatic current setting circuitry is only capable of setting a suitably high charge current for your pack if the cable is of this heavy quality. You will also be helping the automatic charge termination circuitry to work efficiently.

 

4) Just as important as the charge leads are the connectors fitted to them.

Don't use banana plugs (even expensive ones) at the charger end; use our proven 4 mm gold-contact plugs. Your flight batteries should be fitted with gold-contact connectors in any case.

 

"Tin" plugs are simply not suitable because of their transfer resistance and the danger of intermittent contact.

 

5) If you observe the measures listed under points 3) and 4) and connect a flat battery to the charger, the fully automatic charge current setting circuit should set a charge current of at least 1C after about 5-10 minutes; it will usually be more than 2C. If this does not happen, it is a sure sign that your battery has too high an internal resistance. The pack is simply "past it".

 

6) Check that there are no defective cells in the battery you are trying to charge. Faulty cells usually heat up before the others when on charge, and this causes the charger to terminate the charge process prematurely, and/or causes the automatic circuitry to set too low a charge current.