General Safety Notes; General Operating Information - GRAUPNER Ultramat 8 Instructions D'utilisation

General Safety Notes

Introduction
Please study these instructions, reading them
completely and attentively, before you use the
unit for the first time. This will guarantee that you
will be able to exploit all the facilities of your new
battery charger. The warnings and safety notes
are particularly important. Please store these in-
structions in a safe place, and be sure to pass
them on to the new owner if you ever dispose
of the charger.
In purchasing the ULTRAMAT 8 you have ac-
quired a mature product with an excellent perfor-
mance. It incorporates the latest semi-conductor
technology, controlled by a high-performance
RISC micro-processor, to provide superior
charging characteristics combined with simple
operation and optimum reliability. These features
can normally be expected only from much more
expensive units.
The ULTRAMAT 8 represents a reliable method
of charging a maximum of three Lithium-Polymer
cells, or 1 to 10 NiMH or NiCd cells.
The charger automatically detects the number
of cells in the pack, and calculates the required
charge parameters itself.
Note
It is important always to observe the charging
instructions supplied by the battery manufac-
turer, and to keep to the recommended charge
currents and times. Do not fast-charge batteries
unless the manufacturer states expressly that
they are suitable for the high currents which flow
during these processes.
Rechargeable batteries generally - and Lithium-
Polymer cells in particular - are sensitive and
easily damaged.
It is therefore essential to supervise the whole of
the charge process.
Warnings and safety notes
• This product isn't designed for use by children
under the age of 14, it isn't a toy!
• Protect the charger from dust, damp, rain,
heat (e.g. direct sunshine) and vibration. It
should only be operated in dry indoor condi-
tions.
• The case slots serve to cool the charger, and
must not be covered or enclosed; set up the
charger with space round it, so that cooling air
can circulate unhindered.
• The charger is designed to be powered by
a 12 V car battery (11 - 15 V DC) or a mains
socket (100 ~ 240 V AC). Select the appropriate
power input. If the 100~240V AC input is
selected, for pluggable equipement like the
Ultramat 8, the socket-outlet shall be installed
near the charger and shall be easily accessible.
6 Safety Notes
6411_(D_GB_F).indd Abs2:6-Abs2:7
• Never connect the charger to both power
sources simultaneously, and never connect
an AC voltage to the DC voltage input. Do not
modify the charger in any way.
• The charger and the battery to be charged
should be set up on a heat-resistant, non-
inflammable and non-conductive surface before
use. Never place the charger directly on a car
seat, carpet or similar. Keep all inflammable and
volatile materials well away from the charging
area. Provide good ventilation.
• Connect the charger directly to the car battery
using the original cables and connectors sup-
plied. The car's engine must be stopped all the
time the ULTRAMAT 8 is connected to the car's
battery. Do not recharge the car battery at any
time when the ULTRAMAT 8 is connected to it.
• The charge output sockets and connecting
leads must not be modified, and must not be
inter-connected in any way. There is a danger
of short-circuit between the charge outputs and
the vehicle's bodywork when the charger is con-
nected to the car battery. The charge leads and
connecting leads must not be coiled up when
the charger is in use. Avoid short-circuiting the
charge output or the model battery with the car
bodywork, even though the ULTRAMAT 8 is
protected against such errors. For this reason
the charger must never be placed directly on the
vehicle's bodywork.
• Never leave the charger running or connected
to the car battery unsupervised.
• Only one battery may be connected to the
charger for charging at any one time.
• The only types of battery which may safely be
connected to the charger are: Lithium-Polymer
packs consisting of up to three cells, and NiCd /
NiMH packs consisting of one to eight cells.
• To avoid short-circuits between the banana
plugs fitted to the charge lead, please always
connect the charge lead to the charger first, and
only then to the battery to be charged. Reverse
the sequence when disconnecting.
Check before using the charger
Before charging please check the following
points: are all connections firm and secure, i.e.
no intermittent contacts?
Please bear in mind that it can be dangerous to
fast-charge batteries. For example, if there is a
brief interruption due to an intermittent contact,
the result is inevitably a malfunction such as a
restart of the charge process, or an incorrect cell-
count detection, which could result in the pack
being massively overcharged.

General Operating Information

Charging batteries
When a battery is charged, electrical current is fed
into it at the rate of 0.5 A, 1.5 A or 3 A, according to
the position of the current select switch. In the case
of LiPo batteries the charger automatically adjusts
the charge current, and reduces it when the final
charge voltage is reached.
The maximum charge current of the Ultramat 8 is
3 Ampere.
• Batteries must always be supervised when on
charge.
• Batteries MUST be placed on a fire-proof surface
for charging.
• Never attempt to recharge defective or inflated
Lithium cells!
• Connect the battery to be charged using genuine
GRAUPNER connectors for Lithium-Polymer cells.
• Ensure that all connectors and terminal clamps
make good, sound contact. For example, if there is
a brief interruption due to an intermittent contact, the
result is inevitably a malfunction such as a restart of
the charge process, which would result in the pack
being massively overcharged.
Lithium-Polymer cells
This charge program is only suitable for charging Li-
thium-Polymer batteries with a nominal cell voltage
of 3.7 V.
The main outstanding feature of Lithium batteries is
their much higher capacity compared to other battery
types.
This is an important advantage, but it is balanced by
the requirement to handle the batteries differently,
especially with respect to charging and discharging,
if the danger of using them is to be minimised. There
are important basic rules governing the handling of
these cells, and they must be observed at all times.
For additional information and safety notes please
study the battery manufacturer's published specifi-
cations. The fundamental rule is that Lithium-based
batteries may ONLY be charged using special char-
gers which are designed and set for the actual battery
type (final charge voltage, capacity). The method of
charging these batteries is different to the one em-
ployed with Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries, and is based
on what is known as a constant current / constant
voltage process. The charge current required varies
according to the battery capacity, and is set automa-
tically by the charger.
Lithium batteries are generally charged at 1 - 2 C
(1 C charge current = capacity charge current. Ex-
ample: with a battery capacity of, say, 1500 mAh the
corresponding 1 C charge rate is 1500 mA, or 1.5 A).
On the Ultramat 8 the charge current is set using the
current select switch (max. 3.0 A). Once the battery
reaches the final charge voltage appropriate to the
specific battery type, the charger automatically red-
uces the charge current in order to prevent the final
charge voltage being exceeded.
NiMH-/NiCd- cells
When set to the Ni-Cd / Ni-MH charge program, the
ULTRAMAT 8 can charge packs consisting of one to
eight cells with a nominal voltage of 1.2 V / cell.
The automatic charge termination circuit (battery full
detection) works on the proven Delta Peak principle
(also known as the Delta-V process), which is already
in use in millions of chargers. This process analyses
the voltage peak of the charge curve, which indicates
with great accuracy when the maximum charge ca-
pacity is reached.
When the charge process is started the battery vol-
tage initially rises continuously, but as the pack ap-
proaches full capacity it begins to heat up. This in
turn causes the battery voltage to fall slightly (Del-
ta-V). The charger detects and assesses the voltage
decline.
It is possible to adjust the sensitivity, or trigger voltage
(in mV per cell!) of the automatic cut-off circuit for Ni-
Cd batteries. A practical range of values has proved
to be 5 ... 20 mV / cell. Higher voltages often lead to
overcharging of the battery, whereas a lower voltage
tends to result in premature termination of the charge
process. We recommend that you check the informa-
tion supplied by your battery manufacturer, then carry
out a series of test-charges to establish the optimum
value for your battery. A good starting point is the 5
mV setting. If the setting is correct, the battery will be
slightly warm to the touch (30 - 45°C) directly after
the charge process.
The current select switch is used to set the approved
charge current for the battery you wish to charge.
NiCd / NiMH batteries which are capable of delivering
high discharge currents can usually be recharged at
a charge rate of 1 C (1 C charge current = capacity
charge current. Example: with a battery capacity of,
say, 1500 mAh the corresponding 1 C charge rate is
1500 mA, or 1.5 A). On the Ultramat 8 the charge
current is set using the current select switch (max.
3.0 A).
Liability Exclusion
As manufacturers, we at GRAUPNER are not in a po-
sition to ensure that you observe the correct methods
of operation when installing, using and maintaining
this charger. For this reason we are obliged to deny
all liability for loss, damage or costs which are incur-
red due to the incompetent or incorrect use and ope-
ration of our products, or which are connected with
such operation in any way.
Components and accessories
As manufacturer of this charger, the company of
GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG recommends the
use of associated components and accessory pro-
ducts which have been checked and approved by
GRAUPNER for their suitability, proper function and
safety. In such cases GRAUPNER accepts respon-
sibility for these products on your behalf. We are un-
able to accept liability for parts or accessories made
by other manufacturers, which are not expressly ap-
proved by GRAUPNER, as we are not in a position to
assess every individual non-Graupner item to decide
whether it represents a safety risk or not.
Operating Information 7
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