Instructions for Smart Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Battery Belt

Model NiMH1315 13.2 Volt (198 Watt/hour) & Charger

By Impact Televideo

Maximum battery output capacity is best achieved if charging occurred, or was topped up, within a day before use (allow several hours for the battery to cool after charging if used for heavy Amperage applications).

There is no need to charge this battery immediately after use, as long as it isn't totally drained (charge within a day before next use).

Disconnect battery from the equipment it is powering, when Voltage drops below 10 Volts. Most video equipments cuts itself off before that anyway (10.5 to 11.5 Volts), but some equipment does not have auto cut-off circuitry (such as lights). If you drain this battery well below 10 Volts, you could cause damage to the batteries by reversing the polarity of some cells & thereafter you will get reduced Voltage & less life from this battery.

Use only the Mascot 2415 (3 Amp), or 2215/2216 (1.5 Amp), or 2515 (1.5 Amp DC) NiMH chargers sold & smart programmed specifically for this battery. In any case, never use a smart NiMH charger higher than 5 Amps & never use a charger intended for a different battery chemistry such as Lead Acid, Ni-Cad, or Lithium. Use of an improper charger could result in battery damage or reduced output & lifespan.

This battery has a thermistor (temperature sensing device) built in, which interfaces with the Mascot 2415, 2215/2216 & 2515 chargers, that tells it when charging is complete. It also tells the charger if the battery is outside the normal charging range of 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F) & prevents charging if battery is not in this range (charger LED will be green with short flashes of orange).

There is a safety thermostat built in the battery that opens the circuit if battery temperature exceeds about 60°C (140°F). It will automatically reset once the battery has cooled sufficiently.

There is a 15 Amp manual push to reset circuit breaker, accessible to the operator on the outside of the case in the event of a short circuit, or if equipment draw exceeds roughly 15 Amps (about 198 Watts). This is better than a polyswitch because it doesn't drop Voltage as much (low resistance of breaker) & because it forces the user to realise when a fault or overload has occurred.

This is a nominal 13.2 Volt battery (11 cells) which is ideally suited for 13.2 Volt DC incandescent lights and most pro & semi-pro video applications.

Ideally power draw should be limited to about 10 Amps (132 Watts) on a continuous basis, but peak draws of up to 15 Amps (198 Watts) can be allowed for several minutes. Because of the nature of certain thermostat breakers, if allowed for too long to draw peak power that is near the breaker trip point, the breaker may start to flicker power rather than pop.

There are 3 identical 4-pin XLR connectors you can use to plug in equipment totalling not more than 198 Watts (15 Amps) peak. Any of the same XLR connectors are also used to plug in Mascot chargers. Pins 1 (negative) & pin 4 (positive) are video industry power standard. Normally pins 2 & 3 are not used, however the Mascot charger & this battery (model NiMH1315), uses pin 2 & pin 1 for temperature sensing.

This battery is optimized to discharge in the range of -10°C to 40°C (14°F to 104°F). It is possible to use the battery outside this range, but capacities will be diminished. If using the battery for a continuous heavy load (100 Watts or more), it is desirable to start using the battery at a lower temperature than the maximum 40°C (104°F) allowed, to leave head room for the battery to heat up without tripping the thermostat. If possible, let the battery cool to room temperature for several hours after charging is complete.

Recommended storage temperatures are between 5°C to 25°C (41°F to 77°F).

It is ideal for longer battery life to start the charge when the internal battery has cooled to room temperature (about 25°C or 77°F or less). If you start the charge just after the battery received extended heavy duty use (which heats up the battery), or where the battery has been in a very warm environment just under 40°C (104°F), the charger will start to charge, but as it heats up the battery during charging, if the battery reaches the 60°C (140°F) temperature, the thermistor will trip the charger into error mode as a safety precaution to prevent overheating the battery. The charger LED will indicate error by flashing equally between orange & green & it will not quite completely charge the battery (skips top-off & trickle charge stages). In such error LED situation, unplug the charger for several hours & let the battery cool down to room temperature, then plug the charger back in so it may finish charging the battery. You will not be able to overheat the battery during charging (because it has both thermistor & thermostat protection), but if charging doesn't start about room temperature, you may not be able to fully charge the battery either. For the technically inclined, if you want to verify that the internal temperature of the battery is at room temperature or less (about 25°C or 77°F or less), measure the resistance across the battery XLR pins 1 & 2 with an ohm meter (should be 10,000 ohms or higher) without the charger plugged into the battery.

The battery is attached to a comfortable wide padded belt, please make sure you secure the Velcro straps & quick snap connections for maximum safety. If this padded belt is too small or too large, an optional belt for a wider range of sizes is available. An optional padded shoulder harness is available to spread the weight more evenly.

After the "fast" (main or bulk) charge (3 Amps which is 20% charge rate or max. 5:20 hours using a Mascot 2415 charger, or 1.5 Amps which is 10% or max. 10:40 hours using a Mascot 2215/2216 charger), the charger will automatically switch when almost full to "top-off" charge for about 30 minutes (420 mA which is 2.8% charge rate for 2415 charger, or 240 mA which is 1.6% charge rate for 2215/2216 charger) & then to "trickle" charge indefinitely (100 mA which is 0.66% charge rate for 2215/2216 & 2415 chargers). There is no harm in leaving the charger plugged into the battery for several days, as the trickle charge isn't enough to damage the battery (model NiMH1315).

No need to worry about memory problems, NiMH battery chemistry has almost no memory retention at all.

Be aware that this is a nominal 13.2 Volt battery which is ideally suited for most video applications, it is not a nominal 12 Volt battery. Incandescent lights designed for 12 Volts will burn up to 40% brighter at 13.2 Volts, but may occasionally cause old bulbs to burn out prematurely. This battery has the most ideal voltage compromise between 12, 13.2 & 14.4 Volt systems.

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Last updated November 20/2007

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