Albercorp Cellcorder User manual

Cellcorder
Instruction Manual
Revision 5.0
990 South Rogers Circle, Suite 11
Boca Raton, FL 33487
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
http://www.alber.com

i
1. WARRANTY AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
LIMITED WARRANTY
Albércorp warrants that the software product will perform in accordance with the
accompanying written materials for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of receipt.
Some states and jurisdictions do not allow limitations on duration of an implied warranty,
so the above limitation may not apply to you. To the extent allowed by applicable law,
implied warranties on the software product, if any, are limited to ninety (90) days.
CUSTOMER REMEDIES
Albércorp's entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at Albércorp's option,
either return of the price paid, or replacement of the software product that is returned to
Albércorp with proof of purchase. This Limited Warranty is void if failure of the
software product has resulted from accident, abuse or misapplication. Any replacement
software product will be warranted for the remainder of the original period or thirty (30)
days, whichever is longer.
Albércorp shall not be liable for any data or programs stored in or used in conjunction
with this software product. Without prejudice to the foregoing generality, Albércorp shall
not be liable for the loss or corruption of data or programs stored in or used in
conjunction with this or any other software product, nor shall Albércorp be liable for the
cost of retrieving or replacing lost or corrupted data.
Albércorp's sole and exclusive liability, for any and all losses and damages arising out of
any cause whatsoever, shall in no event exceed the purchase price of the software product
purchased.
NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.
ALBÉRCORP SHALL NOT IN ANY CASE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES,
INCLUDING SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, EXEMPLARY, COLLATERAL
OR CONSEQUENTIAL, ARISING FROM BREACH OF WARRANTY, BREACH OF
CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR UNDER ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY ARISING
FROM THE WARRANTY HEREIN STATED OR THE PURCHASE OF PRODUCT,
INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF PROFITS, USE OR GOODWILL.
Some states and countries do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or
consequential damages; therefore, the above exclusion or limitation may not apply to
you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights
which vary state to state and country to country.

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2. SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT
THIS IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT. PLEASE READ BEFORE INSTALLING
SOFTWARE.
Any use of this media other than to review this Software License Agreement constitutes
your acceptance of and agreement with the terms of this Software License Agreement
with respect to the Albércorp Software. If you do not accept and agree to these terms, you
must return the full product with proof of purchase to Albércorp within thirty (30) days
for a full refund. Installation or use of this software product constitutes your acceptance
of and agreement with the terms of this Software License Agreement.
LICENSORS. All software on this media is licensed to you by Albércorp.
GRANT OF LICENSE. You are granted the right to use the Albércorp Software on a
single personal computer. You may copy the software to use with this personal computer
to any one hard disk drive of this personal computer and to the memory of this personal
computer, provided that you reproduce all copyright and trademark notices, restricted
rights legends, and other proprietary markings.
RESTRICTIONS. You may not sublicense, rent or lease the Albércorp Software. You
may not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, modify, translate or create derivative
works of the Software.
LIMITED WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. The limited warranties
and limitation of liability in Section 1 of this file apply to, are incorporated in, and are
made a part of this Software License Agreement.
EXPORT LAW ASSURANCES. You acknowledge and agree that the Software is
subject to restrictions and controls imposed by the United States Export Administration
Act (the "Act") and the regulations there under. You agree and certify that neither the
Software nor any direct product thereof is being or will be acquired, shipped, transferred
or exported, directly or indirectly, into any country, or used for any purpose, except as
authorized by the Act and the regulations.
GOVERNMENT LICENSEE. If you are acquiring the software on behalf of any unit or
agency of the United States Government, the provisions of Section 3 apply to, are
incorporated in, and are made a part of this Software License Agreement.

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GENERAL. This Software License Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State
of Florida, except for that body of law dealing with conflicts of law. Should you have any
questions concerning this Software License Agreement, or if you desire to contact
Albércorp for any reason, please contact:
Albércorp.
990 South Rogers Circle, Suite 11
Boca Raton, FL 33487
email: [email protected].
3. GOVERNMENT PROVISIONS
The Government acknowledges the representations of the Albércorp software as
"Restricted Computer Software" as the term is defined in Clause 52.227-19 of the Federal
Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and is "Commercial Computer Software" as that term is
defined in Clause 52.227-7013(a)(1) of the Department of Defense Federal Acquisition
Regulation Supplement (DFARS). The Government agrees that:
(i) if the software is supplied to the Department of Defense (DOD), the software is
classified as "Commercial Computer Software" and the Government is acquiring only
"restricted rights" in the software and its documentation as that term is defined in Clause
252.227-7013(c)(1) of the DFARS, and
(ii) if the software is supplied to any unit or agency of the United States Government
other than DOD, the Government's rights in the software and its documentation will be as
defined in Clause 51.227-19(c)(2) of the FAR.
RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is
subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical
Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013.
Albércorp 990 South Rogers Circle, Suite 11, Boca Raton, FL 33487
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
Cellcorder Instruction Manual, Revision 5.0
1999, 2000 Albércorp., 990 South Rogers Circle, Suite 11, Boca Raton, FL 33487.
This manual may not be copied in whole or in part without express written permission from Albércorp.
Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

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Safety Information
• Except as explained in this manual, do not attempt to service Albércorp equipment
yourself. Opening the equipment may expose you to dangerous voltages. Refer
servicing beyond that described in this manual to authorized personnel.
• Do not allow liquids or moisture to get into the equipment. If liquid does get into the
equipment, unplug it immediately and contact your nearest authorized service center
or Albércorp directly.
• Ensure equipment is provided adequate ventilation. Do not block equipment
ventilation openings.
• Do not exceed equipment voltage or power ratings and capabilities.
• Make sure that equipment is properly grounded.
• Do not let unauthorized persons operate the equipment.
• The maximum voltage the Cellcorder can read is 16V. Do not attempt to read
Overall Volts. Use a separate meter, then enter the reading manually under the
SG/TEMP/OV mode.
• Never let any Cellcorder metal surfaces come in contact with a battery post or
grounded rack while testing with the unit.
• Do not attempt to read internal resistance of an open cell/module while the battery is
on-line.

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Table of Contents
1INTRODUCTION................................................................................................3
1.1 General Description.................................................................................3
1.2 Test Procedure Overview.........................................................................3
1.3 Test Modes...............................................................................................4
1.3.1 Voltmeter..........................................................................................4
1.3.2 Multimeter........................................................................................4
1.3.3 Specific Gravity and Temperature....................................................5
1.4 System Features.......................................................................................5
1.4.1 Float Voltage Readings ....................................................................5
1.4.2 Internal Cell Resistance....................................................................5
1.4.3 Intercell Resistance...........................................................................5
1.4.4 Auto Ranging....................................................................................5
1.4.5 Data Extraction and Analysis...........................................................6
1.4.6 System Display.................................................................................6
1.4.7 Power................................................................................................6
2RECEIVING AND ACCEPTANCE TESTING.........................................................7
2.1 Unpacking................................................................................................7
2.2 Cellcorder Initial System Test .................................................................7
3OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS...........................................................................10
3.1 General Concepts...................................................................................10
3.2 Before Using the Cellcorder..................................................................11
3.3 General Operating Notes .......................................................................11
3.4 Operation Notes.....................................................................................12
3.4.1 Multimeter Mode............................................................................13
3.4.2 Connecting the Test Leads .............................................................14
3.4.3 Taking the Readings.......................................................................15
3.4.4 Storing Data for More Than One String.........................................16
3.4.5 Voltmeter Mode..............................................................................17
3.4.6 Entering Specific Gravity, Temperature and Overall Volts ...........18
3.4.7 Uploading Specific Gravity and Temperature Readings................19
3.4.8 Programming Test Parameters........................................................20
3.4.9 Battery Charging ............................................................................21
3.5 Error Codes and Warning Messages......................................................22
3.5.1 Resetting the Cellcorder .................................................................24
3.6 Diagnostics ............................................................................................25
3.6.1 Keypad (KEYBRD)...........................................................................25
3.6.2 Display............................................................................................25

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3.6.3 A/D Channel (AD CHAN) ................................................................25
3.6.4 Relays.............................................................................................26
3.6.5 RS-232............................................................................................26
3.7 Memory Management............................................................................27
3.8 Calibration .............................................................................................28
3.8.1 Entering the Calibration Screen......................................................28
3.8.2 Entering the Password....................................................................28
3.8.3 Recording the Before Calibration Readings...................................29
3.8.4 Calibrating the Cellcorder ..............................................................31
3.8.5 Backing Up and Restoring the Calibration.....................................35
4APPENDIX A: CELLCORDER PARTS LIST.......................................................36
5APPENDIX B: SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS ......................................................37
6APPENDIX C: CELLCORDER CALIBRATION LOG...........................................38

1
What's New
This section describes some of the many new features and enhancements in the
Cellcorder. Several improvements have been made to both the Cellcorder
hardware and software.
Hardware
A new circuit now helps protect the unit if it is accidentally placed across a high
voltage circuit. The protection circuit senses the input voltage across the current
carrying leads and, if the input voltage exceeds 24 volts, a beep sounds and the
test current relays are disabled. Earlier models without this feature can be
upgraded. As a reminder, it is still potentially hazardous to exceed the rated
voltage of the Cellcorder (16 volts).
A fuse on the Cellcorder rear panel now helps protect the operator and the
Cellcorder if the unit comes in contact with a battery post or grounded rack
during testing. Replace this fuse with a ceramic 1 amp fuse only. The symptoms
of a blown fuse while testing are (1) the Cellcorder voltage reading indicates zero
to one-half of the cell voltage being tested, and (2) the Cellcorder displays a Low
Current - Cell or Connect Problem error message. Although this modification
reduces the risk of damage to the Cellcorder, remember to never let any
Cellcorder metal surfaces come in contact with a battery post or grounded rack
while testing with the unit.
Firmware
The new version of firmware incorporates changes that have resulted in some
Cellcorder keypad entry changes. The new changes, described below, are
compared to the earlier methods of operation.
Relay Diagnostics This diagnostic requires that you now press and hold the
TEST key to activate the relay drivers. Release TEST to stop the relay drivers.
Previously, you did not hold the TEST key, and ESC exited the diagnostic.
Error Message for Low Current The error message for test current below
20 Amps now indicates that the TEST key must be pressed for at least one
second to retry the test.
Reset for Locked Cellcorder The key sequence for resetting a locked up unit
has changed. To reset the unit, press ON and F1 simultaneously. The previous
sequence was to press ON and TEST simultaneously. See warning in the
Resetting the Cellcorder section.

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A/D Channel 3 Diagnostic The key sequence to activate the A/D Channel 3
Diagnostic now requires pressing the TEST key after selecting Chan 3.
Previously, pressing TEST was not required.
Calibration for Current The key sequence to activate the Current calibration
now requires pressing the TEST key after selecting option 4 - Current.
Previously, pressing TEST was not required.
Performing a Resistance Test The Test button must be pressed for longer than
1 second before the test will begin.
WARNING The maximum voltage the Cellcorder can read is 16V. Do not
attempt to read Overall Volts. Use a separate meter, then enter the reading
manually under the SG/TEMP/OV mode.
WARNING Never let any Cellcorder metal surfaces come in contact with a
battery post or grounded rack while testing with the unit.
WARNING Do not attempt to read internal resistance of an open cell/module
while the battery is on-line. An open cell can be determined by the abnormally
high voltage across it and the low voltage across all other cells/modules. Refer to
Application Note CC-001 for further details.

3
1 Introduction
This section describes the features of the Cellcorder.
1.1 General Description
The Albércorp Cellcorder is a data storing battery multimeter that provides fast,
accurate information in a fraction of the normal test time. Compact and light
weight in design, this intelligent test unit displays and records readings of cell
float voltage, internal cell resistance, and intercell connection resistance. Other
data, such as specific gravity and temperature, can be entered manually.
The Cellcorder may be used on a single cell or multicell module. Readings up to
seven strings of 256 cells each or 28 strings of 64 cells can be stored and
displayed on a bright fluorescent display. The Cellcorder features are further
enhanced by a computer link and software that allows the transfer of readings to
a personal computer (PC) for further analysis and report generation.
1.2 Test Procedure Overview
The Cellcorder is a self-contained, battery powered unit comprised of a
microprocessor, load resistor, display, and rechargeable battery. Two sets of test
leads are provided: a standard set of digital voltmeter probes and a three clip set
used in the multimeter mode. Optional test leads are available from Albércorp.
When using the three clip set, connect the two larger test clips across the cell and
its associated intercell connector (from the positive post of the cell being tested to
the positive of the next cell), and connect the third smaller conductor clip to the
negative terminal of the cell being tested. (Refer to Application Note CC-002.)
After the leads are connected, the test sequence is initiated. First, the Cellcorder
reads and records the cell float voltage. Next, the unit connects a fixed resistance
across the cell and intercell being tested and forces a current of approximately
70 Amps to flow for a few seconds. During the load condition, the unit reads the
current and voltage and calculates the intercell connection resistance and internal
cell resistance.