EF TECH Four-Play Pro User manual

Four-Play Pro
SinglecellLiPocharger
ChargeFourbatterieswhileyouPlaywithyourplaneorheli.
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FourPlayProchargingone130mAh,two110mAhandone70mAhbatteries
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 Extendyourbatterylife! Don’toverchargeyourbatteries,stockchargerschargeat
over3Candshortenbatterylife.Eachbattery’schargecurrentisadjustablefrom20mato
400mA.
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 FlyMore! ChargeonetofoursinglecellLi‐Pobatteriessimultaneously.
 ChargeawayfromhomewithoutACpower! Useany3cellLi‐Pobattery
forpowerwhenyouareawayfromhome.Automaticshutoffifbatterydropsbelow9.6V.
 Chargeupto400mA! Bereadytochargethenextgenerationofhighercapacity
batteries.
 Easytouse! Justpluginthebattery,theCHARGELEDisgreenwhenchargingandredwhen
done.
 BeGreen! Don’twastealkalinebatteriestopoweryourcharger.
 ChargeanysinglecellLi‐Po! YouarenotlimitedtojustchargingE‐Flightbatteries,
theFour‐PlayProcanchargeanysinglecellLi‐Pofromauxiliarybatteryconnections.
 DesignedandManufacturedintheUSA 
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Optional12VDCwalladapter.Adapterpoweronleft,LiPopowerontheright.
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Specifications
InputVoltage AnyDCpowersourcefrom10to24VoltsDCthatcansupply0.8Amp.TheFour‐
PlayProwillautomaticallyturnoffiftheinputvoltagedropsbelow9.6Volts.This
willprotecta3‐cellLi‐PobatteryifusedtopowertheFour‐PlayPro.
InputConnections Terminalstripandpowerconnectortoaccept2.1mmIDx5.5mmconnectorwith
centerpinpositive.
Output ChargessinglecellLi‐Pobatteriesto4.2voltsatanycurrentfrom20to400mA.
BatteryCapacity Charges1to4singlecellLi‐Pobatteriessimultaneously.
Chargereceptacle FitsE‐Flite,ParkZoneorKyoshosinglecellLi‐PobatteriesfortheVapor,BlademCX
orsimilarairplanes/helicopters.Auxiliarybatteryconnectionsforothersinglecell
Li‐Pobatteriesaresupplied.
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Introduction
PleasereadtheseinstructionscarefullyandcompletelybeforeyouusetheFourPlayPro.Refer
totheillustrationonpage3forreference.
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The“buyandfly”microaircraftintroducedbyKyosho,ParkZoneandE‐Fliteareverypopularandhave
openedanotherreadilyaccessibleareaofmodelaviationtobothbeginnerandadvancedmodelers
alike.Unheardof10yearsago,theseaircraftweremadepossiblewiththerecentintroductionof
spreadspectrumradiosandsmallLi‐Pobatteries.Newmodelswithbetterperformanceandhigher
capacitybatterieshavebeenevolvingrapidly.Theonlypartofthesystemthathasremainedstagnant
isthebatterycharger.Thechargerssuppliedwiththesemodelsarevirtuallyidentical.Theycharge
onecellatatime,arepoweredwithexpensivealkalinebatteriesandchargeboth70mAhand110mAh
batteriesatover250mA.ThishighchargeratethedramaticallyshortensthelifeoftheLi‐Pobattery.
TheFour‐PlayProwasdesignedtogivededicatedmodelersamoreflexiblecharger.Itwillcharge4
independentcellssimultaneously,canbepoweredwithanyDCvoltagesourcefrom10Vto24V,
includingcommon3‐cellLi‐Popacks,andthechargerateforeachcellisadjustablefrom20mAto
400mAin10mAincrements.Withthisuniquesystemyoucanchargeatahigherratewhileatthegym
withagroupoffriendstogetmoreflightsin,andthenscalebacktoa1Crateathometoextendthelife
ofyourflightbatteries.
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Safety
YoumustreadthesesafetyinstructionsandwarningsbeforeusingtheFourPlayPro
TheFourPlayProwasdesignedexclusivelyforchargingsinglecellLiPo
batteries.DONOTTRYTOCHARGEMULTICELLLIPOBATTERIES!DOINGSO
MAYDAMAGETHECHARGER,ANDWILLSHORTTHEBATTERYANDPOSSIBLY
CAUSEAFIRE.
LithiumPolymerbatteriesarevolatile,improperchargingmaycauseafire.
Failuretoreadandfollowtheseinstructionsmayresultinfire,personalinjury
anddamagetoproperty.
EFTechnologies,Inc,itsdistributorsandretailersassumenoliabilityforfailure
tocomplywiththesewarningsandsafetyguidelines.Bypurchasingthischarger,
thebuyerassumesallrisksassociatedwiththisproduct.Ifyoudonotagreewith
theseconditions,pleasereturnthechargerimmediatelybeforeuse.
Neverchargebatteriesunattended.WhenchargingLiPobatteriesyoushould
constantlymonitorthechargingprocessandreacttopotentialproblemsthat
mayoccur.Ifatanytimeyouwitnessabatterystartingtoballoonorswellup,
discontinuethechargingprocessimmediately.Disconnectthebatteryandplace
itinasafeobservationareaforapproximately15minutes.Continuingtocharge
abatterythathasbeguntoswellmayresultinafire.
 IfusinganexternalbatterytopowertheFourPlayProdonotattachbarewires
fromthebatterytotheINPUTTERMINAL,youmayshortouttheexternalbattery
andcauseafire.Alwaysattachanadapterwithaconnectorcompatiblewiththe
connectoronyourbatterytotheINPUTTERMINALfirstthenplugyourbattery

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10202050100200
 Battery1, 20+20+50=90mA
Battery2, 100+200=300mA
Battery3, 50+100+200=350mA
Battery4, 10+20+20+200=250mA
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ComponentlocationsandCurrentSetDipSwitchsettingexample
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UsingtheFourPlayPro
Determinethecapacityofthebatterytobecharged(it’sprintedonthebattery)andsettheFour‐Play
Protoyourpreferredchargerate.A1Cchargeratewilltakeapproximateonehourtofullycharge
yourbattery.A3Cratewillchargethebatteryinapproximately20minutes.Forexample,a3.7V
110mAhbatterychargedat110mAisbeingchargedat1C.Ifitischargedat330mAthenitisbeing
chargedat3C.Ahigherchargeratewillreducethelifeofyourbatterywhilealowerchargeratewill
extendit.Topreventbatterydamageortheriskoffire,donotchargeatmorethana3Crate.
Onceyouhavedeterminedyourchargerate,pushuptheindividualswitchesontheCURRENTSET
DIPSWITCHtosetthechargerate.Simplyaddupthenumbersaboveeachswitch.Forexample,if
the100,50and20dipswitchesarepushedup(on)thenthechargerateis170mA.Checkallthe
switches(onoroff)toensurethecorrectchargerate.Seeexampleabove.
ConnecttheFour‐PlayProtoa12DCpowersupply,ACtoDCwalltransformer,3‐cellLi‐Poorother
12VDCpowersource.ThegreenPOWERLEDwilllight.IftheLEDdoesnotcomeoneitherthe
polarityisreversedorthevoltageisbelow9.6voltsDC.
InsertthebatterytobechargedinoneofthefourCHARGERECEPTACLES.Remembertosetthedip
switchesfirst.Thebatterycanonlybeinstalledinonedirection,thebatterylabelshouldpoint
towardtheCHARGELED.TheCHARGELEDwillturnredifthebatteryischarging.Atfullcharge,the
CHARGELEDwillturngreen.Ifyouforgettodetachthebatteryafteritisfullychargedthereisno
needtoworry,astheFour‐PlayProautomaticallystopschargingafterthebatteryisfullycharged.
However,theCHARGELEDwillremaingreenuntilthebatteryisremoved.Itisnormalforthe
CHARGELEDtobeeitherredorgreenwithoutabatterypluggedintoaCHARGERECEPTACLE.
3
ChargingsinglecellLiPobatterieswithoutcompatibleplugs
DONOTTRYTOCHARGEMULTICELLLIPOBATTERIES!DOINGSOMAYDAMAGETHECHARGER,
ANDWILLSHORTTHEBATTERYANDPOSSIBLYCAUSEAFIRE.
ItispossibletochargeotherSINGLEcellLi‐PosthatwillnotplugintotheCHARGERECEPTACLE.Onthe
rightsideoftheunittherearefoursetsofpadsthatmakeuptheAUXILIARYBATTERYCONNECTIONSthat
aremarkedpositiveandnegative(1+1‐,2+2‐,3+3‐,4+4‐).Chargepigtailsmaybesolderedtothese
pads.Eachpairofpadscorrespondstobatteryreceptaclewiththesamenumber(1to4)anditscurrentis
setusingthecorrespondingCURRENTSETDIPSWITCHabovethenormalCHARGERECEPTACLE.Ifyou
usetheseconnections,youmaychargefromeithertheCHARGERECEPTACLEortheoneyouhave
addedbutnotbothatthesametime.
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FourPlayProchargingtwo110mAh,one70mAhbatteriesonboard&one65mAhremotely
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Technicaldescription
TheFour‐PlayProisastateoftheartbatterychargerthatusesthebestcharacteristicsofboth
switchingregulatorsandanalogbatterymanagementcircuits.
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PreRegulator
ThefirststageoftheFour‐PlayProisreversepolarityprotectionfollowedwithanefficientswitching
pre‐regulator.Thisreducestheinputvoltageto5VDCwithanefficiencyofover85%.Alowvoltage
detectorwillshutdownthepre‐regulatoriftheinputvoltagedropsbelow9.6V.Thisdetectoris
includedtoprotecta3‐cellLi‐Popackusedasapowersource.Thesecondaryfunctionofthepre‐
regulatoristhatitreducesthecurrentrequiredfromtheinputsupplyallowingyouchargemoreflight
batteries.Becauseofthevoltagedifferentials,thecurrentsuppliedbytheinputbatterywillonlybe
aboutonehalfofthecurrentgoingintotheflightbatterybeingcharged.

ChargeManagementControllers
FollowingthePre‐regulatorarefourindependentsingle‐cell,fully‐integratedLi‐Ion/Li‐Polymer
charge‐managementcontrollers.Eachcontrollerhasadipswitcharraythatenablestheusertoselect
anychargeratefrom20to400mA.Abipolarred/greenLEDindicateschargestatus.Theoutputfrom
eachcontrollerterminateswithbothaplugcompatiblewiththeflightbatteryandalsowithapairof
solderpadsforyourauxiliaryconnectorstomatewithanysinglecellLi‐Pobatterieswithnon‐
compatibleplugs.

ChargeAlgorithm
Thechargealgorithmiscomprisedof4phases;Preconditioning,FastConstantCurrentCharge,
ConstantVoltageChargeandChargeTermination.TheChargeIndicatorLEDglowsredduringthefirst
3phasesandturnsgreenafterChargeTermination.Iftheflightbatteryvoltageislessthan2.8Vthe
preconditionphasechargesat10%ofthechargecurrentuntilthevoltagereaches2.8Vwhenthe
chargerswitchestothefastconstantcurrentphase.Inthisphasethechargecurrentisthatsetbythe
dipswitches.Whenthevoltagereaches4.20Vthechargerswitchestotheconstantvoltagephaseand
thebatteryisheldat4.20Vuntilthecurrentdropsto10%ofthesetcurrent.Atthispointthechargeis
terminatedandthechargecompleteLEDisgreen.

EFTechnologies,Inc‐119BSandyDrive‐Newark,DE19713‐Phone,302‐451‐1088 
www.eftmodels.com

FourPlayPro,LiPoCharger/PartNumber10EF1060015
4Rev13/26/09



Four‐PlayProFrequentlyAskedQuestions
QuestionCanIchargea2cellor3cellor4cellLi‐Pobatterybyhookingupthebatteries
balanceconnectortotheAUXILIARYBATTERYCONNECTIONS?
AnswerNO!!!TheFourPlayProwasdesignedexclusivelyforchargingsingle
cellLiPobatteries.DONOTTRYTOCHARGEMULTICELLLIPO
BATTERIES!DOINGSOMAYDAMAGETHECHARGER,ANDWILLSHORT
THEBATTERYANDPOSSIBLYCAUSEAFIRE.

QuestionHowmanybatteriescanIchargefrommy2100mAh3cellLi‐Po?
AnswerTheFourPlayProwillcharge50ormore70mAhbatterieswhenpowered
bya3cell2100mAhLiPo,and20ormorewhenpoweredbya3cell
1000mAhLiPopack.

QuestionCanIusea4Cellor5CellLi‐PotopowermyFour‐PlayPro?
AnswerYes,youcanuseanybatterywithavoltagebetween10Vand24Vbutthelow
voltageshutoffissetto9.6Vandwillnotprotectyourbattery.We
recommenda3cellLi‐Po.

QuestionWhywon’tthePOWERLEDcomeonwhenIconnecttheFour‐PlayProintomy
Powersupply?
AnswerEitherthepowersupplyconnectionsarereversed,thepowersupplyisACnot
DCorthevoltageislessthan9.6VDC.

QuestionTheFour‐PlayProworksfinewhenIcharge2batteries.Whydoesitturnoff
whenIpluginthethirdbattery?
AnswerYoursupplyvoltageisdroppingbelow9.6volts.Thiscouldbecausedbya
supplythatcan’tsupplyenoughcurrent.

Question  WhyisoneoftheCHARGELEDsredorgreenwhennobatteryispluggedinto
theCHARGERECEPTACLE?
AnswerThisisnormaloperation,theCHARGELEDcolorisonlyvalidwhenabatteryis
pluggedin.

QuestionWhywon’ttheCHARGELEDturnonwhenIhaveabatterypluggedintothe
CHARGERECEPTACLE?
AnswerEitherthebatteryisnotfullypluggedintotheCHARGERECEPTACLEorthe
chargerateissettolessthan20mA.

QuestionWhydoestheCHARGELEDturnredifImoveabatterythatwasfullychargedin
oneCHARGERECEPTACLEtoanotherCHARGERECEPTACLE?
AnswerThisisnormalandiscausedbytheslightdifferencesinthechargevoltageofthe
chargingcircuitsusedineachchannel.Thedifferencesareverysmallandthe
CHARGELEDwillturngreeninafewminutes.
Rev1,3/26/09
www.eftmodels.com




IntroducingtheRevolutionary
Four‐PlayPro
HighPerformanceSingle‐CellLi‐PoCharger

Extendthelifeofyourflightbatteries!
Don’twasteexpensivealkalinebatteries!
Charge4single‐cellbatteriesatthesametime!
Adjustablechargerate20mAto400Ma!
Eachbatteriescurrentisindependentlyadjustable!
Powerwitha3CellLi‐PoattheGymorpowersupplyat
home!
Auxiliaryoutputstochargeanysingle‐cellLi‐Po!

DesignedandManufacturedintheUSA!
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