Revolectrix GT1200 User manual

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GT1200
Multi Chemistry Charger
User’s Guide
For firmware versions starting at v2.23
IONIQ battery life enhancing
charge system included
© Copyright 2016
Rev1.1

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Contents
About GT1200....................................................................................................................... 3
Specifications....................................................................................................................... 5
Precautions .......................................................................................................................... 6
Smart Power Management.................................................................................................. 7
Regenerative Discharge...................................................................................................... 8
Power supplies..................................................................................................................... 9
Firmware Update................................................................................................................ 10
Connecting Packs.............................................................................................................. 11
General info ................................................................................................................................................... 11
Single Pack Balanced LiPo Charge/Discharge.......................................................................................... 12
Single Pack Unbalanced Charge/Discharge .............................................................................................. 12
Parallel Charge.............................................................................................................................................. 13
Example 1: Configuring Smart Power Management....................................................... 14
Example 2: Charging a LiPo pack .................................................................................... 16
Example 3: Saving and Loading a User Preset............................................................... 19
Charging tips...................................................................................................................... 21
General information...................................................................................................................................... 21
Charging packs............................................................................................................................................. 21
Internal Resistance....................................................................................................................................... 22
Menu Options..................................................................................................................... 23
Basic Settings – Charge............................................................................................................................... 23
Basic Settings – Discharge.......................................................................................................................... 23
Basic Settings - Store................................................................................................................................... 23
Basic Settings - Cycle .................................................................................................................................. 23
Basic Settings - Monitor............................................................................................................................... 23
Advanced Settings – Cycle Settings........................................................................................................... 24
Advanced Settings – Charge Termination ................................................................................................. 24
Advanced Settings – Discharge Termination ............................................................................................ 24
Advanced Settings – Discharge Profile...................................................................................................... 24
Advanced Settings – Charge Balance ........................................................................................................ 24
Advanced Settings – Discharge Balance................................................................................................... 24
Advanced Settings – Charge Timeout........................................................................................................ 25
Advanced Settings – Discharge Timeout................................................................................................... 25
Advanced Settings – Trickle Settings......................................................................................................... 25
Advanced Settings – Float Settings............................................................................................................ 25
Advanced Settings – IONIQ / Cold Weather Settings................................................................................ 25
Advanced Settings – Unbalanced Charge.................................................................................................. 25
Advanced Settings – Unbalanced Discharge............................................................................................. 26
Settings - Supply Settings ........................................................................................................................... 26
Settings - Audio Settings............................................................................................................................. 26
Settings - Visual Settings............................................................................................................................. 27
Settings - Misc Settings ............................................................................................................................... 27
Settings - Reset Settings.............................................................................................................................. 27
Troubleshooting................................................................................................................. 28
Support options ................................................................................................................. 30
REVOLECTRIX limited warranty....................................................................................... 31
Limits and Exclusions.................................................................................................................................. 31

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About GT1200
Description:
Model GT1200 for use with LiPo, LiIon, LiPoHV, LiFePO4 (or A123), NiCd, NiMH, and Pb
(Lead Acid) battery packs
Features
Selectable charge rates range from 25mA to 40A
Continuous maximum output power rating, 1200W @ +24VDC input voltage, 600W @
+12VDC input voltage
Native support of JST XH balance connectors allows direct connection of 1s-8s LiPo/LiHV
Batteries without requiring any adapters. Also supports Revolectrix SPA and MPA Safe
Parallel Adapters; the industry's safest methods for parallel charging multiple, same-cell-
count packs. These items are peripheral products, available separately or as part of Combo
packages, not included as a part of the basic GT1200 unit
Smart Power Management allows customer to select between programmable input power
sources. Available settings include power supply input current limit, input low voltage limit,
regenerative discharge rate and voltage limit. GT1200 stores 3 set-ups for Power Supplies
and 3 set-ups for Lead Acid Batteries and can be programmed to ask for verification one
time on start-up
GT1200 supports charging through the main discharge wires only for certain scenarios (see
features tab for full details). For balanced charging, the unit requires balance wires in
combination with the discharge wires (charge rate support up to 40A max)
Initiate charge, discharge, store, monitor, and multiple cycles at the GT1200
The unit comes equipped with basic presets for all battery chemistries currently available as
well as 28 EMPTY user preset positions. During the course of operation, any changes that
are made at the charger may be named and saved ("SAVE AS") or saved over ("SAVE") to
the user presets bank. The process is analogous to opening a document in a PC
application, making changes, and then using the "Save" or "Save As" menu options from
the PC application to store the unique setup parameters chosen during the course of using
the charger for its intended purpose; charging and managing your batteries. Best of all,
everything happens at the charger, which makes it ideal for taking it on the road
0.1mohm resolution allows accurate four point internal resistance measurement of each cell
Environmentally friendly, regenerative discharge capability of up to 1200W. Unlike
traditional methods of discharge, which deplete the output battery's energy in the form of
heat across a transistor, regenerative discharge takes most of that energy and puts it back
into the input battery. In other words, when you discharge your LiPo for storage, you will be
re-charging your Lead Acid input battery. The total amount of power that you can achieve is
limited only by the amount of current that your input battery can accept, or 1200W,
whichever is lower
GT1200 is also equipped with a traditional, 80W internal discharge capability which is non-
regenerative
Twin large cooling fans
Massive over-sized internal heat sink

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10AWG silicon input power cable terminating in an EC-5 female pin connector. A plier clip
assembly with EC-5 on one end and red/black plier clips on the other is available as an
accessory item
Massive sendust core toroid capable of 40A continuous input current requirement for
maximum output specifications
NEW IONIQ Mode lithium battery pack charge system increases safety and life expansion
of battery packs
Other Features
2.6", 128 x 64 pixels graphic LCD with white LED backlight
Embedded PC USB support and free PC Software
Intuitive Navigation Wheel with inclusive push button SELECT/ENTER, plus a BACK button
makes Navigating menus and making selections a joy!
Sleek and attractive high-impact ABS enclosure for maximum airflow efficiency
Sturdy Aluminum top panel
Quick "preset over-ride access" to common charging parameters like setting charge and
discharge current and operational modes of charge / discharge / monitor / cycle(s)
Additional advanced options menu for adjusting in-depth charging parameters and global
options at the unit
Free and reliable firmware updates for the life of the product using the free, downloadable,
Windows-based Firmware Update Utility (Application)
Programmable options allow speaker ON/OFF or volume, selectable completion notification,
information scrolling, Logo display duration at power up and Navigation Wheel direction
control
Multiple product cases can be interlocked
Multi-language support
Please note: all specifications and features listed above subject to change without notice

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Specifications
For Battery types: Lithium Polymer HV (1s to 8s balanced, 1s to 2s unbalanced), Lithium
Polymer (1s to 8s balanced, 1s to 2s unbalanced) Lithium Ion (1s to 8s balanced, 1s to 2s
unbalanced), Lithium Manganese (1s to 8s balanced, 1s to 2s unbalanced), A123 (LiFePO4)
(1s to 8s balanced, 1s to 8s unbalanced), NiCd (1s to 21s), NiMH (1s to 21s), Lead Acid
batteries (1s-12s Flooded, Gel, AGM, SLA)
Pack capacity: 50 mAh to 360Ah
Input voltage: 10-32VDC, reverse polarity protected
Input current: 1A to 60A, software limited
Power conversion: Synchronous DC/DC converter, 85% to 93% efficiency depending on
output current
Output battery charge current: Adjustable range 25mA to 40A, limited by 60A input current*
Output battery discharge current: Internal discharge 25mA to 8A, 80W max. Regenerative
discharge 25mA to 40A, 1200W max
Continuous max output power: 600W @ +12VDC input, 1200W @ +24VDC
Cell balancing: 1s-8s Li or A123 (LiFePO4) balanced charging
Voltage calibration: Cell voltage measurements are factory calibrated to a standard traceable
to NIST; calibration is to +/- 6 mV
Current calibration: Charge current is factory calibrated on a 4A standard; calibration is to +/-
1mA
Measurement accuracy:
Voltage resolution: 78uV (16 bit)
Voltage tolerance: +/- 6mV
Charge current: +/- 1%
Capacity added to pack: +/- 1%
Percent capacity (“Fuel”): +/- 5% (with accurate fuel table defined for battery being charged)
Interface: USB 2.0 Full Speed (12Mb/s)
Cooling fans: Twin, 13 CFM, 50mm diameter
Heat sink: Internal 200W aluminum, thin finned
Output battery connector: Modified JST XH series, 9 position max; accepts 1s-8s balance
plugs on batteries
LCD: 2.6", 128 x 64 pixels graphic LCD with white LED backlight
Size: 5.82" x 6.55" x 3.57"
Footnotes:
* Please note, for safety reasons, available charger current may be limited for certain battery
types and/or charging modes, e.g., non-balanced charge of Li

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Precautions
Follow all instructions in this manual to ensure safe operation.
IMPORTANT: Do not disconnect or connect packs while the charger is charging.
Always watch LiPo packs while they are charging. Never leave LiPo packs unsupervised
during charging
See additional warning sheets provided with your battery packs.
Follow all guidelines for charging, discharging, handling and storing LiPo cells.
Minor arcing may occur when discharge wires are connected to the charger before
charging. This is normal.

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Smart Power Management
Because the GT1200 is capable of high power output, it is strongly recommended that you
configure Smart Power Management before you use the GT1200 for the first time, and select
the power source in use any time it is changed.
The GT1200 stores six Smart Power Management profiles: three for DC power supplies (PSU1,
PSU2, PSU3) and three for Lead Acid batteries (Batt1, Batt2, Batt3). When you first apply
power to the GT1200, the first thing you do is select the profile that matches the power source
you are using. This makes it easy to change the Smart Power Management profile from a DC
power supply at home to a Lead Acid battery at the field.
If you don’t configure Smart Power Management to match your power source(s), these are the
default settings:
PSU1
PSU2
PSU3
Batt1
Batt2
Batt3
Voltage lower limit
10.0V
15.0V
10.0V
11.0V
22.0V
11.5V
Current upper limit
60A
60A
5A
60A
60A
60A
Regenerative discharge
Not
Available
Not
Available
Not
Available
Enabled Enabled Enabled
Regenerative voltage upper
limit into Lead Acid battery
Not
Available
Not
Available
Not
Available
14.4V 28.8V 14.4V
Regenerative current upper
limit into Lead Acid battery
Not
Available
Not
Available
Not
Available
10A 10A 10A
IMPORTANT: To prevent damage to the power source, you must
specify the power source’s operating characteristics before charging
for the first time with a DC power supply, and before charging for the
first time from a battery. The GT1200 allows you to store up to 6
different power supply profiles (3x DC power supply profiles and 3x
Lead Acid battery profiles). After that, load the power supply profile
using the Power Source option any time you change to a different DC
power supply or battery. See Example 1: Configuring Smart Power
Management on how to configure Smart Power Management for both
a DC power supply and a Lead Acid battery.

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Regenerative Discharge
Regenerative discharge routes most of the energy from the pack being discharged back
into the Lead Acid battery powering the GT1200. This feature is only available when the
GT1200 is powered from a Lead Acid battery. Regenerative discharge supports up to
40A, 1200W maximum.
Regenerative discharge
Enable/disable regenerative discharge at the GT1200 via Smart Power Management
for the supply battery.
GT1200 automatically determines whether it is connected to a Lead Acid battery or a DC
power supply. If it detects a power supply, it switches to internal discharge (10mA to 8A,
80W maximum).

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Power supplies
GT1200 is one of the highest power RC battery maintenance devices available. Running
full power, it can deliver 1200W to batteries during charge. To achieve this, even on an 8
cell Lithium battery, it must boost the input voltage. This means the GT1200 may draw
up to 1400W from the input power supply.
To take advantage of GT1200’s full power capability, the power source should be 24V
DC (higher voltage does not improve output power), and capable of delivering a
minimum of 60A to GT1200’s input.
If you don’t need GT1200’s full output power, it can operate from much lower power
sources. Use the steps outlined in Example 1: Configuring Smart Power Management to
configure GT1200 to never exceed the maximum capabilities of your input source(s),
whether DC power supply or Lead Acid battery.
Important: Unstable power supplies can damage the charger. To help
reduce risk to the charger observe the following:
1) When powering more than one Charger/Battery Workstation from the
same supply, ensure that all connected chargers are idle (not charging)
when connecting the second or third charger. Alternatively, connect all
chargers to the supply before the supply is powered up.
2) When powering the Charger/Battery Workstation from an automotive
battery (Lead Acid)installed in a vehicle, do notstart orstop the vehicle’s
engine unless the charger is idle, or disconnected from the automotive
battery (Lead Acid).
3)When powering any RevolectrixCharger or BatteryWorkstationusing
the E-Fuel 1200W/50A power supply:
i) first connect the Power Supply to AC power BEFORE connecting the
charger to the Power Supply.
ii) set the voltage on the Power Supply so it is within the operating range
of the Charger or Battery Workstation you will be powering.
iii) wait at least 15 seconds.
iv) then connect the Charger or Battery Workstation to the Power
Supply.
v) conversely, disconnect the Charger or Battery Workstation from the
Power Supply BEFORE disconnecting the Power Supply from AC
power.

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Firmware Update
The free GT1200 PC software gives you the ability to update to the latest firmware via a USB
cable. You can download the GT1200 PC software at
http://www.revolectrix.com/downloads.htm
Refer to the GT1200 PC software for firmware update instructions.
The latest firmware versions starting from v2.23 now offer multi-language support for your
charger. To install the preferred menu language option for your charger, select one of the
available language options in the GT1200 PC software under “Charger Language” and then
click “Update Firmware”.