Knowledge Base

Category: Data Collectors / Carlson Surveyor
Topic ID: 735
Title: Carlson Surveyor+ - Using 2 Battery Packs
Created: 2012-03-28Last modified: 2012-03-28
This is in regards to installing 2 battery packs into the Surveyor+ data collector.


The battery charging circuitry in the Surveyor+ has some unique behavior when using two batteries:

1) When charging two batteries in the Surveyor+, the batteries are charged one at a time, the main battery (lower compartment) first, then the backup (upper compartment) battery. 

2) When the Surveyor+ is operating, if both batteries have the same charge level, they are both discharged at the same time, if the two batteries have different charge levels, the higher charge level battery is discharged until it reaches the level of the lower charged battery, then both batteries are discharged equally.

3) The battery charge icon in Windows Mobile and in SurvCE only reports the charge level of the main (lower compartment) battery.  This means that if both batteries have different charge levels, the battery charge icon in SurvCE will not always report the correct charge level. 

4) When charging a Surveyor+ with two batteries, especially one that has been fully discharged, if you plug in the charger and monitor the battery icon on the system, and unplug when it shows a full charge, then you may have only charged the main (lower compartment) battery.  

The second battery pack (in the upper vertical slot under the battery door) does not show that it is charging in Windows however the red LED will blink while the secondary battery pack is charging and the battery bar shown by tapping the battery icon in Windows will increase over time.

The red LED will turn solid RED when both battery packs are fully charged and it will no longer blink.

!!! PLEASE NOTE:  It takes 10-12 hours to fully charge two batteries in the Surveyor+ !!!

5) The best way to determine charge level of the two batteries in the Surveyor+ is to Exit SurvCE and tap on the Battery Icon in the upper right just to the left of the clock so you can view the individual charge levels of each battery.
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