SurePower and SurePower II Lithium Ion Defibrillator Battery Update Jan 2012.pdf
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Updated 1/24/12
SurePower and SurePower II (Lithium Ion) Defibrillator Battery
Introduction
Lithium Ion chemistry provides the highest energy density to date versus other available
chemistries such as NiCd, NiMH, and lead acid. This means lighter smaller batteries that
will provide longer runs times versus comparable size batteries of the previous chemistries
stated earlier.
Battery Capacity versus Run Time
Run time and the battery’s capacity are not the same thing. Capacity is how much energy is
stored in the battery where Run Time is how long that capacity (stored energy) can power a
given platform. One can think of capacity as the number of gallons contained in a gas tank
and Run Time being how many miles one can drive using those gallons.
Each platform (E Series, R Series, Propaq, X Series, and AED Pro) will have different run
times depending on what parameters are operating (EtCO2, SpO2, NIBP etc.) at any one
time and the mode of operation (Monitor, Pace or Defib). The parameters running and the
operational mode affect how much current is draining from the battery.
SurePower Battery Charging and Recalibration
Charging:
The SurePower Charger will provide the fastest charging time versus recharging a battery
in the platform. The longest charging time will occur in the platform while the platform is ON
because only a small portion of the AC Charger output current is used to recharge the
battery. A depleted SurePower battery will take >12 hours to recharge in an E Series or R
Series while ON and approximately 4 hours (R Series, X Series and Propaq) and 6 hours
(E Series) when OFF at room temperature. Please note that the battery may not always
display 5 Run Time LED’s (fully charged) after recharging in the platform to the times just
previously stated. If this does occur the battery will be >90% charged even though the 5 th
LED does not illuminate. The SurePower Charger will reliably recharge the battery to FULL
and show 5 Run Time LED’s when the battery Display button is pressed.
Note: AED Pro does not have the ability to recharge a battery, must use the SurePower
Charger
How to recalibrate:
The only way to ensure a successful recalibration of the battery is to place the battery into a
SurePower Charger and press the Manual Test button on the charger. The Manual Test
cycle can take up to 10 hours to complete with a fully depleted battery.
How often:
The Recalibration “?” LED will illuminate if 1 year of elapsed time or 500Ah of discharge
throughput has occurred since its last recalibration. To clear the Recalibration “?” LED, the
user must press the Manual Test button on the SurePower Charger. The latest battery
software (SurePower V1.80, SurePower II V1.50) will automatically start a Manual Test
cycle but there are many batteries in the field at previous software revisions so pressing the
Manual Test button should always be done. To maintain the highest accuracy the battery
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should be recalibrated every 1 or 2 months.
Notes:
1. The SurePower battery cannot be recalibrated in any platform (E Series, R Series, X
Series, Propaq, or AED Pro). The platforms do not drain the battery low enough to
perform a recalibration. The reason is the battery does not fully deplete when “Replace
Battery” is indicated in order to have a small reserve left so if the battery is
unintentionally not recharged right away, no battery damage will result from too low a
cell voltage.
Recharging must occur within:
- 45 days maximum for E Series
- 30 days maximum for R Series and AED Pro
- 14 days maximum for Propaq and X Series
2. The SurePower Battery and Charger were intended to automatically recalibrate the
SurePower battery when needed. Unfortunately this feature is not always reliable. The
battery software was been updated to fix this problem but most of the SurePower
batteries currently in the field will have this potential recalibration issue. Therefore to
insure a recalibration takes place, the Manual Test button on the SurePower Charger
must be pressed.
Revision A of the SurePower Battery Pack Guide (9650-0536-01) is incorrect on page 5:
• Draining a fully charged SurePower battery in the defib will NOT recalibrate the battery.
This was corrected in Revision B of the SurePower Battery Pack Guide.
Run Time LED Operation
The battery will display run time (per the Run Time LED display) automatically whenever
current is flowing either charge or discharge except for X Series and Propaq which will
always require a button press to display the green Run Time LED’s.
During discharge, Run Time is determined from the actual current being drawn from the
battery. If no load current is flowing (or if the battery is not in a platform) and the Display
button is pressed, the run time displayed is based on a default discharge current value. The
default current is 2A for SurePower and 1.2A for SurePower II batteries.
Notes:
1. One could see two Run Time LED’s illuminated, for example, via a Display button press
but then see three Run Time LED’s when the battery is being used in a platform. This
will be due to the platform load current being less than the default value. Again the Run
Time display will always show remaining run time based on the actual load current
flowing when powering any platform.
2. With battery software versions V1.80 (SurePower) and V1.50 (Propaq/SurePower II),
the battery will use the default current value to determine run time for the first minute of
operation to prevent incorrect Run Time indication during that first minute. This allows
time for the gas gauge Average Current value to reach its actual operational value.
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The battery LED Run Time display will activate (illuminate) within 15 seconds after the
platform is switched on except for X Series and Propaq (need to push the button on the
battery for a Run Time display).
Battery insertion into an AED Pro starts the “Battery Insertion Test” after which time the
AED Pro turns off. The battery test will not activate the SurePower battery Run Time display
but pressing the ON button of the AED Pro with a battery already installed (Green “√”
displayed) will, again within approximately 15 seconds.
Run Time that is displayed while charging is determined by the battery using the default
discharge current value so Run Time is based on the default current drain which is
conservative versus the actual platform current draw.
One blinking Run Time LED indicates less than 15 minutes of available run time. To be
safe the battery should be recharged as soon as possible.
Battery and Charger Fault Indications
Faults reported by the charger do not necessarily indicate there is a problem with the
battery. The most common cause for charger faults is a communication error between the
charger and battery with a higher occurrence with the Propaq battery because of the added
charger adapter. If a charger fault occurs, press the battery status button to determine if the
battery also has a fault and if not reinsert the battery into the charger to try charging again.
Note:
SurePower Battery software V1.50 and Propaq battery software V1.10 have a bug that
causes the charger to sometimes fault on a charge/discharge or discharge/charge transition
during a Manual Test cycle. Reinserting the battery back into the charger clears the fault
(press the Manual Test button again) and should complete successfully.
Platform “Low Battery” and “Replace Battery” Determination
All platforms use Remaining Capacity read from the battery to determine when to post “Low
Battery” or “Replace Battery”. Voltage is only used as a backup in the event
communication is lost between the battery and platform. The voltage thresholds were
chosen so the Remaining Capacity thresholds will be reached before the voltage threshold
if the battery is properly calibrated.
If a battery is depleted in the platform (i.e. used until platform shuts off) the battery must be
recharged within the time specified below in order to prevent the battery from generating a
permanent battery disable fault due to excessive low cell voltage.
Recharging must occur within:
• 45 days maximum for E Series
• 30 days maximum for R Series and AED Pro
• 14 days maximum for X Series and Propaq
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Long Term Storage of the SurePower and SurePower II Battery
If SurePower or SurePower II batteries are to be stored for >90 days:
• Do not store in the platform
• Do not store fully charged, this only accelerates aging of the battery. Batteries should
be charged till 3 Run Time LED’s are illuminated (1:00+ for SurePower, 2:00+ for
SurePower II) prior to storage or use a Conditioning Charger to recharge batteries prior
to storage.
• Storage temperature should be between +15°C and +25°C
(temperatures >+25°C increases self discharge and also accelerates battery aging)
• Recharge back to 3 Run Time LED’s every 4 months
• Do not store depleted batteries or damage will result
(the battery pack will permanently disable itself if the battery voltage decays to a
predetermined low value for safety reasons. When this occurs, the battery Fault LED
will illuminate upon a button press and the battery will generate a charger fault when
placed into a SurePower Charger for that specific battery bay only.)
Expected SurePower Battery Life
Expected cycle life of the SurePower battery is approximately 700 cycles in hospital and
EMS heavy use applications and greater than 700 cycles in light use applications. Light
versus heavy simply means the pack is ~30% drained per cycle before recharge for light
use and completely drained per cycle for heavy use. This number will change due to actual
customer usage patterns but 700 cycles is a typical number for heavy use.
A “Shift Check” protocol was tested and found not to be detrimental to the SurePower
battery (reduction of pack capacity) as was found with lead acid over extended periods.
Another difference of lithium ion cells versus lead acid is that lithium ion batteries will not
improve in capacity with repeated deep discharge cycles as with lead acid.
Lithium Ion chemistry does not suffer from “memory effect” as nickel based chemistries do.
AED Pro Disposable Battery
There are no maintenance requirements for this battery other than:
• Battery must be used prior to the “Install Before” date located on the back label
• Batteries should be stored at a temperature between +15°C and +25°C to minimize cell
self discharge
ZOLL Battery Warranty
One year warranty for all Rechargeable Batteries (SLA and Lithium) sold in the USA and
internationally.