Set Smart Power Management
You can set a variety of operating options, including the very important power source
voltage and current limits. You can set Smart Power Management either at the Dual
PowerLab 8x2 (described below) or in the CCS Supply tab (which is easier).
Because the Dual PowerLab 8x2 is capable of high power output, it is strongly
recommended that you configure Smart Power Management before you use the
Dual PowerLab 8x2 for the first time, and set it again any time you significantly
change the power source - either DC power supply or Lead Acid battery.
The Dual PowerLab 8x2 stores two Smart Power Management profiles: one for a DC
power supply and one for a Lead Acid battery. When you apply power to the Dual
PowerLab 8x2, 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:
DC supply power source:
Voltage lower limit: 10V
Current upper limit: 25A
Battery power source:
Voltage lower limit: 11V
Current upper limit: 25A
Regenerative discharge, when enabled (it is disabled by default):
Regenerative voltage upper limit into Lead Acid battery: 14.40V
Regenerative current upper limit into Lead Acid battery: 10A
The following procedure sets Smart Power Management for both a DC power supply and
a Lead Acid battery.
1. Connect Dual PowerLab 8x2 to a 10–48V DC power supply or Lead Acid battery.
2. Press any button on Dual PowerLab 8x2’s panel.
3. At the Power Source? screen, use the INC or DEC button to select Battery or DC
Power Supply (i.e., what is currently powering the Dual PowerLab 8x2).
4. Press ENTER to display the User Preset menu.
5. Press INC+DEC (i.e., press both INC and DEC at the same time) to display the
Options menu (Choose TASK?).
6. Press INC or DEC until you see Charger Options, then press ENTER.
7. The Charger Address? screen should display PRIMARY CHANNEL (unless you are
IMPORTANT: To prevent damage to the power source, you must specify the
power source’s voltage and current cutoffs before charging for the first time
with a DC power supply, and before charging for the first time from a battery.
After that, update the power source’s operating characteristics any time you
change to a different DC power supply or battery.
Note: All of the above parameters can be adjusted directly on the Dual
PowerLab 8x2, except Regenerative Amps and Regenerative Voltage, which
must be set using CCS.