Nuts & Volts - August 2007

NEW PRODUC

■ HARDWARE ■ SOFTWARE ■ GADGETS ■ TOOLS

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TALKING BATTERY CHARGER

Interacter, Inc. — a leading US manufacturer of industrial battery chargers, based in Meriden, CT — announces the new Talking Battery Charger module.

The majority of warranty failures of batteries are due to incorrect charging. Warranty claims and repair calls are pre-ventable if the operator can be reminded to charge the battery promptly after use. But the operator may not read the instructions. The Talking Battery Module provides speech prompts to remind the user to recharge the battery when needed. It announces battery status so the

user knows if the battery is charged, and when the battery is low.

The module is self-contained and simple to install with just two wires to the battery. It can be mounted in the battery pack, in the charger, or control panel. It can be supplied pre-fitted into a battery charger or as a stand-alone module.

Applications include materials handling equipment, emergency lighting, backup power supplies, medical devices, marine equipment, or anywhere battery power is used that is subject to lack of attention to charging. Internal jumper links configure the module to work with batteries of a 12V, 24V, or 36V system voltage. A complete starter kit is currently available for approximately $49.

The module includes a signal output connector which can drive an external relay or signal to indicate battery discharged, automatically disconnect the load, or to drive red/green panel indicator lamps to indicate battery status.

Various voice options are available to replace the standard English pronunciation (wav files are stored in a plug-in EEPROM). Custom wav files can be loaded into the module for OEM customers to announce the company name every time the power is turned on.