Charging battery in vehicles

9 Nov 2004

Why Use Vehicle Mode

It is important to have the Allegro in Vehicle Mode when it is left connected to vehicle power, such as on a combine or an ATV. Using Vehicle Mode is necessary because every time the vehicle is turned on the Allegro begins a new battery charge cycle. Repeated attempts to charge a fully charged battery pack causes early reduction in battery performance. In Vehicle Mode, charging is inhibited if the gauging circuitry indicates that battery pack is charged above 90%. Thus, the battery is protected from potential damage.

How a Battery becomes Out of Sync in Vehicle Mode

When using the Allegro in Vehicle Mode the battery may not charge. When the Allegro is turned off, it goes into a suspended state. While in this suspended state, the Allegro draws just enough power to keep the operating system in the same state it was in when it was turned off, causing the battery to drain slightly. When the Allegro is on, the battery power gauge keeps track of the power drained from the battery. But, when the Allegro is turned off, the battery gauge is unable to track the slight power drain.

If the Allegro is left for any amount of time without being plugged into a wall charger, the battery gauge slowly becomes out-of-sync with the charge left in the main battery. If left in this state for a long period of time, or several short periods without being plugged into the wall charger, the battery gauge displays a battery charge that is higher than the actually charge. Example: The Allegro could display a battery status of 90%, when the battery may actually be 10% or nearly dead.

Confirming your Allegro is in Vehicle Mode

If you are unsure if the Allegro is running in Vehicle Mode, you can check by completing the following steps:

If running in DOS

  1. Press the Gold Key then S to go to the BIOS Setup.
  2. Select Power Management and press ENTER.
  3. View the Vehicle Mode setting at the bottom of the Power Management list as on or off.

     

If running in Windows CE

  1. Tap on Start | Settings | Control Panel and double tap on the Power icon.
  2. View if the In-Vehicle Charge Mode option is checked or not.

     

Note: You can also reference the Allegro Owners Manual for addition Vehicle Mode information.

How do I Re-synchronize the Battery Charge with the Battery Status Icon

In Vehicle Mode, the Allegro prevents the battery from being charged if the battery indicator states 90% charge or above. If this occurs and the battery is out of sync (e.g. the battery status icon displays 90% when the charge is lower), complete the following steps:

  1. Exit all applications running on your Allegro.
  2. Turn the Allegro off.
  3. Remove the main battery from the Allegro for 15 seconds.
  4. Re-insert the battery and turn the Allegro on. The New Battery Detected screen should appear.
  5. Set the battery charge to 10%, and then click OK or press ENTER on your Allegro.
  6. Plug the Allegro into the wall plug and charge it until the charging indicator turns off or disappears.

     

Recommendations

We recommend that you always plug the Allegro into the wall charger when it is not being used. This is the best way to avoid having the battery indicator become out-of-sync with the true charge. It is safe to leave the Allegro plugged into the wall charger overnight, over the weekends, and up to two months without damaging the battery. When storing the Allegro for extended periods, complete the following steps:

  1. Charge the battery completely.
  2. Save the system on the Allegro.
  3. Remove the battery and store it separately.