Professional Charging Station GKL221

Charges two GEB111/121 and three 5-pin batteries. Requires two GDI222 battery adapters

The GKL221 is an intelligent charging station with advanced charging technology. It is suitable for charging all Leica Geosystems batteries and ensures the optimal battery operation with your equipment.

LECA 733271

The GKL221 can be connected to the mains electricity supply with an input voltage range from 100 to 240 V AC, using the country specific power cable. With the optional GDC221 car adapter, the charging station can be connected to the battery circuit of a vehicle.

The microprocessor controlled charging station recognizes the type of battery connected and derives the charging parameters such as time and current. The batteries are optimally and appropriately charged. This guarantees the maximum possible service life. The charging station can recognize and charge cells of the NiCd, NiMH and Li-Ion types. Up to five batteries can be connected to the charger simultaneously. Two batteries are charged at the same time and the rest are charged in the order they were connected.

The charging time depends primarily on the maximum charging current, the battery capacity and the charge state of the batteries when connected. Charging time of discharged batteries at +20 °C (+68 °F):

• NiCd batteries:
  max 2200 mAh 1.0 to 1.5 h
  max 7200 mAh 2.5 to 4.0 h
• NiMH batteries:
  max 2200 mAh 1.5 to 2.0 h
  max 4900 mAh 2.0 to 2.5 h
  max 10000 mAh 2.5 to 5.5 h
• Li-Ion batteries:
  max 4600 mAh 2.5 to 3.5 h

At ambient temperatures above +20 °C (+68 °F) the charging time for NiCd and NiMH batteries can increase by up to 1 hour. (For recommended charging temperature range see Section 2.4.) As the temperature of the battery increases towards the end of charging, the efficiency of the storage of the charge drops. For example with the GEB121, in the first 90 minutes approximately 80% of the battery is charged and a further 60 minutes is required for the remaining 20%.

A temperature control mode is built into the GKL221 charging station. This temperature control mode is activated as soon as the battery becomes warm. In temperature control mode, the charging current is switched off until the temperature of the battery has dropped back to a specific value. Charging is then continued with reduced charging current. The switch off in temperature control mode of the charging current is not noticeable to the user as the indicator remains green (charge). The temperature control mode is also activated if the ambient temperature is too high.

If fully charged batteries remain connected to the charging station, trickle charging is performed automatically. This compensates for the self-discharge of the batteries that occurs for technical reasons. The batteries are thus always available with full capacity. The trickle charging feature only activates for NiCd and NiMH batteries as Li-Ion batteries only have a very small discharge when not in use.

If the capacity of a NiCd or NiMH battery drops noticeably, it is recommended to subject the battery to the refresh function 2 to 3 times. The refresh function comprises a full discharge of the battery with subsequent quick charging. Further information can be found in the user manual of the GKL221. The memory effect of batteries is explained in Section 2.8.

The GKL221 charger is supplied with two battery adapters. Using the charger in combination with the battery adapters, the following batteries can be connected to the charger:

The following batteries can be charged with the GKL221: