In a message dated 97-01-05 16:06:06 EST, Newton Hunt wrote: < The SAT protects itself by shutting off when the battery is too low to operate < tuning functions. If the battery is allowed to discharge completely you will < not only loose your tunings, but the program that makes the SAT function. It <will have to be send back for reprograming. The Sanderson Accu-Tuner (SAT) does turn itself off when the battery is too low, but there is more to it than the battery discharging completely to losing your tunings/program. There is a capacitor that charges up as you use the SAT, and will retain the memory for 3-4 days, if the unit is not turned on in that period of time (3-4 days), a lithium battery on the memory board will retain the memory for 6 - 7 years. When the SAT comes in for any maintenence, we put the units through a checklist and two of the items checked are the capacitor for performance and the lithium battery for voltage. > Lead acid batteries were used for years because the cycle charged just fine as > does your car battery. NiCad batteries without charge memories what veen > around for a while, but newer SATs have Lithium recharables that hold a charge > longer and do not have a charge memory. They last for about two weeks tuning > about forty pianos before needing a recharge. Lead acid batteries were used up until the fall of 1990, there was a dramatic drop in the reliability of the lead-acid batteries and we were forced to drop the lead-acid battery we were using. We went to Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries, as they were the strongest battery available for the Accu-Tuner. We are still using NiCad batteries in the SAT, and you will get better life span out of the batteries if you discharge the batteries before charging. This does not mean that you have to use the SAT until the Lo-Batt indication every time, but use this as a guideline to longevity. Inventronics was at one point using a lithium rechargeable battery (1987-1989) for our main battery, this may be where Newton's confusion is coming from. The company that manufactured the lithium rechargeable battery had a recall with a different line of rechargeable batteries which drove the company into bankruptcy. I appreciate Newton answering the question, but I did not want to let the lithium battery rumor get too far. Sincerely Paul Sanderson Inventronics, Inc. Inventrncs@aol.com
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