L-3 Communications Avionics Systems

5353 52nd Street, S.E.

Grand Rapids, MI 49512-9704 USA
Telephone (616) 949-6600
Fax (616) 977-6898
www.as.l-3com.com Service Letter
Revision History Rev-E (October 11, 2005)

SL-170 (Rev. F)
September 15, 2006

PS-850/855( ) - Battery Maintenance

Effectivity: Emergency Power Supply - PS-850, P/N 501-1719-()

Emergency Power Supply - PS-855, P/N 501-1712-()

References: TP-483 - Component Maintenance Manual

TP-470 - Installation Manual

Reason: To provide all service facilities and operators with battery care and
charging information.
It is recommended that the aircraft owners and operators check the
condition of batteries every 3 to 6 months as outlined in Periodic
Checks below.

Approval: This Service Letter contains no modification information that revises the
approved configuration and therefore does not require government or other
regulatory agency approval.

Export Compliance:
This technical data is controlled under the Export Administration
Regulations and may not be exported to a foreign person, either in the
United States or abroad without the proper authorization of the U.S.
Department of Commerce. This document must be marked in compliance
with L-3 Avionics Systems Policy WI 0321S17 prior to distribution to
foreign persons.

Description: The procedures for Maintaining the PS-850/PS-855 are provided in the
following order.
• Battery Storage
• Battery Outgassing (venting)
• Preflight Check (Recommended)
• Periodic Check (Required 3 to 6 Months)
• Recommended Equipment
• Capacity Testing (Required Annually)
• Recharging Procedures

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 Service Letter SL-170 (Rev. F)

1. Battery Storage

The PS-850 and PS-855 are designed to use lead acid batteries that require special handling.
Batteries should not be left in a discharged state under any circumstances. Temperature will affect
the power supply as follows:

• Low storage temperatures on charged cells lessen the rate of self-discharge, thus increasing
shelf life.
• High storage temperatures, in access of 29°C (85°F), will accelerate self-discharge of the cells
and is not recommended.

Refer to Figure 1 for a graphic representation of battery storage characteristics.

Figure 1: Storage Characteristics

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 Service Letter SL-170 (Rev. F)

2. Battery Outgassing (venting)

CAUTION
Some of the types of gasses that may vent from a cell are toxic and should not be
contained in a closed, non-vented area.

CAUTION
Cell/battery corrosion is EVIDENCE of the loss of seal, likely caused by out
gassing. Cells must be replaced when corrosion is APPARENT.

All lead-acid cells and batteries produce gasses during charging. The amount and type of gas
produced depends on state of charge, rate of charge, chemical composition of the electrolyte, and
general condition of the battery. Normally, gasses produced are recombined within the cells to form
oxides and water. Venting occurs when excessive charge rates are placed on the battery or because
of a defective cell(s), which will subject the remaining good cells to excessive charge rates. Venting
may also result from battery abuse or neglect.

If the odor of rotten eggs becomes apparent in the cockpit, pull the aircraft Emergency Power Supply
circuit breaker. The rotten egg odor is evidence that the lead-acid cells vent due to prolonged high
rate overcharging. Although the possibility of toxic levels is extremely remote, the precaution of
pulling the circuit breaker will prevent increased discomfort from the odor.

Venting is an indication that the Power Supply in not controlling the charging process.
If venting occurs, the factory recommends that the Power Supply be removed from the
aircraft, tested according to the procedures listed in the appropriate Maintenance Manual, and
replace the defective cell(s).
NOTE
With proper maintenance and periodic testing, the likelihood of any battery
developing undetected problems is very remote.

3. Preflight Check (Recommended)

A preflight battery check is recommended before aircraft flight.

NOTE
This check indicates an accurate condition of the unit only upon the initial
attempt. Repeated checks will not reveal accurately because stored energy is used
each time the Test Switch is pressed.

A. Pre-Flight Check for Aircraft with Remote Test Capability

CAUTION
Do not leave the emergency power supply switch in the on/armed position after
aircraft shutdown. Battery discharge will cause irreversible damage to batteries.

With no power applied to the unit, place Cockpit Remote Test Switch in the TEST position for
5 seconds and then release.

• The Remote Test Indicator illuminates for the entire 5 seconds. If the Test Indicator does
not illuminate follow the Capacity Testing procedures on page 6.

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 Service Letter SL-170 (Rev. F)

B. Pre-Flight Check for Aircraft with NO Remote Test Capability

With no power applied to the unit, press Push to Test button located on front panel as shown in
Figure 2 of unit for 5 seconds and then release.

• The Test LED illuminates for the entire 5 seconds. If the Test LED does not illuminate
follow the Capacity Testing procedures on page 6.

Figure 2: PS-850 / PS-855 Access Panel

4. Periodic Check (Required 3 to 6 Months)

A periodic 3-6 month battery check is required of all aircraft using a PS-850 or PS-855 Emergency
Power Supply. Follow the procedures shown in the Preflight Check above.

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 Service Letter SL-170 (Rev. F)

5. Recommended Equipment

Table 1 provides a list of recommended equipment needed to test and charge the PS-850 or PS-855.
NOTE
Equivalent substitutes may be used for listed items.

Item Description Manufacturer - Model / Part No.

1 DC Power Supply Hewlett Packard Model 6291

0-30 Vdc 20 amp capacity

2 Digital Voltmeter (DVM) Fluke Model 8050A

3 Stopwatch Meyland Corp. Model 202A

4 Load Resistor WireMasters, Inc.
7Ω ±1% 150 watt (minimum), Ceramic wire 136 Alpha Drive,
wrap Franklin, TN 37064. Cage Code: 0FVD7
Tel: 800-635-5342
(Part Number WM910053 …300 watt version)

5 Isolation Diode WireMasters, Inc.

15 Amp, 50 Volt PIV (Part Number WM1N3208)

6 Mating Connector for PS-850A and PS-850B P/N: DPXB-13-33S-0001

7 Mating Connector for PS-855A and PS-855B P/N: DPXB-13-33S-0001

8 Mating Connector for PS-855C P/N: DPXB-13-33S-0007

9 BC-815 Battery Charger (used in place of DC Avionics Systems Part No. 501-1321-()
power supply)

10 ADPT-800 Adapter Method (used with BC-815) Avionics Systems Part No. 501-1873-01

Table 1: List of Equipment and Hardware

A. The constant voltage supply method uses locally procured hardware to charge batteries. Use the
following list of equipment to manufacture a wiring harness:

• Mating Connector (see Table 1, Items 6, 7, or 8) as applicable

• Isolation Diode (see Table 1, Item 5)
• Wire, 22 AWG

The isolation diode shown in Figure 3 is used to prevent discharge of the battery packs in the
event of loss of power from the regulated power supply.

CAUTION
All power supplies connected to this circuit are at risk if power source voltage
increased due to failure of power source regulator.

Figure 3: Interface Diagram

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6. Capacity Testing (Required Annually)

Battery Capacity Testing is Required Annually of all aircraft using a PS-850 or PS-855 Emergency
Power Supply. Capacity Testing is accomplished using the Push To Test button on the front of the
unit.

A. Battery Capacity Check

The PS-850 or PS-855 Emergency Power Supply must have its battery capacity checked to
determine the length of time required to charge the unit to full capacity.

1) With no power applied to the unit, press and hold PUSH TO TEST button for 5 seconds.

a. If the Test LED illuminates for the entire 5 seconds, then battery capacity is greater
than 50% charge. If the Test LED does not illuminate for the entire 5 seconds or does
not illuminate at all, then the battery capacity is lower than 50% charge.

• Units with greater than 50% battery capacity must be charged for 8 hours.
• Units with less than 50% battery capacity must be charged for 16 hours.

2) The Constant Voltage Supply Method or the BC-815 Battery Charger Method may be used
when a unit requires recharging. See Recharging Procedures starting on page 7.

3) After charging unit to full capacity, proceed to Discharge Test below.

B. Discharge Test

Use the discharge test to determine if unit under test requires service.

CAUTION
Prior to performing discharge test, the batteries must be at full capacity.

1) Place a DVM (Table 1, Item 2) across pins J1-11 (+) and J1-7 (-).

NOTE
No load is required for the 5 Vdc converter output provided by the PS-855.

2) Place a 7.0 ohm load across pins J1-11 (+) and J1-7 (-). Use 7.0Ω load resister described in
Table 1, Item 4 or a 150.0 watt (or greater) variable resistor set to 7.0Ω ± 1.0%.Begin
timing the discharge period with Stopwatch (Table 1, Item 3).

a. For Models PS-850A and PS-855A and C:

• Output voltage observed on DVM at 20 minutes must be greater then 20 Vdc.

b. For Models PS-850B and PS-855B:

• Output voltage observed on DVM at 48 minutes must be greater then 20 Vdc.

3) If Output voltage is not greater then 20 Vdc then the unit requires service. If Output
voltage is greater then 20 Vdc then proceed to Recharging Procedures below.

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 Service Letter SL-170 (Rev. F)

CAUTION
Recharge the PS-850 () or PS855 () within 2 hours after discharging to reduce the
possibility of damage to battery cells.

4) Remove DVM and 7.0Ω load resistor or Variable resistor as applicable from pins J1-11 (+)
and J1-7 (-).

7. Recharging Procedures

The Constant Voltage Supply Method or BC-815 Battery Charger Method may be used when a unit
requires recharging.

CAUTION
If the odor of rotten eggs becomes apparent, it is advisable to pull the aircraft
Emergency Power Supply circuit breaker. The rotten egg odor is evidence that the
lead acid cells have vented because of prolonged high rate overcharging. Although
the possibility of toxic levels is extremely remote, the precaution of pulling the
circuit breaker will prevent increased discomfort from the odor. High rate
overcharging is brought about by charging at excessive charging voltage or by
charging a battery pack with shorted dead cells at normal charging voltage.

A. Constant Voltage Supply Method

NOTE
DO NOT CONNECT regulated power supply to Pin J1-10. Connection may
activate the units internal heater blanket.

1) Obtain regulated power supply (Table 1, Item 1) and set the voltage to 29.0 ± 0.5 Vdc and
limit the current to a maximum of 10 amps.

2) Connect locally manufactured wiring harness (see Recommended Equipment, pg 5)

between regulated power supply and PS-850 () or PS-855 () as shown in Figure 3.

3) Start regulated power supply and charge batteries for 16 hours.

• Batteries are at 80% capacity after charging for1 hour.
• Batteries are fully charged after 16 hours of constant charging.
NOTE
23 hours is recommended for optimum cell balancing and maximum capacity.

4) Stop regulated power supply and remove wiring harness from PS-850 () or PS-855 (). Go
to the next step for float charging procedure.

5) Float Charge (trickle charge) During Storage

Batteries may be maintained in a fully charged condition when not in service. Use the
following procedure to maintain batteries.

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 Service Letter SL-170 (Rev. F)

CAUTION
Overheating will result from overcharging by inefficient regulated power
supplies causing the destruction of the batteries. Monitor input voltage when
removing or adding battery packs to the float charge circuit.

a. Set up Power Supply (Table 1, Item 1) as described in paragraph above.

b. Connect locally manufactured wiring harness (see Recommended Equipment, pg 5)

between regulated power supply and PS-850 () or PS-855 () as shown in Figure 3.

c. Start regulated power supply. Batteries will be fully charged after 16 hours. Full
charge may be maintained indefinitely without damage to the power supply or the
batteries being charged.

d. Stop regulated power supply when removing batteries from float charge circuit.

B. BC-815 Battery Charger with ADPT-800 Adapter Method

1) Install BC-815 Battery Charger (Table 1, Item 9) into ADPT-800 Adapter (Table 1, Item 10).
Connect Charger/Adapter assembly to power supply connector. See Figure 4.

NOTE
Diode isolation is provided between the BC-815 and battery pack.

2) For Power Supply models PS-850A and PS-855A & C, place select switch to the “2.5A
HR” position.

3) For Power Supply models PS-850 B and PS-855B, place select switch to the “5.0A HR”
position.

4) Plug A/C power cord from charger into 115Vac, 60 to 400 Hz power source. Place BC-815
power switch to the “ON” position. The charger’s AMBER LED illuminates to indicate the
cell charging.

5) When cells are within 90% of full capacity, the charger’s GREEN LED illuminates
indicating that cells are float charging (trickle charging). Float charging continues
indefinitely. Charge duration is dependent on state or condition of cells at time of charging
process. Using the following information obtained the results of the Battery Capacity
Check on page 6 to determine the length of time to charge the batteries to full capacity.
• Units with greater than 50% battery capacity must be charged for 8 hours to guarantee
battery capacity to 100%.
• Units with less than 50% battery capacity must be charged for 16 hours to guarantee
battery capacity to 100%.
NOTE
23 hours is recommended for optimum cell balancing and maximum capacity.

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 Service Letter SL-170 (Rev. F)

6) When battery charging is complete, place BC-815 power switch to “OFF” position, remove
BC-815 A/C power cord from source and remove Charger/Adapter assembly from
Emergency Power Supply.

7) The BC-815 Battery Charger and PS-850 / PS-855 Power Supplies may be left in storage
and allowed to operate in the float charging (trickle charge) indefinitely without damage to
the battery charger or the batteries being charged.

ADPT-800
[P/N: 501-1873-01]
Adapter PS-850 / PS-855
Power Supply
BC-815
[P/N: 501-1321-()]
Charger J1 Connector

(A)

Connection Instructions
Step 1: Remove screw from bottom of Charger.
Step 2: Align and connect Charger connector to Adapter.
Step 3: Insert screw removed form Charger through Adapter mounting hole (A) into same hole that the screw was removed.
Step 4: Align and connect Adapter connector to Power Supply Connector.
Step 5: Proceed with charging procedures.

Figure 4: BC-815 Battery Charger and ADPT-800 Adapter

For additional assistance call L-3 Avionics Systems, Customer Service (800-453-0288 or 616-949-6600).

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