Powering the Dolphin Terminal

Dolphin charging/communication cradles provide power to the intelligent battery charging system incorporated into Dolphin terminals. This charging method protects the battery from being damaged by overcharging. Therefore, Dolphin terminals may be stored indefinitely in the charging/communication cradles without damage to the terminals, battery packs, or peripherals.

To charge a Dolphin terminal, follow these steps:

1.Insert a battery pack into the Dolphin terminal.

2.Place the terminal, imager/laser engine window up and the LCD visible, in the terminal well of the cradle.

3.Let it glide down into the well until it stops.

4.Once the Dolphin terminal is properly seated, the Dock LED on the front of the cradle will be solid GREEN.

Charging Additional Battery Packs in the IntelliBase+

The auxiliary battery well located on the back of the IntelliBase+ allows users to charge and condition a spare battery. Charging a Dolphin terminal and a spare battery pack can be done simultaneously as the charging slots work independently to control charging and conditioning of the individual batteries. The IntelliBase+ senses when a battery pack is fully charged and automatically switches to trickle charge to maintain the battery at full capacity indefinitely.

To charge a spare battery in the IntelliBase+, insert the end of the battery without the locking tab into the bottom of the auxiliary well opening and snap the battery into place with a hinging motion. Once the battery is inserted, you can use the AUX BATTERY LED to monitor the charging progress.

Deep-Cycling Batteries

For maximum battery life, HHP recommends that you deep-cycle (service) the battery twice before initial use and then once a month thereafter.

The IntelliBase+ is the only Dolphin charging/communication cradle with deep cycling capabilities. Since the Dolphin HomeBase, Intellibase, and USB HomeBase do not have deep-cycling capabilities, it is recommended that you use the Battery Conditioning Utility software when using those peripherals or use the Dolphin Quad Battery Charger.

To deep-cycle a battery using the IntelliBase+, insert the battery into the auxiliary battery well. Then, press and release the Condition button. The deep-cycling process takes 8-12 hours depending on the battery’s capacity or state of charge.

See the Battery Management section in Chapter 3 for more information.

Setting Up For Communications

The HomeBase, IntelliBase, and IntelliBase+ support RS-232 communications through the RS-232 Communications Port located on the back of the device. The HomeBase/IntelliBase translates the RS-232 signals from the host computer into infrared signals to communicate with the Dolphin Terminal.

The HomeBase/IntelliBase RS-232 interface allows the Dolphin terminal to communicate to a personal computer, modem, or any standard RS-232 device using a standard serial cable and communications software.

HomeBase

The HomeBase is designed for users needing a half duplex serial communications connection. Any device capable of using half duplex RS-232 communications can be connected to the HomeBase for communications. To use this mode, set the baud rate switches to the desired communications speed and the Ir-enable switch to on (See Table 2).

IntelliBase/IntelliBase+

The IrDA 1.0 software stack is integrated into the IntelliBase and IntelliBase+ cradles to allow communication between the cradle and devices such as modems or printers that are not IrDA ready or do not communicate with a half duplex serial protocol. This allows any full or half duplex RS-232 device to communicate through the IntelliBase/IntelliBase+ with no IrDA protocol software. See Table 2 for the baud rate switch settings.

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