Short & sweet tips from our Technical Support team

by Dr. David Schubring
Scientific Consultant (Brain Products)

The following 2 quick tips on “Disinfection Concentrates” and “Preventing a Deep Discharge of your Amplifier Batteries” are general reminders, but especially notable during the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

Whitelist of recommended disinfection concentrates
for Caps and Electrodes

Short & sweet tips from our Technical Support teamFor disinfection against SARS-CoV-2 we recommend the Perfektan TB disinfecting agent, which is widely available within the EU, and the Envirocide disinfecting agent outside of the EU.

Should none of these brands be available to you, our partners at EASYCAP have also prepared a whitelist of recommended disinfection concentrates.

How to prevent a deep discharge of your amplifier batteries
during extended storing times

Short & sweet tips from our Technical Support teamAll our batteries have a built-in deep discharge protection, which prevents the full discharge of a battery during use and retains a small charge percentage for safety reasons.

However, during extended storage times like in the case of a COVID shutdown, a full discharge can still happen if the battery is not regularly charged.

Hence, we generally recommend for all our batteries

i.e. PowerPack, PowerUnit, actiPOWER and LiveAmp battery

  • Always charge the battery immediately after use (see also here)

  • Do not wait to re-charge the battery until it is fully discharged (batteries do not have a memory effect)

  • Leave the battery connected to the mains power supply (batteries have an overcharge protection)

  • Store the battery fully charged if a permanent connection to the mains power supply is not an option

  • Check the ambient conditions for charging and storage

› Temperature (charging): 10 °C to 30 °C (50 °F to 86 °F)
› Temperature (storage): 0 °C to 40 °C (32 °F to 104 °F)
› Relative humidity: 45 % to 80 %, non-condensing
› Atmospheric pressure: 700 hPa to 1,050 hPa

Note: Some batteries have less strict specifications than stated above, but these specifications are shared by all. You can find more details in the appendix of the respective amplifier operating instructions.

  • The only exceptions regarding the recommended charge level for long term storage are the lithium-ion based PowerUnit and LiveAmp batteries. Storing a lithium-ion battery is recommended at a 30 % – 80 % charge level. For longer storage periods without regular recharge, the battery should begin the storage at an 80 % charge level. For practical purposes, an 80 % charge level can be reached by first loading the battery to 100 % and then using it for a 2 hour (PowerUnit) / 1 hour (LiveAmp) recording before storing it.

    To keep PowerUnit and LiveAmp batteries fresh and fit, they should run through a charging/discharging cycle at least once every 4 – 8 weeks. In an optimal cycle they should be discharged to approximately 30 % charge levels and charged again to 80 % and then stored again. For practical purposes, an approximate 30 % charge can be achieved by using a fully charged battery for 70 % of the maximum operating time. E.g., to drain a new battery from 100 % to 30 % you would need approximately 11 hours of recording for the PowerUnit and 3 hours for the LiveAmp. Please note, that this maximum operating time can diminish as the battery gets older, so the time to get to 30 % charge also diminishes.