RPI TUTORIAL: Installing a Battery Quick Disconnect Kit

Wheelchair Manufacturers have made it quite easy to access once hard to get wheelchair batteries. New designs allow most wheelchairs
to physically separate the battery box from the chair itself. It is our hope that you own a chair similar to the one below. If you have an older style wheelchair it might prove quite difficult to gain access to the battery compartment on your wheelchair. You might have to work at it a bit harder to complete this modification.
 
We want to begin by asking you to read the Disclaimer located at the bottom of this page.
 
Before you begin, we have found it helpful to assemble all the equipment you will need in advance. Also make sure you have a large area to work in. Keep the area clean & safe. Never make modifications to a users wheelchair with the user still in the chair. These simple steps will help you safely make this modification to your wheelchair.
 
Potential Equipment List: All Wheelchairs are different, so this list of equipment might be different from your equipment list.
Digital or Analog Voltmeter:
FlatBlade Screw Driver
Monkey Wrench (size to fit battery terminal post) (BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO ACCIDENTALLY SHORT THE BATTERY WHILE USING THIS TOOL!)
Cordless Electric Drill
Assortment of Drill Bits (To make holes in the battery box if required)
Step 1: Determine what voltage is required for your application.
First determine what voltage you need at the end of your Battery Quick Disconnect Plug. If you have purchased new products from
Richardson Products, the following table will tell you what voltage is required for your Quick Disconnect Plug.
Danger: Always take proper precautions and observe all safety regulations when working with any type of battery.
 
The following products require 12 Volt Operation:
HydroFlush Mini
All Wheelchair Lighting Applications (IllumiRay, GroundFx, and all models of the SideKick)
 
You will be using only one of the batteries on your wheelchair for 12Volt operation.
 
Danger: Always take proper precautions and observe all safety regulations when working with any type of battery.
 
The following products require 24Volt Operation:
PowerTech II
PowerTech Vent
 
You will be using Both batteries on your wheelchair simultaneously for 24Volt operation. The batteries are already wired in series on your wheelchair. Your task is to find the ground and the positive terminal that yields the required 24 volts. You must make sure you select the proper terminals (The "proper" terminal combination are the terminals that yield 24 volts!)
Step 2: Primary Goal is to gain access to your wheelchairs battery box, observe polarity, and install the battery quick disconnect kit.
Most modern wheelchairs physically separate to allow people to easily access the batteries. We hope you find this to be true for your particular situation. Read the operating manual that was given to you when you purchased your wheelchair. Your primary goal is to gain access to your wheelchairs battery box. All wheelchairs are different. The one shown here, had two clips that had to be squeezed together in order for the locking levers to release. This chair comes apart in less than 5 seconds. Access is very easy....Again we hope that you can access your wheelchairs battery box this easily. If you are having trouble...take your time. Look and study the chair...if you can place a call to your wheelchair manufacturer to ask them how to gain access to your chair specifically that would be great. Remember, gathering information about your wheelchair can really make this a very simple task. The following pictures have been provided to help show the process.
Park the chair in an open area.
Read your user manual and separate your chair...Keep the goal in mind..Access to the batteries!
Carefully remove your battery box case.
You may want to use this time to clean your chair.
If it is possible, remove the cover completely...it will give you more room to work.
Determine the proper Battery posts that yield the 24Volts you are looking for. Every Chair is different! So take the probes of your volt meter and begin probing. I usually take the negative probe of the meter and place it on the negative terminal of one of the batteries. Next take the positive probe and touch it to the other batteries positive terminal...if you see approximately 24 volts on the voltmeter, you have guessed correctly...if you do not see a voltage...you have your probes on the common wire or series jumper wire. Move the probes to the opposite terminals....place the negative probe on the negative post of the other battery...and the positive probe on the positive terminal of the other battery...you should see 24 volts. If you are installing for 12 volt operation..simply choose a battery...and install the ring terminals directly to one of the batteries in the wheelchair...it does not matter which battery you choose...All of the products that we have are designed to run from a single 12volt battery and will NOT damage the battery prematurely. Be very careful if you are installing other manufacturers equipment that require 12 volt operation. If it is a high current product, you may want to consider purchasing a PowerTech II Power Center and drawing off both batteries as to not damage your wheelchairs batteries prematurely. If you have questions about this contact us, we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
The next steps are hard to show with still pictures. Simply attach the battery kit to the proper terminals. If your battery has wing nuts like the one shown in this picture...Unscrew the wing nut, and put the Positve Ring of the Battery Quick Disconnect Kit around the post. Replace and tighten the wing nut. Remember to double check for proper POLARITY!!! Make sure you have tightened the wing nut to ensure a good electrical connection.
The same thing again only with the Negative battery Post. Unscrew the wing nut, and put the Negative Ring of the Battery Quick Disconnect Kit around the post. Replace and tighten the wing nut. Remember to double check for proper POLARITY!!! Make sure you have tightened the wing nut to ensure a good electrical connection.
Neatness Counts! Re-Apply Any Battery Insulators that may have been moved during this process. This particular battery box has a wire channel, so the plug can come right out the side of the battery box. Because every wheelchair is different, you may have to use a cordless drill to drill a hole in order to get physical access to the plug. If you do need to drill holes. TAKE THE BATTERIES OUT OF THE BATTERY BOX!
DO NOT RISK DRILLING INTO A BATTERY! BE SAFE!
Ensure you have the proper voltage at the plug end. If you are using the 12volt option...your voltmeter will read somewhere around 12 volts.
If you are using the 24volt option...your voltmeter will read somewhere around 24volts. Don't be alarmed if the voltages are higher or sometimes lower than expected...they should be somewhere close to 12volts or 24volts. This depends on which option was selected. Make sure you double check the voltages and polarity before you replace the battery box cover.
Replace your battery box cover and put the wheelchair back together. Feel free to use wire ties or other wire harness equipment to ensure a neat job. Setup is now complete. You should now have a terminal that you can access your chairs battery voltage. This terminal is used with many of our products. It is an industry standard connector...it can also be used to connect other types of assistive technology to your chair. After you have verified the voltage and also verified for proper polarity, simply plug your accessory equipment into this plug. If you have any questions at all please contact us. We hope this information was helpful.
Disclaimer:
All the information contained in this tutorial is provided for the convenience of its readers. All information is accurate as well as can be reasonably verified. There are no guarantees or warranties stated or implied by the distribution of this information. Use the information in this document at the reader's own risk, and no liability shall be given to the author. Any damage or loss is the sole responsibility of the reader.
Copyright © 2005 Richardson Products Incorporated, All Rights Reserved.

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