Professional Charging Station GKL221
LECA 733271
Charges two GEB111/121 and three 5-pin batteries.
Requires two GDI222 battery adapters
The GKL221 is an intelligent charging station with
advanced charging technology. It is suitable for charging
all Leica Geosystems batteries and ensures the optimal
battery operation with your equipment.
Supply
The GKL221 can be connected to the mains electricity
supply with an input voltage range from 100 to 240 V AC,
using the country specific power cable. With the optional
GDC221 car adapter, the charging station can be connected
to the battery circuit of a vehicle.
Battery identification
The microprocessor controlled charging station recognizes
the type of battery connected and derives the charging
parameters such as time and current. The batteries are
optimally and appropriately charged. This guarantees the
maximum possible service life. The charging station can
recognize and charge cells of the NiCd, NiMH and Li-Ion
types. Up to five batteries can be connected to the charger
simultaneously. Two batteries are charged at the same time
and the rest are charged in the order they were connected.
Charging times
The charging time depends primarily on the maximum charging
current, the battery capacity and the charge
state of the batteries when connected. Charging time of
discharged batteries at +20 °C (+68 °F):
- NiCd batteries:
max 2200 mAh 1.0 to 1.5 h
max 7200 mAh 2.5 to 4.0 h
- NiMH batteries:
max 2200 mAh 1.5 to 2.0 h
max 4900 mAh 2.0 to 2.5 h
max 10000 mAh 2.5 to 5.5 h
- Li-Ion batteries:
max 4600 mAh 2.5 to 3.5 h
At ambient temperatures above +20 °C (+68 °F) the
charging time for NiCd and NiMH batteries can increase by
up to 1 hour. (For recommended charging temperature
range see Section 2.4.) As the temperature of the battery
increases towards the end of charging, the efficiency
of the storage of the charge drops. For example with the
GEB121, in the first 90 minutes approximately 80% of
the battery is charged and a further 60 minutes is required
for the remaining 20%.
A temperature control mode is built into the GKL221
charging station. This temperature control mode is activated
as soon as the battery becomes warm. In temperature control
mode, the charging current is switched off until the temperature
of the battery has dropped back to a specific value.
Charging is then continued with reduced charging current.
The switch off in temperature control mode of the charging
current is not noticeable to the user as the indicator remains
green (charge). The temperature control mode is also
activated if the ambient temperature is too high.
Trickle charging
If fully charged batteries remain connected to the charging
station, trickle charging is performed automatically. This
compensates for the self-discharge of the batteries that
occurs for technical reasons. The batteries are thus always
available with full capacity. The trickle charging feature only
activates for NiCd and NiMH batteries as Li-Ion batteries
only have a very small discharge when not in use.
Refresh function
If the capacity of a NiCd or NiMH battery drops noticeably, it
is recommended to subject the battery to the refresh
function 2 to 3 times. The refresh function comprises a full
discharge of the battery with subsequent quick charging.
Further information can be found in the user manual of the
GKL221. The memory effect of batteries is explained in
Section 2.8.
Battery Adapter
The GKL221 charger is supplied with two battery adapters.
Using the charger in combination with the battery adapters,
the following batteries can be connected to the charger:
| Battery adapter | Rechargeable batteries |
| GKL221 with two GDI221 |
Up to four Li-Ion batteries and
one battery with 5 pole socket. |
GKL221 with one GDI221 & one GDI222 |
Up to two Li-Ion batteries, one
camcorder type battery and
two batteries with 5 pole sockets. |
| GKL221 with two GDI222 |
Up to two camcorder type batteries
and three batteries with 5 pole sockets. |
The following batteries can be charged with the GKL221:
| Version | Name | Cell type | Nominal capacity (mAh) | Typical charging time |
Leica Geosystems
Li-Ion batteries | GEB90 | Li-Ion | 2100 | 2.5 h |
| GEB221 | Li-Ion | 3800 | 3.0 h |
| GEB211 | Li-Ion | 1900 | 2.5 h |
Leica Geosystems
camcorder type
batteries | GEB121 | NiMH | 4200 | 2.5 h |
| GEB111 | NiMH | 2100 | 2.0 h |
Leica Geosystems
batteries with
5-pin sockets | GEB70 | NiCd | 2200 | 1.5 h |
| GEB77 | NiCd | 600 | 1.0 h |
| GEB79 | NiCd | 600 | 1.0 h |
| GEB87 | NiCd | 1100 | 1.0 h |
| GEB187 | NiMH | 2100 | 1.5 h |
| GEB171 | NiMH | 8000 | 5.0 h |
|