
SPM-622 User Guide Rev 6 Page 7
Now you should have a battery powering a radio through the SPM – good start!
Charging the Battery
Now we want to add an energy source, so that the SPM can recharge the battery you
connected above (assuming it’s a rechargeable battery). Many kits include solar panels,
automotive (civilian and military), and AC wall adapters. Find the adapter easiest for you
to use (AC if you’re inside, solar if you’re outside, etc) and follow these simple steps:
1. Connect one end of the cable to the selected energy source. In the case of the
AC wall adapter (which looks like a laptop power supply), plug it into the wall.
In the case of a vehicle adapter, plug it into the cigarette lighter / accessory jack
or the NATO slave adapter jack on the vehicle. If solar, unfold the panel in
direct sunlight.
2. Connect the other end of the cable to the SPM, using ports 3 or 4. The sun
icons next to these ports indicate that the ports are optimized for bringing
energy into the power manager.
Once the SPM recognizes the cable and that power is present at the other end, you
should see it start to use that power:
•On the screen, the small arrows by each port will change to show that rather
than power coming out of the battery, power is now going into the battery
(assuming it’s rechargeable).
•Your radio should remain powered on.
Adding Devices
You can now add additional radios, computers, batteries and other devices, and charge
or power them as needed. Simply plug them into available ports. The SPM knows what
you’re plugging in, and it knows to “do the right thing”: Batteries are used to power
equipment, and are also charged if an energy source is connected. Energy sources are
used to power gear and charge batteries. Gear is powered from energy sources if they
are available, and batteries otherwise.
More Uses
This section shows additional uses for your SPM – experiment with them to see how the
power manager can reduce the amount of gear you need to carry and add flexibility to
your missions.
Power From Vehicles, and Charging Vehicle Batteries
A common use of the SPM is to charge radio batteries and power equipment from a
vehicle battery or power jack, but the SPM can also be used to recharge a dead vehicle
battery.
Which port you connect the vehicle to, tells the SPM what you want it to do.