FC-6000: Power and battery troubleshooting

This article is about troubleshooting the power/battery performance on FC-6000 controllers.

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FC-6000: Power and battery troubleshooting

Initial calibration of charge indicator

The charge indicator of a battery (removable or internal) needs to be initially calibrated.

New batteries (both removable and/or internal) may indicate only 7 percent charge until after initial manual calibration has been completed, which most often only requires one time of charging overnight.

When you first receive an FC-6000, it is recommended to insert the removable battery pack, attach the wall charger, and leave it charging overnight. Battery capacity is best maintained by charging every night and weekend.

A new battery may indicate 7% charge and will stay that way until it has initially reached full capacity (which will likely take several hours), at which point the charge indicator should then be properly synchronized with the actual charge of the battery.

If the removable and/or the optional internal battery pack(s) will still not indicate more than 7% charge, then you may need to run through a full charge cycle. This involves fully discharging until the controller will no longer turn on without attaching the wall charger, then fully charge the unit overnight.

Battery capacity is best maintained by charging every night and weekend.

External power source

The FC-6000 requires a 30 W or higher power supply with a 12 V output to power the tablet and charge the batteries at the same time. An older charger—such as from an FC-5000—will not work properly with an FC-6000.

Using an older charger with an FC-6000 will not provide enough power to allow the battery pack(s) to charge properly. It is recommended to use only the wall charger included with the controller.

Note:

  • The FC-6000 does not charge via USB.
  • The FC-6000 controller can be used to charge the FC-5000 controller.

Disconnected batteries

An FC-6000 controller may not immediately turn on if the battery pack(s) have been electronically disconnected, such as after holding the hardware Power button for more than 17 seconds (often referred to as a hard reset). 

To recover a unit that is in the electronically disconnected state, make sure the main removable battery pack is inserted properly in the unit, attach a proper 12 V 30 W power source, then briefly press the hardware Power button.

Over-discharged batteries

An FC-6000 may not turn on or may appear to not charge if the batteries have been over-discharged to below a critical threshold. This may occur if the unit and battery pack(s) were not stored properly (as instructed in the manual).

If a battery is in an over-discharged state, you may need to leave it plugged in overnight. Initially, the system will only slowly trickle charge the severely depleted battery pack(s). The red light may begin to flash slowly, indicating that the battery is charging.

When the battery reaches at least 40 percent charge capacity, the unit may respond normally to pressing the Power keypad button. If not, continue to charge the controller.

Door magnet

Make sure the door magnet is not missing or weak. If this magnet is missing or loose, service/repair is required.

Please contact your Topcon dealer for assistance.

Other hardware power details

If the suggestions above have not helped, the controller may have experienced a power spike when charging through the power port.

This problem may require the mainboard to be replaced due to a component failure following a power spike when attached to an external power supply.

Please contact your Topcon dealer for assistance.

Storing the FC‑6000 and battery pack

When the FC‑6000 is not being charged and is in a sleep state, it draws a small amount of power. This power draw is used to maintain the memory (RAM) of the FC‑6000 in the same state it was in when it was awake.

It is recommended to charge the FC‑6000 each night or weekend when it is in a sleep state.

If the FC‑6000 is not charged while in a sleep state and the battery reaches a low charge, it automatically hibernates to prevent further drain on the battery.

Note: Data and programs are secure as long as they have been saved, even if the battery pack becomes discharged. The FC‑6000 does not depend on the battery to store the data for extended periods.

Storing the FC‑6000 for more than two weeks

Charge the battery pack 30 to 50 percent.

Close all running programs, and turn off the FC‑6000.

Remove the battery pack.

If you have an internal battery pack, press and hold the power button for 20 seconds to disconnect it.

Place the battery pack in a cool, dry location.

The AC wall charger must be plugged in and connected to the FC‑6000 in order to turn it on after storage.