How do I Know When to Charge my Vantage/Vanguard?
Warning! Always use the battery charger that came with the device. Any other charger may damage your batteries. Using a different charger may void the warranty and extended warranty on your Vantage/Vanguard 2.
Check the Battery Status in the Toolbox :
Press the TOOLS button on the front of the case to go to your Toolbox.
Look at the STATUS button. This key has icons on it for Battery Status, Speaker Volume and Earphone Volume. The Battery Status bar graph gives you the following information:
Full Battery: mostly green lines, a few red, a few yellow
Plug in Charger: no green lines at all
Nearly Dead: red lines only and you hear a Low Battery warning--plug in charger now!
Charger Plugged in: mostly blue lines
Low Battery Warning: When the batteries in your device get low, you hear a Low Battery Warning. This is a two-toned running beep. The Low Battery LED on the front of the case also turns on.
When the Low Battery warning sounds, you can no longer do any storing. The warning will continue to sound at intervals until the batteries are dead. When the batteries are dead, the device powers down completely and you cannot use it.
When you hear the Low Battery warning, plug the battery charger gently into the side of the device. When the charger is plugged in correctly, about 1/8" of the charger's silver tip should remain exposed and the charging LED or lighting bolt icon on the front of the case will begin to blink. IMPORTANT! Forcing the charger tip in too far will damage your device!
How Long does the Device take to Charge?
If you use your device during charging, it will take 8-12 hours to fully charge a dead battery.
When the device is not in use during charging, it will take 6-10 hours to fully charge a dead battery. When the batteries are full, the charging icon / lighting bolt icon will blink slowly showing a trickle charge is taking place to keep the batteries full. A fully charged battery should last for 6-8 hours of normal use.
NOTE: If you plan to store the device for a month or more without using it, charge your battery fully then unplug the batteries from the device.