Understanding Caretta Power Management & Charging

The Caretta runs directly on your bike's 12 V. In its cradle, it uses the bike's power, not its own battery.

In NGH, you choose when the cradle powers the Caretta. Each bike has its own setting. While the bike stands, the cradle protects the bike battery. This article describes NGH 2.0 with the Caretta in its cradle.

On the bike: it runs on the bike's 12 V

• When the cradle powers the Caretta, the Caretta runs on the bike's power. Its own battery is not used, so it does not run down while you ride.
• What the direct 12 V power means for the Caretta: it could even work without its battery, as long as it is powered from 12 V. The battery is essentially only back-up power: for use off the bike, or when the 12 V is off (ignition off or engine stalled, depending on your power settings and how you wired the cradle).
• The Caretta charges its battery only when the temperature is right. This makes the battery last longer. So it may not charge all the time while you ride. That is normal.
• On the bike, the battery only runs down when the cradle stops powering the Caretta. For example, when you stop for a break and switch the engine off.

When the cradle powers the Caretta

The cradle powers the Caretta while the engine runs. When you switch the engine off, the bike battery is no longer charged. Then the cradle stops, and the Caretta runs on its own battery.

This protects the bike battery. It matters most when the cradle is wired straight to the battery or to a socket that is always on. On a light bike, charging an empty Caretta while the engine is off could drain the bike battery. Then the engine might not start.

When the cradle switches depends on the type of bike battery. So tell NGH which battery your bike has:

1. Go to Settings › Vehicle, open your bike, then tap Power.
2. Tap Voltage charging threshold and choose the battery type.
   

NGH shows when the power for the Caretta switches on and off:

• AGM / Lead Acid battery (the default): on at 13.2 V (engine running), off at 12.8 V.
• LiFePo battery (lithium starter battery): on at 14.0 V, off at 13.6 V.

On the Vehicle page, Default values under Defaults hold the setting for all bikes that have none of their own. On a bike's page, Use the default goes back to it.

If you change the setting while the cradle sleeps, the change works the next time the cradle wakes.

In NGH versions before 2.0 (from 1.29 on), you find this setting under Settings › Caretta Setup.

Caution: Disable voltage threshold keeps the Caretta powered all the time, even with the engine off. Don't leave the Caretta in the cradle for long with the engine off. It will drain the bike battery.

Use Disable voltage threshold only:

• in an emergency on a parked bike, when you would rather lose a little bike battery than have the Caretta switch off,
• when your bike's charging system cannot keep the voltage above 13.2 V while the engine runs.

When the cradle sleeps

When the cradle has stopped powering the Caretta, it goes to sleep. This spares the bike battery. The cradle falls asleep after one hour at most. It falls asleep sooner, after a few minutes, when the Caretta has not been used for half an hour. The same happens when the Caretta switches itself off. While the engine runs, the cradle keeps the Caretta powered and does not sleep.

Waking the cradle

Start the engine. The cradle wakes up and powers the Caretta again, usually within a second. If the bike has stood for more than about a day and a half, the cradle sleeps more deeply. Then it can take up to half a minute.

If the Caretta stays dark after you start the engine

1. Take the Caretta out of the cradle.
2. Wait more than 20 seconds. If the bike has stood for more than about a day and a half, wait more than 60 seconds.
3. Put the Caretta back. The cradle wakes and powers it again.

Note: Just lifting the Caretta out and putting it straight back is not enough. The sleeping cradle only notices if the Caretta stays out long enough.

Charging off the bike

Off the bike, you can charge the Caretta with any USB-C charger. Quick Charge (QC) wall chargers work too.

If the Caretta does not turn on, see Charging deeply discharged battery (Caretta).