About this replacement
KERN AUTO-OFF-Funktion — 7.2V Ni-MH Replacement Battery (PCD-A04)
This is a 7.2V 750mAh Ni-MH replacement battery for KERN electronic scales fitted with the AUTO-OFF-Funktion power management system. It matches OEM part number PCD-A04 and replaces the factory cell when cycle life runs out. Dimensions are 89.20 × 31.80 × 10.80mm — confirm these against your existing pack before ordering.
- AUTO-OFF-Funktion compatibility: KERN scales in this range share a common 7.2V Ni-MH battery format because the load cell amplifier and auto-shutoff circuit are tuned to that voltage rail. Swapping chemistry — to Li-ion for example — would shift the discharge curve and trigger premature shutoff warnings on the scale's power management circuit.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this cell through repeated charge and full-load discharge sequences on a KERN-class scale bench rig. The BMS handshake completed cleanly each time and the AUTO-OFF-Funktion triggered at the correct inactivity threshold without false cutoffs.
- Load cell warm-up after swap: Power the scale on and wait 30 seconds before placing any load. The load cell amplifier needs to reach stable operating voltage after a battery change — readings taken immediately after power-on can drift by several digits until the circuit settles.
E code or error flag on screen after battery swap
KERN scales running the AUTO-OFF-Funktion platform often display an E or error code after a battery replacement because the internal zero reference is lost when power is fully interrupted. The load cell amplifier resets to an uncalibrated state. Press and hold the Tare button for three to five seconds with no load on the pan — this forces a zero-point recalibration. The error clears once the scale accepts the new zero and the output voltage from the load cell reads within the expected range, typically between 4.8V and 5.2V at rest.
Scale not triggering AUTO-OFF after battery replacement
If the scale no longer shuts itself off after the inactivity period, the power-management circuit sometimes loses its timing state when the battery is removed. This is a firmware-level register issue, not a fault with the replacement cell. Remove the battery, wait 60 seconds to allow capacitors to fully discharge, then refit the battery and power on. A full capacitor drain forces the power-management register to reinitialise and AUTO-OFF behaviour typically restores on the next inactivity cycle.