The MAX1879 initiates charging in one of three ways: battery insertion, charger power-up, or toggling the THERM pin. Key safety features include continuous voltage and temperature monitoring, a preset charger time-out, and an 8mA precharge current mode to charge near-dead cells. Automatic detection of input power removal shuts down the device, minimizing current drain from the battery. An overall system accuracy of 0.75% ensures that the cell capacity is fully utilized without cycle life degradation.