Battery Care....

[Diwiak]

Hey! How about that!? As per your actual(?) reading, current flow is 170mA for 7 cells (8.4v). In my case, I just computed it based on the given 150mA at 9.6v (8 cells).. and got 171.xx mA

 

I was measuring mine with ampermeter, and it's 170mA

 

so that charging times table from official website will be wrong-it says 200mA

[Nickpan]

Hi all...

 

I have

• one of those shaving adaptor plugs (it allows me to plug a 2 prong plug into my three prong socket)
• a 110v charger (output 8.4v)
• a 240 c charger (output 8.4v)

Disregarding current (which seems to be similar on both chargers), what are the implications of charging an 8.4v battery with either of these chargers? Does the shaving adaptor convert my 240v wall socket into a 110v socket? Would the 110v charger take twice as long to fill a battery?

[Almighty]

I have

• one of those shaving adaptor plugs (it allows me to plug a 2 prong plug into my three prong socket)
• a 110v charger (output 8.4v)
• a 240 c charger (output 8.4v)

Disregarding current (which seems to be similar on both chargers), what are the implications of charging an 8.4v battery with either of these chargers?

You cannot really disregard the current output - it's actually what determines the length of time to to recharge. It does not matter whether you use the 100v or 240v charger as long as the output voltage is the same for both.

 

Does the shaving adaptor convert my 240v wall socket into a 110v socket?

It depends, if it's just a straightforward plug adaptor.. then NO - it just changes the prong shape. If it's actually a small 240-to-110v transformer.. then YES. A picture of your adaptor might help identify which it is.

 

Would the 110v charger take twice as long to fill a battery?

If the output voltage and current is same as a 240v charger.. charging time should be exactly the same. If output spec is less, then charging will take longer. If you plug a 240v unit into a 110v socket, the output voltage will drop to about 50% of that specified for the charger.. the charging may just keep going without the batteries ever reaching full charge.

[Alex Schmalex]

Should I be worried that the plastic casing on the battery has begun to rip?

[Almighty]

Should I be worried that the plastic casing on the battery has begun to rip?

This indicates the battery has experienced overheating.. at least once. The cells are wrapped by heat-shrinking plastic, and the extreme heat caused the wrapping to shrink excessively.

 

If the overheat was relatively brief, or only once, then the battery may be none worse than just having split wrapping. However. there's a possibility that the cells may have generated gas bubbles, pressurized, and vented. Venting results in some loss of electrolyte.. and consequently loss of capacity and performance. It's also possible that the battery pack may have one or two "weak" cells which will tend to go into overcharge while the other cells are still filling up.. in which case, overheating manifests mainly from the weak cells. Either way, diminished performance, possibly progressing to serious loss if/when the overheating is allowed to happen repeatedly.

 

If the battery is still functional and usable.. I would strongly suggest close monitoring of the charging process, and terminate it once the battery exhibits "high fever". Temperature should not be allowed to go over 40 deg. C. That's about as much as anyone could do in such a case as yours.

[talon_0315]

So I recently bought a MRC SuperBrain 960 charger, and I'm charging my Intellect 9.6V AA-sized NiMH Nunchuck Battery.

 

http://www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.php?...roducts_id=2772

 

The manual two sets of instructions - one set for plug-and-play (or sub-C or larger batteries) and one set for AA-sized batteries. It said to adjust the amperage and delta peak voltage to the manufacture's specs. As a result, I have set the delta peak to 05mv, and the Amperage to 1.

 

I intend to store this battery for past two weeks and will only charge it for 20 minutes because I am following the battery care instructions off Intellect's Web site.

 

Am I doing this correctly?

 

Now, in about a couple of weeks, I intend to charge this battery with this charger. Should I be able to just plug the battery in (assume that the delta peak is still at 05mv and Amperage to 1) and wait for the charger to finish automatically? How will I know that this battery is good to go?

 

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

 

[Almighty]

I intend to store this battery for past two weeks and will only charge it for 20 minutes because I am following the battery care instructions off Intellect's Web site.

Nickel-based batteries are best stored in discharged state.. especially if storing for long periods.

 

Now, in about a couple of weeks, I intend to charge this battery with this charger. Should I be able to just plug the battery in (assume that the delta peak is still at 05mv and Amperage to 1) and wait for the charger to finish automatically? How will I know that this battery is good to go?

Just plug and charge your battery like you would normally do at any other time. Assuming the charger's delta peak detection works properly.. then YES, all you need do is wait for the charger to finish.. the battery would then be good to go.

[cis_destiny]

Sirs,

 

I have recently bought an Imax B6 digital charger balancer for lipo, li-ion, nicad & nimh. Honestly, I dont have an idea how to set up its program for my batteries. Hoping you can help me out with this... Thanks in advance...

 

LiPoly...I have a Firefox Lipoly 11.1v 1600mah 12c

 

What charging current should i choose from .1A - 2.0A for the following,

Charging? ___

Balancing? ___

Fast Charging? ___

Storage Control? ___

Discharging? ___

 

The charger has a capacity cut-off setting, default is 5000mah. Do I have to change this?

 

NiCad..... I have a Sanyo 9.6V 2400mah

NiMH...... I have an 8.4V 1500mah

 

What charging current should I use from .1A - 2.0A for....

Charging? ___

Balancing? ___

Fast Charging? ___

Storage Control? ___

Discharging? ___

 

Current limit has a default of 5A. Is this correct?

 

Or does anyone have a more detailed instruction with regards to using the Imax B6 charger?

 

Thanks again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Almighty]

I have recently bought an Imax B6 digital charger balancer for lipo, li-ion, nicad & nimh. Honestly, I dont have an idea how to set up its program for my batteries.

 

NiCad..... I have a Sanyo 9.6V 2400mah

NiMH...... I have an 8.4V 1500mah

 

What charging current should I use from .1A - 2.0A for....

Charging? ___

I'm not sure how the Imax detects full charge among nickel-based cells.. but if it uses peak detection.. then minimum charger current should be .5A or 500mA.

 

 

Balancing? ___

NiMHs and Nicads don't really need balancing the same way as LiPo cells do.

 

 

Fast Charging? ___

If you want to finish charging roughly within 1.5 hours.. then set charge current to equal the battery rating. Be advised, that the NiMH heats up faster than the NiCad at such level. Though it's quite possible to charge at higher than the cell rating, I would not advise you try it.. mainly because you don not yet have full grasp of charging concepts..

 

 

Storage Control? ___

If storing for long periods.. as say over several months.. best stored in discharged state.

 

 

Discharging? ___

If using an auto-cut discharger.. just plug in and let the unit stop on its own. Otherwise,if using a homemade dicharger, best monitor the outgoing voltage while in teh process.. and stop the discharge when celll voltage dips to 1v per cell or lower. That means 8v for the 8-cell 9.6v battery.. and 7v for the 7-cell 8.4v battery.

 

 

 

[rumraisin]

hello guys I have been reading this forum, and im really kicking ymself right now..... I boguht a 9.6v intellect stick 1600 mah battery, and for the first charge I charged it on a brick charger it says on output... DC 8.4V 250mA , i put my 9.6 on it for 3 hours and 30 mins i think, and i shot of the whole battery until it was dead... in my gun, so i herd its bad to charge, 9.6v with a 8.4v so did i ###### my battery and double ###### it cuz the first chrage wasnt nearly enough ;( plz give me some guidence!

[Almighty]

hello guys I have been reading this forum, and im really kicking ymself right now..... I boguht a 9.6v intellect stick 1600 mah battery, and for the first charge I charged it on a brick charger it says on output... DC 8.4V 250mA , i put my 9.6 on it for 3 hours and 30 mins i think, and i shot of the whole battery until it was dead... in my gun, so i herd its bad to charge, 9.6v with a 8.4v so did i ###### my battery and double ###### it cuz the first chrage wasnt nearly enough ;( plz give me some guidence!

Nothing really wrong or bad with using an 8.4v charger on a 9.6v battery. It's just going to take a little longer time.

 

8.4v 250mA charger current is equivalent to 9.6v 219mA. At that rate, relative to the 1600mAh battery capacity, the efficiency factor is at 1.3. Using the charging formula..

 

( battery mAh / charger mA output ) x efficiency

= ( 1600mAh / 218.75mA ) x 1.3

= 7.314.. x 1.3

= 9.51 hours

= 9 hours 31 minutes

 

This, of course, is under the assumption that the battery has been discharged to 1v per cell, or power has been run down till battery can no longer operate the AEG.. regardless of NiMH or NiCad (when using a brick charger).

[rumraisin]

Nothing really wrong or bad with using an 8.4v charger on a 9.6v battery. It's just going to take a little longer time.

 

8.4v 250mA charger current is equivalent to 9.6v 219mA. At that rate, relative to the 1600mAh battery capacity, the efficiency factor is at 1.3. Using the charging formula..

 

( battery mAh / charger mA output ) x efficiency

= ( 1600mAh / 218.75mA ) x 1.3

= 7.314.. x 1.3

= 9.51 hours

= 9 hours 31 minutes

 

This, of course, is under the assumption that the battery has been discharged to 1v per cell, or power has been run down till battery can no longer operate the AEG.. regardless of NiMH or NiCad (when using a brick charger).

 

ahh cool thankx and its a NiMh btw so everything else still applies, im giving it a nice long 9 hour and 50 min charge with it in front me

[Almighty]

ahh cool thankx and its a NiMh btw so everything else still applies, im giving it a nice long 9 hour and 50 min charge with it in front me

Please be advised 9.51 hours = 9 hours 31 minutes.. NOT 9 hours 50 minutes

 

[rumraisin]

i know, but i didnt give it a good first charge, so aint i pose to give it alittle extra time?

[Almighty]

i know, but i didnt give it a good first charge, so aint i pose to give it alittle extra time?

Over time and usage, the cells will make up the deficit and break into optimum capacity and performance just the same. In general, and in the long run, it's better to be slightly undercharging than overcharging.. as repeated or accumulated overcharge contributes to development of "battery memory".

[cis_destiny]

Thanks sir almighty, as usual, very helpful info....

[apmaman]

So I have a charger that has a 7.2v to 8.4v output and a 320ma current.

 

Can I charge my friends 9.6v 2200ma battery?

[Almighty]

So I have a charger that has a 7.2v to 8.4v output and a 320ma current.

 

Can I charge my friends 9.6v 2200ma battery?

YES.. with some adjustment in the charge time computation, based on the following considerations

 

7.2v 320mA = 9.6v 240mA

8.4v 320mA = 9.6v 280mA

 

Which of the two mA values to use would depend on at which voltage the 320mA is manucaturer specified.

 

Personally.. I'd just as easily take the median and compute using 260mA.

[cafemondo]

I went ahead with my idea of making 'Y' connectors so that I could connect two mini 8.4v batteries in parallel. And it works very well. both g36's now have vastly improved rates of fire and trigger response times. However fitting two batteries and the connectors is a bit of a pain and requires some fiddling. The last time I took them out one weapon performed superbly, the other failed within 20 shots with the gearbox getting slower and slower and the power draining out very quickly. I took the batteries out and unfortunately the connectors became disconnected as I did so so I couldnt tell wether I had shorted it or not by connecting them incorrectly. Can anyone work out what I did incorrectly that would do this?

[FearMeansControl]

I went ahead with my idea of making 'Y' connectors so that I could connect two mini 8.4v batteries in parallel. And it works very well. both g36's now have vastly improved rates of fire and trigger response times. However fitting two batteries and the connectors is a bit of a pain and requires some fiddling. The last time I took them out one weapon performed superbly, the other failed within 20 shots with the gearbox getting slower and slower and the power draining out very quickly. I took the batteries out and unfortunately the connectors became disconnected as I did so so I couldnt tell wether I had shorted it or not by connecting them incorrectly. Can anyone work out what I did incorrectly that would do this?

 

have you checked the batteries post-use with a multimeter? is there any juice left in them?

[messtin]

Hi all,

 

Im really paranoid that my charger is going to explode! I am charging a TRC TORNADO 3700 mAh with 500 mA fast charger. I used a charge calculator which told me 8 hours of so. It has been on for 2 or 3 and the charger is ridiculously hot and its making a buzzing noise.

Anything to worry about, or normal?

 

Thanks

[cafemondo]

Could you describe ridiculously? too me that would mean being hot enough to cause blisters on your fingers and melting/distorting the plastic casing, If this is the case Id recommend turning it off. Is this heat and buzzing a new thing your charger is doing? Could be a capacitor or similar component has failed. Im sorry I cant be of more help.

 

Back to my problem, connected both batteries to charger one registered about 6v, the other 4v, the 6v charged up normally, the 4v charged to 6/7v and then stopped charging and registered as full. I should have paid more attention to the actual numbers but it looks like a couple of cells in one pack are duff?

[messtin]

Could you describe ridiculously? too me that would mean being hot enough to cause blisters on your fingers and melting/distorting the plastic casing, If this is the case Id recommend turning it off. Is this heat and buzzing a new thing your charger is doing? Could be a capacitor or similar component has failed. Im sorry I cant be of more help.

 

Back to my problem, connected both batteries to charger one registered about 6v, the other 4v, the 6v charged up normally, the 4v charged to 6/7v and then stopped charging and registered as full. I should have paid more attention to the actual numbers but it looks like a couple of cells in one pack are duff?

 

Well i cant touch it for longer than 5 seconds. I only had it for a couple of days. (cost a tenner from zero one) It only starts buzzing after a couple hours of charging and this gets louder the longer you leave it. The battery doesnt get hot and it does charge but because its alot larger capa than im used to im not sure how wat run down time is like. Lol dont worry its not vital cos i just unlug it and then charge again once its cooled. Thanks for your oppinion anyway. Im gonna buy an idiot proof charger once i finished my VSR upgrades.

 

Cheers

[Almighty]

Back to my problem, connected both batteries to charger one registered about 6v, the other 4v, the 6v charged up normally, the 4v charged to 6/7v and then stopped charging and registered as full. I should have paid more attention to the actual numbers but it looks like a couple of cells in one pack are duff?

Yup.. I would agree with the assessment that one pack has a bad cell or two. Either you replace the cells.. or replace the whole pack.

[cafemondo]

Thanks for the confirmation Almighty. It highly appreciated and helps when youre battling it alone with problems. Its a firefox mini so I think Ill ditch it at my local batt recycle center rather than try and salvage anything from it.

 

Messtin, definitely sounds a bit hokey, it seems to be working of sorts but it doesnt sound good in the long run. Im using the propeak range of chargers, the 2500vp has been serving me extremely well now for about 10 years and is idiot & bomb proof, Ive also bought one of the prodigy ones which will charge (but not balance) lipos when I eventually switch and seems also to be a very good intelligent charger but requires a fairly large external power supply to run it if not using a car battery or similar.