Battery Care....

[bboymax11@hotmail.com]

Alright, thanks. Would I need a adapter to fit the stick type. Or do the stick batteries have the same connector as a mini?

[samuel]

Alright,  thanks.  Would I need a adapter to fit the stick type.  Or do the stick batteries have the same connector as a mini?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I belive they both use mini tamia connectors. If for some reason yours uses a large you can get an adaptor for about £4.

[Graeme]

Again I ask is it ok to charge a battery and leave it for mabye a week before you use it. (NIMH 8.4V 1400mah mini)

[samuel]

Again I ask is it ok to charge a battery and leave it for mabye a week before you use it. (NIMH 8.4V 1400mah mini)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

IIRC you will have some loss of charge but it should be ok.

 

Sam

[Almighty]

Is there any harm in leaving the battery in the gun when storing? I'm 'softing tomorrow and can't be bothered to put the battery in the gun in the morning (it's the fiddly front grip type as it's a mini battery), so I might put the battery in there now, there won't be any harm in doing this will there?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Generally, it does the battery no harm to leave it in the gun, or even leave it plugged in. However, if there happens to be any short or grounding along the wiring harness, you might find the battery drained (to say the least). And there's the matter of leaving the AEG "hot" and ready to fire...

 

 

Is it ok to charge a battery and leave it for mabye a week before you use it. (NIMH 8.4V 1400mah mini)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You may have between 5-10% charge loss. One week in storage with charge may not have major or immediate bad effects.. but, it's much better to store rechargeable batteries in discharged condition. Prolonged storage with charge contributes to crystal formation inside the cells (that's the physical from of battery "memory").

 

 

Is there a difference between the Stick Batteries and the minis?

I have 2 8.4, 1200mAH batteries left over from a CA36E.  I plan on buying a STAR G36,  and it says it requires stick type batteries.

The only difference between sticks and minis lies in the arrangement of cells in the pack. A stick has the cells in a single line/row.. while the mini has them packed in 2 parallel lines/rows. Both configurations use (the same) 2/3A-size cells.

 

 

Also I still have a trickle charger from for minis,  can I use that charge to charge my Stick batteries if I get them?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As long as the pack cells are of the same type, there's no reason why not. Difference in capacity, however, will consequently result in different charging times.

[Agent_M]

hi, ive just got my first AEG, i was also bought an AEP aswell, it came with its own charger for the small stick battery and i was wondering if anyone knows a suitable converter so i can plug it into the mains here in the uk, its a marui charger rated as:

 

input: ac100v 50/60mhz 7va

output dc7.5v 300ma

 

i found this converter but im not sure if its suitable.

 

any help is much appreciated

 

thanks

matt

[pbunyan]

no, that adapter wont change the voltage down to 100V, neither will it fit the plug if its a wall-wart type charger. try something like this, although the voltage is 10V off, maybe you can find a 100V version?

[Camo is Cool]

Hey I currently have 2 chargers. One 40 ma wall charger and a MRC Super Brain charger. My main large batterey is a G&P 3300 mah.

 

My question is, what charge should I set it to on my MRC Super Brain? Should I be seting it to 3 milliamps? While ajusting milliamps, it goes from 1 to 4 by incraments of ".5".

[pbunyan]

are you sure its in adjustents of miliamps and not amps? if it is in miliamps, than at the highest setting i still wont even start tot charge the battery!

[Almighty]

Hey I currently have 2 chargers. One 40 ma wall charger and a MRC Super Brain charger. My main large batterey is a G&P 3300 mah.

 

My question is, what charge should I set it to on my MRC Super Brain? Should I be seting it to 3 milliamps? While ajusting milliamps, it goes from 1 to 4 by incraments of ".5".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The adjustment is actually in amperes.. in increments of .5 amps (500 milliamps). You may set it to 3.5, in which case charge time will take about 1.5 hours. Or you may set to maximum 4 and speed it up a little. Either way, you'd still be within the "safe" limits. Lower setting would simply mean slower charging, longer time..

[kerberos_]

Just realised what was wrong with my charger/battery.

 

Was only charing it to approx 1.35v per cell (9.5v).

 

Should be ok from now on in

[venom_dk]

hi all, have a problem for here,

 

i have a pro peak charger that i got nice and cheap, and a g&p 8.vv 3300mah battery,

 

when i recieved the battery i inadvertantly put it on fast charge, and the charge ws completed within half an hour / an hour.

 

after reading throguh this thread i am worried that the battery will develop the memory effect or has not properly been charged, however my charger only had 130mah trickle and 3.5ma fast charge, what should i do with the battery?

 

(its on trickle atm and has been for an hour)

[sillyrabbit72]

hi all, have a problem for here,

 

i have a pro peak charger that i got nice and cheap, and a g&p 8.vv 3300mah battery,

 

when i recieved the battery i inadvertantly put it on fast charge, and the charge ws completed within half an hour / an hour.

 

after reading throguh this thread i am worried that the battery will develop the memory effect or has not properly been charged, however my charger only had 130mah trickle and 3.5ma fast charge, what should i do with the battery?

 

(its on trickle atm and has been for an hour)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

NiMH or NiCD?

 

If it's NiMH it can't form a memory, but if it's NiCD I think it can

[venom_dk]

hi,

 

its a NiMH,

 

will leaving it on trickle work or have a killed it ?,

 

also without knowing what charge was already in it when i bought it what should i do,

 

i bought it new from firesupport

 

cheers

[venom_dk]

hi again,

 

what happens if you charge a battery and then have to leave it for 4 or 5 weeks without using it,

 

will the cystalisation happen, or something else ?

 

 

also if it is best to store batteries discharged, without owning a discharger nor wanting to fry my aeg, whats the best way to discharge?

 

cheers

[Almighty]

i have a pro peak charger that i got nice and cheap, and a g&p 8.vv 3300mah battery,

 

when i recieved the battery i inadvertantly put it on fast charge, and the charge ws completed within half an hour / an hour.

 

after reading throguh this thread i am worried that the battery will develop the memory effect or has not properly been charged, however my charger only had 130mah trickle and 3.5ma fast charge, what should i do with the battery?

 

(its on trickle atm and has been for an hour)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If it's NiMH it can't form a memory, but if it's NiCD I think it can

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Cell memory is a result of repeated partial discharging and partial charging, and/or leaving the batteries connected to trickle current for extended periods. Unused charge and continuous supply of current promotes formation of crystals in the electrolyte. Crystal formation lessen the cells' ability to store and discharge power. That is battery "memory" in physical form.

 

There's no hard fast rule that you should always be slow charging. As long as done and monitored properly to avoid or prevent overcharging, fast charging is just as good as slow charging. If your battery did not even get "feverish" temperature.. I don't see what you have to worry about.

 

its a NiMH,

 

will leaving it on trickle work or have a killed it ?,

 

also without knowing what charge was already in it when i bought it what should i do,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

130mA trickle is really more for keeping charge at top-off level.. and only for a short while just before immediate use. NEVER leave your battery connected to trickle current for extended/indefinite period.. unless you really intend to kill it.

 

what happens if you charge a battery and then have to leave it for 4 or 5 weeks without using it,

 

will the cystalisation happen, or something else ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A month in storage is not really very long. Still. the battery will likely self-discharge between 10% to 20% of its power, depending on the actual condition of the cells. Charged batteries often left to self-discharge during prolonged storage will eventually form crystals.

 

also if it is best to store batteries discharged, without owning a discharger nor wanting to fry my aeg, whats the best way to discharge?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just use it till it can no longer operate the AEG. If you want, you may hook it up to a car headlight bulb till you see the glow diminish a bit. That would be good enough. If you have a multitester or voltmeter.. stop discharging when voltage goes down to average 1v per cell (in the case of your 7-cell 8.4v battery, stop at 7v).

[Jokai]

Apologies if this has been answered already but I got very confused reading this thread

 

Okay I have a TLP Fuzzy Logic Charger and so far have been using the slow charge as I didn't get instructions with the thing.

 

I normally leave the batteries on slow charge with the dial at its lowest setting and leave the batteries until they warm.

 

Now I know this is probably completely wrong after reading around so could I please get advice on what setting to charge the following batteries please and how to set it at that charge?

 

Tornado 9.6v 3300mAh NiMH Large type battery (pretty sure it ten cells)

 

Sanyo 8,4v 3000mAh MiMH 7 cell large type.

 

Sanyo 8.4v 2000 mAh NiCd 7 cell large type.

 

Your help would be appreciated as I don't wanna ruin the batteries, I do always fully discharge em if you were wondering.

 

I always thought the fast charge setting was the last thing you wanted to do, okay on a game day where you needed the batteries quick but I thought it shortened the life of em doing the fast charge?!?!

 

Yours truely confused

 

 

PS I'm happy with slow charging but would like to know the best way to charge my batteries on slow and fast

 

I have found some instructions on the net but when I turn the dial to do set the charge level the LCD doesn't seem to change at all

[Almighty]

I normally leave the batteries on slow charge with the dial at its lowest setting and leave the batteries until they warm.

 

Now I know this is probably completely wrong after reading around so could I please get advice on what setting to charge the following batteries please and how to set it at that charge?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

SLOW is not really slow.. at 130-150mA trickle.. it's crawling! Seriously.. slow mode is really intended for maintaining top off level for already charged batteries. Proper slow rate is approximately 10-15% of the battery rating. For a 3300mAh battery.. that works out to be 330-450mA, and will take about 14-15 hours to finish at 10%, 10 hours at 15%.

 

Also.. your fuzzy logic charger's automatic features are disabled when running in SLOW mode. If you want to be charging at low amperage with the auto cut-off / swith-over features enabled, dial in the desired mA charge rate, and press the mode button till the charger runs in FAST.

 

 

Tornado 9.6v 3300mAh NiMH Large type battery (pretty sure it ten cells)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I really dont think so. A rechargeable cell gives out 1.2v. Put 10 of them in series and you'd get 12v.. not 9.6v.

 

 

Your help would be appreciated as I don't wanna ruin the batteries, I do always fully discharge em if you were wondering.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Believe it, or not.. too frequent discharging stresses the cells and often lead to shorter service life. Cells are expected to last certain recharge cycles; sub-C and bigger cells are given up to 1000 cycles, A-size and smaller are generally given only 500 cycles. Every time the battery pack is partially used, then fully discharged, is one less cycle in the expected lifespan (to say the least).

 

Discharging down to 0v is also harmful as it risks reversing the polarity of the weakest cell in the pack. Unless discharging cells individually, always stop the discharge when voltage goes down to 1v per cell average.

 

I always thought the fast charge setting was the last thing you wanted to do, okay on a game day where you needed the batteries quick but I thought it shortened the life of em doing the fast charge?!?!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The main difference between fast and slow charging is simply how fast the batteries may go into overcharge, and how fast temperature will build up. When either one is done properly as to avoid overcharging and/or overheating, there is little difference in the end result, nor overall life of the battery pack.

[Jokai]

Cheers Almighty, glad that cleared things up for me, I'm now happily using the fast charge and setting the unit to the right ampage

 

Am I right in saying that with NiCd you should discharge the battery before charging as the cells retain a memory? Sure I read that somewhere

[Almighty]

Am I right in saying that with NiCd you should discharge the battery before charging as the cells retain a memory?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Discharging a battery down to the point where it no longer has enough power to run its intended load is generally called "exercise". Rechargeables, particularly NiCads need exercise. As long as you use the battery till it can no longer run the AEG.. it is sufficiently exercised.. and you may actually recharge from that point. Bear in mind, however, that highly upgraded AEGs tend to stop running with more leftover charge in the battery.

 

Discharging the battery down to 1v per cell.. or lower to .8v per cell.. is called "deep cycling". This is done to keep the cell content from forming crystals. Crystals in the electrolyte = memory. Deep cycling is done to break up early crystal formation.. but because the procedure is also stressful for the battery.. it is best to deep cycle only once in a while, NOT every time you recharge. If the NiCad battery gets fully used or exercised often, as in 1-2x a week, a deep cycle once a month should be enough.

[Stl]

Hi,

 

I own a G&P NiMh 2200mHa 9,6V battery and a BOL Basic charger, the dial of the charger goes from 0,5A and 4A, and I don't know which A is correct to charge my battery with safety (¿?)

 

Sorry for my eng..=P..

[Almighty]

I own a G&P NiMh 2200mHa 9,6V battery and a BOL Basic charger, the dial of the charger goes from 0,5A and 4A, and I don't know which A is correct to charge my battery with safety (¿?)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You may actually use any setting within the given range. If the charger used has voltage (delta) peak sensing, then it will automatically stop, or switch to a 130-150mA cahrge maintenance trickle, when the battery pack is full. If you set at 0.5A (500mA), it will take around 7 hours. As you increase the charging current, the charge time shortens. If you set at 4A (4000mA) then charging will finish in about 45 minutes. This is assuming, of course, that the battery has been "flattened" or discharged down to 1v per cell.. otherwise, if the battery has residual charge, the time will be shorter.

 

As most NiMH users tend to recharge the batteries after only partial use, it's best to use "intelligent" chargers to avoid overcharging. If using a very basic charger without automatic cut-off, it's best to discharge the cells to 1v per cell baseline and compute for proper charge time using the formula

charge time = ( battery mAh / charger mA output ) x 1.3

[rapid]

Hi Everyone i have a 1100mah 7cell 8.4volt battery my charger is a tlp fuzzy logic charger. I have always set my charger to 00.4 A to charge (which is the lowest setting) my batteries, i was wondering if i should change the charge volts to 1.4 A or higher any advice guys?

[Almighty]

Hi Everyone i have a 1100mah 7cell 8.4volt battery my charger is a tlp fuzzy logic charger. I have always set my charger to 00.4 A to charge  (which is the lowest setting) my batteries, i was wondering if i should change the charge volts to 1.4 A or higher any advice guys?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll take a guess.. your battery is A-size NiMH, encased in light green shrink wrapping.. and at the given charge rate takes anywhere between 3 to 4 hours to finish?

 

You may up the charge current to 0.8 A and cut the time down to some 2 hours.. or set it at equal the battery rating and finish in about 1-1/2 hours.. or as you asked, dial in 1.4 A and be done in about 1 hour. A charge current 2x that of the battery discharge rating will top off in about 35-45 minutes.

 

Be advised, however, that faster charging means faster heat generation. NiMHs heat up faster than NiCads.. and cells smaller than sub-C are more susceptible to heat damage and venting. It's possible to top off in less than 30 minutes.. even 20 minutes.. but at increasing risk of literally frying the cells. Unless you're in much of a hurry and/or willing to frequently personally monitor the battery pack for signs of overheating.. it may be prudent to ease off just a little on the charge current.

[rapid]

thanks Almighty the batteries are the 7 cell mini type with clear wrapping. so you recommend setting my tlp tl15 charger to either 0.8 or 1.4.

thanks for your help Almighty.