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Post by mikey100 on May 28, 2009 22:59:11 GMT 10
I've got a charger capable of battery cycling, but how? What discharge rate... what is the lowest voltage per cell?
I have 600ma aa 4cell nicads
800ma aaa 4cell eneloops
800ma aaa 5cell eneloops. Thanks
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Post by sean on May 28, 2009 23:27:51 GMT 10
Hey Mike,
I'm no battery guru but I'm always careful with my batteries. If discharging I always discharge to 1.1v per cell at 200-400mah depending on how much time I want to take. You could probably discharge at a higher rate but if the batteries get hot you're discharging too fast. Also it's a good idea to cycle NiCds but it's not really necessary to cycle NiMHs, although I occassionally run a discharge on mine to make sure they're in good condition. I find discharging a fully charged pack down to 1.1v per cell should give pretty close to rated capacity if the batteries are in good condition. If you don't get close to rated capacity then the pack is probably no good. If you have a pack that's not holding charge then cycling can sometimes bring some life back into the pack, but usually the best bet is to throw the pack away.
I'm sure there are guys here who know more about batteries than I do, but the above has served me well.
Sean.
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Post by mikey100 on May 29, 2009 0:25:09 GMT 10
Thanks Sean. Thats xactly the info I needed. Cheers.
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Post by skyboyken on May 29, 2009 21:49:20 GMT 10
Mikey,
I second Sean's advice about the discharge rate and about discharge to 1.1V per cell. The rate Sean recommends is about the rate a 6 digital servo 3m mouldie pulls current from the pack.
If your charger supports auto discharge that may be a good option as it will monitor the voltage constantly and terminate the discharge if 1 cell drops voltage suddenly (for example), whereas a manual discharge may not do this, resulting in cell damage you may not recognise because the (manual) discharge terminated normally.
May I ask what charger you are using?
Ken.
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Post by mikey100 on May 30, 2009 10:03:46 GMT 10
Ken, it is a'Swallow AC/DC EQ Charger'. Any advice gratefully accepted. Mike
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Post by skyboyken on May 30, 2009 23:24:13 GMT 10
Mikey,
I have only used the original Swallow, but from memory they are not a terribly clever charger.
The best recommendation I have is to use Sean's settings, and to fit a battery monitor to any plane you care about so if the worst happens and the battery dies on you there is a chance you'll see it before launch and save the plane.
Ken.
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