Battery Question

[fatboyslim]

Hi all bought myself a couple of 3000mah Ni-Mh batteries,
What I want to now is what's the best way to charge these up for maximum performanc/duration

[simdel1]

erm, there should be a charger that you can buy for them. im not familiar with the single cells im only used to the cells that are bunched togeter already. perhaps you can use a normal battery charger.

when charging later, make sure the batteries are completely discharged before you charge them again. this prolongs the life of the cell and they produce better power for longer(well thats what iv been told from r.c car racing clubs). the simplist way is to buy a small light bulb thats designed for medium size torches and the like. hook your cell up with a few wires and leave it on untill the light has gone out. or maybe just stick them into a torch... hope that helps

[fatboyslim]

Yes I know there is a charger available as I have one!!
They are 3000mah 7.2v ni-mh stick packs, what i was asking is how many amps should I charge them at etc, and should I give a final blast at higher amps before using them??

[Psman32@af]

what you want from teh battery is the best way to determine how to charge them. at a lower amp charge, the battery will have a longer run time and less punch, but its overall life will be longer because of less stress on the battery while being recharged. A higher amp charge will give oyu a littl ebit more punch, but have negative affects on run time and overall life. Whatever you do, DO NOT charge them above 6 amps. The rulle of thumb is for NI-MH battery packs, do not charge more than twice its capaicy in amp hours. in this case, the capacity is 3 amp hour, so do not charge over 6 amps. The same basic rules go for NI-cd, but do not charge over 3 times its capactiy, so do not carge a 2 amp hour battery higher than 6 amps. (ps. the number on the battery cell is the batteries capacity in milliamp hours). With NI-mh it is not a nesscity to discharge them before you recharge them if you will run them within the same day, otherwise it is suggested that you discharge them. Also, just charge them at the same rate for the whole time. I usually charge my 3000's at 3 amps and my 3300's at either 3.5 or 4. if you have any questions, or want me to elaborate further, feel free to ask me.

[fatboyslim]

Thanks for that I havw just recently started going over from ni-cad's to ni-mh as they're meant to be better and I just couldn't find out any info about charging them!!

[Psman32@af]

they are in some respects, but are not in others. i much prefer ni-mh myself. I dont have any ni-cds in my regualar rotation anymore. I actually still own a orignal generation panasonic 3000 pack.

[kaoru-tochiro]

this month's rc car action magazine has a segment on charging ni-mhs, I don't remember anything about it though because I don't use those batts, but check it out.

[fatboyslim]

Hmmm don't think that magazine is available here in England!!

[Asmenoth]

Originally posted by fatboyslim
Hmmm don't think that magazine is available here in England!!

Then try their web site:

www.rccaraction.com

[fatboyslim]

Thanks for that, I looked and found the article on ni-mh battery care and it was great told me all I needed to know!!

Thanks once again!!