BATTERY CHARGING QUESTION

[IconarmsDealer]

I have some 9.6V 1200mAH, and 1500mAh 8 cell batteries- My charger has a selection of amps, and # of cells to charge
300 and 600Amp rates
I also ahve a 8.4V 1700mAH 8-cell what AMP rate should I select for each of these...

I ask only becuase the batteries do not seem to last as long as I think they should...I do discharge them after each use , and both are NiCd

9.6v...1200mAH rate?
9.6v...1500mAH rate?
8.4v....1700mAH rate?

[ben]

I have some 9.6V 1200mAH, and 1500mAh 8 cell batteries- My charger has a selection of amps, and # of cells to charge
300 and 600Amp rates
I also ahve a 8.4V 1700mAH 8-cell what AMP rate should I select for each of these...

I ask only becuase the batteries do not seem to last as long as I think they should...I do discharge them after each use , and both are NiCd

9.6v...1200mAH rate?
9.6v...1500mAH rate?
8.4v....1700mAH rate?

nicd= slow charge 300mah and discharge before charging

nimh=fast charge 600mah and discharge %80 leave %20 of juce before charging

[Seedy]

ben- you sure its better to slow charge a NiCad?
thats what I use and I've always charged them at 600mah but if its better to charge at 300 I will.

[ben]

ben- you sure its better to slow charge a NiCad?
thats what I use and I've always charged them at 600mah but if its better to charge at 300 I will.

you can charge a nicad at 600mah it wont hurt it nicads are tuff but if you slow charge them the life of the charge and cells will last longer,this is what i have read at many websites

[firebert]

NiCads can actually be charged at a higher rate than NiMh batteries. It ultimately depends on the size and mah of the battery that determins what rate they can be charged. NiMh can be charged up to about 2.5 amps.

To prolong the life of the battery its best to cycle it by discharging it and then charging. Its not as nessary for NiMh but still recomended. Also you want to charge any battery at the lowest rate you have time for.

[firebert]

Also I forgot to add. I suspect you charger charges in mili amps and not amps. I used to charge all my batteries at .5amps. It shouldn't make much of a difference to the batteries you listed to be charged at 300 or 600 in life. I would look at the battery cell quality and your storage method. If you let them sit dead for a while it helps to cycle them a few times by draining it and recharging it. Some nicer chargers have a cycle option and most RC shops sell a battery discharger but they can be pricey. Your almost better off just getting a charger that will do it.

[ben]

NiCads can actually be charged at a higher rate than NiMh batteries. It ultimately depends on the size and mah of the battery that determins what rate they can be charged. NiMh can be charged up to about 2.5 amps.

To prolong the life of the battery its best to cycle it by discharging it and then charging. Its not as nessary for NiMh but still recomended. Also you want to charge any battery at the lowest rate you have time for.

battery+ says not to charge any type of cell over 1.5 amps

[IconarmsDealer]

Ok great info thanks a ton for the help I di have a charger/s that will cycle the batteries through a discharge cycle then charge them I will select the slow rate And see how this works

[KileyHAZ]

I dont know much about the technical apsect of it but can relate my use of batteries. I use a battery untill it stops turning the motor be it nicd or nimh. Once its that far gone I put it on the TM discharger (light and heat sink essentially). Once it is drained by that I cycle them on the lowest charge setting for that number of cells with the smart charger. The only time I use the quick charge (high amp) settings is when I forget to charge up the nigth before and want to throw a charge on in the morning before I leave the house. So far I end up with a dead battery before the end of the day every time I do that.....

[Seedy]

I have a cheap charger that came with a gun I bought from AEX but its worked great for me for almost 2 years now.
It has a discharge feature that kicks over automatically to charge when its done and it can charge up to 10 cells so I can use it on my PTW batteries.
I also always discharge my NiCad everytime I plug it into the charger. I've also always been charging it at 600mah and I've had the same battery for over a year and it always lasts for the whole day even at the longest games so fast charging it doesn't seem to be hurting it too much.