This really is vitally important to battery life, so please do check the
below before you charge your batteries:
The info below refers only to NIMH batteries - capacities 2700mah and above.
If you have purchased a 2400mah or below battery, your pack is a Nicad and
the info below does not apply.
DO NOT TRICKLE CHARGE NIMH BATTERIES
This is extremely important. Nimh cells are designed to take a
high current charge rate, placing a 140ma or similar trickle charge current
through them tends to unbalance the cells in the pack. You will then
find the pack doesn't seem to work. If you then Peak charge the pack,
it's very likely that two or more cells will be damaged as they will
overcharge whilst the charger is waiting for the overall pack to peak.
Please use a peak charger ONLY with Nimh cells. You can very
occasionally bring a Nimh pack that has been damaged this way back from
the dead by draining all the power from the pack and then recharging,
repeating this cycle 2 or 3 types - although it only works in maybe 2 in 10
cases.
DISCHARGING
The only cells that should be discharged on a discharge tray or using a
electronic discharger are very high end "MATCHED CELLS". Factory
produced "Race Packs" should not be discharged except by running in models
until the vehicle no longer performs. Using a discharging device on
factory made packs will usually wreck one or more cells.
BLAST CHARGERS
Does your charger charge for exactly 30 minutes when you turn a knob or
hit a button? SORRY, but if it does, please bin it - using this type
of charger (which is designed for Nicad ONLY and usually for only up to 1500
or 1700 capacity - typical examples are the old Riko Dial chargers and the
recent Ansmann AC30) will wreck a NIMH as it will either undercharge or
overcharge it. If your charger does not say PEAK on it, it is not
suitable for NIMH
RIPMAX PRO PEAK YELLOW CHARGERS
Unfortunately, these seem to give more problems and damage more packs
than almost any other brand. We do not know why, but it seems that
sometimes the peak detect function switches itself off without stopping
charging the battery and then continues to pump more and more power into the
already full pack - resulting in overheating of the cells, degrading the
capacity. On others it false peaks early and doesn't charge the pack
at all. This tends to always occur just after you plug a brand new
pack into it - and often it will continue to seemingly charge older packs
OK. If you have one of these, please monitor your battery temperature
during charging and switch off the moment the battery gets anything more
than warm to the touch, and if after the battery has peaked it's pretty much
cold, then it's peaking early and the pack isn't charged.
NOTE: Near 90% of the packs we get back, when
questioned, have been near one of these chargers - it is NOT a co-incidence.
THE FOLLOWING ARE SIGNS OF A NIMH BATTERY THAT HAS BEEN WRECKED BY
MISCHARGING
All cells damaged: Battery gets red hot when charging, and peak charger
is reluctant to cut out.
One or more cells gone: Battery runs car at a significantly reduced
speed but seems to last a long while.
Cells aging: Car runs at high speed initially but you get a very long
"run down time" at a low speed - e.g. a 3000 pack which is fast only for 2
minutes but the car runs for another 15. |
Manuals
