tunnelvishon

I typically put about 1/2 hour flying in a day and am using up just a small portion of Tx battery capacity up (600 ma/h Nicad battery). What would be the best way to charge it:
A/ Just peak it up for next flight
B/ Trickle charge it for a couple hours
C/ Discharge it, then peak it
I have read that memory is not much of an issue any more but am interested in knowing what others are doing in this case. Thanks

kadet

My Feedback: (5)

I use a high quality peak charger, no guessing that way, and no battery damage. You are also correct about memory.

nbcguy

The most foolproof way of charging it is to plug into the wall charger and give it a 14-16 hour overnite charge before your next outing.

Peak charging is fine but the individual cells really prefer an overnite charge.

A full charge followed by a discharge is always a good thing to perform every couple of months just to be sure the battery is up to snuff. This is to ensure the battery is holding capacity. There are many good cyclers on the market. Once the battery is only holding about 80% of capacity, it's time to put it to rest.

Red's Battery Clinic is a great source for battery info.

www.rcbatteryclinic.com

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

WHat I do is fly until my transmitter pack is low. For me that is about 6 hours. I usually charge it after 5.5 hours of on time. I have a Futaba 9C.

kadet

My Feedback: (5)

I would not recommend an overnite charge on a partially discharged battery. It will shorten the battery life. If you have the right peak charger, each cell gets filled completely up. Besides, why risk an airplane on a guess.

Rodney

Kadet, you will do less damage to your batteries doing an overnight charge at the 1/10 C rate (even on a partially charged battery) than you will repeatedly recycling. The overnight charge will do no harm to the battery, even if it were fully charged initially. Check out Reds battery clinic for good info.

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

An over night charger will not heat a pack up to cause damage.