Lou N

Hi,

I'm just getting back into the hobby after a long time away. I have a Hobby Lobby Wingo that has a Speed 400 motor and requires a 9.6V 1100mAh pack. I have an older PRO-ACE 1010 charger that was designed for NiCad battery packs. It has variable current charging, a 15 minute fas charge, and automatic trickle charge.

The question is can I charge NiMH packs with this charger?

Thanks,
Lou

Foamaholic

My Feedback: (1)

It might not recognize the peak and either cut off early or keep charging.
Nimhs require a more sensitive cutoff setting than nicads.
You could charge them and stop charging when the full charge voltage is reached, or when they get warm.
I've tried them on a nicad only charger and they keep charging and get real hot. Not good for them.

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

Most likely, it'll overcharge the cells, either until you notice and take them off, or the charger reaches some preprogrammed upper limit.

You'll want a charger that is capable of charging NiMH cells, and detecting the more sensitive peak point. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a "full charge voltage." Every pack is different; that's why we have peak chargers.

Foamaholic

My Feedback: (1)

All the nicads, nimihs and lipos I use reach a certain voltage when they are fully charged.
My charger shows the voltage on the display. I can see what it is when the peak is reached.
It doesn't vary enough to matter, at least on all my packs.
The peaked voltage is always about 1 volt higher than the nominal (resting) voltage on my packs.
I don't worry if my pack is not 100% charged, 90+% is fine with me.

Lou N

Thanks for the replies...