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All Forums >> Radios, Batteries, Clubhouse and more >> Batteries & Chargers >> accu-cycle not discharging totally
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accu-cycle not discharging totally - 5/31/2002 5:17:35 PM   
jpeters



Posts: 70
Joined: 5/10/2002
From: lowell, IN, USA
Status: offline 		I have an accu-cycle and just got some nimh 1650's when I discharge or charge these I only get about 1450. I have recycled several times and an ace smart peak charger and ace digipulse. tried double charging and nothing works for me. I took batteries to the LHS and they put the batteries on their digipace and smart charger from ace and were able to around 1700. Does anyone know why my accu-cycle will not fully charge or discharge these batteries. Is the unit defective or not capable of discharging that size of battery?
       Post #: 1

accu-cycle not discharging totally - 5/31/2002 7:03:53 PM   
pmartjr


 

Posts: 49
Joined: 2/25/2002
From: Dayton, OH, USA
Status: offline 		The Accu-cycle only charges for 2 hours so you may not be getting fully charged. You may have noticed that the charge time is always 120 minutes on these larger capacity packs. Try charging once then charging again to finish it off, then discharge. You could also try charging with a known good charger that will fully peak the batteries, then try discharging on the Accu-cycle.

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 2

same problem - 5/31/2002 7:14:07 PM   
p38nut



Posts: 84
Joined: 3/26/2002
From: Cincinnati, OH, USA
Status: offline 		I am having the same problem also. I was thinking of buying a new charger. Any good suggestions for the larger NiMH packs? Mike

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 3

accu-cycle not discharging totally - 5/31/2002 7:35:46 PM   
jpeters



Posts: 70
Joined: 5/10/2002
From: lowell, IN, USA
Status: offline 		I have the ace smart charge also that it a peak charger. it is recomended for nimh. The only problem is you cant discharge or see what amount of charge the battery has. I am going to take my accu-cycle to the lhs to see if they can look at it or send it in if they think there is a problem with it. I here the ace digi pace will work.

< Message edited by jpeters -- May 31 2002 2:44PM >

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       Post #: 4

accu-cycle not discharging totally - 6/11/2002 11:32:17 PM   
vinnie



Posts: 651
Joined: 1/7/2002
From: hollywood, MD, USA
Status: offline 		Are we talking accu-cycle or accu-cycle plus??

_____________________________

Regards,
vinnie
AMA 680367

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 5

accu-cycle not discharging totally - 6/11/2002 11:52:25 PM   
jpeters



Posts: 70
Joined: 5/10/2002
From: lowell, IN, USA
Status: offline 		the accu-cycle!

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 6

accu-cycle not discharging totally - 6/12/2002 1:34:33 AM   
Vince


 

Posts: 1650
Joined: 2/2/2002
From: Nederland, Tx.
Status: offline 		Ah the Accucycle, brings to mind other oxymoron's, like "military intelligence", jumbo shrimp", "large fry"....and so on.

Vince

_____________________________

Can't keep my mind from the circling sky.

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 7

accu-cycle not discharging totally - 6/12/2002 7:12:25 AM   
vinnie



Posts: 651
Joined: 1/7/2002
From: hollywood, MD, USA
Status: offline 		I believe that the accu-cycle provides a timed charge only and is not a peak detection charger. It has a 15 hr charge time at a max selectable rate of 125 mah. This is not a "high tech" charger and assuming the 125 mah charge rate is being used, its probably as accurate as you're going to get, especially with nimhs. My guess is it's working just fine. I suspect it's discharge times reflect it's marginal charge capability for a 1650 mah pack.

_____________________________

Regards,
vinnie
AMA 680367

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 8

. - 6/12/2002 8:03:57 AM   
lnorris


 

Posts: 612
Joined: 1/31/2002
From: Oklahoma
Status: offline 		.

< Message edited by lnorris -- 9/11/2003 4:28:44 AM >

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 9

accu-cycle not discharging totally - 6/12/2002 9:21:03 PM   
thomasb



Posts: 343
Joined: 6/6/2002
From: Private, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I use two Accu-Cycles (not the plus). They are a low-end charge system, but with a little effort they do a decent job. Yes, there are better systems out there.

Your pack's capacity is too large for the fifteen hour 125mA charge. You will need to charge it twice (1.5X is sufficient) before EACH of your cycling tests. A single timed charge will not be enough to refill a fully discharged pack. Do not worry about over-charging since the charge rate is UNDER C/10. This will gain you a few more mAH's in your capacity measurements.

As mentioned, the end-of-discharge threshold is the obsolete 1.1V/cell method. Packs are now rated using lower thresholds, so your capacity will be under rated by a few mAH's. Perhaps by about 5%. Keep this in mind.

On several Accu-Cycles I found that the discharge current was calibrated incorrectly. If you have a digital ammeter, put it in series with one of the battery leads and confirm that the 250/500 settings are within 2%. If not, the trimmer adjustments are inside and easy to adjust. Or, you can use some math to make the correction.

Lastly, the stock Accu-Cycle charge leads are very low gauge wire and the voltage drop in them affects the discharge test. At a minimum, use only the 250mA discharge current setting. If you can, make your own leads using 22AWG that are no longer than 18 inches. The heavy gauge will help the 500mA test, as well as ensure accuracy on 250mA.

Finally, for best accuracy, do not perform the discharge test through the Rx's on/off/charge switch. Directly connect the pack to the charger. This will gain you a few dozen mAH's.


Try these things out and then let us know what you measure. I think you will be much happier with the results.

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 10

Accu-cycle - 6/17/2002 2:16:43 AM   
J Welch


 

Posts: 13
Joined: 6/3/2002
From: Bremerton, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Yes, I have an accu-cycle. It is a timed 15 hour charge unit at a selected rate. I concur with the other comments made about the units discharge rate being "conservative". The reason this is has to do with the cutoff voltage, they are conservative enough as not to let the voltage drop to low. So, current (Amperage/hour) will test lower than other chargers. This kind of testing procedure should be used only as a indicator as opposed to an exact science. I do posess the equipment necessary to extract an accurate account of the battery condition, but I am not willing to take the time to do so. It is not perfect, but will do the job for many of us.
Goodluck, John

(in reply to jpeters)
       Post #: 11

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