"Breaking In" New Batteries  
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All Forums >> Radios, Batteries, Clubhouse and more >> Batteries & Chargers >> "Breaking In" New Batteries
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"Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/1/2008 7:17:49 PM   
rsr427


 

Posts: 14
Joined: 5/19/2008
From: , CT, USA
Status: offline 		I finally have my first hobby-grade kit on its way (including E-Firestorm, charger and 2 batts), and I want to make sure I do things the right way.

I ordered this charger:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXTSA4
which is fairly robust. I've read here and there that if its a 3000mah batt you'd charge at 3amps (etc.), if I read that right? But what would I do the first time I'm charging the batteries? (and thereafter).

I noticed that there are different trickle rates also? 100mah vs. 200mah?

For batts, I ordered:
4600mah Trinity Reference pack 6c nimh
3600 Trinity Critical Mass pack 6c nimh

I'd be interested to hear all the different techniques you've stumbled across.

Thanks, Ryan
       Post #: 1

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/1/2008 8:15:50 PM   
guver


 

Posts: 8786
Joined: 3/7/2003
From: LaGrange, OH, USA
Status: offline 		It is custumary to recomend a c/10 charge for 15 hrs to from/breakin/balance new cells in a pack. That is 460 and 360 ma for your packs. If yo had a wall-wart charger that was close then the important thing is to get a total of 150% of capacity by multiplying the rate by the time.

An example might be a charger that delivered 400 ma would work on both of your packs. 17.25 hrs and 13.5 hrs respectively.

If you don't have an old wall charger then the next best thijng is to allow the digital charger to trickle at 200 ma for a number of hrs AFTER the battery is full.

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       Post #: 2

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/2/2008 2:49:17 AM   
Smiff 24


 

Posts: 235
Joined: 10/26/2004
From: chatt, TN, USA
Status: offline 		Very happy for ya rsr... Thats a awsome truck too!
Be sure to form charge your batts. like guver said, they will thank you for it.
keep posting on the firestorm & let us know how its goin.

(in reply to guver)
       Post #: 3

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/2/2008 4:57:55 AM   
nikg


 

Posts: 468
Joined: 6/24/2007
From: , NC, USA
Status: offline 		Guver (or Red) - Is there any danger in form charging more rapidly? For instance, what if you were to charge a 4600 pack at 3.6A for an hour and then finish it off by charging at 400mA for an additional 6-8 hours. Would the initial high current destroy or degrade the internals of the battery? Cause seperator failure? Not distribute the charge evenly? Or would everything still be fine?

I have found that new cells' voltage sometimes skyrockets when faced with high current initial charging, so I thought this might be a bad thing.

I may have asked this question in the past, but i can't remember.

(in reply to Smiff 24)
       Post #: 4

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/2/2008 5:56:40 AM   
guver


 

Posts: 8786
Joined: 3/7/2003
From: LaGrange, OH, USA
Status: offline 		I'm not real sure, it is good question. My guess is that if it is really the first charge then it should be done the whole way slowly. If it is just a charge for a battery that sat a long time or is to balance cells then your idea would work just fine. Many chargers work in a sense the same way only they charge full , then charge at 100-300 ma for a pre-set time or until removed.

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       Post #: 5

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/2/2008 1:35:10 PM   
rsr427


 

Posts: 14
Joined: 5/19/2008
From: , CT, USA
Status: offline 		guver, what does c/10 mean?

So basically, charge it at 460 and 360, respectively, until the charger says they're full and 200mah trickle charge for 4,6 or 8 hours? That's easy enough.

I'll have to look for what to do about taking care of the batteries after use too. I hope to make these two last...

Thanks, Ryan

(in reply to guver)
       Post #: 6

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/2/2008 4:18:16 PM   
guver


 

Posts: 8786
Joined: 3/7/2003
From: LaGrange, OH, USA
Status: offline 		No, it means to charge at 460 ma and 360 ma for 15 hrs.

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       Post #: 7

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/2/2008 4:35:49 PM   
rsr427


 

Posts: 14
Joined: 5/19/2008
From: , CT, USA
Status: offline 		I just found this FAQ:
http://www.hangtimes.com/rcbattery_faq.html

What do you think about the first 3-4 answers? If I wanted to get "set the peak level" by charging 3 times for a long period, how would I discharge it. Long periods of putting around at a slow steady speed? That would probably help in breaking in the engine too...

Thanks again for your help.

(in reply to rsr427)
       Post #: 8

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/2/2008 5:21:05 PM   
dafpnp


 

Posts: 50
Joined: 12/28/2007
From: Gurgaon, INDIA
Status: offline 		Now that you know what is C/10.
Discharge your batteries at no more than C/5 while you break in your new batteries..

(in reply to rsr427)
       Post #: 9

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/2/2008 5:22:08 PM   
guver


 

Posts: 8786
Joined: 3/7/2003
From: LaGrange, OH, USA
Status: offline 		I'd agree with the answers given.

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       Post #: 10

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/8/2008 1:33:48 PM   
rsr427


 

Posts: 14
Joined: 5/19/2008
From: , CT, USA
Status: offline 		So I started charging the 3600 nimh at 3.0 amps (highest AC level available). After about an hour, it peaked and went to 200 mah trickle. The battery was hot though. I could hold it in my hands, but I couldn't say it was "warm".

I've read a couple places where hot is bad, that's where charging should stop. The battery was somewhere around 8.4 volts (6 cell battery). Should I let it trickle still and make sure it doesn't get hotter?

(in reply to guver)
       Post #: 11

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/8/2008 5:49:18 PM   
guver


 

Posts: 8786
Joined: 3/7/2003
From: LaGrange, OH, USA
Status: offline 		Allow it to trickle overnight and it will cool down in the proccess and be balanced, full and ready to use.

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       Post #: 12

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/8/2008 6:56:17 PM   
rsr427


 

Posts: 14
Joined: 5/19/2008
From: , CT, USA
Status: offline 		Thanks, I started charging my 4600mah at a lower amp level and it charged "fully" in two hours and has been trickling since. It's probably been on Trickle for an hour now and the battery is only slightly warm. So I'll try that out overnight tonight.

Thanks again.

(in reply to guver)
       Post #: 13

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/13/2008 7:54:17 PM   
SilverFoxCPF


 

Posts: 58
Joined: 1/5/2008
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Hello Nikq,

The purpose of the "forming" charge is to evenly distribute the electrolyte and charge throughout the cell electrodes and separator. My opinion is that the best results come from starting with a discharged cell and using the 0.1C charge rate for the full 16 hours.

On the other hand, if you are trying to balance a pack, you can set the charge limit a little low, charge at 1C, then finish off the charge and balancing at 0.1C for a few hours. For example if you had a 4600 mAh pack and you are starting from a discharged condition, you could set your maximum charge limit to 3500 mAh, charge at 4.5 amps until you have put back the 3500 mAh into the pack, then drop to a 460 mA charge rate for a few hours to finish the charge and to bring the cells in the pack into balance.

This works great for balancing, but I don't think it is the best way to go for "forming."

Tom

(in reply to rsr427)
       Post #: 14

RE: "Breaking In" New Batteries - 7/15/2008 5:07:44 AM   
Jazzy