Zippi

My Feedback: (10)

I have been using 4.8 1800mAH NI-MH battery packs for some time and I have always just used the standard wall charger that comes with my radio's and put them on charge for 12 hrs. When I first get them I'll put them on the wall charger for 2 days and anything after that is a 12 hr charge. This has always worked fine and I have never had a problem but now a days I'm more into 40cc to 62cc size planes with bigger servos and there is more of a drain on the batteries than with the smaller ones. By using the wall charger, I'm not sure if I'm getting all I can out of the battery. My question is, if I were to buy a charger, what would be the most practical to get? I'm not looking for a field charger or any kind of quick charger, just something that would put a good charge on the batteries or re-cycle them. That's another thing, I have never re-cycled batteries in the 12+ years I've been flying and never had an issue with batteries. I've always just charged everything for 12 hrs.

Richard L.

My Feedback: (24)

There are many good threads to read in the [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_84/tt.htm]Batteries & Chargers Forum[/link]. A good charger to get is the [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXEYD4&P=0]Hobbico Accu-Cycle Elite[/link], which can charge both Rx and Tx battery packs at the same time using house current (no need to get a separate DC power supply). It's a good practice to re-cycle Ni-Cad's once or twice a month to prevent memory build-up. Otherwise, your battery packs will keep on losing capacity.

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

Zippi,
I am going to give you my opinion from my experiences, all based in fact.
First, a lot depends on how much you fly. If you fly every day and put in 4 or more flights then a new/different charger may be needed. In this case I would recommend the Hobbico Elite. I have one and it works great.

Now if you fly every other day or longer in between (4 or more flights) the wall charger will be good. Just leave the wall charger plugged in. 1.5 days is 36 hours times 50ma charge rate is 1800maH. You will get a full charge from the wall charger.

Last, while in the above application you don't need to cycle your packs. I would check them for capacity from time to time. You will need a cycler for this. I change packs every two years. I have never seen my packs degrade in that time. I use my charger because I only fast charge my packs C/2 rate. I do it in my trailer. That is why I need the charger. I have also helped others to recover packs that have been sitting around for a while and have lost there ability to hold a charge.

All in all, I would say that your wall charger will meet your needs used as you described.

Zippi

My Feedback: (10)

I'm just a Sunday flyer and I might fly 4 to 6 flights. Thanks for the help guys. 1.5 days it is Geistware.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

I hesitate to state absolutes but I doubt that you will get a full charge on a large capacity battery with a wall wart. There's various reasons for this but I dont believe its as simple as adding up the miliamps and figuring out the charge time. There's losses involved that I believe would prevent the pack from reaching a full charge.

So if you have someone in your club or a flying buddy or whatever with a Triton or Accucycle, do your over night charge with the wall wart and put it on discharge and see what kind of capacity you are actually getting out of the battery, it will either tell you that you need a good charger, or give you confidence in your current setup, either way you arent out any money.

GW, I respect your postings, you are full of great information so before I say you are wrong I'm going to try it myself this weekend, charge a big pack or two with my old stock charger and run some discharge tests on my AccuCycle and see what happens because every time this comes up people have different opinons about it. The weather is supposed to be crappy AGAIN anyways.

Happpy New Year
Andy

Rodney

Geistware gave you good advice above. I have several chargers such as the Hobbico Elite and Triton but still use the wall warts on most of my transmitters and receivers reserving the others for my LiPos and a check on the other batteries by doing a charge/discharge cyle every three or four months to check capacity. Batteries do wear out and will need to be replaced every few years. Do not worry about memory on any NiCads, that is pretty much an old wives tale that is almost impossible to cause even when you try to create it intentionally. In fact, using a good lab and equipment in an erospace company, we tried to induce memory in NiCads for several months of carefully instigated charge rates, discharge levels etc. and was never able to create anything that even resembled the so called memory problem. And yes, you can get a full charge with the wall warts if you leave them on long enough. Just a simple matter of physics, if you put more energy into the cells than the self discharge takes out, you will eventually reach full charge. The nice thing about using the wall warts with a current of less than 0.1C going into the cells, you can leave them on charge for many hours after full charge is reached without damaging them. NiCads are much more tolerant of this type of overcharge than NiMhs are so, if using NiMh limit the overcharge to 100% or less.

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

BarracudaHockey
Remember that he is flying 4-6 flights and not draining the pack.
If you drain the pack, then the above has to be extended to 2400maH instead of 1800maH.
He has a partically charged pack after flying and the wall wart will charge it to full charge.
Still make the check. It has worked for me and others for years.
I am always open to new information

Ed

ZIPPI - Do yourself a favor, and get the ELITE. And welcome to the 21st Century. Much greater versatility, and you'll be able to cycle, and fly with confidence.

> Jim

olstoney

My Feedback: (19)

Ditto on the Elite, it's a great charger and IMHO more verstile than a Triton.