ORIGINAL: CGRetired
Even though I charge at 1C in the field, I usually charge at approximately 0.1C rate. The problem I have is that I usually just replace battery packs when I feel that they are not going to be reliable to me. I value my planes more than what a replacement battery pack costs.
CGr.
I agree. Long battery life is not always my primary concern. Since I routinely cycle my NiCd batteries twice a year and monitor their performance, I replace them when they reach about 90% of their stated capacity. If a 600mAh battery only gives 540-550 mAh usable, it's time for it to be replaced. I usually get three to four good years out of a battery. I could get more, but I tend to charge them at 1C many times. Sometimes, getting recharged quickly is more important to me than extending the life of the battery. The one thing that I have noticed, and I wonder if anyone else has also, is that with a peak-detect charger, charging at a high rate does not charge the battery as efficiently as charging at a lower rate. what I mean by this is that if I charge at 500mA, when the charger shuts off I can charge the battery further by setting a lower rate.