I doubt it's a broken noise suppression cap. The fact that it occurs after a few minutes of running (ie. after the battery discharges somewhat) and that the battery won't take a charger well unless it's a low charger rate suggests that it's a bad pack. A battery pack with a bad cell does not behave nicely...it will very suddenly loose voltage...then slowly regain it after a few seconds, then drop when you reapply load, etc. They charge inconsistently, and there's really nothing you can do but replace the pack/cell.

A peak charger doesn't really damage the cell, it's the person setting the dial. Most RCers end up switching to a peak charger at some point. The real control factor is how fast you charge the pack. *GOOD* NiCds can be charged up to 12-15C, though it does lessen their lifespan. Poor NiCds can only be charged at 1-5C, though that's still a "fast charge" and reduces the life a little bit (depending on the quality of the cells). If you set a peak charger for a slower charge (say 1/2-1/5C) it will be easier on the pack. You can even set your peak charger for the same rate as a Heng Long POS charger, and it will treat the pack the same *and* terminate the charge when the pack's full as opposed to the HL charger which will start heating up the pack and reducing it's lifespan. It's not the charger....it's how you use it.

D.