G.W.

My Feedback: (22)

I can't get a reply anywhere else, so I will post in the arf section.

Hello,
I have had my triton charger for about 4 years now and absolutely love it. It will charge everything and cycle. But late in the last season and this winter I have noticed a growing problem. I cycle my batteries every spring, and the charger will discharge just fine, right down to my set voltage. When I go to charge them I get a problem. It will only charge for about 3 minutes and then end, saying that it is full when it only put in around 15mah. I played with the peak delay and got it to charge the battery, but it again only put in about 750mah (a 1650mah nimh). I first thought that it was my battery so I gave it to a friend of mine to check out, and he charged and discharged it and it rated at 1661mah. He used an ace smart charger. I then tried to charge another battery of the same size but ended with the same results. As most of you know, it takes about an hour to charge a lithium at 1c, no matter how much it is discharged (obviously not all the way). When I charge my 600mah 3cell packs it used to take about 45-55min. Now it goes on for about 75-80min, and over 3 hours on a 1500mah pack at 1c. So I am starting to get concerned. I e-mailed Great Planes but got no response. I think that the charger has a problem with the peak detector.

thanks,
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RhyanO

Definatly sounds like there is a problem of some sort with the charger circuitry.
You have two options...
One send it into Hobby Services and have it checked out. I think they charge something like $50 for labor to check and repair things (someone correct me if im incorrect).
I imagine that it will take them say about two hours ($100) to find and or fix the problem. So for ~$100 you could have your current charger fixed or diagnosed or...

Option two... buy a new Triton charger for the same amount of money.

This is assuming that there is not an easy fix for the problem that your charger is haveing.

Good luck
Ryan

dakster1a

I may be wrong, but isn't a Triton charger about $120? Comes out to about $30 per year for a top notch charger... Buy another one.

Ernie Misner

Have you asked Red's Battery Clinic????

For sure a single cell glow driver will false peak like that a lot, but that is the nature of a single cell nicd or nimh. You just have to restart the charge cycle a couple of times..... frustrating.

Is your pack getting warm before it (false) peaks?

Ernie

HangerBum

I may be having a similar problem with my Triton. I conditioned a new 2100mah lipo pack with it and got a 1900 mah charge. But the next 1500 mah lipo pack I tried to cycle only discharged about 500 mah and only took 250 mah on the recharge. The packs are cool... and the time was about right at 55 minutes. The 2100 pack took 90 minutes. I also
If i pretend to understand what I'm doing, I should have seen a discharge of about 1900-2000 mah (on the 2100 mah pack) and like wise the same amount put back in ..right? Is there any other reason the packs wont discharge to the full rating other than a problem with the charger?? I also tried to condition a new 9.6v 1650 sanyo Tx pack with similar results. 500 mah charge, 450 mah discharge and a 250 mah recharge.. I tried several cycles to get it to charge/discharge more but no go. again, it should discharge at or near its rated mah and recharge to the same rate...right?

G.W.

My Feedback: (22)

Yes it should, and that sounds almost exactly what is happening to mine. No the packs don't get warm at all. I am probably going to send it in to great planes, get an estimate. Labor fees are $15+ cost of parts. If it is over $70 to fix, I will just buy a multiplex charger, does all of the same things as the triton, works really well, and I can get them for $65!
We'll see,
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Ernie Misner

Before you send the charger back in, I think I would try charging those packs on someone else's charger, perhaps at the field or hobby shop if you don't know anyone who had a lipo charger.

I think when fully charged finally, the packs should get warm if they are like other batteries. I can't figure out why, if the charger is false peaking early, that you could not begin the charge again. Have you tried waiting a little while and then recharging?

Ernie

G.W.

My Feedback: (22)

I have charged and cycled the batteries (not the lithiums) on a friends sirius charger and they rated 1661mah (a 1650mah). I have also charged the lithium. If you mean to recharge them after it has false peaked, I have done that, and it does the same thing.

Sandyt

One thing I found out this year, since I switched from NiCads to MiMHs in several planes, is that there is a function under NiMH only that limits how much charge you can put in a battery. If you go through the setup options, you will find "NiMH max. charge", make sure that this value is set greater than the capacity of the battery pack you are trying to charge.

Sandy T.

G.W.

My Feedback: (22)

I was aware of that, and it is over the rate of the battery, but thanks for the reminder.

Thanks,
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HangerBum

That's a new one on me....checking it out now.

Thanks

Ernie Misner

I think there is a manufacturers forum here at RCU where this question can be posed.

Ernie