BillS

I have a Thunder AC6 charger.


Will the charger test a single cell NiCad?
I set the charger to discharge at 1 amp and 1 volt. Are the values reasonable?


Three batteries, three different chargers and two different glow starters have been used.
Discharge runs about 30 seconds and terminates.

Does anyone know what I might be doing wrong?

Confused.
Bill

BillS

The Thunder AC6 is about 3 years old and I am pleased with it. It has been used to charge A123 batteries with good success.


Originally set the charger to discharge at 1 amp and 1 volt for NiCad. The values must not be reasonable? I don't know how to use the charger with NiCad cells. An Auto and a Manual mode was discovered. Searched the web but have been unable to find information describing the circumstances under which Auto/Manual should be used.


Pressing the INC and DEC keys simultaneously allowed changing a setting and results seem better now. Don't know what I changed.


I need to find instructions that explain NiCad operation.


Bill

Rv7garage

My Feedback: (10)

Sounds like an adventure

I dont have have that particular charger (so can't give you specific advice), but keep it up. Read the manual, search the forums. Good luck

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

1A and 1 volt sounds reasonable to me. If it is terminating in 30 seconds, if connections are correct and the discharger is set up correctly ... sounds like you have a bad battery. Does your charger give you a readout of the voltage during the test?

richrd

Well no at 1 amp and 1 V the losses are too great that's why all the chargers acted up. Try slow charge 150 mA over nite then discharge to .9V at 300mA (aka 1500mAH) or correct test current of C/5 an let us know how that turns out.
Rich

BillS

In the beginning the discharge cycle was nonexistent and the voltage could not be observed.


I spent more time today attempting to understand the NiCad aspect of the charger. I managed to set the cycling discharge rate and the charge rate to be different. Also thought the program saved but now I am not so sure.


1300 mah battery capacity
500ma discharge, 100ma charge, 1 volt cutoff - settings


The battery was charged from another source but a discharge cycle is running and the voltage can be observed and appears to be normal. A second battery appears to be bad.


The human interface for NiCad's is worse than bad. Elimination of one button appears to have added huge complexity. The nerd manual style was written by someone who did not speak English.


Bill

richrd

I agree about manuals

On single cell glow charger batteries for some reason they due cause a lot of problems for me also. My charger has a trickle charge after delta peak an this is what I do all the time now. So first false peak an goes into regular charge for C/10 has changed everything on my glow sticks.
Rich

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

Well the subject was discharge, not charge and I assumed (ya, I know, shouldn't do that) that if fully charged, any battery with enough capacity to light a glo plug would accept the 1A then discharge down to 1 volt test ....and I stick by that. Charging is another matter all together. No suggestions there as all of my chargers work well with single cells.

BillS

Put in new batteries and charged overnight with McDaniel's chargers (125ma single cell). Discharged to verify that the cells were OK like I always do. Three different new cells had at best a superficial charge. And then the fight started.


Now I have given up on the AC6 charger for NiCad use. It is too much hassle and work to understand this charger and how it works with NiCad. Sometimes it is easier and quicker to give up and do things manually.


Bill