battery doesnt charge
 

hello,

im trying to charge a 12v 4.5Amp battery inside my field box.
and after 24 hours of charging:

the charging alligators are connected to the starter jack i'm pressing test - all lights are on

removing the alligators only first red light is on.

i tested the charger it shows more then 12v

testing the starter jack it shows less then 6v

i charged this battery in the past (at least i think i did ) used this battery less the 4 days of flying...

does this means my battery is dead???

Thanks
Alex

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

I usually charge mine the night before every time I fly.

Depending how much you used your starter,etc, 4 days of flying is quite a bit.



Are you saying it won't hold a charge?

I would open up your field box and hooked the alligator clips directly to the battery and try that. You may have a loose connection somewhere between the batter and charging jack.

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

What charger are you using? What are the specs on the charger?

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

Measure across the battery while charging and you should see 12+ volts.

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

while charging across the battery its showing 12.5 v, i'll see it tomorrow if it charged or not.

the charger which tower recommended

Thanks

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

it should have been charged in 24hrs assuming the battery isn't dead.

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

Actually that battery only needs a 10-11hr charge time, assuming 500mA charge rate, going by the on-line charge time calculators.

If you've been charging it for longer intervals you may have prematurely ruined the battery.

Also how quickly do you normally discharge it?

I have a small Hobbico electric starter pack on one of my e-starters, and I find that the battery only lasts a season, because of very heavy use.

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

I assume this is a PB based battery, i.e. gell cell or such. If so, they can easily be ruined by discharging to deeply, always recharge as soon as the voltage falls below 12 volts. They are also easily ruined by to fast a charge, best to limit to a charge rate of 0.1C and then only use a current limited constant voltage charger. By doing that you won't over charge even if you forget and leave the charger on to long. Check out www.rcbatteryclinic.com for some good advice on the care of your batteries, all types.

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

Yeah, the battery he shows in the picture is a sealed Lead Acid battery.

I have one of those Sears emergency car jumper battery packs very similar to the one shown in the picture. It comes complete with a charger (115vac) and two output jacks.. and I added a third one. One of the output's is a fused 'cigarette lighter' type of jack. The other two are wired directly to the battery terminals and are not fused.

The charger uses a plug in similar to a wall plug.. I simply plug the short extension into the side of the plastic package and a red light comes on. When it's done, the red light turns green and i'm ready to go. It usually sits on there overnight the day before I go flying and it's good to go. It becomes a routine.. RX battery on charger, TX battery on charge, Glow Driver on charge, and the starter battery (the one that is the main subject of this reply) gets plugged in. All are ready the next morning... well, hopefully that is... ;)

CGr

RE: battery doesnt charge
 

yup,
trying to charge for two days now and nada.
8v after two days of charging....
no wonder they have only 90 day warrenty.....

thanks anyway
glad to hear your opinions.
Alex