Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

Just got my first Nicad Cycler/fast charger to use with my 600mah Rx & 700mah Tx battery packs. Not a make you'd probably know -got it in Hong Kong. It is designed to charge 4-8 cell packs of anything up to 3500mah. The discharge rate it uses is 4amps and minimum fast charge rate is 500mamps (0.5A) which seems to peak my 600mah packs in about 20mins. Are these discharge & charge rates too high for these low mah nicad packs?... I don't want to overstrain these packs and end up loosing a model...

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

HI

generally a 300ma discharge rate is recommented. this is well over what the system draws during use and is a good test for the packs

good flying
joe

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

Charging 600mAH Rx & 700 mAH Tx packs at around 500 - 600 mAH will not present any problems to your packs. I have used a similar charge rate on my packs for the last 2 years without problems. And 1 amp on 800 mAH Rx packs!

But discharging, imo, at 4 amps is not recommended. Use 3 Xmas tree lights or similar for discharging but don't allow the packs to go completely flat and into deep discharge!

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

A good rule of thumb for fast Nicad charge is 3 times the battery rating and 2 for NiMh cells.
Your 600 Rx pack would then be charged at 1.8 amps. I hope it is a good peak sensing charger.
Some of the cheaper ones won't sense a full charge on NiMh cells.

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

Exactly as rreiss. You CAN charge NiCd's up to 3C and NiMH's up to 2C. 4 Amps discharge is really high.
Dennis-

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

Thanks for the info guys... happy flying!

FL350

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

Charging rates for nicad and nimh cells is dependent on the type of cell. ie..whether it's a fast charge cell or not.
For example the standard low cost Sanyo 600 mHA cells used for Tx and Rx packs would , imo, have a much reduced lifespan if charged at nearly 2 amps.
I use the more expensive Sanyo red 500AR fast charge cells in speed 400 electric flight models and the recommended maximum charge is 1.5 amps which is about 3C as mentioned by the previous poster which is fine.
A well maintained/cycled cell should be good for around 500+ recharges if not overcharged!

If in doubt it's always best to check with a battery main supplier!

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

Both Panasonic and Sanyo recommend that the fast charge rate for NiCad's is 1C

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

Well guys these are the standard Futaba packs that come with the 9CAP radio...I've no idea who produces/supplies their Nicad's but I hope they are decent quality!

Thanks for all the advice and any more is greatly appreciated... I've only just got back into the hobby with a vengence after many years away from it, -and so much has changed!

Happy modeling!

FL350

RE: Nicad Cycler... how much current is too much?
 

FL350, one thing nobody mentioned is the fact that the connecting wire on receiver packs is very small. This is the limiting factor on the charge/discharge rate most of the time. While a receiver pack may give up 4 amps during a short discharge operating several servos during flight, a constant 4 amp load will melt the covering on the wiring and the connectors. Play it safe and stay at less than 1 amp.

Ed M.