Forgive me please for asking for very general info; the info is probably onsite. I've looked about, but not coming up w/ info sought.

I've bought an Evader St (elec) w/ Dreadnaught 3000 nimh batteries and an Intellipeak deluxe pulse charger. These were recommended to me at a local hobby store for an intro to r/c w/ my 8 yr old son as a father/son hobby.

Directions are simple yet not as detailed as I'd like. So, wondering about sources for understanding batteries and charging (nicad, nimh, others; best chargers, basic charging info, etc.). For example, "do I need to slow charge these new batteries?" I've been charging for several hours ('bout 10 now) and the light still flashes quickly, which it should if it takes 15 hours for 1500 battery.

Anyhow I want to be safe and teach my kid to be safe w/ this stuff. Thanks.

John "who resisted the urge to go nitro"

First of all, be glad you resisted the urge to go nitro on your first truck!

Your batteries and charger are excellent choices, and you shouldn't worry about making any changes or upgrades there for a long time (unless you decide to get more batteries, which will probably come in due time).

Slow charging won't do you a bit of good. You'll just waste a ton of time while your 8 year old drives you nuts! I have a 9 year old, so I know what you're dealing with...

You should charge your battery at about 5 amps. A 1500mah NiCD battery should only take about 30 minutes at that rate. Your charger will peak the charge, and then go to 'trickle' mode so you don't have to babysit the thing. A 1500mah battery will give you about 5-10 minutes of runtime before needing a recharge. On NiCD's, make sure you run them down to the point where the truck starts to lose power before you recharge them.

Your charger will charge NiMH batteries too - when you decide to get some new/extra batteries, you might consider NiMH and go with 3000 or 3300 packs - they'll last twice as long and NiMH is much easier to care for in the long run.

Well I looked up intellipeak chargers and it seems to be a good unit.I couldn't find a source for the manual however.On all my chargers a flashing light usually indicates the charge is finished with.Read the manual that came with the charger for info.If it's an automatic charger...meaning it picks the charging routine for you it shouldn't take 10 hours for a 3000 mah pack to charge.It should be around 1 hour plus or minus depending on current .

Really no need to slow charge a 3000 nimh IMHO

Uhhh, that's what he says he has.

Thanks all. Will be changing the charge in one minute.

John