Battery Help

Loathing · June 2nd, 2009, 21:09

I've recently picked up a B6 charger to use on my batteries, and I'm trying to charge my NiCd 2000 battery with it. It's asking me to insert the charge...rate I guess? into the charger with the default value at 0.1A.

What rate should this be set to, if anyone could tell me, or even explain this in a bit more detail to me.

lemegacool · June 2nd, 2009, 21:13

i would charge it at a very low amp! i charge ALL my batteries (exept lipos) at 500mah (my charger minimum) the lowest, the better! (but longer

)

Loathing · June 2nd, 2009, 22:31

Well it seems the highest amp that the charger will go up to is 5.0A, and the lowest is 0.1A.

Should I set it for right in the middle, go a little higher, set it right at 5A?

The battery is a 2000mAh 9.6v NiCd (I'm guessing the big 2000 on it means 2000mAh...) if that helps any.

lemegacool · June 2nd, 2009, 22:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loathing

Well it seems the highest amp that the charger will go up to is 5.0A, and the lowest is 0.1A.

Should I set it for right in the middle, go a little higher, set it right at 5A?

The battery is a 2000mAh 9.6v NiCd (I'm guessing the big 2000 on it means 2000mAh...) if that helps any.

depending on how you are in a hurry... put it for something like 500mah... should be good. 5A is WAYYY too much for a 2000mah battery!

Loathing · June 2nd, 2009, 22:48

Ok, so if I'm getting this correctly, 1A = 1000mAh?

So I should set the charge to about 0.5A. How long does that normally take to charge the battery fully? Not in any rush, just want to know what the fast and slow charge rates and times would be.

m102404 · June 3rd, 2009, 10:00

As a general rule...(and I'm not a battery expert...there are Battery FAQ/stickied posts around here somewhere)....charge your batteries at, or below, their capacity/1000. Yes...2000mAh (milli Amp hours) = 2 Amp hours. So, typically you would charge that battery at 2A or less.

The slower (lower A) you charge a battery, the more complete the chemical process is reversed inside the cell. Something about crystals being broken down. But...the longer it takes. If it takes 1 hour at 2A....it'll take 4 hours at 0.5A...or 2 hours at 1A...etc... Sometimes not a big deal...sometimes you're on a schedule.

If you're charging at more than the "normal" charge rate...you will notice that your battery gets really hot. You may be "pumping" in the same amount of power (because it'll finish sooner)...buy you're really cramming it in there fast. If the cells overheat...you run the risk of them exploding (battery acid mess for NiCd/NiMh...."flames of terror" for LiPo).

Short story...divide the capacity by 1000 and charge at, or lower than that, amperage.

Cheers!

Tys

Loathing · June 3rd, 2009, 12:56

Well I charged the battery last night, set it to 0.5A and let it go for two hours (so I guess it might be half charged then). No problems, battery wasn't hot or anything and it fires well in the rifle. So I guess I'll be running it at 1.0A for a two hour charge and 0.5A with a three-four hour charge.

Only thing I didn't get about the charger itself was, was when the charge was taking place it shows the number of Volts in the top right. It started off around 9.6V (same as the battery) then slowly ticked up towards 11V - 12V. Dunno what thats about.

Otherwise, thanks for the info! Should be good for battery charging now, just need to get used to the charger itself.

Qlong · June 3rd, 2009, 13:11

The B6 is a smart charger, let it charge and stop on its own. Unless you have a reliable power source or an adapter rated for 5A, the charger will shut itself down and stop charging.

Almost all chargers charge a couple volts higher than what it is rated on the battery. You can keep track of how much amperes you put in the battery by the counter on the display.

Loathing · June 3rd, 2009, 18:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qlong

Almost all chargers charge a couple volts higher than what it is rated on the battery. You can keep track of how much amperes you put in the battery by the counter on the display.

Oh ok, that would make sense.

The B6 has an program built in that lets you charge for a set time. The default time is 120 minutes after which it will stop the charge.

In the manual it says that there is an Auto Charge option which will detect what type of charge and duration the battery needs, but I've not gotten it to work.

m102404 · June 3rd, 2009, 21:38

Mine never says "Auto" either....just Manual....but it still works as auto in that setting (i.e. it cuts off, says it's finished, etc...on it's own).

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June 2nd, 2009, 21:09	#1
Loathing Trader rating Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Kingston, ON	Battery Help I've recently picked up a B6 charger to use on my batteries, and I'm trying to charge my NiCd 2000 battery with it. It's asking me to insert the charge...rate I guess? into the charger with the default value at 0.1A. What rate should this be set to, if anyone could tell me, or even explain this in a bit more detail to me. Last edited by Loathing; June 2nd, 2009 at 22:35..

June 2nd, 2009, 21:13	#2
lemegacool Trader rating Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: notre dame des prairies /quebec	i would charge it at a very low amp! i charge ALL my batteries (exept lipos) at 500mah (my charger minimum) the lowest, the better! (but longer) __________________ member of fire team NOM. my other regular forum: www.toyotanation.com / gen3,gen4 camry

June 2nd, 2009, 22:31	#3
Loathing Trader rating Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Kingston, ON	Well it seems the highest amp that the charger will go up to is 5.0A, and the lowest is 0.1A. Should I set it for right in the middle, go a little higher, set it right at 5A? The battery is a 2000mAh 9.6v NiCd (I'm guessing the big 2000 on it means 2000mAh...) if that helps any. Last edited by Loathing; June 2nd, 2009 at 22:37..

June 2nd, 2009, 22:48	#5
Loathing Trader rating Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Kingston, ON	Ok, so if I'm getting this correctly, 1A = 1000mAh? So I should set the charge to about 0.5A. How long does that normally take to charge the battery fully? Not in any rush, just want to know what the fast and slow charge rates and times would be.

June 3rd, 2009, 10:00	#6
m102404 Tys Trader rating Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Toronto	As a general rule...(and I'm not a battery expert...there are Battery FAQ/stickied posts around here somewhere)....charge your batteries at, or below, their capacity/1000. Yes...2000mAh (milli Amp hours) = 2 Amp hours. So, typically you would charge that battery at 2A or less. The slower (lower A) you charge a battery, the more complete the chemical process is reversed inside the cell. Something about crystals being broken down. But...the longer it takes. If it takes 1 hour at 2A....it'll take 4 hours at 0.5A...or 2 hours at 1A...etc... Sometimes not a big deal...sometimes you're on a schedule. If you're charging at more than the "normal" charge rate...you will notice that your battery gets really hot. You may be "pumping" in the same amount of power (because it'll finish sooner)...buy you're really cramming it in there fast. If the cells overheat...you run the risk of them exploding (battery acid mess for NiCd/NiMh...."flames of terror" for LiPo). Short story...divide the capacity by 1000 and charge at, or lower than that, amperage. Cheers! Tys

June 3rd, 2009, 12:56	#7
Loathing Trader rating Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Kingston, ON	Well I charged the battery last night, set it to 0.5A and let it go for two hours (so I guess it might be half charged then). No problems, battery wasn't hot or anything and it fires well in the rifle. So I guess I'll be running it at 1.0A for a two hour charge and 0.5A with a three-four hour charge. Only thing I didn't get about the charger itself was, was when the charge was taking place it shows the number of Volts in the top right. It started off around 9.6V (same as the battery) then slowly ticked up towards 11V - 12V. Dunno what thats about. Otherwise, thanks for the info! Should be good for battery charging now, just need to get used to the charger itself.

June 3rd, 2009, 13:11	#8
Qlong Division Trader rating Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Scarborough, Ontario	The B6 is a smart charger, let it charge and stop on its own. Unless you have a reliable power source or an adapter rated for 5A, the charger will shut itself down and stop charging. Almost all chargers charge a couple volts higher than what it is rated on the battery. You can keep track of how much amperes you put in the battery by the counter on the display. __________________ Weee!

June 3rd, 2009, 21:38	#10
m102404 Tys Trader rating Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Toronto	Mine never says "Auto" either....just Manual....but it still works as auto in that setting (i.e. it cuts off, says it's finished, etc...on it's own).

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