charging the battery tips

[avengersteve]

ive got to ask... what is the best way to charge my batteries? they are the ib3600 packs... should i charge fast at 5 amps or slow at 1? i want to get the most punch/ runtimes

[SJFE]

As you know I have a but load of them. I bring all my packs back up on a 1 amp charge. If they where not fully discharged I will cycle them once with a 10 amp discharge and then back up on 1 amp. The low current will help to balance the cells. I don't like charging @ higher amp rates. I have the spare time.

[ebfoxbat]

I prefer 1C so something like 3.5 Amps for you. My default is 3 amps on my charger and I usually leave it at that. ...someday I'll have enough to not be in a rush. SJFE is in a pretty good boat by having tons of packs.

[SweetZ28]

Hi i would do 1C 3.6 amps would be perfect for the life of the battery and run time and just the right amount of punch.

[ice329]

Spoke to the guys at MRC today about a few things. They like to see the NiMH batterys discharged about every 10 charges, otherwise just just recharge them. 1C or a little more was there suggestion. Also, they said on NiMH packs they like to see 120-125 degrees on the packs, regardless what a charger says. 120-125 degrees the packs are done. I guess these are just guidelines everyone likes things a little differnt.

[Fluid]

It is important to balance modern NiMH packs regularly. They self-discharge at different rates between uses and when several cells in a pack get lower than the rest they will cause the other cells to overheat on a 1C charge. Depending on how often you use the pack and how long it sits between uses, charge it at 1/10C occasionally. For normal charging 1C is fine unless the ambient temperature is high, then 1/2 C might be better to lessen the final pack temperature.

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