Charger for Nimh/Nicd batteries?

[Yannik]

Hi,


I've been looking online for a charger, wow not an easy task. There is so many brand of chargers out there and knowing if it's the proper one is hard.


Is there anyone that can tell me what kind of charger I would need for these type of batteries?


1) NiCd 9.6v Transmitter Battery - 700mAh


2) Ni-MH 6v Receiver Battery - 5000mah


Thanks,


Yannik

 

[Deluge]

I have the Onyx 200. Works great and easy to use. Good option if you're looking for a basic charger, it's about $40.

 

[Yannik]

Deluge: Great, thanks ! Is the Onyx 200 charger that you have both compatible with nicd/nimh? I also curious to know how to maintain these batteries, do you discharge them or cycle them sometimes?


Ps: My transmitter battery is a 9.6 v and the onyx goes to 8.4 v so I'm not sure it will work, what do you think?

 

[Martin]

Search for Imax B6 on ebay, you will not find a better deal.

 

[Yannik]

Martin: Is the Imax B6 easy to use? Both of my batteries are Nimh & NiCd, and one is 5000mah so is the charger compatible with them? Let me know?

 

[Martin]

Yes, very easy to use, it automatically detect your battery, but you have to set yourself if it's nimh or nicd.


You can also use it to balance lipo.

 

[pipeous]

I never use auto settings, especially with lipos. a fully charged 3s looks like a discharged 4s to a charger. there have been fires caused by this... remember the mrc?


I have an imax b5 since they first came out, still going strong. charges anything... I have charged batteries on full size cars with mine many times, my drill etc etc. having a decent charger like that allows you to do more than just charge rc stuff. lost your laptop supply? charge that too

 

[Martin]

Yep, don't use auto detect for lipo, always set it manually.


For nimh or nicd no problem.

 

[Yannik]

Martin: I went on Ebay to check the spec about the IMax B6 but I'm not sure if it can actually charge one of my receiver Nimh 6v battery because it says the Input Voltage: 11~18v? The output voltage is 12 v 5a, I think this mean you can plug it straight to the wall... It's funny also because it does say how high it goes with the mah, my receiver battery is 5000mah so some charger won't go up to that number.

 

[Yannik]

Deluge: About the Onyx 200 charger, can it cycle/discharge the batteries?

 

[Martin]

The imput voltage is in case you want to use a battery car or what you want to energize the charger, you have to respect 11 to 18V.


The max amp you can charge is 5A but most of the time you don't need 5A.


12V is the max output voltage, something like a tx pack, I don't know bigger Voltage for rc battery.


Lipo work differently for charging.

 

[Yannik]

Martin: Great thanks for the info! Do you think it would be able to charge a Nimh 6 volt battery - 5000mha? Do you cycle/discharge your nimh/nicd batteries?

 

[scaremonger]

Search for Imax B6 on ebay, you will not find a better deal.

its the one I also use IMAX B6

 

[Martin]

Yes you can charge 6V nimh pack, this is the minimum a RC charger can do.


And you don't need to fast charge your 5000mah pack at 5amp if you are not in a hurry.

 

[Yannik]

Martin: Awesome, I think I'm going to go with the Imax B6! Do you actually cycle/discharge your Nimh/Nicd batteries with the charger? It is something I'm always wondering because I'm not sure if you only do this with Lipo batteries. Also, I've read lately quite a bit on Nimh & Nicd batteries (Kind of boring!) and it seems they're acting really different. The Nimh batteries are way more sensitive to heat and they tend to be easy to overheat. I think reading all about nimh/nicd batteries got me more confused than anything, lol!.....When you first bought your nimh/nicd batteries, did you cycle/discharge it a few times before using it? If I only use the Nimh & Nicd batteries, not lipo & others, do you think the imax b6 is good for just these 2 types of batt....hihi I hope I don't give you a head rush with all my question, I find this subject is to be a lot of time under estimated but it is quite complex, I know personally two person who caught their houses on fire because of improper usage of Lipo & other types of batteries so I'm a bit paranoide with it, well not that bad but I try to get as much info so I don't screw up something.


Thanks for the help by the way!


Yannik

 

[Martin]

I cannot help you for nimh battery, I never take the time to cycle/discharge any nimh battery, I charge and use it.

 

[Yannik]

Martin: But does it last as long now as it did at first, when you bought the nimh battery?

 

[pipeous]

Oh man... ok you are referring to memory effect. this is worse in nicads than nmh, but is still a factor. technically a nmh battery should be discharged before charging, but this takes some time.


choose a discharge amperage comparable to what you are using them for as well... like if you are running a race with a mod motor then 30 amp discharge would be good for the battery so it uses the same type of draw to the end.... it's easy to build a discharger as well... do a google search... build a nmh discharger with light bulbs ... so easy. I have used car headlights...


this is a big reason I use lipos for my rx packs. I run a castle bec set at 6v. most I use a 3s lipo, but one has a 2s... I like that I get 6v to my servos from beggining to end. a nmh will be higher at first and drop off as you use it... a steady 6v means it always reacts the same on the servos. lipos have no memory effect so you just top them up... they are safer than the stories that float around, been using them for a long long time. I've had a nmh battery go up in flames, but never a lipo. common sense prevails. always balance charge... why short cut this step to save a few minutes. lipos are cheap, so just have an extra on hand.


I only use one nmh battery and it's in my nitro bike. haven't figured out where to mount a lipo and bec in it, it's a pretty cramped layout.

 

[v555]

....do you think the imax b6 is good for just these 2 types of batt....hihi I hope I don't give you a head rush with all my question, I find this subject is to be a lot of time under estimated but it is quite....


imax b6 is a good charger,i used it for 1 year and cant complain,however after that i changed to -http://www.duratrax.com/caraccys/dtxp4170.html


if the charger functions/quality are so important for you then take this,you cant find better care for your battery

 

[Yannik]

V555: It is a pretty nice charger but you also need a power supply with it so at the end, it gets a bit expensive but I guess that's what you pay for having good quality! I find the Onyx 220 looks really reliable if you don't use Lipo batteries.


Pipeous: Great, thanks for the info! I was thinking about the discharger you were telling me about and I'm wondering, can you just do this with a Nimh/Nicd Chargers? Like you said, we normally should discharge a Nimh Battery when you just bought and we should also cycle it 4-5 times after if I'm not mistaken! Wow, it takes almost a frigin University degree to understand these batteries, lol!