Question concerning the receiver battery?

[Yannik]

Hi guys,


I have a 6v NIHM 5000mah Receiver Battery!


Can you charge a receiver battery that is half charge or you have to wait till it run out of power before you charge it?


My second question: Is there a way to check how much power is left in the battery like a multimeter or something like that?


Thanks in advance...

 

[NewKat]

Invest in a decent quality peak charger that has auto stop. It is ok to charge it even if it is half charged, three quarter etc. The only thing I can think of regarding how much power is left is the voltmeter from killer rc. It would tell you the voltage and if it is lower than 6v you could kind of guess how much life is left and if charging would be needed. But then again I am fairly new and there could be something else that I am not aware of. Someone please chime in and correct me if anything I mentioned was wrong and also someone who could help this guy better, as, mentioned above, I am still fairly new.

 

[REVOlutionary Rampage]

1.

You can charge your battery if it is only 1/2 full etc... I would also run it down to flat every so often to cycle it. But, like NewKat said. I would get a good charger that you can set the charging volts for the battery. Ex: 3 to 5A for a 5000 MAh battery. and one that shows elapsed time, amps going in. etc.. is even better I've had good luck with my Duratrax charger.

2.

You can check the voltage with a voltmeter from Sears etc... I do. set it on the 9v setting if it is 6-6.5v you are fine. I would charge it if it goes under that. you could charge it at a low voltage as well like Deluge says below but depending on your charger you run out of time before it charges fully.

 

[Deluge]

It's fine to top them off if they're half charged. It's good to let them discharge fully every once in a while and charge them at a low charge current, like 1.5A.

 

[Deluge]

Also, I believe he already has an Onyx peak charger.

 

[Yannik]

Hi brother Deluge!

Yes, I do, it is the Onyx 220 Charger! I bought a light bulb discharger! If I want to charge my 6V Receiver Battery that is only "Half Charge", do I have to set my Charger like I would do with a "Fully Charge" battery on my Onyx 220 charger?

By the way, my battery type is: 6V NIMH 5000Mah Receiver battery

Here is how I think I would set my charger with a half charge battery, correct me if I'm wrong?

Bat. Type: NI-MH

Capacity: 5000Mah

Current: 0.5A –Slow charge Current (13-15 hours)

S_Timer: off (only for slow charge). - (The charger will automatically calculate and set this time in minutes based on the value in the capacity).

Peak: 3-7mv/c

Trickle: mA (The charger will automatically set this value based on the fast charge current setting divided by 20. A setting of 0mA will effectively turn this feature off.

I'm not to sure about these two so this is what I usually do: Again, let me know if it doesn't make sense:

The S_Timer: I will turn it off if I do a slow charge. If not, I leave it like it is?

The Trickle: I will turn it off on slow charge! You probably can tell that I'm not a battery expert! LoL!

 

[Yannik]

1. You can charge your battery if it is only 1/2 full etc... I would also run it down to flat every so often to cycle it. But, like NewKat said. I would get a good charger that you can set the charging volts for the battery. Ex: 3 to 5A for a 5000 MAh battery. and one that shows elapsed time, amps going in. etc.. is even better I've had good luck with my Duratrax charger.

2.

You can check the voltage with a voltmeter from Sears etc... I do. set it on the 9v setting if it is 6-6.5v you are fine. I would charge it if it goes under that. you could charge it at a low voltage as well like Deluge says below but depending on your charger you run out of time before it charges fully.

Thank You very much for the help Revolutionary Rampage! I truly appreciate it!

 

[biggoofball]

Where abouts are you in NB? I grew up in Moncton and Dieppe.

I wouldn't use the trickle feature as NIMH do get a charge memory, that's the reason for the need to discharge fully every so often. I'd also leave the s_timer off.

The lower and slower you charge the battery the longer the lifespan of the battery. Since it is a rx battery charging it hot won't have any benefit like a stick pack would in an electric vehicle. Start at 5mv per cell and go up from there, as the battery gets old and weak you'll need to up this value to avoid false peak detection and keep it charging to capacity.

At 1 amp it will take aprox 5hrs from dead to charge so, if you have a need to run immediately charge it higher and lower if you aren't itching to get running.

Cheers

 

[Yannik]

Where abouts are you in NB? I grew up in Moncton and Dieppe.I wouldn't use the trickle feature as NIMH do get a charge memory, that's the reason for the need to discharge fully every so often. I'd also leave the s_timer off.

The lower and slower you charge the battery the longer the lifespan of the battery. Since it is a rx battery charging it hot won't have any benefit like a stick pack would in an electric vehicle. Start at 5mv per cell and go up from there, as the battery gets old and weak you'll need to up this value to avoid false peak detection and keep it charging to capacity.

At 1 amp it will take aprox 5hrs from dead to charge so, if you have a need to run immediately charge it higher and lower if you aren't itching to get running.

Cheers

I live in Moncton, hehe! Wow, what a small world! You don't live anymore in the area or do you still have family over here?

 

[biggoofball]

I live in Ontario now. Still have family there but, don't see them much, haven't been back in 25 yrs. I've suggested an East coast holiday to my wife a few times but, she prefers a tropical vacation to the tidal bore, lol.

Maybe some day. Indeed a small world.