What amp rate should I charge my NimH batteries at?
We recommend charging at 4.5 amps. If you charge higher, you'll get more
acceleration early, but in some cases they flatten out toward the end
of the race. This is also harder on the cell and will decrease the overall
life of the cell. We do not recommend charging at 6 amps or higher.
What role does temperature play while charging my packs?
If the batteries are kept a little cooler, they will take a little more
time to charge but the discharge is the same either way. I run a fan across
my batteries while charging.
Over charging
Overcharging builds resistance if taken too far. The old nicads liked
it, NimH cells do not. This can be damaging to the cell depending on the
severity. Try to keep the peak detection down so you don't overheat the
cells. Most of the new chargers have peak detection. Recommended peak
detection .02 on all chargers.
Storage
NimH cells have no discharge memory, there is no need to discharge them
completely. NimH cells must be stored with at least a 40% charge in them.
Storing packs in a fully discharged state will deteriorate the performance
over time.
Assembling your own battery packs
You'll Need...
Battery jig, Trinity bars, a very hot iron, 60/40 rosin core solder and
your batteries.
Solder quickly so the cell does not absorb heat, and make sure that you
do not get solder on anything but the button. A very hot iron is key to
this process. You should have no less than a 40 watt iron to solder batteries
properly. Never hold the iron on the cell for more than five or six seconds
and always wait for the cell to cool before soldering on the same cell
again.
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