Battery charger ....

hobie

I currently use a mains powered 350mA charger for a 1800 mAh NiCd battery ..... Can I use the same charger for a 3300 NiMH battery ? ......

Is the time required to charge calculation simply battery power devided by charging rate? .....

i.e. 1800 devided by 350 .... call it 5 hours ?

3300 devided by 350 .... call it 10 hours ?

T-Maxx

Yes. You are correct.

However, it's better to invest in a decent peak charger, for the following reasons:

1. You can charge packs faster.
2. Discharge function
3. Charge NiCd, NiMH, lead, LiPo/LiON
4. Peak detection
5. Cycle

And one of my personal favourites:

6. Charge cordless drill, camcorder, still camera, kids' toys, glowstart, Tx, Rx, uhmmmm, what else is there......?

hobie

Many thanks for quick response ..... any particular type/model you would suggest? .....

T-Maxx

This is the one that I have. Very pleased with it - does exactly what it's supposed to without all the bells-&-whistles. Take note that you need a power supply as well - I've rigged an old PC power supply.

coolwings

You will not need to buy a separate power supply if you choose the right charger.
Some of the latest delta peak chargers have the power regulator circuit inside.

So one unit does all.

At the moment I am using both systems:
a "new" charger with mains plug and its internal power supply.
a" not so new" charger which needs either a 12V battery or a 12V power supply to "feed" it with DC current.

My Ultramat which has the internal 12V power supply regulator I got from www.greenhobbymodel.com the hobbyshop in Harolds Cross, Dublin.
The Ultramat 10 and Ultramat 14 are the ones with the circuit you need inside.
Being of European origin The Ultramats will take 240 volts like we have in our houses this side of the Atlantic.


Ultramat 10


Ultramat14

The chargers I use for my own models are designed for the European market. I settled on the Ultramat from Graupner for my own usage - although I have other make chargers that I bought earlier still working happily.
(If you happen to be interested on a used model charger send me a PM because I'm constantly updating my gear.) "Euro chargers use 240 volts which is what the ESB supplies.

That is because the US is on a different (lower) mains voltage to us in Ireland. Only 110 volts. That is why a lot of "American" chargers would require a US-UK/Irish voltage adapter to be purchased in addition before they work from the ESB domestic power supply in Ireland.
Many people rip a power supply box out of an old PC to do that, but you should not have to do that, since the right charger does it for you, no extra bits.
So if you decide to get from the US be sure to check out carefully that it actually can do what you want.

You don't want to get too many charging units or you could end up like me !

Coolwings Charging Station

vectra

I stick with my Trusty Novak Millennium Pro charger " It does exactly what it says on the box" And then some.

hobie

Thanks again for the info and the kind offer from coolwings .... I'll stay with the steam engine charger supplied with the boat (and use with a timer) for the time being, before deciding on a move into the 21st century ....

hobie

A question re discharging batteries ....

For Chargers with this option built in, how long does it take ?

T-Maxx

You can set the discharge rate. On mine the max discharge rate is 3A - not a lot but good enough to drain/cycle packs if I have to.

hobie

Is it ok to use a 7.0 volt charger on 7.2v battery packs (1800/3300 mAh)

no penalties to pay? ....