Newdaddy
Heliman
Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| Hello;
Generally, NiMH and Nicad batteries vary in capacity even if you have 2 or more the same kind. This is why you can buy "matched" calls, they are charged/discharged a few times and are then matched by capacity (run-time) and also voltage.
When charging, you measure the voltage, when it peaks or very shortly after it peaks, it is pretty much fully charged. A charger that automatically detects the voltage peak is recommended.
Generally, Nicad and Nimh cells are considered full discharged when they reach 0.85 volts per cell. (At least for car racing.)
How fast a cell can be discharged will depend on what the cell is designed for. For example, a GP3300 cell is usually tested and matched at 30 amps. They also usually deliver best performance at 20-30 amps, although quick bursts to 100 amps are ok, since it only happens at the start of a race. 
General rule of thumb - charge a 1C (100%), discharge at 10C(1000%) for longest life.
(Double these values if neccessary to win a race.) |
