Hump pack charging question

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Cyclop3000

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Ok here's a silly question. I've bought this hump pack for my receiver, and I want to know how long I should charge it the first time with that plug in the wall.

I know it's better to have a peak charger, and will buy one before spring, but I just want to test my electronics now and wanted to charge it right away.

Thanks for any help!
 
i depends on the mA output from the wall charger. Read on the back of the charger what the output is and post it here.
 
Gee that's a good question, not written on it. I bought this years ago, never used it. It's a Reedy Ni-MH receiver pack, and it's got 5 cells. Does this helps?

If not, then would i need the same info when using a peak charger? Cause worst case i'll just go buy one now that's it.

Thanks!
 
the peak charger reads the pack and turns off when its done. but you still need to know what size it is so you know what rate to charge at. if its a 1500mah you would charge at 1.5a a 3000mah would charge at 3a, and the peak charger would do it in about an hour. got it?

your wall charger is 120ma so it puts out 120ma in an hour. if your pack is 1500mah it would take your charger 12.5 hours

1500/120=12.5

if it is a 3000 mah pack

3000/120=25

so 25 hours.
 
Ah great explanations thanks a lot. Now i do need to know what size it is...I took off that wrapping paper to see if the cells have any info on them...but no luck they're black.

Does this means I need to buy a new pack?
 
you dont have to, but your flying blind. if its an old pack, they are pretty cheep so you may want to just get a new one. wouldnt want to risk an interupted bash, or worse because your RX battery died.
 
Depending on your receiver, you could go to a 7.2VDC Rx Pak. Now i have my spektrum Rx, i can run upto 9.6 VDC Rx Paks, So i'm going the 8.4VDC route. Not only will it last longer, I will get more "Punch" from my servo's.

As to charge time, when using a "Peak" charger, avoid "Over" charging and try to stick within the range of ma output. Some fast chargers have the option of variable charging rate. This can lead into "Fast" charging at a higher output than needed and can actually, in some cases, damage the battery pack. i found out the hard way when i was a noob, and ended up forking out for a new pak after getting cocky and impatient. Never made the same mistake again.

Just my :2cents: worth.
 
I have a Reedy 5 cell hump pack that is 1400mAh. Using my wall charger (100 mAh) I typically charge it for 10 to 15 hours and get great life from it. I can run probably 12 to 15 tanks of gas on each charge with any of my rx batteries. When I use my peak charger however, it shuts down after only a few minutes, thinking the pack is fully charged. It does the same thing with all my other rx packs, so it is an issue with the charger, not all the batteries. I would never buy a peak charger specifically for rx batteries as I don't think the added performance (none IMO) warrants the cost of the charger. I have been using the small wall chargers for 15 years and have always had great performance for the rx batts. I use my nice peak charger for all my 7.2 and 8.4 packs for the electric cars.
 
Well I've never used a peak charger either, and I did have a bad experience with the wall charger years ago, with one of my first rc truck...the honorable Tamiya Clod Buster eh ;)

I forgot the battery pack was charging, and once I smelled burning the battery pack had half melted on the chair and ruined the kitchen set. So that is the reason why I want a peak charger...auto shutoff.
 
Just for general info, charging a pack at a lower current rate extends the charge time and pack life/cycles overall. A higher current rate gives you better punch (discharge rate), but shorter charge time and shorter pack life.

I've found that my receiver packs (1100 2/3A-2200AA) all give me a longer charge when I charge at .5A (1/2 amp). Sure it takes longer, but I get more run time. I also notice the packs don't get as hot running at a lower level before the charger detects peak.
 

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