Peak Chargers vs Timed Chargers: Question

[Nitroaddict]

I am in need of a new charger - mine is showing its age, and is also DC only. Lately i have been running into battery charging problems.

What is the difference between peak and time chargers? i am assuming that the timer chargers are like what i have now, where u turn a 15minute timer and it flips to trickle charge when done - and a peak charger stops charging once it recognizes when the batts are at full charge. is this correct?

some of the things i need are:

- must be AC and DC capable.
- must be able to charge 4 cells up to 8 cells.
- would like to charge more than one pack at a time.


i dont want to spend over a hundred bucks on a charger. the one i have now was about 29.00 and has lasted me 4 years.

i was looking at the older superbrain, and the intellapeak chargers. any feedback on these? mostly right now, it will be used just to charge my starter box batteries, but i am looking at getting a 12th scale on road soon, and they only use 4 cell hump packs. it will need to be able to charge these too.

finally, anyone know how long peak chargers take to charge a std pack? less or more time than a regular timed charger.

sory such a long post, but when i have questions - i have questions!

 

[robriguez]

This is the one I use. It can only do 1 pack at a time but you can charge any NiCd or NiMh cell with it. All you have to do is to buy (or make) the different connectors for the diff battery packs.

I charge my 6 cell 3000Mah NiMh stick packs in about 30 min.

I always run the NiCd down to nothing before I put them on the charger. So it takes alot longer. I just connect them to my discharger first.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCLD5&P=7

 

[Candyman]

Take a long look at the MRC SuperBrain 969. It is AC/DC and can charge 2 packs at once. I have the SuperBrain 959 which is AC/DC and will go one at a time. I can do my ignitors as well as my tx, rx and any other packs up to 8 cells.
You're right about how a peak charger works. It monitors battery voltage as it charges. As NiCd and NiMH packs achieve full charge, they suddenly drop in voltage. It is at that point that the charger will cut off. The timer chargers just don't cut it. Most have a 15 minute timer and it usually takes longer than that to peak a pack. You are definitely better off going with a peak charger. And I like the MRC that I have.

 

[Nitroaddict]

candyman, the old superbrain, the one u have, is half the price of the new one. do u think i would be happy with it, wouldnt really like to spend twice as much, unless i had to.

 

[GilBeQuick]

I've got the IntelliPeak Twin Pulse Charger. So far it's been great! It will charge 2 packs at the same time, and is adjustable from 3.5A to 1A for transmitter packs. I believe it cost me $74.99. You can use AC or DC, and it does NiMH and NiCd. It normally charges in about 40 min.

 

[Nitroaddict]

gilbe - i looked at that, but had an intellipeak for my boats a few years ago, and the thing never worked right.

 

[Candyman]

I think the 959 is great. The only things that I think it lacks are the ability to charge more than one pack at a time, and a discharger. Otherwise it's aces. I have never had a problem with it and it always peaks my packs nicely. I recommend it highly.

 

[Nitroaddict]

candyman - as i will be using this charger for 2 specific things:
1. To charge nimh 4 cell packs in a 12th scale pan car
2. To charge cheapo 1500ma nicad packs in the starterbox.

I dont think i really need a discharge feature, right? As nimh dont need to be discharged, and nicads as crummy as the ones i use in my boxes dont really need it either.

 

[callawaymax]

I bought the MRC SuperBrain 969, and it works great. I also bought the Integy Indi 16X4 Pro and it's also good but I like the Superbrain better because I can charge 2 items at once or I can discharge 1 item while charging something else on the other channel.

It's AC/DC and it's really worth it for the money at a retail price of $120 or so. It can charge almost anything too, lead acid, nicad, nimh, lithium, etc. I use it to charge everything!

The only thing I haven't figured out is how to charge my Nicad Glow ingniter. I can't seem to find a battery plug adapter to hook it up to the Tamiya connector on the charger.

 

[SkyMaxx]

I was searching for the answer to my question on the time it takes a peak charger to charge a standard 6 cell pack and found this thread. Great info and my answer.

NA, this might be OBE, but I use this charger and it sounds like it meets your needs...

https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/seekpart.pl?pn=DYN4033

 

[Nitroaddict]

thanks sky - also see it can charge 4 cell nimh packs, which is important to me