NiMh Charging

[Cook]

Hi all,

I'm still using the cheap WattAge 25-minute Charger that came with my LiteStik. It workes fine with my current 6-cell, 150 mAH NiCads; I just add an extra ten minutes of charge with the light on. If I stretch it, could I make this charger designed for 5-6 cell 110-150 mAH batteries charge an 8-cell, 280 mAH NiMh? I really don't feel like shelling out the extra money for a better charger, though I know I'll do it sooner or later. SOOO, would it be okay for me to get this new battery, or should I just get (a worse) one that matches the recommendations.

Thanks in advance for any input. 8^)

[flyingbuddy]

That charger probably won't work on even 7 NiMH cells. I suggest you kick down $25 for Bob Selman's charger. He says it works fine on NiMh batteries, maybe up to 8 or 9 cells, if you have the input voltage high enough.
Check out http://bsd.domainvalet.com/

[gjohnson]

Bob Selman's chargers sound good. Does anyone have any info on the best charger for very small NiMh cells (e.g., 70mAh or 120mAh)? I have an Astro 110D charger. I've only used it twice on the very tiny cells with different results each time. I read on Ezone that it may not give reliable results for small cells and charge rates under 1A. Here's the link, check out this discussion. http://www.ezonemag.com/disc/Forum5/HTML/002513.html

Is Selman's charger a good choice, or can anyone recommend a different one from personal experience? What about the Jeti mini charger, or FMA FC600 or FC700?

Or, does anyone have some tips for charging these cells and small packs (4 cells) with the 110D charger?
--Gordon

[ 07-24-2001: Message edited by: gjohnson ]

[Ralph B]

Gordon:
Bob Selman will customise the charge rate for you when you order the charger. A friend of mine has just received a charger from Bob, which is set to put out an 80 MA charge rate for the 70 MAH NiMh cells. He says it is working great. I have two of Bob's chargers that I use for my 50 MAH Nicads and I have had outstanding results with them. I recently bought one of Bob's ESC's which is also outstanding.
Ralph B

[Vapco]

Go to the indoor microflight section of the forum and read the following thread:

charging NIMH batteries (http://www.rcmicroflight.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=000124)

There were some tips & tricks as well as recommendations of charger options for small batteries.

Jeff.