need help deciding length of time to charge

[ggfx-mikey]

alrighty, i just got a 1200man HPI hump pack

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000464994&I=LXFJT1&P=K

and it says to charge at 1 amp, but never says for how long

i bought this cheap wall charger

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000464994&I=LXHCF1&P=K

and.... how long would it take for a full charge?

also, when i connect the two(DONT LAUGH) does it go red/red black/black OR... does it go red/black, red/black... cause hot to ground would make more sense then two hotts.... i dunno, ive always used double a's :) so... this is a big upgrade! hah :)

damn im a eletronic n00bster

[highroller]

Trickle charging should take roughly 16-18hrs.
Not all trickle chargers have a led to indicate pack is charged, most just have a led to indicate proper connection (dual red led to show connection is made).

[ggfx-mikey]

i need a quick answer so... does it go red/red black/black or red/black and black/red

....cause i dont wanna screw up the cells

[Courtney]

Looked at both links and I can see the confusion. The batteries have the same type of male connector just different colors. The charger picture only shows the one red female connector so I assume there is a matching black connector on the charger that didn't show up in the picture.

I'm new to this hobby but I want to base this info off of experience helping do telephone work and wiring in a sound and security system into my car. Like colors should always go together. Falls in line with, "Righty, Tighty and Lefty, Loosie". Of course, there are exceptions to this rule also.

Go red/red and black/black.

Hope this helps.

[ggfx-mikey]

yah i went red/red black/black left it for about 7 hours, not warm at all... so i guess all is good, im gonna test the pack, see if it charged correctly

[ggfx-mikey]

and alright... i tested it and nothing, never got charged... did i do something wrong?

or is it actually black/red black/red

[ducati777]

You should be red/red black/black on the wires to the batteries... because you're just extending the wire from the charger into the battery... thus you want the red to end up the same place as originally intended...

Far as time, look at the charger, whats the output? If it says something like Output: 7.2 VDC 120ma, then its a 10 hour charger...

Capacity over charge amperage is a good guide, in this case you have a 1200 pack over 120 mili amp, 10 hours... If you're charger says 1 amp, then 1200/1000=1.2 hours, or 72 minutes. Give er 80 minutes if its a wall charger and you should be good.

To see if all is good in the hood, you can either check using a voltmeter, or go to radio shack and spend 50 cents on a LED. They only light up in one direction, so you hook it to the charger, if it lights up note which leads on the LED are on red and black, then do the same to the battery. That'll insure you're polarized right...

[highroller]

The plug on battery should line up with the proper polarity as charger. You can leave pack on for up to two days or more once pack reaches it's charge it stay at that rate without much chance of overcharging. Plug it in at about 12pm when you get up the next morning it is ready.
I use rechargable receiver packs 180ma in my 1/10 pan cars and on occassion with modified TC and for radio AA NiMh, plug them in the day before and everything is charged when I get up and go to the track.