Nicad and Nimh chargers

[magyver]

Is the Indi 16x2 charger good or would another be better suited?

[prime]

I believe this charger is well suited to deal with NIMh. Check out Integy's website. They have a forum dedicated to this topic.

<a href="http://www.integy.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro">Click Here To Enter Forum</a>

Personally, I went with the Competition Electronics Turbo 35BL. I needed a good charger / discharger for cycling cells. You can check it out at <a href="http://www.competitionelectronics.com">by clicking here</a>

My next choice would have been the Novak Millenneium <a href="http://www.teamnovak.com/products/chargers/Millennium/Millennium.htm">charger</a>

[Oyster]

I've got my eye on the Duratrax Intelipeak "Deluxe". It's AC/DC, can charge just about anything, and it well priced. Tower has em for 99 bucks, if they get em in stock. http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/smile.gif

They are the same as the Apex chargers that Stormer Hobbies carries. I believe they are made in Canada... look very nice. www.towerhobbies.com (http://www.towerhobbies.com) has more info.

- Jon

[timesheet]

I have the Duratrax Minipulse and it works fine for under $70.

[Isky]

DO NOT BUY THOSE DURATRAX Intellipeak CHARGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DONT BUY THEM! They have trickle charge and that is very, very bad for NI-Mh batteries. I used that and my batteries lasted for 20 seconds full speed. then i only got about 5 minutes of half speed. Is there anyway to stoop trickle charge? i dont know...i wish it could be stoped. If you do want to buy a Duratrax Intellipeak charger, then buy the cheapest model. You can only charge Ni-Mh batteries at 3 amps. i tried at 6.5, because Duratrax says they can be charged at this rate. DO NOT charge then over 3.5 amps. I found out that my performance severly suffered. If you want some specifics on what my cars performance was like, then just email me at ftt3@aol.com If enough people email me, then ill post it...i had a lot of tests and i found that these batteries performance can be regained. Just email me...

[FilthyPierre]

I shopped around for a good charger, it seems that most (or at least a good percentage) of the good ones don't come with AC input as it adds weight/cost, and generally an inbuilt power supply can't handle high current demands. Given that, I bought a Supernova 250S, which is microprocessor controlled and handles NiCd, NiMh and Pb (lead acid) batteries. It'll handle 10 to 15V DC input and will charge 1 to 25 cells at up to 5 Amps. The only thing I don't like about it is that when on a disgharge cycle you can't stop it from automatically charging once the pack is discharged. You can however program it to, say, discharge at 3 Amps and charge at 100 milliAmps, so that you can effectively use it to fully discharge a half-used NiCd (provided you don't leave it overnight on trickle). In Australia it's branded as "R/C Line", whereas in the USA it's branded as "FMA Direct". Either way, it comes with an instruction manual written in Jinglish, so it's obviously from Taiwan or somewhere similar. :-)
So far I've had no problems with it, but I've not had it for very long. For a complete review, try the <a href="http://gnv.fdt.net/~redscho/">R/C Battery Clinic</a>.

[magyver]

thanks for all of your input

[LatexMantus]

the DuraTrax charger is fine for NiCd batteries. If you are using NiMH batteries look for a charger that has a linear mode. In my opinion, none of the chargers on the market are really great for taking proper care of NiMH batteries. Maybe sometime this year there will be something new to handle the new NiMH batteries and beyond.

[timesheet]

OK, let me revise my statement about the Duratrax Intellipeaks. They work fine for under $70 if you are able to immediately take the pack off as soon as it peaks. I charge my packs right next to me while working on my vehicles or watching TV, reading, etc. and when I hear a beep, bam, take the pack off. If it's right next to me I can also easily check the battery temp, also. This is definitely not the way to go if you need to charge your batts using the "set it and forget it" method. http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/wink.gif

[Aussie_Man]

Hey Filthy, let me tell you something about the Supernova 250s. DO NOT BUY 1!!!!!!!!!!! I got 1 around xmas and it blew-up after 3 charges(literally too, sparks and flames) . (that annoyed me) The I bought another 1 from a diff. shop and that 1 just packed it in too. Both have been checked as faulty and completely lost my confidence in them. I just bought a Novak Millenium for cheaper than a Supernove too. If yours goes bung aswell, I advise you not to buy another1. Good luck with ya charger. lol