I NEED HELP WITH MY MILLENIUM CHARGER!

[T3RACERV1.20]

This is T3RACERV1.20 I have a problem with my new millennium v1.20 charger. I got this charger about a month ago. These are the steps that I take with my batteries (2000)cells. For some reasons it false charges. In these steps I will explain every thing i do to them, hopefully you can help me out with this problem!
l. The first thing that I do after I've used my pack once, I put it on my Indi reactor 20 which discharges my batteries down to 5.4 volts.

2. Next I put my batteries on my indi booster battery tray thats takes them down to 0 volts.

3. Once all the lights on the tray go out, I keep the battery on the tray, but put a wire across the positive and negative sides which is called dead shorting.

4. After I've gotten the wire on when the battery is still in the tray, I take the battery out of the tray with the wire still attached. Then when the next week-end of racing comes around, I let them sit on my table without the wire on for approximately 1-1/2 hours to let each individual cell revive itself.

5. Next I set up my charger. I set it at linear charge 6 cell, 4.5 amps, and for the voltage threshold I set it at 12mv/cell.

Since I have 4 batteries, I always charge them together, but whenever I do the first battery, when I have the first battery connected to the charger, I select the start mode and it always charges for 30 seconds, but then it says it done which is called a false peak charge. But then after I hit start again for another charge it does it again for another 30 seconds and then after that third attempt it does it correctly and charge completely. The strange thing is that it's always the first battery this happens to and it doesn't matter which of my four 2000 cell battery I charge first. I don't this problem charging the 2nd, 3rd or 4th battery it only happens on the first battery.

Can you please explain why is happens. Thank you. Christopher Waraxa

[Aussie_Man]

I am just about to get a Millenium so I hope this dont happen to me. I've heard of a few problems like this at them Novak forum. Try increasing the Voltage threshold untill it will charge. Thats what alot of people say to do. And after a few chargers (if it does without false-peaking) then try to drope the V-threshold a bit, maybe back to 12mv/per cell. Also, try not dead-shorting the pack that does it after your race, discharge it down to 5.4v, then put it on the tray and when you take it off that, just leave it untill your next meeting. Dead-shorting the batteries is NOT something I'd recommend.

[hpiguy]

Dude you asked this same question on Xtreme and we gave you the answers there.

By dead shorting I'm sure you damaged one of your cells.

The Millenium is false peaking because of that.

Since it has been a while now and you can't fix it yet, send it into Novak and have them look at it.

The warranty is still good.

[SrSpeedy]

You have not damaged your charger. You HAVE damaged your cells without a doubt in my mind.

One thing you left out of the process is leaving the cells on the tray until they are each at 0.00 volts per cell!!!

That is very important. You MUST verify that the voltage is all the way down to ZERO volts with a quality voltmeter before you deadshort a pack.

Often it takes a pack over an hour, sometimes longer to take a pack down to 0.00 volts. This is especially true with older packs. The lights on the tray are only to let you know that you have made good contact with each cell with the thumbscrews.

[FactoryTeam Guy wannabe]

Ya I wouldn't ever dead short my batteries that is just too risky because they have to be just right. And also dont discharge them down to 0.0 volts per cell that isn't nessisary down to 5.4 volts for the whole 6 cell pack is just fine. I agree with the rest of you also my guess is that it isnt the charger it is the batteries. Oh and also what do you use for a power source with the milennium?

[FactoryTeam Guy wannabe]

Ya I wouldn't ever dead short my batteries that is just too risky because they have to be just right. And also dont discharge them down to 0.0 volts per cell that isn't nessisary down to 5.4 volts for the whole 6 cell pack is just fine. I agree with the rest of you also my guess is that it isnt the charger it is the batteries. Oh and also what do you use for a power source with your milennium?

[T3RACERV1.20]

With my charger I use a Rivergate power source 30 amp it cost me $131.00, It works great. Also since all of you guys say not to dead short, how do you keep your cells in good condition. Like having a good run time, thats the only reason why I dead short is for the run time.

[Grizzbob]

Well, I hate to tell you this, but dead-shorting NiCd's do NOT improve run time....in fact, that tends to reduce it somewhat. Dead-shorting is done to maintain the voltage & keep resistance down, but capacity(i.e. run time) is sacrificed some to get it, as well as the overall life of the cell. That's why many people never do it, the extra voltage & punch is not worth the loss of cell life to them, & as long as you use a good discharge tray after the main discharge(use the bulb or resistor type with a voltage cutoff first) you'll hardly notice any difference in cell performance & last a good long time..... http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/smile.gif

[TufferWilde]

I'm with Grizzbob on this one, in that dead shorting will simply allow the pack to have more of a punch over a longer lifetime, but it will begin to sacrifice run time - if you are running mod, this is a concern, but if you are running stock, this is not an issue.

As for dead shorting the packs, how often in a week are you running the packs?? If you are running the packs over and over, this could be a concern, but not usually. Try simply picking up a couple more packs.

As for the false peaking problem, are you taking all four of the packs off of the dead short when you begin to charge the first one? If you are: the other three will begin to regain a charge as soon as the "Stasis" of the dead short is removed from the pack. This would allow for the packs to have some charge when you put them on, which the first pack probably does not have.

Also - try setting the threshold at 20mV. It is safe to charge the packs at this level when they are NiCd packs.

Wilde

[TufferWilde]

I'm with Grizzbob on this one, in that dead shorting will simply allow the pack to have more of a punch over a longer lifetime, but it will begin to sacrifice run time - if you are running mod, this is a concern, but if you are running stock, this is not an issue.

As for dead shorting the packs, how often in a week are you running the packs?? If you are running the packs over and over, this could be a concern, but not usually. Try simply picking up a couple more packs.

As for the false peaking problem, are you taking all four of the packs off of the dead short when you begin to charge the first one? If you are: the other three will begin to regain a charge as soon as the "Stasis" of the dead short is removed from the pack. This would allow for the packs to have some charge when you put them on, which the first pack probably does not have.

Also - try setting the threshold at 20mV. It is safe to charge the packs at this level when they are NiCd packs.

Wilde

[FilthyPierre]

Hmmm.. at the risk of starting a war of words on battery discharging, I always thought that discharging a NiCd too far would ruin them, certainly putting a dead short across them would totally screw it. The lower you discharge them the more you risk cell reversal (where the positive and negative terminals become just the opposite) and once that happens you may as well stick 'em up your arse for all the good they'll do.
Current thinking is that a 1.2V NiCd shouldn't be discharged further than 0.9V, hence your 5.4V discharger should be all you need. For side-by-side packs, those discharger trays are generally set to individually cut off when the cell reaches 0.9V (or somewhere around that mark).
Take a look at this site, the <a href="http://gnv.fdt.net/~redscho/">RC Battery Clinic</a>, there's a wealth of information there and links to others with how to properly care for NiCd's (and NiMH).
Good Luck.

[TC3~Racer]

I agree with FilthyPierre i've always heard that you can mess up cells if you discharge them lower than 5.4v (total in 6cell pack). Also, on many manufacturers have said that dead shorting is NOT recomended.