tc4

iTrader: (5)

Hi all, I am just wondering if there is anyway or method that you can use to revive your battery packs? I have 2 sorta old Reedy IB3800 and they only take in about 3600 and get fairly warm when charging. I have taken the packs apart to rebuild them like glueing them and making the pack straight again. Would say charging or cycling each cell individually be a good idea?

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks

Marcos.J

iTrader: (239)

i would discharge them on a tray then charge them back up at 5 amps and see. What are your settings on your charger now??

tc4

iTrader: (5)

well i used them on the weekend and i was charging at 4 amps to be safe and 3m/v per cell. they were getting about 3500 in them but would stop charging due to temperature cut off. but then again it was about 32 degrees in the shade. Also is it true when the pack gets older that you have to change the m/v per cell?

Cheers

rcstunt101

iTrader: (16)

I use the spintec V2 battery manager that conditions batteries, im not saying that it will completely recover ur packs, but i know that one or two 3800 packs that i had that were getting like under 3200, one i cycled once or twice on the spintec, they were getting close to 3800+.

tc4

iTrader: (5)

ok well i might give them a cycle on my ICE, what amps should i charge at and discharge at when cycling?

.:hyperdrive:.

iTrader: (10)

Here's what I would do:

1. Use an equaliser tray to equalise the cells down to 0.9v per cell.
2. Charge as you normally would, which should be between 4-5.5A depending on preference.
3. Discharge at the highest rate possible. From memory, the ICE can discharge up to 10A, which should be fine.
4. Cool the pack down, preferably with a fan for an hour or two.
5. Repeat steps 1-4.

Is it just one or two cells getting hotter than the others?
Cells tend to become hotter the older they get because their internal resistance increases, which translates into heat when current passes through. To combat this, try lowering your volt threshold by 1 or 2 mV/cell. And yes, you would've put in less mAh into the pack, but forcing in an extra 100mAh will do nothing for the batteries since they would already be at full capacity and any further energy received by it would simply be turned into excess heat(ie wasted). My personal rule of thumb is to keep the cells around 45C when they peak. Of course this value varies slightly according to ambient temperature.

Swamp Rat

iTrader: (5)

Before you discharge i would charge at4 amps for around 5- 6 minutes
Check each cell is above 1.2 them discharge and equalise.

It is no good discharing a pack if 1 cell is already less than .9V

Clippy

iTrader: (45)

Also try using the Re-Flex charge mode on the ICE. Instructions say it's mainly for re-con NiCDs but has previuously done wonders with NiMHs packs on occasion for me.

Just a thought

NOZ69

Yeah..I agree with the Re-Flex charge mode.

My 12 month old plus unmatched IB4200's are all still taking 4500+ using the Re-Flex mode.

Cheers

tc4

iTrader: (5)

ok thanks for that guys i will give them a few cycles and see if they improve. i will try and sus out how to use the reflex made on the ICE too.