Nimh Charging
 

Curious what's the best way to charge Nimh packs??

I've been running my Nimh packs and fully peak charging them when done running them.

Curious what's best way to charge them, store them and such.

So many have gone lipo I haven't found anything discussing Nimh pack charging procedures in searches.

Thanks in advance.

This is pretty good advice on NiMhs -

http://www.promatchracing.com/5000.php

I have 3 chargers. One is a Dynamite Prophet Plus peak charger, very basic. Next I have a Dynamite Vision LCD. Better charger, allows you to see how the battery is doing (voltage, mAh put into the pack, peak voltage, charge time, and a little battery icon that allows you to see the amount of charge in the battery currently). Then I have a Triton EQ by Electrifly. It charged Nicd, NiMH, LiPo, Pb and LiFe batteries. Comes with balance connectors for everything. This charger allows you to discharge a battery at any rate up to 1.0A, and you can set a discharge cutoff voltage as well. You can even do a cycle for Nicd and NiMH batteries. You can charge it to peak, then discharge it up to 5x or vice versa.

Here's my method for keeping my NiMH batteries in shape. New batteries I hook to my Triton and cycle them 5x (peak charge then discharge). Then I simply peak them on any charger that is not in use when they start to fade in power. Once every 6 months I cycle them 2x. Discharge them then charge them. That way I make sure that they are being drained properly. If I have left a battery sit for a long time I peak it, then discharge it and then peak it again. This all takes a while, but I leave it to do its work while I am doing other things. Generally I don't think they require much maintenance. A good peak charger will keep them charged up. New batteries need to be charged and used a few times to obtain best life, but other than that you can just charge them up after a day of running or if they lose power from usage. If I store a battery I peak it first.

Lets say you have two 7.2v stick packs in your starter box. When the box starts to lose power and doesn't crank the engine enough. Let the batteries cool then charge them up. Or after a day of use, charge them up so they're ready to go next time. They don't really drain themselves unless used, just remember to switch the box off or unplug the battery from the connector. Use this same practice for your receiver battery in your car/truck/buggy as well.

Overall there isn't much to think about for NiMH batteries. Charge them up and go until they lose power and charge them again. Any peak charger will work just fine. Personally I don't do the whole temp check thing. Just as long as you never charge them higher than 1C. Meaning if your pack is 4000mAh then charge it no higher than 4A.