Shodin

Okay, so I've bought a Novak Smart Tray and am thinking about putting together a ~24a light bulb discharger, but there seems to be a little bit of debate on when to actually USE these two items.

I see some guys at the track throwing their packs into the NST after each race and then charging them up again. To me, it doesn't make much sense as it seems that it would be hard on the packs.

What makes more sense to me is have two packs that you've charged. Use one for your qualifying races, but don't discharge it b'n races. Just let it cool down and then charge it up again for the next race (there's a fair amount of time b'n races at my track, so this easily done). The second pack is only used for the a-main (assuming you qualify). B'n the last race and the a-main, you go ahead and peak it.

Once the races are done, then you throw your packs on the bulb dischargers (which I'm wanting to have a cutoff of about 6v - posts here and here if you haven't already read them), put them on the NST to take them down to 5.4v and store them until the next race.

Am I flawed in my thinking here or is this how it should be done?

XMSRacing

iTrader: (11)

Your going to get 1.56 MILLION different answers on this... this is my routine.

The night before I am going to use the pack/s I discharge them to 5.4v on my ICE or ProTrak - this is also the reason that unless your making a bulb charger with an auto-shut off, I wouldn't recommend them.

Then the day of the race/practice, before charging I put them on the smart tray and let them equalize. I normally let the lights go out, let the pack sit for a couple minutes and hit the button again for giggles.

Then I charge at 6-7amps (still playing with the two).

Race/Practice

I do not discharge at this point, as I only use my packs once a day. If you are going to use them a second time. Be sure to allow at least 2 hours for them to cool down internally. I still wouldn't do it though, but that's just my opinion. I leave the packs with a charge in them until the day before the next race or practice session.

aN4rK1

iTrader: (6)

Ive heard that this is a good routine. This is pretty much what i do.

Grizzbob

iTrader: (2)

As was already said, there are differing opinions on what's best, but it does appear that whatever you do, you need to decide on a routine & STICK TO IT FAITHFULLY. That seems by far the most important thing with today's cells, when you break with the routine is when you could mess the cells up a bit(though usually getting back in the routine should get them working normally again over time). What I do is a little different from those already posted, but not by too much. I already have my packs discharged when I arrive at the track, & the first thing I do before charging is put a pack on my Smart Tray(set at .5 volt cutoff), & right after it finishes there, I start charging(because it's already discharged enough, the cells don't heat up on the Smart Tray, so it's fine to charge right away). Then after I complete the run ontrack, I use my bulb discharger(with an auto cutoff switch) immediately, then put on the Smart Tray, & then put back in its place in the box. And if I'm only using once that day, then it'll stay there until the next week, but I do usually run at least one pack more than once per night, so in the case of that pack, I make sure I use it as early in the race day as possible, then do what I've already mentioned, & try to make sure the poack will have at least a couple of hours to completely cool before I'll put it back on the Smart Tray real quick & charge it again. Then after that additional run, I do what I've done to the one-run packs, discharge immediately & put it away. But the most important thing I do is I take great care to not break with the routine, & doing that has allowed my packs to stay strong for a long time(I've kept packs of 3300's for over 2 years with hardly any noticeable drop in performance, & I hope for similar results using the newer 3800's).....

zipp

yep i do the same as Grizz

and i totally agree with his advice:

stick with the routine!!!

Artificial-I

iTrader: (17)

Grizz: If your batteries are going to be stored for a month , what would you do then? Is storing at 5.4 only suggested when the batteries are frequently used , like weekly? Just wondering , I like how you said you have 3300's running good 2 years later. Might try your way with a set , but I only run monthly.

Grizzbob

iTrader: (2)

Yes, you've got the right idea. The routine I mentioned is based on getting back to the track pretty much every week to use the packs again(though it doesn't hurt if you go 2 weeks between races, on occaision). But if you have to wait longer between battery cycles, then it would be best to store them with some charge left in them(in my own doings, if I were to wait that long, I'd go ahead & put the pack away without using the discharger or tray right after the pack's last run of the day, there's usually plenty of juice left in them after a normal race unless you're running very hot modified motors, & if you do that, then it's ok to let it cool a bit & put it on the charger for maybe 10 minutes or so, that should give it enough to keep it in good shape for a longer storage period), & I'd say if you'll not be using them for more than a month, then it might be best to fully charge the pack before you put it away. Then when you're ready to run again, go ahead & fully discharge with the bulbs & Smart Tray, then charge as normal(& keep an eye out for false peaks, it can happen from time to time). Now after a long storage period, the packs will tend to feel a bit soft in the car, but trust me, after a few cycles of being back in the routine, they should get their punch back(I have had to take long breaks before, & my packs recovered quite nicely after getting back into the swing of things, they actually got back to normal faster than my driving did, lol ). I'd say if you stick to those guidelines, you should be fine & your packs should give you your money's worth in the process......

stevenmichael

iTrader: (35)

wow talk about a loaded question

for me i have 1 1/2 year old matched packs that i use for practice then i have 6 fusions 3300/3700 what i do is this

after my race i cool the batt. i just used on a cooler(or a fan doesnt matter)till it is cool to the touch.I then discharge it on my integy zero-030 discharger and then back on the cooler it goes.

now the next time i go to race the day before i pull my packs that im going to usse and i charge them up,when i get to the track and right before i go out i peak them,then run them and start the process all over again.

wether i race the next day or 3mo later i leave them till the day before i am racing then charge them.so far ive had really good luck my older packs came back to life doing it this way.

right or wrong this is how i was told to do it and it has worked

Shodin

Lol, sorry guys. Not trying to blow up the forums or anything w/what I asked. I'm really just trying to weed thru the here-say and speculation to find out what's actually best for battery packs.

stevenmichael

iTrader: (35)

i think this is pretty tame

best bet is to contact the maker of your packs and ask them what to do,rule of thumb is not to use matched packs twice in one day.

when i had my bulb discharger and NST i used to discharge then cool then equalize,again dont know if it was right or wrong but it worked for me.