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i'm thinking of getting a battery zapper and i was wondering on how often do you zap cells for maintenance? is it possible to zap a cell more than once? does it really help? what can it contribute?

i know this is a lot of questions but i am totally lost here. thanks in advance to all who will contribute

071crazy

iTrader: (8)

Just fyi, multiple posts asking the same question over and over are frowned upon on these forums.

The maintenance zappers that Integy produces are not the same as the zappers used during initial zapping. They help to reduce the crystalline structure that develops in cells over time. You can use it more than once, but don't expect them to achieve miracles out of really old packs. If a pack has lost run time, it probably won't replenish it, and won't repair a cell that's been abused/vented.

lush

Hey Crazy,

How are the integy zappers different from any other zapper? My understanding is that they all shoot a massive charge through the cell. Whats the difference between a maintenance zapper and a normal zapper (I know theyre supposed to be for upkeep of your cells as opposed to initial conditioning, but what ACTUAL difference is there? IS it all marketing hype, to make people buy more expensive zappers for commercial use??)

How is the integy unit different from others? What other better ones would you recommend, over the integy unit? (for intial zapping of virgin cells).

The only other zapper I have seen advertised is the Apex zappers from hong kong. Are they any better?

Jon Williams

iTrader: (5)

Steer clear of the Apex zappers from HK. They're cheesy and don't work well.

FYI, we produce our own units for zapping our cells. We use certain specification caps and other components which we feel work best.

We're currently working on a new technology with an engineer from England to hopefully eek a little more juice out of the current GP cell.

kcobra

iTrader: (11)

So for new cells how often should you zap them? Also, can they be zapped while still in pack form? I've got a Victor IQ charger and was thinking about building the zapper for it.

Jon Williams

iTrader: (5)

KCobra, I can't give away our exact process for enhancing the cells, but I will say that you should zap and then let them rest for at least a day and then zapping again.

Virgin cells will take the zap best. Older cells will see very little if any improvement.

kcobra

iTrader: (11)

So should you zap the cells each week the day before the race and then on race day? Should this be done every week? Also, when zapping them on race day should you do it right before you charge them for the qualifier/main or a while before that so they can rest?

Any FAQ out there on zapping cells?

Jon Williams

iTrader: (5)

No, you shouldn't waste your time zapping cells multiple times after their virgin zap. I have yet to really see a vast improvement on older packs being zapped.

LJae

iTrader: (4)

jdwca- are you saying that "maintance zapping" is useless? i've been told that the zapping that matchers do wears off after about 5 to 10 cycles. is there any truth to that? if so, what can be done to maintane battery performance? i'm looking to get some of the high dollar pack and need them to last. thanks

burbs

iTrader: (1)

a zapping a battery only works one time.... if it is done properly...
zapping does not wear off... but a weld on the spring can break..

inside of the battery is a a plate, then a spring the a plate... from what i was told as the pack charges.. the spring compresses... what zapping does is it welds that spring tight..

so the pack will take a shorter charge, and have a quicker release ie voltage...

the only way maintinance zapping will work is if this weld breaks, and the spring releases... small units for maininance, do not work well.. there just isnt enough power... the ones matchers use are usually hand built and one of a kind...


Now i have heard of people zapping every time they charge a pack.. and they swear by it.. personally after i zap before a race day, my packs seem really flat...

RCMits

iTrader: (30)

http://www.rctech.net/forum/search.p...der=descending

Jon Williams

iTrader: (5)

Burbs is correct in his assessment of maintenance zapping. From our testing we've seen virtually no benefit. The cells come up the same on the zapper. Also, as Burbs indicated, the maintenance zappers put out so little juice any subsequent welding/fusing of the plates normally does not occur.

As with anything though, YMMV.

rough512

iTrader: (12)

This is the first time I saw/read such description of a cell's internal structure.

Dragonfire

iTrader: (1)

I brought the integy unit to try and revive some old cells.

They were tested multiple times using different tricks to revive their long gone power.

After zapping (max setting of 92v) the cells lost voltage and runtime for their 1st charge. Then returned to their previous readings with LOWER internal resistence.

This has been consistent on many of my older cells.

The moral: The initial zap is what counts. maintenence zappers do very little. Best to keep your cells in top condition with proper care.

Jon Williams

iTrader: (5)

Agreed. I can confirm this. Most often, if a cell doesn't take it's first virgin zap properly (bad contact, caps and other items older or not recharging efficiently) than subsequent zaps will do very little to improve the cell's performance.