NiMh Battery Pack Smart Charger 12V

[broloch]

Can anyone recommend a good quality NiMh pack smart charger? I am using one of the Tenergy smart chargers, and it doesn't seem to work very well.
Kinda flaky, actually.

 

[NickF23]

http://www.powerstream.com/ is well regarded.

Ive also found drill chargers, with the right thermistor to work well. Also recommend choosing as low a charge rate as you can - low charge (under c/10) rates tend not to damage the cells if the pack is unbalanced

 

[docnjoj]

Astroflight.com should always be considered for chargers. High quality and reasonable prices. They are pretty bulletproof and made in USA!
otherDoc

 

[broloch]

Hi There.

Thanks. I think Astroflight will be for me. It seems pricey though. Anyone use batteries from France? My battery is really flaky, the last time I charged it, it was too hot to the touch. It seems to cut out too quickly. I have a 36V 4.2Ah NiMh running at about 18mph, and seems to last about 3 miles.

Maybe I should replace my NiMh batteries, and get some Saft batteries from France that are used for the military, and to get a good charger too?

 

[needWheels]

I have a 36V 4.2Ah NiMh running at about 18mph, and seems to last about 3 miles.

That's interesting because I was planing to build a pack like that for myself. Did you make your own?
3 miles seems terrible, even doubling in parallel would only be 6 miles. Hmm.

Just a guess, are you using Tenergy cells? Because from what I read around the web, they seem notorious for being 80% of what they are rated, ie. 4200mah is really 3300mah. You can tell by the cell weight compared to higher quality brand. Are you using sub-c sized cells?

 

[broloch]

I have a 36V 4.2Ah NiMh running at about 18mph, and seems to last about 3 miles.

That's interesting because I was planing to build a pack like that for myself. Did you make your own?
3 miles seems terrible, even doubling in parallel would only be 6 miles. Hmm.

Just a guess, are you using Tenergy cells? Because from what I read around the web, they seem notorious for being 80% of what they are rated, ie. 4200mah is really 3300mah. You can tell by the cell weight compared to higher quality brand. Are you using sub-c sized cells?

With the power of the internet, I resurrect this thread.

The thing was yes. Yes they were Tenergy cells. They felt bad for some reason. Didn't feel good. They cramped out as well. I don't know.

I read that Robotmarketplace has incredibly good batteries.


Are NiCad bad? Are they really bad with memory?

 

[docnjoj]

Nicads good! Very tough and "memory" not a real concern! Heavy and toxic disposal are bad qualities. I still use some bought 6 years ago for backup bike pack and power tools!
otherDoc