RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

I've got a pair of yer bog standard Heng Long battery chargers, outputting 7.2v and 400mA without timer or cutoff, designed to charge the standard HL 2000 mAH NiCad blocks. A friend of mine has a few spare 3000 mAH NiMH batteries that he's willing to part with.

Can I charge them without problems with the HL charger as long as I make sure they're near empty before charging and set an alarm for 7.5 hours (7.5*400=3000) so not to overcharge them?

Hey there Lert...to answer your main concern ...Yes you can charge the 3000 mah batteries with your stock drip charger..how long they hold the charge will be dependent on how old the batteries are... usually more than a year of storage will drain them completely.... which is a good thing...but depending on how they were handled before... will be all determinant on the charge "life" or play time

I know you are on a relatively strict budget.... but if you can spare a few bucks... I would recommend investing in one of these

type of electrical timers... they usually sell for under 10 dollars US...most around 5.00...but the range varies on maker....you can either plug the charger directly into it and set the time...or connect the timer to a power strip and run multiple chargers

The method I have prescribed to many people (new first time charge) is about four to six hours initial...then two hours for a follow charge once you have used the battery ... the advice has proven to be reliable... as I have had new batteries last for over two years using that method

The timer prevents the charger or battery to "cook"... which can shorten the life drastically

Good Luck my Friend

ALPHA

That outlet timer is a great idea. I'll definitely think about it. Thanks for the reply.

No Problem Lert.... that is the next best thing to getting one of these


which is good ...but a tad high in cost...anywhere from 40 to 60 US...it does have a few more features... discharger ..speed charger...external power clips that can be attached to a car battery for charging in the field ...but basically the same thing... a timed charge...though the drip regulation is exactly the same as the stock charger

Hope all of this is of some help

ALPHA

It does, thanks. My concerns were whether or not NiCad charges the same as NiMH (apply voltage to cell) and whether or not the 400 mA would be a usable charging rate.

Lert wrote:It does, thanks. My concerns were whether or not NiCad charges the same as NiMH (apply voltage to cell) and whether or not the 400 mA would be a usable charging rate.

They are the same Lert...the easiest way to figure out how long to charge the battery is to look at the output (amps) and divide that into the amp rating on the battery

The only major difference between the NiCd...and the NiMh....is it is necessary to drain the NiCd...and optional on the NiMh

Lert