[aubej]

Hello all.

I got a Triton a while back and have had really good success charging NiCads and LiPos. I recently bought some 1800 mah 6V Nimh packs for my 28% Edge and after my initial break-in charge on my multi-charger, I was having problems getting the packs to charge properly on the Triton.
I kept getting false peaking and the packs would never reach proper capacity. I did a little research and here is what I found:

As stated above, a nimh pack needs a break in charge. I like to use my multi-charger on a simple timer. For the initial charge, I like to charge to 1.6 times capacity at a C/10 (or as close as possible) rate. This means that for the 1800 mah pack at a rate of 180 ma, you would need to charge for 16 hours. (1800 / 180) * 1.6 = 16 hours
I actually used the 250ma setting so I charged for 11.5 hours.

After my initial break-in charge, I cycled my packs on the Triton. I couldn't get the pack above the 1000mah mark. After reading the instructions (always a last resort) I noticed that the Nimh charge config has a 'max input current' setting that defaults to 1000ma. Ok, so sometimes reading the manual before using a product can be useful.

I changed this value and still had problems getting a decent charge into my nimh packs. After some more research on the net, I tried a few things that have really helped out.

1 - Shortened the charge lead substantially. My lead is now approx. 7~8 inches long.

2 - I used 14 gauge wire and gold plated banana jacks. Not sure how much the gold plated jacks helped out, but that's all Radio Shack had so that's what I got.

3 - The last thing I did was change the value of the Nimh peak sensitivity. I moved it up from 3mV to 9mV and am currently trying 12mV to see what will happen.

With these changes, I got above 95% capacity charge in my packs.

I was getting frustrated with the Triton, but after some careful research and a little trial and error, I am starting to like it more and more. I like that you can change the configuration.

Hope this helps out any other Triton users out there.

Feel free to add to these tips.

Jason

[ronm]

This is very helpful info.
I was having the same problems, and was beginning to experiment with the settings.
Good to see that I am not alone!

Ronm

[LEE]

Good info guys! I was wondering about charging my new 2100 6 volt NimH batteries. I don't have a regular charger that has the proper output for these, and I was wondering about using my Hobbico MkII charger set at 200ma for the initial charge. I read on Red's Battery clinic that you should charge these batteries at C10 (1/10th the capacity) for 12-14 hrs before trying any quick charging.

Is there a problem using the MKII for such a long time?

[aubej]

Originally Posted by LEE

Is there a problem using the MKII for such a long time?

No problem using it for that long of a time if there is no peak detection. On a new pack, you'll need to be able to run it for the entire charge to break it in. A peak charger will not let it go the entire charge.

Jason

[Frank Klenk]

Hey, good tips Jason. The Triton is a learning experience for me too. I think because all the chargers I used previuosly were just plug em and forget em, and now the Triton has all these values to set and well I don't do much owners manual reading either. So, it's a learning experience with the Triton and at the same time we learn more about the batteries we use. At least I think I know know a bit more about batteries. That peak sensitivity setting is a mysterious. I wasn't sure either so I started moving it lower to gain a better charge but now I see you move yours higher, ok I will try that too. The charger sure works well on my lipos, no complaint at all.

Frank

[Bob Hudson]

To "form" or "break in" your NiMh I find it much easier to simply use the "regular" RX charger ( the "wall-wart" ) as supplied with my R/C system. Typically these chargers have an output current of "about" 50ma to 100ma. Read the label on the wall-wart.

Simply do the math for your "x1.6" capacity of your new NiMh pack and leave the new pack on charge for this period of time.

I use 1650ma packs on my receivers.

A 1650ma pack X1.6 ( =2640) on a 100ma charger would charge for 26.5 hours. the same pack on a 50ma charger would charge for 52.8 hours. 1 day first scenario, 2 days second scenario. I don't see this as a big deal ??

Charge to the calculated number of hours. then do a discharge on your Triton ( for cycling purposes) to see how many mils your pack provided on that charge.

Re-charge the pack on the R/C system charger ( the "wall-wart" )

After your pack is "formed" DO NOT charge your packs over capacity "C" , better yet, at a lower capacity than "C"

For my 1650ma packs I use the "1.4" formula and adjust my Triton and Dymond chargers to 2300ma capacity pack and set the charger rate at 1000ma ( 1 amp).

[LEE]

Thanks for the info guys Does the fact that the packs I have are 6 volt matter for the charger output? If not, then why do I have a 4.8 and a six volt setting on my quick charger? In other words, If I use my wall charger at 120ma on my 2100 mah packs (which are 6 volt packs) shouldn't the time to fully charge be longer than the calculated values given by others, since the charger (Ace Chargemaster-still going strong after 15 years!!) was built with 4,8volt cells in mind?