Chargers

[Malakite]

I notice that nowadays there are literally hundreds of different types of chargers on sale. Way back in the day when I first got into R/C racing, it was a simple choice between an overnight 'trickle charge' or a fast charger (30 mins). Now I see there are soooooo many differently names chargers, I really have no idea where to start, can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

[pagedm_f350]

Here is a post that was about this topic a few weeks ago. I guess it comes down to how much you want to spend, dollars vs features. A top notch charger is something I always wanted but never seem to get around to purchasing, somehow end up buying a NIB kit instead

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=41571

[Malakite]

Here is a post that was about this topic a few weeks ago. I guess it comes down to how much you want to spend, dollars vs features. A top notch charger is something I always wanted but never seem to get around to purchasing, somehow end up buying a NIB kit instead

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=41571

That's great, thank you so much for your help

One thing though, is there any translation as to what the letters mean at the end of each battery? Are some just a better quality or does it mean some last longer / have more power? Am I right in thinking that it's the numbers at the beginning of the battery that make it last longer? i.e. a 3300 is going to last longer than a 2300? I have no idea what the letters after these numbers mean though?

[pagedm_f350]

I have no idea what the letters after these numbers mean though?

Your spot on with the numbers, the higher the number the longer the battery will last. Letters at the end of the numbers, do you mean mAh or NiCd, NiMh?

I am not an expert but here is a basic run down:

2100 mAh NiCd = 2100 milliamp hour Nickel Cadmium battery (NiCd is fast becoming old school)

mAh is the unit of measure for battery capacity, Nickel Cadmium is the chemical compound the cells are made from.

There are other types of battery also, the two other common types used in r/c are:

NiMh = Nickel metal hydride, higher capacity than NiCd (I would say just about main stream by now)

LiPO = Lithium Polymer, even higher capacity again, very light, but starts to get complicated with cell sizes and shapes, charging proceedures and the type of charger needed. (cutting edge stuff but gaining popularity fast)

RC Driver magazine has had some really good articles on battery types and chargers over the last few months, see if you can get some back issues they will help.

[terry.sc]

The number on batteries is the capacity, so a 4200mah battery has twice the capacity of a 2100mah battery, so the car will run for twice as long before the battery goes flat. There are differences in the construction of the cells that mean the more expensive, quality batteries do give more performance but unless you are racing you won't notice the difference too much. Just avoid the really cheap cells.

Chargers depend on how much you want to spend. If you are planning on sticking with the hobby for some time it's worth spending erxtra on the charger as the better chargers will look after your batteries better.

I assume you need a 240v charger.

At the cheap end have a look at the Prolux Go charger or the Ripmax Propeak Just hit the button to start and they do everything for you.

For a bit more money the Graupner Ultramat will do anything you could ever need in the future.

There are a lot more chargers for a lot more money that can do so much more, but none of the extra functions are actually necessary unless you are racing at a high level.

[Malakite]

Your spot on with the numbers, the higher the number the longer the battery will last. Letters at the end of the numbers, do you mean mAh or NiCd, NiMh?

I am not an expert but here is a basic run down:

2100 mAh NiCd = 2100 milliamp hour Nickel Cadmium battery (NiCd is fast becoming old school)

mAh is the unit of measure for battery capacity, Nickel Cadmium is the chemical compound the cells are made from.

There are other types of battery also, the two other common types used in r/c are:

NiMh = Nickel metal hydride, higher capacity than NiCd (I would say just about main stream by now)

LiPO = Lithium Polymer, even higher capacity again, very light, but starts to get complicated with cell sizes and shapes, charging proceedures and the type of charger needed. (cutting edge stuff but gaining popularity fast)

RC Driver magazine has had some really good articles on battery types and chargers over the last few months, see if you can get some back issues they will help.

Brilliant. So I presume that the newer batteries (higher capacity ones from the NiCd for example) produce better output (more power to the cars)?

I remember when NiCad came out and man did R/C cars go twice the speed with these in (the eight AAA battery ones!) than they did with normal Duracell ones - I presume this is why, is that correct?

Finally, I also presume the higher numbered batteries not only last longer but also produce a little extra power too, would that also be correct?

[markbt73]

Brilliant. So I presume that the newer batteries (higher capacity ones from the NiCd for example) produce better output (more power to the cars)?

I remember when NiCad came out and man did R/C cars go twice the speed with these in (the eight AAA battery ones!) than they did with normal Duracell ones - I presume this is why, is that correct?

Finally, I also presume the higher numbered batteries not only last longer but also produce a little extra power too, would that also be correct?

No, they're all 7.2 volts. The higher numbers mean higher capacity, so they last longer on a charge. What they allow, however, is the use of hotter motors or lower gearing, for more speed without sacrificing run time. But in a back-to-back test, in the same car, you won't notice any speed increase just from a higher mAh battery.

The older 8xAA cars were slower because they had much smaller motors and were very conservatively geared.

[Malakite]

No, they're all 7.2 volts. The higher numbers mean higher capacity, so they last longer on a charge. What they allow, however, is the use of hotter motors or lower gearing, for more speed without sacrificing run time. But in a back-to-back test, in the same car, you won't notice any speed increase just from a higher mAh battery.

The older 8xAA cars were slower because they had much smaller motors and were very conservatively geared.

Sure, but why were the cars twice the speed if you put rechargable nicad batteries in them instead of just standard say duracell ones?

[garry]

Rechargeable cells have higher discharge rates than alkaline cells.

[Crash Cramer]

If this helps at all there is a site we could all go and learn a little something from. It is simply "www.batteryuniversity.com" and it has a bit of information on batteries as a whole.

[Malakite]

If this helps at all there is a site we could all go and learn a little something from. It is simply "www.batteryuniversity.com" and it has a bit of information on batteries as a whole.

Nice one i'll have a read