Battery Charging

[matthew]

Hi been RCing about 3 years now and im getting a few planes.
I been thinking about my Batteries hanging in the garage all winter.
should you store a batteries fully charge? And should I get a charger that can cycle the batteries? can someone tell me a good charger to buy that won`t break my piggy bank. you guys have a great website. Thanks

[Ron H]

Storing batterys in an un heated garage over the winter not good. Here is what I do and have done for many years. I keep all my stuff in the basement. I plug the charger(s) into one of those cheap timers that are used for turning your home lights on & off when you are away. Set the timer so it's 'on' for about 1 1/2 hours a day. I still try to charge overnight when I know I'm gonna fly, but that don't always happen. Works great and I dardly ever have battery problems.
Ron

[Ron H]

Nicads & NiMh's should be stored with a charge - it is said. They WILL slowly discharge on there own. Thats one of the main reasons I use the timer thing. If they drop too low, one or more cell could 'reverse' and no longer take a charge.
I would reccomend Hobbico Accu-Cycle (for NiCads) - they are not cheap, but they are good. I try to cycle my systems once a year and keep a record on a little tag for each plane.
Ron

[matthew]

I like the Timer Idea. Thats cheap and sounds like it works. I going to try that. Do you carry a spare transmitter battery. I will be flying several planes this year on one transmitter. Thanks for the help.

[Ron H]

I have carried a spare - in the past. This year, I switched to using a Lipo Tx pack - so far it has worked great. I have been flying 3 - 5 foamys on it every Tue night - usually only drops from 12.3 v. to 12.0 v after almost 2 hours of flying. I plan on doing the same thing for my fuel powered planes this summer.
Ron

[Ron H]

Mathew, one of our club members has a like-new Hobico Accu-Cycle that he wants to sell. Call me for more info. 231 744-5810