I have a Universal Smart Charger and a 4500 mAh NiMH Battery Pack. The battery pack came with charging instructions that say the standard trickle charge is 450 mA and the Max Peak Charge Rate is 3.0 Amps (Repeak @ 5 Amps). Given that the charger can output 0.6 Amps and 1.2 Amps I believe I can use it to charge my battery pack (because neither of the aforementioned charging rates are higher than the Max Peak Charge). However I have been unable to prove this definitively so I am hoping that someone here can enlighten me. In short, can I use the Universal Smart Charger to safely charge my battery pack? If so how long will it take (I calculate 3.75 hours though again I’m not confident of this answer)? Also, can anyone explain the phrase “Repeak @ 5 Amps”?
The Universal charger first charges the battery @ 0,6A or 1,2A depending on the setting of the charger. If the charger measures the delta peak it stops and switches to trickle charge.
You can charge the battery @ 1,2A but you have to consider some lose in charge rate. So the battery has to be full in about 4 hours. Because of the Delta peak cutoff the charger stops on its own when battery is full and switches to Trickle charge. Don’t know what trickle charge current it uses, can’t find it. But when it switches to trickle charge you can disconnect the battery and use it.
The Repeak function is not used with the Robot application. This is sometimes used in the Radio Controlled sports. To get maximum voltage at the start of a race. When battery is full and the start is some minutes away the voltage drops. When using the repeak function the voltage will clime again. You have more punch out of the battery at the start.
with a 4.5AHr pack the difference in charged capacity when using 0.6A or 1.2A charge rates will be minimal as 1.2A is only slightly more than the C/5 standard rate frequently used to estimate pack capacity. The higher charge rate may also make it easier for the charger to detect the termination condition (-dV/dT) and reduce the risk of overcharging.
