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BATTERY ANSWERS
by John Tag How should I charge my eXpress battery packs?
I suggest that charging at 6 amps for most applications. At
times, particularly in modified 5 minute racing or 1/12 scale
8 minute racing, you may need to charge at 5 or 5.5 amps to
gain a few seconds of runtime. You'll need to gauge this according
to how much runtime you come off of the track with.
How should I configure my charger for charging eXpress
GP 3300s?
My recommendation is to set your peak detect to the lowest
possible setting as the ambient temperature (air temperature)
conditions allow. The more charge pressed into the pack after
the peak, the more runtime
you will have but the flatter the pack will be. In stock and
19-turn racing, on a Competition Electronics GFX, I typically
run at a Peak Detect of .01-.02. Be careful though as you
may encounter a false peak, particularly if you dead-short
your packs. If this is the case, you'll need to keep long
lockout on on your charger in the beginning of the charge
cycle.
What temperature should the cells be at peak?
The cells should be around 130-135* at peak for most racing
applications. You can experiment with slightly higher temperatures
(140*), but once again I have found that the pack tends to
run flatter at the higher temperature range.
What charger do you recommend?
For under $200, my recommendation is the LRP Pulsar Competition
2. The charger has a good combination of features for the
money including charge, discharge, cylce (at 10A discharge),
motor break-in, etc.
For over $200, I recommend the Competition Electronics GFX
35. This charger is the ultimate in precision and features.
There are a few other chargers on the market in the same price
range, but in my opinion none are as accurate. I've found
that the cycling feature on the GFX directly correlates with
the CE Turobomatchers results. This way, you can measure the
performance of your packs from the time you receive them on
throughout their lifespan.
How should I store my packs?
You should discharge your packs down to 0.9V per cell for
short-term storage.
If you have any further questions regarding battery care,
feel free to contact me at
jtag@tmxpress.net
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