How to treat IB4200s between meetings?

[RogerM]

After some advice I am currently doing the following ...

After meeting discharging each pack on discharger, then single cell to 0.9V (I think ... unit isn't marked but seems to be 0.9V when measured with my DVM), charge to 1500mAh

Before / at each meeting, Same as above other than I am charging fully.

I have my charger set to 3.5A and the delta to 0.5mV per pack.


My question is this;

a) over kill
b) not enough
c) complete rubbish

????????????????????????????

[mark christopher]

sensible id say

you never rode a Montesa trials bike did you?

[bert digler]

Originally Posted by RogerM

After some advice I am currently doing the following ...

After meeting discharging each pack on discharger, then single cell to 0.9V (I think ... unit isn't marked but seems to be 0.9V when measured with my DVM), charge to 1500mAh

Before / at each meeting, Same as above other than I am charging fully.

I have my charger set to 3.5A and the delta to 0.5mV per pack.


My question is this;

a) over kill
b) not enough
c) complete rubbish

????????????????????????????

i leave mine in a state of charge ie wots left in em after race then discharge on balancer before charging before race batterys 18 months old one pack failed so i think ive done pretty well

[markwilliamson2001]

Hey Roger,

I do the same as bert, (for GP3700)

Fully charge pack before race, (charge at 4 Amps). After Race put pack back in cardboard packet (once cooled) then store for next meeting (normally have around 700 - 1000mah left in cells 3700's).
Day before meeting, discharge all cells (at 20amps) then place on Orion discharge tray (similiar to Novak deadline tray), until taken down to 0.9v.

Then charge again ready for meeting the next day. (I haven't noticed a major loss of power on the Sunday (at Dudley) even from charging the night before). Also their was so little time on sunday between rounds that it would not have been possible to charge ready in time for the race. It makes for a much calmer meeting...

I know some people discharge their cells after the meeting, then put 1000 mAh back in, but I think this lessens the life of the cell since you are effectively putting the cells through another cycle!!

If it is a big national meeting, I would probably charge on the day.

HTH
Mark

[super__dan]

Roger,

In my opinion the real care is mainly about just before you charge it i.e. the equalizing before charge following differential self disharge. All you need to do between races is make sure there is enough charge in them that they don't go flat during the week.

So if the pack is likely to have 1000mah+ left in it and your racing next week then just pack it up at the end of the day and forget about it until the start of next week. If you think you've used most of a pack, put 1000mah or so, i.e. say 10 minutes on charge and then pack away.