Battery questions

[BlueMonster]

I just assembled a 7.2V pack with 1100Mah cells. I charged it initially at 1 amp.

Initial power was very nice, but runtime was only about 5 minutes. I am charging it again right now, hoping to get more time out of it.

How many times should I expect to cycle it before it is "done"?

What rate should it be charged at until that point? My chargers options are 1 or 4 amps.

This is going in my Mini Giant, for reference. I am curious what to expect for runtimes.

[JasonInAugusta]

1,100mAh divided by 1,000mAh charge rate is 1.1hrs

[JohnRobHolmes]

sounds like you didnt get a full charge on that. within 5 cycles you should have a broken in battery. if you only have 1 or 4 amp charges, charge at 1 amp. 4 is too much for those tiny cells. they would overheat and probably vent!

for runtimes, is it geared down? is it a standard wind motor or the stock motor that came with it?

[BlueMonster]

It is stock motor and gears. I am installing a gear reduction, though, to increase torque and slow it down. How much will that affect run time?

Are you saying that the battery should charge for an hour to get a full charge? If so, why would my peak charger stop charging sooner than that?

[JohnRobHolmes]

if your peak charger is stopping sooner than expected, then you might be having false peaks. discharge your batt as much as reasonable and try to recharge. and yes, at least one hour of charge or more is needed for a 1 amp charge on a 1.1amp hour battery.

your runtime (with bearings) should be at least 20 minutes stock, and up to an hour depending on gear reduction and voltage.

[BlueMonster]

Okay, thanks.

I am charging it now,we'll see how it goes. I'll also put it on my other peak charger and see what happens.

I would be ok with 20 minutes, but an hour would be great.

[JohnRobHolmes]

post up how it goes.