MRC Super Brain 959 Help wanted

[rcjeepbuilder]

I just bought a used super brain of of a friend and I can not get it to charge.. I hooked up a 3600 sadle pack nickle metal pack to it and hit start. 1 hr later took it off charge and it was reading 8.4 volts, so I installed it into my crawler and it only ran for like 5 min. So..I have heard that the amps are adjustable but I dont know what to set it at? I dont want to fry a battery. I charged it at the default setting of 3.0 amps...So what now??????

 

[CreepyCrawl]

A good starting point for any battery pack is a 1C charge rate, which is 1x the mAH rating. So in your case it would be 3.6 amps, however the 959 is only adjustable in .5 increments, so 3.5 amps should do the trick for you.

Also, be sure to set your mv rate to 30. This equates to 5 mv per cell in the pack. If you were using a 7 cell pack it would be 35 mv and so on. The mv rating is the actual peak detect setting for the charger.

If the pack is new or has been sitting for a while, try charging at .5 amps to slowly bring it back up. If you still have issues after 2 or 3 cycles of charging and then running the pack down, it may be a glitch in the charger.

If that's the case contact MRC...they will rebuild the charger for you. I believe it's around $10.00 for the service.

 

[rcjeepbuilder]

Thanks Creepy! You couldnt have explained it clearer!!!!!!!

 

[rcjeepbuilder]

Hey creepy how about time? how long should I charge it, theirs not a preset time.....I dont think their is????

 

[shierkahn]

The MRC SB 959 has auto peak, it will charge till full, then peak out, then when it's totally done it will shut down automatically. I've been using mine for about a year now. I bought it used for $30 from my LHS sales rep.

Now it's buttons are starting to get a little tricky to use, so it might need a rebuild. Do they offer the rebuild regardless of how many peoples owned it?

Also, on my new CBP.com 8 cell 1500mah 2/3a packs... I charge them at .5a sice that's the lowest setting. Should I set the mV's at 40mV? I use the default of I think 30mV since I'm not a battery pro.

Chris

 

[constantmotion]

Here's the manual

http://www.modelrec.com/resources/batteryChargers/RB959_manual_web.pdf

 

[CreepyCrawl]

Thanks Creepy! You couldnt have explained it clearer!!!!!!!

Anytime "thumbsup"

I forgot to mention that the 959 and the 960 are both rated to handle up to 7 cells and 3700 mAH capacity. You can charge higher capacity cells and I've seen them go as high as 9 cell on 2/3A packs, but it will take longer to charge and there is more of a chance of false peaking.

I do believe that MRC will rebuild regardless of ownership, as long as the fee is covered by the current owner.

I've been told that with the Elite 1500's in particular, it's a good idea to slow charge them on or around every 10th charge cycle. They are dense little cells and by slow charging (.5 or lower) it helps to break up the crystals that form within each cell, thus resulting in more overall capacity and voltage.

And yes shierkahn, 40mv is the appropriate setting for an 8 cell pack.

 

[shierkahn]

I just got these packs last week so, I'll be charging at .5a for a few. They peak at about 11.4, takes a little while to finish. But that's ok by me (hence buying the 2 packs) Set mV's at 40mah and seems to do better.

Thanks Creepy"thumbsup", Chris

 

[CreepyCrawl]

Cool, anytime man.