Charging Batteries - Velleman K7302 Illustrated Assembly Manual

Charging batteries

Charging batteries
Determining the charge current:
Before building the kit, one must determinate how much current will be used to charge the battery or bat-
tery pack.
It is advisable to charge the battery with a current that is 10 times smaller then the battery capacity, and to
charge it for about 15 hours. If you double the charge current , then you can charge the battery in half the
time.
Example:
A battery pack of 6V / 1000mAh can be charged with 100mA during 15 hours. If you want to charge faster,
then a charge current of 200mA can be used for about 7 hours.
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CAUTION: The higher the charge current, the more critical the charge time must be checked.
When faster charging is used, it is advisable to discharge the battery completely before charging.
Using a charge current of 1/10 of the capacity will expand the lifetime of the battery. The charge time can
easily be doubled without damaging the battery.
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