Starting Charge; Care & Handling Of Nimh Batteries - Tower Hobbies AC/DC PEAK CHARGER Instruction Manual

STARTING CHARGE

Linear current will be supplied to NiCd and NiMH batteries during charge. Once the charger that detects the battery's
voltage has reached peak, it will automatically stop fast charge and start trickle charge.
1. For 6- or 7-cell power batteries, connect the battery to the charger's output lead. Make sure the polarities of the
battery and charger's leads match (red charger wire to red battery wire, black charger wire to black battery wire). Skip
to step 3.
2. For 4-, 5-, or 8-cell radio batteries, insert the battery's plug in the RADIO BATTERY JACK on the front edge of
the charger. Make sure the battery's black or brown wire is on the right side when inserting into the jack. Refer to the
INPUT POWER section on page 2 for details about charging 7- or 8-cell batteries. If a 7- or 8-cell battery does not
appear to have reached full peak, attempt to peak charge the battery again by disconnecting it from the charger and
then re-connecting.
CAUTION: Make sure the charge current setting is safe for your battery to prevent overheating of
the cells. "AAA", "AA", "A", or "2/3A" size batteries generate heat more quickly than large sub-C
batteries. It's NOT recommended to charge batteries having a rated capacity less than 600mAh with
this charger. Failure to follow these recommendations could permanently damage your battery!
Disconnect the battery from the charger IMMEDIATELY if the battery becomes hot!
3. Fast charge will start automatically when the charger recognizes the battery is connected to the output. The LED will
turn on at this time.
4. When the charger detects the battery has reached peak, fast charge will end and trickle charge will begin automatically.
The LED will flash TWICE every five seconds, indicating trickle charge is in process and the battery is ready for use at
this time. The charger will remain in trickle charge mode until the battery is disconnected from the charger.
The trickle charge current value is set automatically at a rate
being the fast charge current setting divided by 20, as shown
in the chart at right.
To manually stop charge at any time, disconnect the battery
from the charger. The LED should return to flashing once
every five seconds.
A backup safety timer is built into this charger to automatically stop fast charge if peak is not detected in 90 minutes.
If you attempted to charge a battery and later found the LED flashing once every 2 seconds, this means the 90
minute safety timer stopped charge (not the peak detection circuit). You could try to peak charge the battery again by
disconnecting and then reconnecting it to the charger. Refer to the Troubleshooting Guide for more details.
If the LED flashes in a pattern different than described above, refer to the ERROR INDICATORS AND
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE for details.
CARE & HANDLING OF NIMH BATTERIES
• Do not to allow NiMH batteries to overheat. Disconnect overheated batteries from the charger immediately and
allow to cool.
• Store NiMH packs with some voltage remaining on the cells (refer to battery supplier).
• It is important to recharge NiMH batteries immediately prior to use, as they have a high self-discharge rate.
TRICKLE CHARGE RATE
Fast Charge Current
1A
2A
4A
4
Approx. Trickle Current
50mA
100mA
200mA