5
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.
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.
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.
Charging batteries
