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CHARGE/DISCHARGE - RECOMMENDED PARAMETERS
Lithium Batteries
LiPo, LiHV and Li-ion Batteries
LiPo, LiHV and Li-ion batteries should be charged at 1C - unless the ma-
nufacturer recommended a different value – always follow closely the
instructions of the battery manufacturer.
Li-Fe Batteries
Genuine A123Systems LiFePO4 nanophosphate batteries may be safely
charged at 1-5C levels. Please follow the values recommended by the
particular manufacturer with Life batteries of other brands.
Lithium Battery Long Time Storage
If your lithium battery is not supposed to be used for more than a month,
you should use the Storage program to charge or discharge it to a safe
part-charge state best suited for the long time storage.
Battery Max. Temperature Limit
We recommend to set the cut-off temperature to 35-40°C for the LiPo
and Li-ion batteries; 40-45°C for the Li-Fe cells.
Note: The optional temperature sensor is required to measure the tem-
perature of your battery.
NiCd and NiMH Batteries
Low internal resistance power NiCd batteries of the sub-C size (e.g.
Panasonic (Sanyo) N-1700SCR, generally all 1:10 RC car NiCd packs) can
be charged at 1-2C rate (i.e. 1.7 to 3.4 A for 1700 mAh pack). The rest of
NiCd and NiMH batteries should not be charged at a rate higher than 1C.
Delta-peak Sensitivity
It determines the sensitivity of the delta-peak cut-off circuitry; adj-
ustable within the range 4-20 mV/cell. The lower value, the higher sen-
sitivity. The sensible value is 8-15 mV/cell for most of NiCd batteries and
4-10 mV/cell for most of NiMH batteries.
Discharge - the End Point Voltage
NiCd batteries: 0.8-1.0 V/cell, NiMH: 1.0 V/cell.
Battery Max. Temperature Limit
We recommend setting the cut-off temperature to 40-45°C for the NiCd
and NiMH batteries.
Sealed Gel Lead-Acid Batteries
We recommend charging the sealed lead-acid batteries at 0,1C rate;
discharge max. 1C.
Note:
1C rate means such a current that would theoretically charge a batte-
ry of a certain nominal capacity in 1 hour.
Example: It is 2 A (or 2000 mA) for 2 000 mAh battery.
Battery Standard Parameters
LiPo
LiIon
LiFe
LiHV
NiCd
NiMH
Pb
Nominal
Voltage
3.7 V/cell
3.6 V/cell
3.3 V/cell
3,7 V/cell
1.2 V/cell
1.2 V/cell
2.0 V/cell
Max. Charge
Voltage
4.2 V/cell
4.1 V/cell
3.6 V/cell
4,35 V/ cell
1.5 V/cell
1.5 V/cell
Type specific*
Storage Voltage
3.8 V/cell
3.7 V/cell
3.3 V/cell
3,85 V/ cell
Store fully
discharged
Store fully
charged
Store fully
charged
Min. Discharge
Voltage
3.0 V/cell
3.0 V/cell
2.8 V/cell
3,1 V/ cell
0.8 V/cell
1.0 V/cell
1.8 V/cell
Max. Charge
Current
≤1C or more**
≤1C
≤4-5C (A123)
≤1C
1-2C
1-2C
≤0.4C
*) Sealed (gas tight) gel PB batteries up to 2.27-2.30 V/cell. Classic lead-acid („car battery“) and valve-regulated lead-acid batteries up to 2.46 V/cell.
**) Some LiPo batteries may be charged at 5C or even higher rate – always follow the battery manufacturer’s recommendation.
