Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Model Boating => Topic started by: Nige52 on October 25, 2010, 11:09:31 am

Title: Here's a conundrum for you - NiCad or NiMah?
Post by: Nige52 on October 25, 2010, 11:09:31 am
How can you tell if a 7.2v racing pack is NiCad or NiMah when all you can see are the 2 cardboard tubes that hold them together, with absolutely no markings on them?
I have several of these that came in a job lot, I'm unhappy about charging them up as I don't know exactly what they are, is there any way of telling? Without them exploding that is..... {-)
Title: Re: Here's a conundrum for you - NiCad or NiMah?
Post by: malcolmfrary on October 25, 2010, 12:56:06 pm
Charged gently, there is virtually no difference.  After that, to find out the capacity, you need to first, fully charge them, then discharge them into a known load.  When you know how much current they are delivering and for how long, you have the capacity.  Without any markings, thats about it. 
Title: Re: Here's a conundrum for you - NiCad or NiMah?
Post by: nemesis on October 26, 2010, 10:50:11 pm
Hello, another way is to charge them up, check the voltage the next day & again after a week. Ni-cads hold their charge longer than hydrids which lose quite a percentage on standing.  Nemesis