Alkaline charging

[jack lackmaker]

i see that it is possible to charge non rechargeable cells with some chargers now being sold has any one any experience with these units charging alkaline cells?

[Bruce Richards]

My father tried it and it did not work very well. Just get some rechargeable batteries they are not expensive and work very well.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[jack lackmaker]

the trouble with rechargeables is they only give 1.2 volts not 1.5 as required by many ready fly indoor models and unless you can add an extra battery into the circuit  they will not give you the required voltage hence the need to recharge dry cells

[Owen Hailey]

Hi Jack

There is a mixed view on recharging alcs I have one made by Rayovac, but you only get about 8 to 10 recharges, then they do not have any currant only volts so limited success in my case.

All charged up Owen.

[Simon Chaddock]

Hi Jack

Dry cells or rechargeables?

Dry cells have a higher internal resistance than rechargeables. This means that when under load the voltage supplied is more or less the same. Only in a very low current application might the 1.2 volts of a rechargeablel have any impact.

A conventional dry cell of any type is really only a one way chemical process. Any recharging capability is strictly limited and will soon damage the cell.

Rayovac did produce some proper "rechargeable" alkaline 1.5 volt cells but as Owen said they had a rather limited life both in terms of the number of recharges and how long they actually lasted. I dont think they are still available.

So simply replace your alkaline battery with a good NiMH one and recharge as required.

[jack lackmaker]

yes i can replace with rechargeables but it still does not alter the fact that they are only 1.2 volt as against 1,5 volts it seems the only way around the problem is to increase the cell count

[Bert]

I wouldn't waste my time charging alkalines, those chargers have been around for years and don't really work.

Take a look in the Pound shops for cheap non-rechargeables.

[Simon Chaddock]

Jack

I think you might be concerned about a problem that is not really there.

I use rechargeables in all my 1.5 volt applications (including my cheap TX, 8 cell, 10.6v instead of 12) and have no trouble at all. It has a "low voltage" warning LED and that only comes on whenl the rechargeables are virtually exhausted.

Most rechargeables show more than 1.2v when fully charged so increasing the cell count might do some damage.

[Owen Hailey]

Hi all

We are all on a volt hunt, when we should realy be conserned about current, eletrikery is most of the time about energy and a 1.5 volt drop is still quite ok on most tx's, so no need to be conserned.

volts x amps = watts Owen. 

[jack lackmaker]

has any one noticed that rechargeables have a slightly shorter cap on the positive end and does not contact the end terminal on some transmitters

[Alan B]

Yep!  But I just bend the terminals out slightly.  In all honesty you can pick up a pack of rechargables cheaper than a pack of good brand Alkaline these days.  A pack of 4 will normally charge to between 5.6 and 6 volts. I wouldn't personally add another battery to boost the voltage as already mentioned.  The only time Iv'e added a extra cell ie on a receiver pack - is on big aircraft using a high number of digital servo's. Providing the receiver and servo's can accept the higher voltage.  Example - I have a 5 cell 2500 MaH flight pack to run 7 digital servo's and a standard 4 pack to operate the undercarriage running on Spektrum gear in my Kyosho Spitfire.

Al

[jack lackmaker]

the reason for this question is voltage does matter if you are using them to recharge as in silverlit models

[Tim Mackey]

Not quite sure I follow that Jack? The silverlit toys are all, as far as I know, powered by a single Lipo. These are charged from the Tx which normally uses 4 AA dry cells. The system obviously has a charging circuit and the voltage will be regulated to suit a single Lipo ( 4.2V - probably less as they charge up in way less than an hour )

Using rechargeables in the Tx with a consequent lower voltage should not affect the recharging of the toy.

[Alan B]

I agree with Timbo

I use rechargable batteries in all my Transmitters. Ie: including the silverlite TX's and park flyer TX's . I cant see what you are worrying about Jack.  If you use high capacity rechargables in silverlite TX's they will probably last just as long on one full charge as the alkalines.  They work perfectly even with a lower voltage and do not affect the range and I have never had any problems. Plus with the silverlite models range is not an issue as they fly so close. Plus Plus they are a darn sight cheaper to run than on alkalines.