Society of Robots - Robot Forum
Electronics => Electronics => Topic started by: robotcoder on March 05, 2012, 11:32:27 PM
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I am charging my 24V 10000 mAHr NiMH with a Smart Charger for 19.2V - 24V NiMH and NiCad and when I check the voltage with my multimeter it shows 28V. Is that what it is supposed to do?
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Yes. Nominal charge of NiMH is 1.2V, however it can be safely charged to 1.6V. In 24V pack You have x20 1.2V cells, if each cell gets charget to 1.6V You get 32V from Your pack; in Your case - cells get charged to 1.4V.
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Hi,
Nickel based cells should never be charged above the 1.45V mark.
(I know that's not what you said, but it's too important to not be really clear about it).
NiMH can (and should) be charged to somewhere between 1.40V and 1.45V per cell. Anything higher will kill them.
A 20-cell NiMH battery will be termed a 24V battery these days ((a while back, it would be termed a 25V battery as the nominal cell voltage was then seen as 1.25V - this is solely a matter of manufacturers decision).
The end-of-charge voltage for a good (i.e. undamaged) 20-cell battery should be 28..29V and after some time out of the charger, it will show something less
if the battery is given some rest after charging, it will show something less (typically around 27.5V). As soon as a modest load is applied, it will drop further, but after removal of the load, the voltage will rise a bit.
When still recently charged and properly loaded, it should show close to 1.25V/cell or 25V for the lot.