Charging Questions...

[BrianG]

Simply put; just tell them to get a decent peak-detection charger for their batteries. Most people are happy with a simple "get this" without the reason behind it. I find that once you start explaining about constant-current and such, the eyes start glazing over and interest wanders.

If they really want to know how it works, you can go into how the charger outputs a constant current across the cells and the packs voltage will slowly increase as it gets charged. Then, there is a circuit that monitors the max voltage of the pack, and when that voltage starts to drop, it cuts the charge cycle.

I tell people to stay far away from cheap chargers (~$10) as they are VERY basic. Most I've seen utilize a very small transformer and rectifier. As the pack voltage gets close to the "charger" voltage, the current drops until it is trickle charging. Most of these are designed with many (and sometimes incorrect) assumptions about the cell being charged and can overcharge or undercharge the pack.