Can You Check Voltage of a Rx Pack?

[UE-Maxx]

Can you check the voltage in any way of an rx pack? I have a multimeter that can use, just don't know if it will work. Or is there anyway you can drain it? I am just wondering because I don't know if I am doing any damage by doing a full charge the night of a race with some, if not a lot of charge left. I don't want to be at the track and my pack go dead.

[Czech-it-Out Graphics]

u can check it with the multimeter it worked for me.

Some chargers can discharge batteries otherwise you can hook it up to a single automotive light bulb and let it draing that way

[Traxxas_Junkee]

yeah i just usually will hook it up to a headlight that is pulled from a car, or if you have spare bulbs for a tail light or something laying around

[UE-Maxx]

I noticed that an employee at one my LHS sold a lightbulb to discharge a 7.2V Ni-CD eletric car battery. How would you hook it up with to a Rx pack and how long does it take to discharge?

[Obsessive R/C]

I use a "Voltwatch" from Hobbico...very small & lightweight LED power indcator that tells you state of charge in the pack...

[Czech-it-Out Graphics]

well u would have to use another plug, solder an opposite plug to the light bulb and just plug the battery in and voila

[UE-Maxx]

ObsessiveR/C, this?
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti...XHDJ2&P=ML
It says you can just leave it plugged into an extra receiver channel. Do you do this or just plug it in to check. If I get it, I would just plug it in to check it, because I am going to be using my third channel for my AMB whenever I get one.

Mike, just use like a servo extension and solder one plug to the bulb and just plug the other end into the pack?

[Mr. Tune]

Before any talk of discharge, charge, voltages....

What kind of rx pack is it? nicd or mimh? what's the size (mah)?

nicd has memory effects and likes to be discharged after use otherwise they can stop charging fully.

nimh is recommended to always have some charge on it. never let it drain 100%. If you're leaving it charging overnight, make sure the charge is a trickle charger, otherwise it can get hot and explode if overcharged. I always charge my pack the night before a race, irregardless of how much charge is on it at that time. Doesn't hurt it one bit. I even throw it on the charger afte the last qual so i have a full charge for the main.

[Mr. Tune]

To check voltage, all you need is some sort of multimeter or voltmeter with leads that have probes on them. Looking at the connector of the battery, you can see parts of the contacts on the side. Measure from there .

[Czech-it-Out Graphics]

if u hook it up to the light it will never fully discharge

[Mr. Tune]

Even so, who discharges a rx pack?

[Czech-it-Out Graphics]

It is a good idea to do it like every once and a while like at the end of the season or every few months. It will make ur batteries last longer because even though they are nimh it is still not good to charge them at different points in their voltage all the time. This is more crucial in nicd

[snakebite46]

I discharge my stuff once in awhile. Cycle them. Charger does all the work. =)

[dentguy92]

even a dead rx pack will sit at 6volts. so how will a multimeter help you?????
dont you have to put the pack under some kind of load????

[Czech-it-Out Graphics]

6v is dead mine peak at atleast 7.2 when new and around 7.6 when they start getting old

[Obsessive R/C]

ObsessiveR/C, this?
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti...XHDJ2&P=ML
It says you can just leave it plugged into an extra receiver channel. Do you do this or just plug it in to check. If I get it, I would just plug it in to check it, because I am going to be using my third channel for my AMB whenever I get one.

Yes that's the one. You could just use it to check it, but I leave it plugged in so you can always see what state your Rx pack is in. You could use a Y adapter to run the transponder and the Voltwatch at the same time from the 3rd channel.

[Tex]

a light bulb does not draw the current needed to discharge a rx pack as needed. Unless you have 5-6 lights hooked up in series.

If you want to discharge, then charge (cycle) your packs you need to drain them at the current/rate they would normally be drained at during the race. Otherwise it does more harm than good.

I never cycle my rx packs and I charge them the night before racing and before the main.

[north_shore_racer]

i saw a RX pack discharger in a review in rc driver. at least im pretty sure i did. i will look it up tonight. i think it was made by orion but i could be wrong. it might just be a regular pack disharger. i would check the orion site for it. seems like basically a few resistors in parallel and an led. idk looked simple. i can find the ad and give ya more info when i get home. as im still in bio right now.

[UE-Maxx]

It's an OFNA 1400mAh Ni-MH pack. It looks like a lot of people just charge it up over night regardless of the charge on the pack.

The charger is a 120mAh .12amp.

[Tex]

it's a 1400mah pack and that charger looks like it dumps 120mah per hour into it. Seems like it'll take about 14 hours for a full charge from near dead. I would just throw it on the charger when you go to bed and take it off when you wake up.

[UE-Maxx]

Yep. . . 14hrs to charge. And that's what I do. Plug it in before bed and take it out when I wake up.