Questions about charging are the most common things we are asked, so here are a few answers...
With NiMH batteries you DO NOT need to fully discharge them before recharging. It is perfectly OK
to just top them up after slight use.
The faster a battery is charged, the more heat is produced, a battery getting warm during charging
is quite normal & will not cause damage, but if the battery gets too hot, this could lead to damage.
We recommend that as a general rule of thumb the charging current should be no more than half
the battery capacity i.e. for a 2600mAh battery, it should be charged at no more than 1300mA. For
larger batteries such as SubC sizes & above, the charge current can be up to the capacity, i.e. for
a 3300mAh SubC cell it could be charged at up to 3300mA. These are maximum ratings, it is
always best to go a little lower than this - it will improve the life expectancy of the battery. A good
figure to go for is a quarter of the capacity (650mA for a 2600mAh battery) The first 3 or 4 charges
of any new battery pack should ideally be carried out at a lower current, this gives the cells chance
to equalise, around 10 - 20% of the pack capacity is a good figure to aim at if possible.
The use of an automatic charger is best, as this prevents any accidental overcharging, this is
what can damage the battery, as once the battery has reached full charge, the energy supplied by
the charger is no longer being stored in the battery, but instead is being turned into heat & it is
this heating effect that will cause the damage.