Hey Ya LOOTERS! How bout helpin' a pirate out? NEED COUNSIL ASAP!

[Gulf Hunter]

I got the Batteries Plus NiMH 1400 MAH insert for my Excal alkaline pod. I am running their peak voltage charger and adapter. I just plugged the unit up less than an hour ago and ALREADY have a green light, COULD IT REALLY BE FULLY CHARGED ALREADY? I just don't want to get out there and have a discharge issue, but by the same token, I don't want to burn up the batteries either. The bottom line of the instructions says, "a peak detection charger that will fully charge the pack in 90 minutes". Thanks, lemme know ASAP, I don't want to burn the house down, or my batteries, LOL!

 

[Tony]

GH,

NIMH batteries (and Li-Ion) take a few cycles to reach their designed charge capacity.

New batteries therefore reach their "full" charge quicker. Each subsequent charge should take longer as the batteries are now reaching their full potential.

The battery may also have been pre-charged at the factory.... and just needed a top up. See how your run time goes and then compare for next time.

So yes, the batteries are technically fully charged but probably only at 75% of what will eventually be 100%....hope this makes sense...

Tony.

 

[galap5]

I charge my batteries with a peak charger from the RC car hobby. It peak charges in 15-20 minutes. It can be done, done many many time and safetly. So 90 minutes is not out of the question. First few discharges will go pretty quick and after about 5-6 cycles you will really see a difference. NiMH are much better than NiCAD, longer life, quicker charging and no memory

 

[lazyaussie]

wow 90min that's a fast turn around wish i had some now as i"v forgotten to charge my battery's a few times

 

[HawaiiMDer]

One question, since i don't know much about batteries. Is a higher MAH better than lower MAH? What's the difference?

Ken

 

[Cupajo]

MAH refers to the length of use until the battery needs re-charging.

High MAH is a good thing!

CJ

 

[Cupajo]

Great move for Ya GH!

You've moved into the "New Era" as far as rechargeables are concerned!

GL&HH Friend,

CJ

 

[thinkin2]

GH,

Doesn't the Excal Alkaline Pod hold AA's? From reading some posts lately about this I got the impression you couldn't use re-chargeable AA's due to the voltage being 1.2V instead of 1.5V. I had wanted to do this as well but discounted the idea after reading those posts. Please let us know how this works out. And the other posters here are right, they do come with a factory charge already on them and the shelf life of the charge is supposed to be pretty long. Good luck. btw, here is a link to one of the posts I was referring to.
http://www.findmall.com/read.php?21,1029561,1029579#msg-1029579

Jerry

 

[tonyweston]

Hi, G.H.
I too have just invested in the Ebay 1400 nimh pack with the peak charger, made by Only batteries for my Mk1 Excalibur , I to doubted the information that I read on the web site so I sent a P.M to Jeffrey at only batteries and he confirmed the charging times and also that this peak charger unit will also recharge ALL Excalibur battery units !!
On another note has anyone tried to put the new nimh Mk2 battery onto an older mk1 Excalibur ? Heres my story.....my new Mk2 had just arrived boxed up , so as instructed I put the NIMH battery on an overnight charge to be ready for my hunting tomoz . The following day when I arrived at my apartment I was eager to go out hunting , there my old faithful Mk1 Excalibur was still affixed onto the "Yorkshire long shaft " !! but alas the blue battery was very low , ahhh I thought I will use the new Mk2 NIMH battery on the Mk1 then I can go hunting !! NO WAY ? it wouldn't work ?? So I had to swap the Mk2 onto the long shaft and waste my valuable hunting time THEN go hunting ?? Has anyone else had this problem when trying to swap over blue / green battery units ? and why should this happen ?
H.H regards Tony

 

[kered]

I got the same batteries and charger GH, yes they charge up very fast and even the first charge will last all day+ some, your looking at more than double the capacity of the old nicad packs so even if they only 75% charge as Tony says the first time your talking 1 1/2 old packs. I still carry a spare just in case, only because they last that long i lose track on the last time they were charged

 

[Barry NY]

Hey Buddy - i use that charger and basically recharge the unit after every approx 10-12 hours (3 hunts) use.
Love that quick green light.
PS - the charger will work on the NiMH E-Trac's, Exp, etc. too (with a different snap in adapter head they will sell you for 4 bucks....

 

[grumpyolman]

The Mah rating on a pack of batteries is the similar to how large the fuel tank is on your vehicle. You want a '1200' gallon tank or a '2200'' gallon tank? Only thing is, the outside dimensions of your battery fuel tank doesn't change.
If you'r concerned about 1.2 vs 1.5 volts, read the posts about that whole subject in the Tesoro forum here on Findmall. Quick and dirty is NiMhs are better than alkalines as after 20-30' of runtime, the alkalines voltage falls far below the NiMHs. The NiMhs run with a higher voltage longer. If you want to put fresh alkalines in every 30', you will have more voltage than the Nimhs. Practically, the NiMHs are superior and under the same draw will provide the needed power longer than the alkalines. The bad rap on the NiMHs is they air bleed and on the cheaper ones, a good charge will be gone in a month or two just sitting on the shelf. SInce 2005, the battery manufacturers have produced RTU (Ready to use) batteries that retain better than 85% of their charge, on the shelf, for up to a year. One brand in Sanyo Eneloop. There are others too. They cost a little more but it's much nicer to slap in your spare pack and know you've got a good hot charge on the batteries that are holding it. Jim

 

[HawaiiMDer]

As usual, thank Jim for the lesson. I've noticed when i used those 1.2v rechargeable batteries in my excalibur, 8 cells totaling 9.6v, my excalibur sounds off every 30 seconds. Found out the hardway you need 10 rechargeable batteries of the 1.2v variety to not get the sound off. I seen on the same website these guys are getting the batteries from a 1500 MAH NiMh for $40.00. I think i might get those instead of the 1400 MAH. Thanks everyone for the help and congrats GulfHunter on the batteries!!!! HH and goodluck.

Ken

 

[LoneCatDaddy]

No worries!! I've been running that same setup for a year. Getting rid of those NiCads and replacing with the onlybatterypacks Nimh pack is the way to go!! You can easily run over 20 hrs. on the 1500's. And that charger is sweet!!. After a few charges, it will take about 2 or 2 1/2 hrs. to fully top them off. If you have any more Nicad pods, replace them all!!!

 

[Gulf Hunter]

Thanks all for your replies and suggestions. I went for a spin last night and although it was only a 4 hour hunt, all was well on the charge at least, LOL! Nothing noteworthy to report, other than clad, but the battery held the charge. THANKS ALL!

 

[LoneCatDaddy]

Let it run till it starts getting wonky on ya, I think you'll be surprised at how long you can hunt till you need a recharge (assuming you have another pod, of course!!)

 

[LoneCatDaddy]

Yes, it does hold AA's, but the onlybatterypacks replacement is ten 1.2v 's connected together to get you the 12v. They fit right in, just like they do in your standard pod, no worries except they are only waterproof to a few feet.

 

[doindadiggin]

Hi gulf hunter mate i have been foolin with batteries for over 15 years and one thing i have learned is that all nimh batteries are NOT the same some will take a fast charge and some wont ,terry in oz