new greenforce arrow 12 battery

[oceanobsession]

ive just made a new battery pack for my arrow 12 using 4300 mah batteries. can anyone tell me the first time you charge them how long should it be thanks phil

[n_wood60]

I've jut done the same as you with 4300mah batteries.
to answer you'r question it depends on the charger you are using.
I use a smart charger that charges at a rate of 1.8 Amps per hour.
depending on the level of charge in the pack to begin with it usually takes roughly 2 hours (very approx)

hope that helps.

Nick

[oceanobsession]

Originally Posted by n_wood60

I've jut done the same as you with 4300mah batteries.
to answer you'r question it depends on the charger you are using.
I use a smart charger that charges at a rate of 1.8 Amps per hour.
depending on the level of charge in the pack to begin with it usually takes roughly 2 hours (very approx)

hope that helps.

Nick

hi nick i bought my batteries from ebay two pounds and 70 p each. did you fit the polyswitch. how long does youre torch last now cheers phil.

[n_wood60]

mine were also the £2.70 batteries from ebay. sorry but I havent come across the poly switch before, what use would it serve? when I burn tested my 30watt bulb I got a burn time of roughly 1.5 hrs but I think it could have lasted a little longer as I was interrupted and was being careful not to damage the batteries.This was very soon after charging so they were fully charged.On a 50 watt bulb I tested it for about 50 minutes before recharging it. On the multimeter the voltage had then droped to 11.8 volts so I thought I'd recharge it.
are you getting similar burn times?
can I also ask if you are using a thin steel stip as the negative electrode or wire?
I could not locate any steel strip so used a strand of copper wire down the side of the pack.

Nick

[oceanobsession]

Originally Posted by n_wood60

mine were also the £2.70 batteries from ebay. sorry but I havent come across the poly switch before, what use would it serve? when I burn tested my 30watt bulb I got a burn time of roughly 1.5 hrs but I think it could have lasted a little longer as I was interrupted and was being careful not to damage the batteries.This was very soon after charging so they were fully charged.On a 50 watt bulb I tested it for about 50 minutes before recharging it. On the multimeter the voltage had then droped to 11.8 volts so I thought I'd recharge it.
are you getting similar burn times?
can I also ask if you are using a thin steel stip as the negative electrode or wire?
I could not locate any steel strip so used a strand of copper wire down the side of the pack.

Nick

hi nick i bought the nical strip the polyswitch and the heatshrink from PMBL UK - Rechargeable Battery Pack Manufacturers and Assemblers. the polyswitch is a thermal protection that you fit between the batteries. if you heat it with a match it will go open circuit. so when youre batteries get warm the polyswitch stopes any more current going into the batteries from the charger. i made a spot welder to spot the strip onto the batteries if you havent got a polyswitch fitted i would only charge for a max of 2 hours

[n_wood60]

the charger I am using is a smart charger which stops charging when it detects the pack is fully charged and there is a built in temperature sensor that I can use to ensure it doesnt overheat.thanks for the website, I'll keep it in mind for when I cbuild another pack.
all the best.

Nick