Discharging a NiMH battery is essential for different reasons, including a performance boost. Before doing that, you must know a couple of things. Otherwise, you might ruin your battery.
So, do you know how to discharge a NiMH RC battery properly?
To discharge a NiMH battery, you need an electronic device or a discharger. Take the battery to be discharged and put it in the device. Turn the device on until it stops automatically. If you are using a discharger, follow the same procedure. But do not discharge the battery completely.
That’s a very straightforward answer, right? Oh, but you wanted an elaborate one? Okay, no worries. We have described it step by step for you in the next sections.
Why don’t you take a look?
How to Discharge a NiMH RC Battery? Step-By-Step
Discharging NiMH batteries is important, but it’s not something you cannot do. On the contrary, it’s fairly simple. However, there are several measures you should take and some rules you must follow.
So, we will be getting into the topic right away!
Before We Begin
You must know a couple of things before we show you how to discharge NiMH batteries. These things are important and avoiding these rules might reduce the capacity of your battery.
First of all, do not discharge your battery completely. It will destroy your cells. Instead of that, always keep at least 0.9 – 0.7 volts in the cell. This is crucial because it would otherwise lead to a reversed-polarity charge, making the cell useless.
Second of all, do keep in mind that not all cells contain the same amount of battery. Their voltage may vary with the packages.
With these things in the back of your mind, let’s start.
Things You Will Need
To discharge NiMH batteries, you need the things we have listed below.
- Voltmeter
- An electronic device or a discharger
- Disposable gloves
We recommend using a discharger for this instead of a device. Using a discharger will allow you to discharge cell by cell.
Step Zero: Precautions
Let’s start with the precautions. We will be dealing with electricity, so we must be careful.
Make sure you use a pair of gloves. You need to inspect the battery first. So, before you do that, wear a pair of gloves.
After that, take a good look at the battery. Check for any component that’s leaking. Throw away the battery right away if it leaks or has a broken shell.
Work on a flat surface in a location with lots of light. As a result, you will be able to see all the electrical parts clearly.
Step One: Measure the Voltage
After ensuring that the battery cell is not leaking, attach it to a voltmeter. This will provide you with a precise estimation of the number of volts present in the cell. You can discharge it if it has a significant amount of voltage.
Step Two: Connect It to the Device or the Discharger
Insert the battery into the desired electrical device. Turn on the electrical equipment, then allow the device to run. When the device is not running, that means the battery has been discharged.
If you are confused as to which electronic device you should use, you can use anything. In fact, you can use your RC to discharge the batteries. Just keep using your car until it is running very slowly and you should be good. But it is much simpler to use light bulbs.
It’s better if it’s possible for you to use a battery discharger. The battery discharger will allow you to discharge the pack one cell at a time. I will also grant you much more control. You can even choose the ampere rate at which the battery will be depleted.
Step Three: Disconnect
Now that you have discharged the battery, you can turn the device or the discharger off. Using a discharger gives you more control, but using a random device does not. So, you may measure your battery again to make sure you have depleted it correctly.
Complete the Cycle
We have already told you how to discharge NiMH battery packs. But it’s not over. You must complete the cycle. Which means you must recharge them after discharge. This way, it will boost your battery performance.
But why do NiMH batteries need to be cycled?
NiMH batteries, especially the new ones, need to be cycled. This will help them reach their peak performance. Manufacturers recommend completing at least three to five cycles. After that, NiMH batteries will reach their peak performance.
To complete the cycle or recharge your battery, you must use a compatible charger. Otherwise, it will ruin your battery. Here are some other things you need to consider for charging your battery.
- NiMH batteries should not be overcharged. You stop charging the battery after it is fully charged.
- There are a few techniques to determine when your battery will be fully charged. But it’s better to leave it to your battery charger. Newer “Smart” battery chargers can indicate a completely charged cell.
- Trickle charging is the most secure way to charge your battery. The trick is to make sure you’re charging at the slowest possible rate. This method will essentially charge your battery at a rate that will not overcharge it. But will keep it fully charged.
We have recommended that you use both the charger and discharger for your batteries. Good for you. Now the smart chargers can also discharge and complete the cycle for you. In the below table, we have suggested a NiMH charger with a discharger for you.
How Often Should You Complete the Battery Cycle?
To keep your battery performing at its top level, you should cycle your battery regularly. It is advised that you finish a minimum of one cycle per month. If you do not maintain it, your battery will lose performance.
It is particularly critical to do this with a battery you are not using. So, if you have some extra used batteries lying around, charge and then discharge them. Otherwise, they won’t be usable pretty soon.
FAQs
Q: Is it preferable to keep NiMH batteries charged or discharged?
Ans: It is preferable to keep NiMH batteries charged. The best decision would be to store them at an 80% charge. However, if you intend to keep them for months or longer, you can store them at a 100% charge. What you should never do is to store them at 0%, which decreases the efficiency.
Q: Can NimH be fully discharged?
Ans: Yes, it is possible to discharge them fully. But you should never do that. Discharging them completely will make them useless slowly over time. You should rather keep at least 10% of the total charge. In doing so, you can boost its performance.
Q: When NiMH batteries are not in use, do they lose their charge?
Ans: Yes, NiMH batteries lose charge when they are not in use. NiMH will slowly self-discharge if left unused. In the first 24 hours, they lose 10-15% of their stored charge. Then they will keep losing the same amount every month. Within six months, they will lose half of their power.
Conclusion
You asked that we show you how to discharge a NiMH RC battery.
We kept our side of the bargain. Now it’s time you do your part by letting us know how we did. Your feedback is the battery that keeps us going.
Time to leave. Do take care of yourself, along with your RC.
Bye!
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