Batteries

Rew

Not having much luck with batteries. The one that came with my DE UMP, blew up after the first shot. Got another from eHobby charged it for a couple of hours and it seems to have either exploded or else heated/expanded till the plastic split. Not sure if its buggered or not I have to put a volt meter on it. Anyway are batteries generally this ****? I still have the crap charger that came with the UMP and I suspect that may be part of the problem. Whats a decent charger to get?

Hivemind187

Rew wrote: »

Not having much luck with batteries. The one that came with my DE UMP, blew up after the first shot. Got another from eHobby charged it for a couple of hours and it seems to have either exploded or else heated/expanded till the plastic split. Not sure if its buggered or not I have to put a volt meter on it. Anyway are batteries generally this ****? I still have the crap charger that came with the UMP and I suspect that may be part of the problem. Whats a decent charger to get?

Yeah, some of the battery manufacturers are a little dodgy. Intellect are a good brand and pretty much the go-to guys for decent batteries.

TLP chargers like the EXPRO are probably the best you can get but they are a bit pricey at about €80 to €100 a pop.

kdouglas

airsofteire have the 4000c for €49.99, but it's out of stock at the moment

irishairsoftsupplies also had the expro version for about €75 i think, but they are out of stock also

Rew

The 2nd bat was an Intellect one

Lemming

I've got an 8.4, 2 x 8.4 mini, and a 9.6 (all Intellect) and not had a peep out of them, so they get my thumbs up.

I'm using my own charger, which I got from airsoft scotland (the 'idiot proof' charger). Does the job quite nicely.

theburi

Does anybody know (for sure 100%) why standard (AA) batteries are not used in airsoft?

kdouglas

not enough power really, there are some cheap electric blowback pistols which use them, but for good quality re-chargeables a proper battery is needed, the ones we use are very similar to the ones used for (good quality) remote control cars/boats etc..

Grayfox

I need a step down convertor to charge my battery, had to buy one from hong kong earlier today, for my TM MP7A1! pain it is not being able to use irelands 240V supply

theburi

Do you need it for US type socket? I had one somewhere. Will pm you tonight if I'll find it.

I.A.S. Ltd.

We do have one in stock...will adjust the website now, thank you for pointing it out!

EDIT: Edit removed.

Beast ASI

I will only use batteries which use :

1st - Elite Cells
2nd - Intellect Cells
3rd - Sanyo Cells

Most other brands are pretty bad.

ED E

kdouglas wrote: »

airsofteire have the 4000c for €49.99, but it's out of stock at the moment

irishairsoftsupplies also had the expro version for about €75 i think, but they are out of stock also

Reccomended. The Beeping is annoying but it does the Job.

Rew

Well the battery is grand, tested it there. Looks like it got warm and the plastic covering melted and split but its functioning perfectly. There looks to be some condensation on bits of the clear plastic covering the rest of it which is odd.

ED E

I'm no electrical engineer but i think its possible that thats the chemical( cant rember the name, but it begins with a C) which evaporates when you overcharge your batteries. If it melted its a sign that the cells are getting far too hot.

kdouglas

if the battery got hot enough to actually melt the covering, i'd get rid of the battery, too much chance that something bad could happen next time you charge it or if you discharge it rapidly (i.e. full auto firing)

ED E

Heres an Explanation: (it begins with an e not a c )

Overcharge
Nickel Metal Hydride cells are designed with an oxygen-recombination mechanism that slows the buildup of
pressure caused by overcharging. The overcharging of a cell occurs after the positive electrode 1) no longer has
any nickel hydroxide to react with the hydroxide from the electrolyte, and 2) begins to evolve oxygen. The
oxygen diffuses through the separator where the negative electrode recombines the oxygen with stored
hydrogen to form excess water in the electrolyte. If this oxygen-recombination occurs at a slower rate than the
rate at which oxygen is evolved from the positive electrode, the result is in a buildup of excess oxygen (gas)
resulting in an increase in pressure inside the cell. To protect against the first stages of overcharge, NiMH cells
are constructed with the negative electrode having a capacity (or active material) greater than the positive
electrode. This helps to slow the buildup of pressure by having more active material available in the negative
electrode to effectively recombine the evolved oxygen. See Figure 3.4, Useable Capacity Diagram.
Excessive overcharging of a NiMH cell can result in permanent loss in capacity and cycle life. If a cell is
overcharged to the point at which pressure begins to build up, elevated temperatures are experienced and can
cause the separator to lose electrolyte. The loss of electrolyte within the separator (or “separator dry out”)
inhibits the proper transport of hydrogen to and from the electrodes. Furthermore, if a cell is severely
overcharged and excessive amounts of oxygen (gas) are evolved, the pressure may be released through the
safety vent in the positive terminal. This removes elements from within the cell needed for proper function. To
protect against the damaging effects of overcharging, proper charge terminations must be used.

Rew

Interesting. Certainly possible that it was fully on nearly fully charged when I got it and I over chargwed it then. Basicly I need a decent charger.