How to charge a new nimh imax b6 battery. People's charger Imax B6 - Charging that everyone should have. Charging different types of batteries with the iMax B6

The ability to work with a tool such as a screwdriver without connecting it to the mains is convenient, practical and, most importantly, necessary. After all, it is often necessary to perform any work in those places where it is almost impossible to reach the network cable. Construction tool stores offer a wide selection of screwdrivers, including Bosch, as well as the popular Hitachi and Makita. But, unfortunately, the battery life of any drill or similar tool is short - a maximum of 5 years. It happens that after a shorter period of time. It is not profitable to buy a new battery urgently. A new screwdriver can be purchased for the same amount. Therefore, it is worth trying such an option as restoring the battery of a screwdriver with your own hands.

Types of batteries used in screwdrivers and their differences

As you know, the battery of any screwdriver includes several batteries that are connected in one chain in a certain sequence. Distinguish between (Ni-Cd), nickel-metal hydride () and elements.

Nickel-cadmium batteries, in this case, are the most popular and commonly used. The voltage of each individual cell is 1.2 volts and the capacity is 12,000 mAh if we have a 12 volt instrument. It should be noted right away that, unlike lithium ones, they are subject to restoration, because they have the so-called "memory effect" in the form of a reversible loss of capacity.

As for batteries containing lithium, the popular Imax B6 charger is unlikely to restore their capacity due to the fact that lithium tends to degrade over time.

Rebuilding a screwdriver battery in a similar manner may also fail for cadmium batteries. Such a battery differs in that the electrolyte in them sometimes completely boils away. However, in the case of cadmium batteries, the chances of "reviving" them are much greater. But at the same time it is important not to rush and not to use in the heat of the moment the widespread methods of "quick recovery" of Ni Cd batteries.

How to restore a screwdriver battery

There are a large number of videos on the Internet in which, for example, the battery recovery of a Hitachi screwdriver using the Imax B6 is clearly shown. It consists in "reanimating" nickel batteries by supplying high currents. Supporters of the express method of recovery offer to revive the battery using the simple Imax B6 settings. The mode is set to nickel-cadmium, and the battery can be reanimated in this mode.

However, impulse heating and subsequent charging are rather risky methods for nickel-cadmium batteries. The broken connection in the element cannot be restored with high currents. In addition, if there is little or no electrolyte inside the battery, high currents will finally "kill" the battery. Therefore, in order to prevent irreversible damage to the batteries, it is recommended to first replenish their electrolyte supply with distilled water and only then charge them with the Imax B6.

There is an extreme option, how to restore the nickel-cadmium battery of a screwdriver - you can "pull" them with a high current. They will start charging, but not for long. Electronics enthusiasts who criticize this method assure that there was not a single case of a pulse current to restore the capacity of the battery for a long time. As a rule, it will rise for a very short time, and then, after a few days, the battery "sits down" again.

Whether it is possible to use the impulse current method is up to the owners of the batteries. There are many videos on the Internet on how to recover a Ni Cd battery from a screwdriver. But there is an opinion that in reality, quick methods work for a very short time. For example, if the electrolyte inside any battery has boiled away from the bundle or dried out, the impulse current will “kill” the cell completely.

If possible, you can carefully disassemble each nickel-cadmium battery and see the state of the electrolyte. If it turns out to be dry, you can use the method of adding a small amount of distilled water through a syringe.

Recovery with water

To drill a neat hole in the battery, you need a small drill. The hole should be made farther from the center, preferably in the upper side of the element, where there is a small depression. Then fill the battery with distilled water using a syringe to the last.

After that, the battery can be fully charged Imax B6 and let it "settle". The procedure is long. Recovery of 8-, 12-, 14-battery "cans", depending on the voltage, can take a long time. Ideally, you should not charge them right away, but give time to the "cans" of water to stand for a day. It is impossible to charge the batteries one at a time, it is better that there are at least three or four of them in a bundle to evenly distribute the voltage.

Short-term current pulses through a resistance of 40 Ohm at 12 V should be applied after water is poured into the element to be reanimated, and not on the "dry" one, as is often done.

After the batteries have stood for a day, you can start charging them. Do not close the openings yet. Connect to Imax so that the device "sees" them. Charge and let "settle" again if any one battery has not recovered. Find the weak element in the bundle with a multimeter and add water to it again.

The main essence of this meticulous method is to restore the connection of the battery plates with their contact-adapter buses. (The internal structure of Ni-Cd is similar to the scheme according to which solar panels are manufactured). The main reason for the termination of the battery is the detachment of the positive contact from their inner part.

Do not cover the holes drilled in the batteries until the battery charge is stable. Once the charge has stabilized, carefully seal the holes with silicone. Water can be topped up periodically at any time.

As it has already become clear, this method is not intended for the lazy and for those who do not want to delve into the intricacies of the electronics device. However, the distilled water method saves a lot of money and is the answer to the question of how to restore the screwdriver battery in the most gentle way. Usually, two batteries are included with the screwdriver. One can be used, and the other can be gradually restored. This method, despite its duration, seems to be more humane and safe for the battery.

Rebuilding the battery by replacing several elements

Rebuilding a screwdriver battery by replacing several cells can be successful for all types of rechargeable batteries. It also poses no risk to them, as well as manipulation with distilled water, provided that care is taken during soldering.

First, using a multimeter, the output voltage of each "can" is measured, which in total should be 12-14 V. Accordingly, the voltage of one "can" should be 1.2-1.4 V. The U indicators are compared with each other, the most weak elements.

After that, the battery is inserted into the screwdriver and works until the power starts to noticeably decrease. The voltage indicators are removed again, and those "banks", the voltage difference of which is 0.5-0.7 V compared to the more "strong" ones, should be evaporated and replaced with new ones, similar to the old ones, having previously ordered them in the online store.

It is recommended to solder the battery chain with spot welding, but if there is none, there is nothing left to do but use a regular soldering iron and do everything as quickly and clearly as possible in order to prevent the battery from overheating as much as possible.

The "native" battery connecting plates should not be lost, they must be soldered back without reversing the polarity. In addition, all elements of the chain must have the same capacity indicators.

After the end of soldering, insert the battery back into the screwdriver and carry out 2-3 full "charge-discharge" cycles to equalize the energy potential of all batteries. In order for the updated battery to last longer, such a training should be carried out 2-3 times a month.

Restoration of the battery of a screwdriver by purchasing new Ni-Cd cells

In this case, we are talking about the complete and so-called "erasing the memory effect" from new batteries in order to ensure their more productive work. The memory effect is that the battery "remembers" all possible charge cycles that it could theoretically undergo in production before falling into someone's hands. The more such cycles are in its "memory", the more likely it becomes that the capacity will begin to decrease much earlier than expected. Also, nickel-cadmium batteries like these "swinging" processes. If done just before use, they will perform much better.

The required number of batteries can be ordered online, for example, on Ali-Express. It should be borne in mind that they already have a certain factory charge, which it is desirable to "remove" in order to "save" the power of the batteries during operation. This can be done using the same Imax B6 charger, the menu of which is easy to understand.

Let's say the battery of a screwdriver should consist of 10 cells with the following indicators: the output voltage of each is 1.2 V, and the capacity is 1200 mAh, which in total is 12 V. The advantage of a complete replacement of the battery with the subsequent "erasing" of the factory "memory effect" is that in any online store you can order items with a higher capacity than the old ones. For example, 1800 mAh. And the battery will last an order of magnitude longer. Of course, these batteries will cost more. But their price always justifies itself.

First, a multimeter checks the voltage on each "bank". This will immediately help determine what quality new batteries have and whether there is dishonesty from sellers who could sell old cells instead of new ones. The voltage level on each battery should be approximately 1.3 V. When measuring, it is important not to confuse the terminals.

Further, "erasing memory" is carried out with each element in turn. The following charging parameters are set on the charger: if the capacity is 1800mAh, you can set it a little more - 1900, a little with a margin. Then you should switch to the mode of charging nickel-cadmium batteries. The charge parameters should be as follows: current indicator 0.9 A (half of the capacity of 1800).

Each new element undergoes charge-discharge training to remove the factory settings. At a current of 1A, all batteries are alternately discharged to a voltage of 1 V (the minimum allowable voltage so as not to kill the battery).

Then you should switch to the "charge-discharge" cycle mode and start it with the "start" button.
After discharging and removing the factory memory, put the batteries back into the block, focusing on how the old ones were previously placed there. Therefore, when disassembling the plastic case, you need to remember how the batteries were lying before.

Thus, there are many ways to restore a screwdriver battery with your own hands. Each of them has certain nuances, disadvantages and advantages that should be considered depending on how you restore the capacity. Sometimes you should try to get one or another tool or the necessary ingredient (for example, distilled water) in order for the recovery to be as successful as possible. But this is exactly what will help you avoid additional costs in connection with the purchase of a new screwdriver or a completely finished battery.

Due to advances in manufacturing, Ni-Cd batteries are now used in most portable electronic devices. Reasonable cost and high performance made the presented type of batteries popular. Such devices are widely used today in tools, cameras, music players, etc. For a battery to last long, you need to learn how to charge Ni-Cd batteries. Adhering to the rules of operation of such devices, you can significantly extend their service life.

Main characteristics

To understand how to charge Ni-Cd batteries, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of such devices. They were invented by W. Jungner back in 1899. However, their production was then too expensive. Technology has improved. Today, easy-to-use and relatively inexpensive nickel-cadmium batteries are on sale.

The devices presented require that the charge is fast and the discharge is slow. Moreover, the emptying of the battery capacity must be carried out completely. Recharging is done with impulse currents. These parameters should be adhered to throughout the entire life of the device. Knowing Ni-Cd, you can extend its service life by several years. At the same time, such batteries are used even in the most difficult conditions. Feature of the presented batteries is the "memory effect". If the battery is not completely discharged periodically, large crystals will form on the plates of its cells. They reduce the capacity of the battery.

Advantages

To understand how to properly charge Ni-Cd batteries of a screwdriver, camera, camera and other portable devices, you need to familiarize yourself with the technology of this process. It is simple and does not require any special knowledge and skills from the user. Even after storing the battery for a long time, it can be quickly recharged. This is one of the advantages of the presented devices that make them in demand.

Nickel cadmium batteries have a high number of charge and discharge cycles. Depending on the manufacturer and operating conditions, this figure can reach more than 1,000 cycles. The advantage of the Ni-Cd battery is its endurance and the ability to work under stressed conditions. Even when operating it in the cold, the equipment will work properly. Its capacity does not change under such conditions. At any state of charge, the battery can be stored for a long time. Its important advantage is its low cost.

Flaws

One of the disadvantages of the presented devices is the fact that the user must definitely study, how to charge correctly Ni-Cd batteries. The presented batteries, as mentioned above, have a "memory effect". Therefore, the user must periodically carry out preventive measures to eliminate it.

The energy density of the presented batteries will be slightly lower than that of other types of autonomous power sources. In addition, in the manufacture of these devices, materials are used that are toxic, unsafe for the environment and human health. Disposal of such substances requires additional costs. Therefore, in some countries the use of such batteries is restricted.

After long-term storage, Ni-Cd batteries require a charge cycle. This is due to the high self-discharge rate. This is also a flaw in their design. However, knowing how to charge correctly Ni-Cd batteries, use them correctly, you can provide your equipment with an autonomous power source for many years.

Varieties of chargers

To properly charge a nickel-cadmium-type battery, special equipment must be used. Most often it comes with a battery. If the charger is not available for some reason, you can purchase it separately. Automatic and reversible impulse versions are on sale today. When using the first type of device, the user does not need to know to what voltage to charge Ni-Cd batteries. The process is carried out automatically. At the same time, you can charge or discharge up to 4 batteries at the same time.

Using a special switch, the device is set to discharge mode. In this case, the color indicator will glow yellow. When this procedure is completed, the device automatically switches to charging mode. The red indicator will light up. When the battery reaches the required capacity, the device will stop supplying current to the battery. In this case, the indicator will turn green. Reversible equipment belongs to the group of professional equipment. They are capable of performing multiple charging and discharging cycles of varying duration.

Special and universal chargers

Many users are interested in the question of how to charge a screwdriver battery Ni-Cd type. In this case, a conventional device designed for finger batteries will not work. A special charger is most often supplied with a screwdriver. It should be used when servicing the battery. If there is no charger, you should purchase equipment for batteries of the presented type. In this case, it will be possible to charge only the battery of the screwdriver. If there are batteries of various types in operation, it is worth purchasing universal equipment. It will allow servicing autonomous energy sources for almost all devices (cameras, screwdrivers and even batteries). For example, it can charge Ni-Cd batteries iMAX B6. This is a simple and useful device in the household.

Discharging the pressed battery

The special design is characterized by extruded Ni- and the discharge of the presented devices depends on their internal resistance. This indicator is influenced by some design features. For long-term operation of the equipment, disk-type batteries are used. They have flat electrodes of sufficient thickness. During the discharge process, their voltage slowly drops to 1.1 V. This can be checked by plotting a curve.

If the battery continues to discharge to 1 V, its discharge capacity will be 5-10% of the original value. If the current is increased to 0.2 C, the voltage is significantly reduced. This also applies to the capacity of the battery. This is due to the impossibility of discharging the mass over the entire surface of the electrode evenly. Therefore, today their thickness is reduced. At the same time, there are 4 electrodes in the design of the disk battery. In this case, they can be discharged with a current of 0.6 C.

Cylindrical batteries

Batteries with sintered electrodes are widely used today. They have low resistance and provide high energy performance of the device. Charged voltage This type of Ni-Cd battery is held at 1.2 V until 90% of the specified capacity is lost. About 3% of it is lost during the subsequent discharge from 1.1 to 1 V. The presented type of batteries can be discharged with a current of 3-5 C.

Roll-type electrodes are installed in cylindrical accumulators. They can be discharged with a current with higher rates, which is at the level of 7-10 C. The capacity indicator will be maximum at a temperature of +20 ºС. With its increase, this value changes insignificantly. If the temperature drops to 0 ºС and below, the discharge capacity decreases in direct proportion to the increase in the discharge current. How to charge Ni- Cd batteries, varieties which are on sale, you need to consider in detail.

General charging rules

When charging a nickel-cadmium battery, it is imperative to limit the excess current flowing to the electrodes. This is necessary due to the growth inside the device during this pressure process. Oxygen will be released during charging. This affects the current utilization rate, which will decrease. There are certain requirements that explain how to charge Ni- Cd batteries. Paramerts process is taken into account by manufacturers of special equipment. The chargers, in the course of their work, report to the battery 160% of the nominal capacity value. The temperature range throughout the entire process must remain within the range from 0 to +40 ºС.

Standard Charge Mode

Manufacturers must indicate in the instructions, how much to charge Ni-Cd-battery and how to do it. Most often, the mode of performing this process is standard for most types of batteries. If the battery has a voltage of 1 V, it should be charged within 14-16 hours. In this case, the current should be 0.1 C.

In some cases, the characteristics of the process may differ slightly. This is influenced by the design features of the device, as well as the increased loading of the active mass. This is necessary to build up the battery capacity.

The user may also be interested in what current to charge the battery Ni- Cd. In this case, there are two options. In the first case, the current will be constant throughout the entire process. The second option allows you to charge the battery for a long time without the risk of damaging it. The scheme assumes the use of a stepwise or gradual decrease in current. At the first stage, it will significantly exceed 0.1 C.

Accelerated charging

There are other ways that Ni- Cd batteries. How to charge battery of this type in accelerated mode? There is a whole system here. Manufacturers are increasing the speed of this process by introducing special devices. They can be charged at higher currents. In this case, the device has a special control system. It prevents overcharging of the battery. Either the battery itself or its charger can have such a system.

Cylindrical types of devices are charged with a constant current, the value of which is 0.2 C. The process will last only 6-7 hours. In some cases, it is allowed to charge the battery with a current of 0.3 C for 3-4 hours. In this case, process control is essential. With the accelerated execution of the procedure, the overcharge indicator should be no more than 120-140% of the capacity. There are even batteries that can be fully charged in just 1 hour.

Stopping charging

When exploring how to charge Ni-Cd batteries, you need to consider completing the process. After the current stops flowing to the electrodes, the pressure inside the battery continues to rise. This process occurs due to the oxidation of hydroxyl ions on the electrodes.

For some time, there is a gradual equation of the rate of oxygen evolution and absorption at both electrodes. This leads to a gradual decrease in the pressure inside the accumulator. If the overcharge was significant, this process will be slower.

Mode setting

To charge correctly Ni-Cd battery, you need to know the rules for setting up the equipment (if provided by the manufacturer). The nominal capacity of the battery must have a charging current of up to 2 C. It is necessary to select the type of impulse. It can be Normal, Re-Flex, or Flex. The sensitivity threshold (pressure drop) should be 7-10 mV. It is also called Delta Peak. It is better to set it to the minimum level. The pumping current must be set in the range of 50-100 mAh. To be able to fully utilize the battery power, you need to charge with high current. If its maximum power is required, the battery is charged with a low current in normal mode. After considering how to charge Ni-Cd batteries, each user will be able to perform this process correctly.

Today in our homes there is an abundance of various portable equipment powered by batteries. In turn, batteries can be of various configurations in terms of size, voltage, and technology used for long-term preservation of the power supply. Batteries can be either disposable (salt batteries, for example) or rechargeable batteries - rechargeable batteries. Next, the question often arises that batteries need to be charged for further use, although manufacturers of portable electronics often take care that special chargers are included with such devices, but in practice it often happens that either there is simply no such batteries a charger (meaning bundled with a device), or when buying finger-type batteries, for example, for a camera, a charger is not always bought immediately (which is usually always purchased separately in such cases), or a standard charger is simply and simply lost , well, or finally, in amateur radio practice, you often have to charge some batteries, which you want to give life to in some of your devices. So, the problem of recharging batteries can be solved by purchasing a special charger for them. Well, today we will consider not the simplest charger, but the omnivorous IMAX B6, or rather its 80-watt copy.

You can buy it on online trading platforms or AliExpress. The price for a copy starts from 20 conventional units, which is up to 1.5 - 2 times cheaper than the original and, moreover, more powerful by 30 watts. But a copy is a copy - you need to keep an eye on the gun when buying, because Uncle Liao can also copy in the basement. In my case, the seller turned out to be really decent (the reviews are a useful thing) - he received a charger that was minimally different from the original - the only thing was that the assembly of the case was not very pleasing, and the printed circuit board was made at a high quality level.

Charger specifications:

• Supply voltage 11 - 18 volts
• Charging current 0.1 to 6 amps
• Maximum charge power 80 watts
• Discharge current up to 2 amperes
• Maximum discharge power 10 watts
• Charger and Discharge Functions
• Charging NiMH / NiCd batteries from 1 cell to 15 cells in series
• Charging Li-ion / Polimer batteries from 1 to 6 cells in series
• Charger weight 227 g
• Overall dimensions 133x87x33 mm

Let's turn the received parcel in our hands and look at it from different angles.

The bottom of the case without a hologram, which should be present in the original device, and such Chinese people glued a crooked leg, will be punished!

The charger body is itself a heatsink. By the way, the body is entirely made of aluminum.

It is in such a connector that an external power supply of 11-18 volts must be connected. In general, there are versions of copies with a built-in power source, but I don't think it's better, it's more compact, yes, but it can get warmer, which is not good. In the hole with a corner, next to the thermometer, there is actually a connector - you can connect either a USB or a thermometer (the instructions do not say, but it seems like it's LM35) to control the temperature of the rechargeable batteries.

On the other hand, there are connectors for a balanced charge of Li batteries and the main output is plus or minus for all batteries.

The delivery set is an instruction and a set of wires (the power supply is not included in the set and must be purchased separately):

When ordering, I asked the seller to complete the wires with such connectors, by default these will be T-connectors.

This instruction is included in the kit in English and in gloss. The instruction is dated 2008.

Separately for the charger, I purchased a 120 W universal power supply (although designed for laptops). Although here the Chinese cheated and the block turned out to be 96 W, and 120 is only the maximum.

The box comes with a set of connectors for various laptops:

For the charger, the number three plug on the left with a white ring is ideal.

The power supply voltage can be adjusted from 12 volts to 24 volts.

Well, outwardly everyone appreciated, let's start disassembling!

We unscrew the side covers and take out the bottom of the case, to which the board is screwed.

As you can immediately notice, the board is made of very high quality, all elements for surface mounting are even (electrolytic capacitors do not count), the flux is washed, there is no dirt anywhere, the soldering is shiny, everything is neatly sealed. Even the eyes are happy! The voltage converter in the device is used as a pulse one - this is only for charging the batteries, the stabilizer for the microcontroller of the device is located on the back of the board. Let's move our gaze there.

As you can see, all heat-loaded elements are located on the reverse side of the printed circuit board and are pressed against the device body, which, as you remember, is just a heat sink in combination.

Everything is pressed against the body through the thermo-rubber bands.

I was pleased with the stamping allegedly for ventilation, which has practically no slots for air circulation.

Perhaps one of the most interesting questions is what the charger is based on. But here is a disappointment - we will not recognize this, since the inscription is overwritten on the case of the microcontroller microcircuit. In general, it looks very similar to the Atmega16 microcontroller.

Let's put everything back and try to turn it on, I hope nothing was broken during disassembly ..)

When you turn on the power, an inscription with the name of the device will appear at the very beginning. And then you can start working with the device, select the desired mode, set the parameters of the charging current and press start, after checking the battery, the battery charging process will begin according to the specified algorithm, depending on the selected type. In case of an incorrect choice, for example, put a NiMH battery instead of Li-ion, the device will give an error and the charge will not start, similarly if there is no battery at all or more or less batteries connected to the charger compared to the selected parameters of the charging menu.

We connect the wires to the charger and the crocodiles are connected to the battery. It is worthwhile to provide holders for batteries, since it is just that crocodiles are not only inconvenient, and sometimes it is impossible to connect.

Let's try to charge the old battery from a mobile phone.

We set the parameters.

We press start and the device checks the battery.

The charge went. The top line indicates the type and number of batteries, the charging current (the battery is 700 mAh, but it is dead and its capacity is slightly less, during the charging process the current will drop to 300 mA and gradually drop to 0 at the end of the charging cycle) and the voltage on the battery. The bottom line indicates the running process of charging or discharging, the time that charging takes place and the capacity of the charge pumped in or pumped out of the battery.

At the end of charging, a beep will sound and charging will stop. As a result, the old battery was charged in 1 hour and its capacity was almost 200 mAh. And yet, the value of the capacitance can be slightly overestimated, apparently this calculation is based on the principle of the current charging current multiplied by the time that this current flows.

For different types of batteries, the voltage is set automatically (nominal voltage plus the voltage of a fully charged battery, for LiPo the nominal value is 3.7 V, and a charged battery will give a voltage of 4.2 V). Nominal voltage for NiMH and NiCd 1.2 V, for Li-ion 3.6 V, for LiPo 3.7 V, for LiFe 3.3 V.

The charger works according to 4 default algorithms: Li batteries (normal charging, balanced charging (connectors to the right of the main charging output with multiple pins are used), fast charging, storage, discharging), NiMH batteries (setting the charging current, discharge current, number of cycles charge-discharge), NiCd batteries (set the charging current, discharge current, number of charge-discharge cycles), lead-acid batteries (discharge and charge). You can also save your data on some of your battery charging combinations, for example, 4 NiMH batteries of such and such a capacity can be charged with such and such a current and in such and such cycles, so as not to adjust all this every time before charging.

Further in the charger there is a settings menu where you can set the type of Li battery, battery test time, D.Peak sensitivity adjustment, control and adjustment of the connector for USB or thermometer, etc., menu diagram in the photo:

To connect to a computer via USB, a UART-USB adapter is required. The information uploaded by the charger contains a log of charging or discharging. To visualize the data obtained, you can use the Log View program from SCYRC, developed for original chargers.

Well, the IMAX B6 charger is not a bad unit, it competently charges almost everything that is used in portable equipment as batteries. And you can charge everything from finger batteries to small car batteries. The only drawback that can be noted is that it charges multiple batteries only when connected in series. If separate charging of several batteries were implemented (for Li batteries, the balanced mode does not count), the device would probably be the best choice in this price range.