The battery life of your RC car will go a long way if you if you properly take care of it and charge it correctly. And that shouldn’t be that hard, at least not if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. After all, you spent all that time and energy looking for the ideal RC vehicle for you, so you certainly don’t want to let it all go down the drain now that you finally got it in your hands, right? For that very reason, in today’s blog post we will share with you some simple tips on how to properly charge and therefore, preserve the longevity of your battery’s life.
When you buy an RC car, it usually comes equipped with a Ni-MH or Li-Po battery and the proper remote control battery charger for it. When charging NiMH batteries for the first time, you should leave them to charge from 6 to 8 hours. After they have been charged once, next time they will only need 4-6 hours. Some chargers have an indicator light which goes green when the battery is full, while others don’t have one so you should track the time that they have been charging on your own. Also, to shorten the charging time, you can use a fast charger.
The average running time for Ni-Mh batteries is dependant on the mAh of the battery. So besides giving your RC car a better running performance, if the mAh power is higher the battery will last longer. Today, the running time of regular batteries that come with RC cars ranges between 12-15 minutes, but that, of course, depends on your driving habits and the terrains you commonly use the car on. If you are looking for a battery that has a longer running time and a better performance, you can simply upgrade your battery to a better and more powerful version.
The same remote control battery charger that you use for NiMH batteries can also be used for NiCd. However, keep in mind that fast charging may raise the charge-discharge rate to a higher level and the battery may lose some of its longevity. If your RC car becomes much slower and unresponsive that’s an indicator that the battery is low. So to ensure a long battery life, do not discharge it completely as this may damage it. Simply leave the vehicle to cool off for some time and then recharge it. When the batteries of your RC vehicle are not in use, make sure to properly handle and store them. Keep them in a cool dry environment and avoid placing them in direct sunlight exposure or near any heat source.
