Explorer Battery Charge Question

[eyespy27]

I have an Explorer XS and no matter what I do, I can't get the battery meter to read full. I have a brand new 1600 mAh battery pack as well as another pack made of new 2000 mAh rechargeables. After a full charge, both the stock battery and the recharge pack never read higher than 50 - 60% on the Explorer meter. They seem to last when I'm out using it (they haven't cut off yet) but I'd feel better if I had a better idea of the true charge level.

The terminals on the two plastic cases are clean (both are new). Could it be dirty terminals inside the Explorer, and if so, how can I get in there to clean them?

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

John

 

[chuck ky]

don't know how long its supposed to charge but mine always shows full after charging. sometimes i charge just a little over 8 hrs. and sometimes more than 24.

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[dewcon4414]

Have you tried just plain old AA's? If they dont read full then you have another problem. Ive seen several posts on the XS springs getting weak and not pushing or holding the battery tight. Try what they did.... put a small piece of paper between the battery and the rubber cover to make it tigher and see if that works. The charger its self is designed NOT to over charge no matter how long you leave it on the charger. The lower you run the standard battery down the first few times the better it takes a charge.

Dew

 

[eyespy27]

Thanks - I'll give it a shot with some paper and also try a fresh set of non-rechargeable alkalines. The battery seems to last, just never reads full (for both the stock and the rechargeables).

John

 

[Gilly in Illinois]

The more you use them the stronger they will get. It helps to run them all the way down too.

HH Gilly

 

[Critterhunter]

Check the Sovereign forum for a thread on the first page about the Excal battery or charger. We've posted a ton of charger and cell information for the feeding and care of batteries, even how to recover a bad pack.

 

[Jason illinois]

n/t

 

[chuck ky]

wouldn't that cause a little unnecessary wear and tear on the machine and the battery plus the electricity to charge the battery twice.

 

[Critterhunter]

If you want to drain the pack dead just hitch it up to something like a car tail light bulb. Once the bulb goes out let it sit on it for another two or three hours to insure all the cells are equally dead. Then re-charge. On a new pack I'd cycle it this way 4 or 5 times before normal use. It will excercise the pack and expand what it holds. Then about two or three times a year do the same cycle process all over again. There is a really great computerized charger called the Accucel 6 from Hobby King that will show how much capacity is put back into the pack and you'll see as it holds more capacity when cycling it. This charger will also automaticly drain/charge the pack for you how ever many times you want, though I still prefer to use a car light bulb to drain the pack faster. This charger will also do nimhs, nicads, and several other up and coming battery types. For $25 you can't touch the features on this charger without paying well over $100 from other sources. The link to it as well as much more battery care/info can be found in the Sovereign forum under a thread where somebody was asking about the Excalibur battery or charger. Should be on first page.