INTELLECT BATTERY CARE
USING MUCH MORE PRODUCTS

With their low internal resistance, high voltage, and high run-times, the new Intellect (IB) batteries have quickly become very popular among RC racers. Compared to GP cells, however, the IB cells are more sensitive to overcharge and high temperatures. So, in order to get the best life and performance from them, you must treat them a little differently.

Because of its accurate peak detection, fail-safe features, and super linear current, the MuchMore Cell Master is ideal for charging Intellect batteries. Nexus Racing is proud to offer these guidelines for maintaining these cells using the MuchMore Cell Master and charging accessories.

Charging

It is important that the IB batteries peak below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, so you will need to consider these variables when setting your delta peak and temperature cutoffs.

Delta Peak Cutoff Variables:

1) ambient temperature- To avoid overheating your cells, you should run a lower delta peak cutoff in hotter temperatures. It is recommended to start with a 04 setting (=.004v for entire pack) on the CM in hotter conditions (90+ degrees F). In lower temperatures, or as the temperature drops later in the day, you can raise the value to 05 or 06 with confidence.

2) use of MMR accessories- When using the MMR battery heatsinks or warming trays, you should always adjust your charger?s settings accordingly. When using the warming tray, adapt your settings to the battery?s new environment. When using the battery heatsink, you should add 1 or 2 to your original delta peak setting.

Temperature Cutoff Variables:

1) placement of sensor- The temperature of the cells will read differently depending upon where the temperature sensor is placed (the standard placement for the temperature sensor is on top of the heat-shrink). For this reason, you should leave yourself a buffer when you set your temperature cutoff.

3800 Cutoff Settings:

Here are some good starting points for your delta peak and temperature cutoffs. After seeing how your battery reacts to the settings, you can adjust your delta peak. For example, if your battery is relatively cool after charge, you should increase your delta peak.
***Keep in mind that the MMR Cell Master utilizes different (lower) delta peak cutoff settings than other chargers due to its super linear current. A value of "05" on the cell master equals .005v or 5mV, NOT .05v (this value is for the entire pack, not each individual cell). Therefore, the values below are representative only to the Cell Master. It is recommended to use a .02 or .03v delta peak setting on other chargers.

90+ degrees F, no heatsink, delta peak 04, temp 47 (~117 deg F)
90+ degrees F, with heatsink, delta peak 05, temp 47
80-90 degrees F, no heatsink, delta peak 05, temp 47
80-90 degrees F, with heatsink, delta peak 06, temp 47
below 80 degrees F, no heatsink, delta peak 06, temp 47

Keep in mind: the settings above are just recommended starting points. To gain more punch, you can always increase your delta peak value, no matter what the ambient temperature. Keep your temperature cutoff around 47-49, however, to act as a safeguard. This will allow you to gain the maximum amount of punch without hurting the cells.

Update 10/23/2005: It is normal for the temperature of the cells to increase after the battery has peaked. If a battery "temp cuts" at 49 degrees Celsius (~120 deg F), the temperature can increase as high as 52 degrees Celsius (~126 deg F) after charge. This is why it is good to set your temperature cutoff slightly below your target temperature.

Step Charging

Here are the current CTX (step-charging) profiles for IB3800 supported by Nexus Racing:

Discharging

The new IB cells have more capacity than most racers are currently used to. Consequently, there is significantly more run-time left in the batteries after a 5 minute race, especially when racing stock or 19turn. If your battery pack has more than a minute of run-time left after a run, it is recommended to discharge the pack at 20 or 30 amps. This allows the battery to stay ?trained? to racing conditions.

Dead-Shorting

The still very new Intellect cells have already experienced many revisions, and they seem to be improving with each batch. The newest batches have been responding well to dead-shorting, much like GP cells. Refer to the Nexus article Dead-Shorting Your NiMH Batteries for detailed instructions on how to perform this process (there are different methods you can utilize for different types of racing). Contact the matcher of your batteries to determine which batch of Intellect cells you have.

Storing your Batteries for Modified Racing

Whether you dead-short your cells or not, you should consider the following for modified racing:
If you plan to store your IB cells for over a week, it is recommended to put a 300-400 second charge into the battery before storage. This keeps the battery from losing excessive run-time. This equates to around a 450ma charge.

It is easy to set up a profile on your Cell Master just for this task. Just simply set up a Peak Charge profile with the capacity set to 450ma and the charging rate set to 5.0 amps (see picture below). The charger will automatically cut off when the capacity reaches 450ma, so you will not have to wait and manually stop the charge after 300-400 seconds.

There you have it! We would like to thank ThunderRC and SMC for providing some vital information about these cells. We will continue to update this page to keep the information current.

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