George Sephton
Senior Member
Hi,
Ive got a MAX712 and Im about to buy a set of 4 AA NiMH batteries for it (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00008GSXV/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=) but Im getting confused with the times. I read the manual (http://datasheets.maxim-ic.com/en/ds/MAX712-MAX713.pdf) and saw that different pin connections relate to different settings. However table 1 talks of fast charging but Im not bothered about this. It says C/4 is slow and below that (Page 6) it has an eqaution with "charge time in hours", is that optional or maufacturer specific because I'd like the charge time to be about 36 hours or so not fast charge. Having said that does that mean the MAX712 is not right for me? If not I can still put up with the 4 hour charge cycle but in looking into this I looked at wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickle_charging) and that says
My application is a product that will sit for most of it's life in a dock connected to a transformer, and that can then be taken out of the dock and moved around with so the battery needs to be charged but not charged all the time. Looking at that, does this mean my batteries would break and that I need to use a float charger? Or is there a way of waiting for the battery to be charged and turning off the charging unit and recharging the battery again in a week when it has discharged slightly if not been used or discharged fully if used? I also have a battery monitor if this comes in useful.
George S.
Ive got a MAX712 and Im about to buy a set of 4 AA NiMH batteries for it (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00008GSXV/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=) but Im getting confused with the times. I read the manual (http://datasheets.maxim-ic.com/en/ds/MAX712-MAX713.pdf) and saw that different pin connections relate to different settings. However table 1 talks of fast charging but Im not bothered about this. It says C/4 is slow and below that (Page 6) it has an eqaution with "charge time in hours", is that optional or maufacturer specific because I'd like the charge time to be about 36 hours or so not fast charge. Having said that does that mean the MAX712 is not right for me? If not I can still put up with the 4 hour charge cycle but in looking into this I looked at wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickle_charging) and that says
which is now confusing.A trickle charger, on the other hand, will charge no matter whether the battery is fully charged or not. So it needs to be connected and disconnected periodically. If left in place too long it'll eventually boil the electrolyte out of the cells or damage the plates. Trickle chargers will work to keep the battery charged if used once a month or so for a day or 2, but the float chargers can be left connected indefinitely without potential harm to the battery.
My application is a product that will sit for most of it's life in a dock connected to a transformer, and that can then be taken out of the dock and moved around with so the battery needs to be charged but not charged all the time. Looking at that, does this mean my batteries would break and that I need to use a float charger? Or is there a way of waiting for the battery to be charged and turning off the charging unit and recharging the battery again in a week when it has discharged slightly if not been used or discharged fully if used? I also have a battery monitor if this comes in useful.
George S.