Large Scale Central

Recharging Aristocraft batteries

Electronics Power and Sound
#1

I have a couple of Crest/Aristocraft Batteries that have been sitting on the shelf for over a year and the other day I wanted to use them to run a train to test some new track work. I installed the batteries and the reciver never would power up, so I pulled them out and used a mutlimeter to check the voltage. The meter read 0.0 VDC, so I pluged it into the aristcraft charger for an over night charge and the next day I tried it again. The batter did not charge and still showed only 1.2 VDC, so I put the battery back on the charge for another day after checking it again, it still only list 1.2V.

Is three anyway of getting these to charge back up to the 21.5 volts there are supposed to be or do I need to trash these $90.00 batteries and buy new ones.

Dan

#2

CRE55610R 21.5v/2.2 AMP LI-ON BATTERY PACK I don’t use this make… but as far as Lith Ion go in general & if it’s this one, then the voltage you appear to have is well below the safe discharge voltage for the battery and so the battery may be useless.

Probably Greg may be able to give more info on this problem.

#3

Your battery is useless. Too low to bring back to life. Even if you don’t use your batteries often, they should be charged every 60 to preserve the charge. Even then I have found that batteries over time become useless and can’t be charged. I have two battery packs that are in this condition now and need to buy new ones. That’s the way it is with battery power.

#4

Interesting…

So, Dan, just to be sure, you have the 21.5 v Aristo Li-ion pack right? I will assume so, but please confirm.

Good Li-ion batteries should be able to sit on a shelf for a year and not die completely.

Looks like this one did, and the fact that you only got 1.2 volts is really bad, you did not even get one cell back.

I’d chuck them… there were bad batches…

Greg

#5

I think that the Battery University is a pretty good place to understand many of the issues associated with various battery chemistries and such. The sites owner doesn’t appear to have much of an axe to grind or a dog in the hunt.

#6

Bad batches were probably; simply OLD when sold as new…

Any lithium cell stored at less than 2.0V for even a short period of time is considered worthless.

Lithium’s should be stored in cooler environments, at 3.8V or so its recommended. No need to cycle them just maintain voltage above 3.0V at the least and top em off if need be on occasion. Best case is to chart the performance of your batteries life cycle (used and stored). You may find the battery can remain unattended for months on end, if previous known intervals change for the worse time is no longer your friend.

Michael

#7

Mark,

Great suggestion, Battery University offers sound information IMO. The guy that runs Cadex Electronics; I think its Isor is well written.

Michael

#8

Mark,

Their dead. Once a lithium cell reaches 0 volts it can not be restored back to it’s original capacity.

Here’s a good rule of thumb; once you charge a battery for the first time, that battery needs to be in a “charged state.” What I mean by that is, if your not going to operate your locomotives during the off season (ie: winter in the north or summer time in the south) months, then I would suggest charging all the battery-packs within your loco’s once every 3 - 4 months, then store them back on the shelf. This will keep your battery-packs in a “charged state” (nominal voltage or above), it will also extend of lifetime (cycles) of your battery-packs, and it will also keep you from purchasing new batteries every year.

#9

Rick:

Shouldn’t your reply be addressed to Dan, the OP? I just added the link to the Battery University to provide possible understanding for others. I definitely made no recommendation. Also I have no expertise in this subject and might add that I have been a “victim” a couple of times myself.

#10

Thanks Guys for your input. As I suspected they are dead as a door nail. I have used these for about 3 years now, and was going to use them on my Christamas outdoor layout this past year, but never got to it due to my wife passing away on the 11th of december, so they just set on the shelf. Now that I wanted to test some new track, they are as gone as my wife. I guess I will have to purchase some new Lithium cells and build some new batteries. I have built some 14.4 packs in the past and they were just fine, so thats the route I will go and a lot cheaper than buying new Aristocraft battery packs.

Dan S.

#11

My bad, sorry Dan…

#12

Michael, there was an entire bad batch of batteries from Aristo once upon a time. The protection circuit bundled with them was blamed.

Who knows what the cause was, but Aristo had to replace a lot of batteries… it hurt them a lot, just like the GP40 motors that burned up.

Greg