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My battery seems to leave it just above 1.0 volts, but I do want to recondition some old cells, maybe I can find another flashlight. I assume going down to just above 1.0 volts will still recondition to some extent.
Also, how important is the discharge rate? I am not sure of the current draw.
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The standard forming charge actually calls for a timer controlled 0.1C charge for 16 hours, then a one hour rest period, and then a 0.2C discharge to 1.0 volts. Obviously the cell has to then be re-charged to make it usable. The Powerex MH-C9000 accomplishes this with another timer controlled 16 hour charge at 0.1C.
There have been credible conversations inferring that slower, deeper discharges may be even more the beneficial than the standard, but I haven't noted a consensus on how slow or how deep. However, there does seem to be a considerable amount of leeway as long as the cell is not left in an over-discharged state for an extended period of time. As mentioned previously, this can apparently lead to irreversible damage.
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I don't see the answer in there, I see why to not place it upside down which increases the heat delivered to the temperature sensor causing premature shutdown, but this is delivering heat away from the sensor, ensuring that the delta voltage detection is used to cutoff the voltage. I can only see the temperature cutoff as being a last resort, because I don't think it would be reliable due to room temperature differences from say summer to winter. So in summer, it could cutoff earlier than winter. I suppose the unmentioned reason would be to ensure that it cuts off an overcharged or bad high-resistance battery as soon as possible.
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Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing whether the MQN05 actually utilizes its sensors for other than simply determining a high temperature cut-off point. However, its ability to reliably terminate its charge at rates that elude more expensive chargers does indicate its utilizing something more sophisticated than basic negative deltaV.
Fortunately, it's a mute issue because there has never been a report of this charger over-heating cells notwithstanding its cover. In turn, this makes it difficult to rationalize removing the cover and potentially compromising its ability to operate fully within its designed parameters.
Still, if you choose to experiment with operating the charger in a horizontal position without its cover, it would be interesting to hear whether or not you find it beneficial.
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