Help, no 12.6V on my Tenergy li-ion charger

[mazingerz9]

I just ordered a li-ion charger from Batteryjunction. link
Note: I got the grey charger, I am not sure why they show a picture of a black charger.

I want to use it to charge my 3-cell Li-ion batteries but I don't see the 12.6V on the voltage selector. I only see 14.4V, 10.8V, 7.2V and 3.6V.

On their site (with the link I provided above), it states:

[FONT=arial, helvetica]Operation:

Select right voltage level for your pack.

For 3.6/3.7V 1-cell pack, set switch button 4.2 position on the charger
For 7.2/7.4V 2-cell pack, set switch button 8.4 position on the charger
For 3.6/3.7V 3-cell pack, set switch button 12.6 position on the charger
For 3.6/3.7V 4-cell pack, set switch button 16.8 position on the charger
[/FONT]
Is their advertisement wrong?
Or am I missing something here?

It will be used for my FM85 which is coming soon from Fivemega.

Any help is appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[horizonseeker]

you don't see any of the other position either,

the the site it also states that only the 3.6, 7.2, 10.8, 14.4 positions ar available.

looks like positions on your charger are calculated based on 3.6V per cell so the 10.8v is the one to use (instead of 12.6 which assumes 4.2 peak voltage per cell).

 

[Norm]

I have that charger in my hand the steps are in 3.6V increments.
3.6V 1Cell, 7.2V 2Cells, 10.8V 3Cells, 14.4V4Cells
Norm

 

[mazingerz9]

Oh really? Does it mean my batteries won't charge to their fullest?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Norm]

Mine does seem to leave them a little short of 4.2V per cell when I charge three cells they end up about 4.1V. It's not the greatest of chargers.
look here if your charging 3 Cells all the time you can buy a dedicated charger for 3 cells. http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=705
You may find you are better off buying a hobby charger and building this http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=160942
Remember if your charging batteries in series you will need to check each cells voltage to make sure they don't get out of balance, the link with the Voltcraft holder and hobby charger takes care of all that.
It's very easy to forget to change the switch on the charger you linked to, charging a single cell on the two cell setting for instance, you cell will turn into a bomb. Please don't ask me how I know. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=152013
Norm

 

[neophyte340]

What do the experts say on perhaps a slightly differnt route..maybe only temporary, as Id like to make use of the FM85 charging slot as well. (Im in the exact same boat as mazinger)
Perhaps buying 3 of these, http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3163

 

[TigerhawkT3]

4.1V per Li-Ion is about 85% charged. Could be more, but not too bad. Be glad that it's a 0.1V UNDERcharge rather than a 0.1V OVERcharge.

I have one of those all-in-one chargers (#3163). It seems to do what it says it does. I have a 4AA battery carrier with NiMHs charging in its 9V connector, as it's only C/25ish (100mA). I figure I can pop out the cells and ZTS them a couple times a day until they read full. Heck, I could probably just leave them trickle charging for a day or two with minimal lifetime reduction.

 

[mdocod]

if you are going to be pack charging without balancing, that 0.1V undercharge is very preferable, wouldn't hurt to pull the cells from the pack once and awhile and charge them individually in a slot style charger to balance out the pack.

 

[mazingerz9]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll use the charger for now until I save up enough money to purchase a better charger--ones like the triton and ice.