TOPIC:

after having just won another eBay Hotshot 2 bid on line I also scored a working Ripmax delta peak charger and a pair of 3300mha nicads

The battery's seem to be dead the wont charge but having limited testing gear here I was wondering is there any why of brining them back to life I have read on the net about shocking dead nicad's back to life but these seem to be for power tools battery packs not actual RC nicad's so are they now just paper weights or is there a way of rising them from the dead ?

You could try and put them on a good old fashioned timed charger.
The delta peak will prevent further charging, where the latter will just keep "pumping".
Might cause a bit of heat and some sizzling but just keep an eye (= hand) on the temperature.
It's usually not harmful...
Worked for my packs.

Will do will solder new Tamiya connectors on to them then try an over night charge with an old acoms 6 v charger wont charge them full but then it wont over charge them either

I've seen Youtube videos of people "zapping" NiCds with a 12V car battery. Anyone know if this works or is it just Internet myth?

Could work, but if you do it for too long that might be overkill.
From what I've read, it's best to bring them back to life with a decent current at least.
That should "zap" away the crystals that have formed (and are misleading the delta peak).
Worked on my batteries at a 2A current (and 9.6V I think). The 6V Acoms may not be quite up to that... (?)

Btw, I also had some Nicads from the 80s that sizzled a bit too much... worth a try though.
Your packs couldn't be that old. They must be of the latest generation, having 3300 mAh capacity.
My guess would be that with a charge current of around 1 capacity (1C = 3A) they would come alive quite nicely.

Si06 wrote:

Will do will solder new Tamiya connectors on to them then try an over night charge with an old acoms 6 v charger wont charge them full but then it wont over charge them either

I would not leave them alone charging over night... Just not worth the risk at any voltage...

So to clarify, the best chance to revive a dead battery is with the old clockwork Acoms fast charger?

If that puts out about 2-3A, then I would say yes.
I am probably not somebody that's easily worried by this stuff but it is very much advised to keep an eye on the temperature.
And to make sure you're ready to unplug it.
You'll notice when the sizzling gets troublesome...



But these packs are probably still in good shape and will only give a few minor sounds.
I'm sure eddrick with have good info on the subject btw...
He's a tech head and a hardcore NiCad supporter.