The sensing comes from you...if you end a ride two bars down, then you know that's going to take in excess of three hours to recharge.
Well, OK. But I think you create a certain impression with statements like "I can dial in any amount of charge I want" and "My ten dollar timer allows me to slow charge (best for the battery) based on % of charge remaining" You may not be aware of this, but the best Li-Ion chargers actually do slow the rate of charge as the battery approaches "full," they have feedback circuitry to detect it. I have one for AA/AAA cells. Your mention of "slow charge" implies there is more than one rate of charge using the radpower standard charger and a simple timer, like the more sophisticated chargers out there, and AFAIK there isn't, there is just on & off, the charger is "smart" only in the sense that it has an auto shutoff. I just want to clear that up for anyone else reading this later an think the radpower charger is more sophisticated than it actually is.
"Improper charger" does not mean the same thing as "non-Radpower charger." Is there someplace else that they explicitly say "only use the supplied charger?"
Larry like others has learned by observation and using a clock just how long it takes to bring up the charge from various levels to the desired level, He and the rest of us that do, simply set the timer for the calculated charge time. It takes a few tries and some common sense, but very doable. The timer hasn't any sense, it depends on yours.
Add a multimeter. Bars are a 35 cent electronic INDICATOR, not a meter.
I stand corrected. However it's interesting they are not that explicit under the warranty section (where I looked because that's what you expressed concern about).
Good questions, but on the other hand if this is the case then Radpower really ought to indicate that somewhere in their manual as a best practice to leave it charging until the light goes green, and I don't believe they do? (see p. 12-15). After all, a timer cut-off is no different than just stopping charger before light is green manually. On the contrary, they say at one point that the battery has no memory effect at all, implying not to worry about it.
OK paranoid. Many Battery BMS do NOT have balance functions and require charging to 100% and for longer 6hrs, and monitored. (always monitor ANY charging battery). I've got dozens of if not scores of reports of success. Charging to 80%-90% routinely and 100% occasionally can DOUBLE battery life. NOT create ANY problem. I woudn't call you paranoid, but I will say lacking experience.
All at your finger tips by way of Google. Here’s a start...
I never denied balancing. Some of us have found that occasional long charges, monitored, will balance packs without balancing function on the BMS. My experience is based on management of a dozen personal batteries and supporting scores. I have lots to learn, but have picked up a few successful techniques.
i believe the rad batteries have balance function, and if they are anything at all like the balance function in rc lipo chargers the last hour or so can be all balance cycling. at that point most of the cells would already be at 100% with the balance circuitry working to bring up the remaining cells. if thats the case using a timer would be pointless and harmful as by design the bms would require a full charge to balance the pack. just saying, am i wrong?
I've found, based on my 10 or more batteries (personal use 36V, 48V, and 52V EM3ev, Luna, CA eBike and China direct), that packs don't need to be balanced every charge. 80% charges over a 4 year period with monthly 100% charges to balance hasn't hurt any battery I own or any battery any customer owns. Storing batteries for weeks at a time can be quite hard on them.
