Problem with battery or charger?

[nstahl.19]

I recently got a 9.6V NiMh Intellect Battery and I seem to have an issue with it. It only lasts around 1400 rounds. I know its only 1200mAh but I've been told i should be getting at least 2500+ rounds out of it. I was using it in a G&P M4 CQBR Magpul.
Now for the charger which is Tenergy Smart Charger and is also just as new, I would never have thought it might be the charger, but i tried charging a 8.4v 1600mAh Intellect and used it in a VA36 and it died a lot sooner then the 1200mAh 9.6v. I didn't keep track of the cycles or time or anything because i was unaware of a problem at the time.
Does anyone have a solutions, or have you had a similar problem? Thanks.

[nstahl.19]

Oh, and I might have overcharged like 15-30min. The batteries are like brand new and I used the 8.4v once or twice and the 9.6v maybe five times. Might any of that have to do with the problem?

[Jimski]

it could be normal.
for instance the higher amps at lower voltage also means that the lower voltage will need more amps to pull the spring and when the battery's getting discharged it's a disadvantage.
Overcharge once is not a big deal. 1400 rounds with 1200 mah is ok imho.
it all depends on your spring strength and the battery's discharge rate, which is a function of the capacity, cell size and quality.

[Styrak]

You will NOT be getting 2500 rounds out of a 1200mAh battery. Whoever told you that was lying.

[Kozzie]

1400 bb's from a 1200mAh battery is not bad at all. Different springs, motors, wires, shim jobs etc will affect the draw on a battery but you should be in the neighbourhood of 1bb per mAh on your average AEG.

[MaciekA]

Originally Posted by nstahl.19

I recently got a 9.6V NiMh Intellect Battery and I seem to have an issue with it. It only lasts around 1400 rounds. I know its only 1200mAh but I've been told i should be getting at least 2500+ rounds out of it. I was using it in a G&P M4 CQBR Magpul.
Now for the charger which is Tenergy Smart Charger and is also just as new, I would never have thought it might be the charger, but i tried charging a 8.4v 1600mAh Intellect and used it in a VA36 and it died a lot sooner then the 1200mAh 9.6v. I didn't keep track of the cycles or time or anything because i was unaware of a problem at the time.
Does anyone have a solutions, or have you had a similar problem? Thanks.

Your performance sounds normal to me. Estimates of how many rounds you can get out of a given battery are going to vary WILDLY in the extreme. Don't believe any estimate anybody tells you, anybody who thinks they can come up with a reliable estimate is misguided. I have seen powerful LiPos last a very short time due to immense current draw, and I've seen relatively tiny 1300mAh batteries last all day with 100s of rounds to spare during the winter due to a very efficient gearbox with a super high torque motor (guarder ITU paired with a hobby king 1300mAh 25-50C battery, if anyone is wondering). And I've also seen NiMH batteries in perfectly good condition last half a game because NiMH batteries suck balls.

You cannot in any reliable way relate the mAh rating to number of shots fired. There are too many variables... Shimming, motor torque, gear ratio, spring strength, tappet plate friction, BB weight, o-ring friction, wiring, connectors, contacts, MOSFET usage, semi vs. full auto (hint -- semi will draw down your battery FAR faster), temperature (cold weather == NiMH users who only brought one battery leaving at 2PM) and even the week-to-week batch that the battery came from. This is before getting into the battery chemistry quality, the shape of the battery, its unique properties as they pertain to high current draw, etc.

Lucky for you the creme de la creme of batteries are insanely cheap and stupidly powerful. Go to hobby king and buy LiPo batteries , get yourself a MOSFET and never look back.

[Jimski]

lol Macieka have you been doing anything else than testing guns in the last year?

[lurkingknight]

when I used nimh, 1BB per 1 mah was generally the ratio I got in a few guns. Provided that the battery was healthy and properly charged with a good charger. More BBs per mah would be a bonus, so by that metric, your 1400 shots out of that battery are actually quite good. It's sort of an unofficial benchmark, but every gun is different.

lipos are probably closer to providing the number of shots that guy said you should be getting, but again, it's not a constant, and you shouldn't expect it. Different motors draw different amounts, plus add in drag from gear train and piston friction etc.

[MaciekA]

Originally Posted by Jimski

lol Macieka have you been doing anything else than testing guns in the last year?

tech startup... went to europe... did a lot of hiking.

oh and tested guns

[nstahl.19]

Thanks for the information. When i tested the batteries performance it was very cold weather and literally freezing rain. I'll be trying it again though, seems to be improving over the last few times though ... strange. I do have my first airsoft LiPo, a 7.4v, being shipped as well as a charger. None of my guns are 11.1v ready...yet. It should be here soon and if i like it, I'll definitely switch completely to LiPos and get a MOSFET unit as well. Just watched a tutorial how to install one and it looks pretty simple, will need a soldering unit too and they shouldn't be over a $100 I don't think. Thanks.

[ThunderCactus]

With LiPo, it's not uncommon to get 2BB/mah, I've yet to properly bench my PTW (IE get it working right lol), but on my M249 with it's low drag internal setup and using only full auto (which means very little active braking), I'm doing around 5-7BB's/mah on an 11.1v.