I have a question, it may be a dumb question but I have one. I run gp3300's 4 cell for oval, they were cycling out at 1.179-1.187's before i got them zapped and re-matched. I ran them this weekend and they were great, now when I cycled them this week, they are at 1.135. Should I cycle them again? I just dont understand how batteries that are great numbers, turn out so crappy. Any advice or help would be greatly appriciated.
Thanks

Pull the rubber piece back on the small leads of your Turbo my guess is it came unsoldered, that always leads to low numbers on a cycle.
The heat when cycling causes mine to come unsoldered at times.

I have a question, it may be a dumb question but I have one. I run gp3300's 4 cell for oval, they were cycling out at 1.179-1.187's before i got them zapped and re-matched. I ran them this weekend and they were great, now when I cycled them this week, they are at 1.135. Should I cycle them again? I just dont understand how batteries that are great numbers, turn out so crappy. Any advice or help would be greatly appriciated.
Thanks

What kind of zapper do you use.
If you don't use the right one u can damage cells.
It's Not good to zap new GP cells

actually weapon you won't get good numbers untill a cell is zapped. The key is that they are zapped on a machine made for initial zapping not just an ordinary zapper. Also once zapped on one of these machines they should never be zapped again or damge will occur. Any more zapping should take place on a maintenace zapper. A cheap virgin cell zapper is going to start at about 600.00 while a decent one will run ya a grand.

Yup, dumb question! :wave:

With all your money you should have new cells every week.

So is the integy dxc 3000 going to hurt the cells or not?

Just curious, why would you have 1.179's-1.187's zapped and re-matched? Those seem like good numbers to me.

TG

Should not hurt the cells. The dcx 3000 is a maintenance zapper not a virgin or initial zapper. Unfortunately maintenance zappers and initial zappers are very easy to distinguish between soley by their price.

So what is the difference between an initial zapper and a maintenance zapper?

About 500-900 dollars just kidding. Actually the zapper for a new cell is a lot more extreme Ive heard the voltage is usually above 110 or more. Plenty of people have bought a case of batteries and zapped them with a maintenace zapper thinking they would have good numbers and then are dissapointed. I am one that thought that the difference could not be that much but it is. If you want more info go on integy's website and look at the xapper messages on their forum. This should help you understand the difference I am not an expert or claim to be one.

Also B Mullins when i said it would not hurt to zap with a 3000 that is if you are using it correctly and zapping at the proper voltage. The integy xappers have recommendations on the machine itself as to how new the cells are what voltage should be used. Like i said I am not an expert but i have studied this subject profusely.

Nothing compares to the intitial zap... If it is done properly, it should never need to be done again... a maintinance zapper, can help only if the weld from the initial zap has been broken, or didnt work properly the first time...

I few years back i had a discussion at a hobby show with someone from a battery maker.. not matcher.. this is how he explained to me that zapping works...

inside of the battery is the chemicals, then on top is a plate, then a spring and then another plate.... as the cell charges this spring compresses and when fully compressed, the cell should be about peaked... now

what zapping does is weld the spring solid to the two plates.. creating a solid top rather then spring.. it allows the pack to peak faster, and that is supose to help bring up the voltage, and drop internal resistance... If the zapper worked well the first time this weld should not break.. if you zap a cell that is already welded, you can actually damage it.. one you can cause the weld to break by a second zap, or you will see no change in performance... a maintinance zapper is not as powerfull. so it may help for a while, but not having enough juice the weld will break.. which is why it gives the apearance of working when you use it...

ive had packs re zapped and matched in the past.. ive seen no improvement in them... the rematching help, because you can place the better cells with the better cells,, but thats it...

Zapping does weld (actually more like a spot weld) the internal connections in the cell. Which without getting into a bunch of analytical jargon drops the internal resistance, which allows more voltage to be dispersed quicker (in essence it increases the concentration of electrolyte within the cell). Which will then result in more power in the "front" of the pack.

Now there are battery guru's out there zapping all their new cells thinking it will improve every single one. This is not the case. Experienced battery guru's know how to manipulate the SoC (state of charge) of a cell when it arrives off the boat. With this information one can determine which cells will improve with a zap, and which ones will show little to no improvement.

My findings show that if you receive cells within their first 3 cycles, an initial zap and 1 rezap will be affective on the select cells. But seeing that most matchers cycle their packs 4-5 times (to let the numbers settle) before you ever see them. I have found rezapping to be a waste of time and energy (about 100 volts worth) as a consumer buying these packs from a distributor.

So I agree with Mike in the reply above. Unless you are getting cells straight off the boat still in shrinkwrap, rezapping will most likely show no mprovement.

Jeff R.

Should I tray my packs before I zap them or after I zap them? And how long should I wait to charge them if I zap before charging? Thanks.....

Thanks Erock, you were right about the wire on the turbo35, it was disconnected! my packs are now back to 1.187 or higher! So zapping did help, and re-matching def helped out alot. Brando, with all my money?! lol I dont have much. You did pretty well at lrrc 2 weeks ago, looked like the car was handling good in the main. I just got my body airbrushed, and decal'd up, if I can find my digital cam, I will take a pic of it, and post it. Thanks erock, and everyone else for your help. Much appriciated!
Thanks
Steve Hanson

Thanks Erock, you were right about the wire on the turbo35, it was disconnected! my packs are now back to 1.187 or higher! So zapping did help, and re-matching def helped out alot....

Zapping helps at lowering the internal resistance on certain cells that respond to the zapping process. Not over zapping the cells is the key.
Better to zap each cell at a lower voltage twice or more then one big high voltage zap! (talking about rezapping used cells).

Zapping does help brake up bubbles and burn off any wiskers (crystallization caused by heat) around the plates improving quicker release of batter power (lowering internal resistance). :cool:


You may not notice any increase in voltage right away if any would be very small about .02 volts per cell.
Is it worth the money?? Its up too you... :thumbsup:

Should I tray my packs before I zap them or after I zap them? And how long should I wait to charge them if I zap before charging? Thanks.....



Only Zap your cells after 8-10 battery charging/discharging cycles.

1. tray the batteries dead for 1 hour.
2. Zap according to the age of the pack.
3. Let sit for three days minimum.
4. tray the pack to zero.
5. Charge and race.

Peace