Motorola NTN8831A Charger

[Muxlow]

My XTS3000 battery is having a issue, so not sure if its the battery itself or the charger
7.5 Nickle Metal Hydrate Battery. Put the battery in the charger and the light goes red. After about 2 mins or so the light goes green. I know 100% the battery is almost dead because the display starts to dim.

If i take the battery out and put it back in once the green light comes on it keeps charging the battery that way.. but thats a pain in the *** way to charge it.

I left it over night and it didnt charge. Green light was on, turn the radio on and battery died after a few seconds. Doing the charge the way i am now of taking it out once the green light comes on seems to be working keeping the battery charged. But just wondering if its the charger itself or battery. Dont have another batt or charger to test against

[cmdrwill]

The charger will switch over when the battery voltage gets above a certain value. If the battery cells are going bad the internal cell resistance would allow the voltage to go above the threshold.

If you have a voltmeter you can measure the voltage on the battery and again in the charger.

[evfd1625]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (Android 4.0.4; Linux; Opera Mobi/ADR-1301080958) Presto/2.11.355 Version/12.10)

Is it the slant charger the radio slides into the front of, bunch of ribbed plastic on the top with a computer type socket on the rear? Has a red triangle and green circle for the lights? If so, the charger is bad. Had 2 of them do the same thing. Toss it and get a new one.

[Muxlow]

Nope. This is a circle type chape. I know the one your talking about thou

8VDC when the batter is out of the charger
9 when the red light is on
8 once the green light comes back on

[Muxlow]

Monitoring it then entire time

Starts off at 8
makes it to 10
Green light comes on and instantly drops back to 8

[Wyandotte]

First things first, I'm pretty convinced that you have a bad battery.

I want you to completely drain, and recharge the battery 5 times, before you give up on it. This has worked with 3 different batteries for me. I program some active freq with a CSQ, and let it drain overnight.
Throw it on the charger until it goes green, then do it again overnight. Like I said, try this 5 times. I learned this from Honeywell Batteries website.

[cmdrwill]

DO NOT drain the battery below the recommended one volt per cell. That is 6 volts for most Motorola portable radios, they have six cells.
The lowest we discharge to is 5.4 volts on a six cell, but only under controlled circumstances.

[Muxlow]

Couldnt i drain it by poping in a non used freq and hold the PTT a few times?

[Muxlow]

Im getting the low battery beeps and when the radio is on it shows 5VDC, take the battery off and shows 7
And when the battery is on and the radio is on it keeps shutting off and restarting as if the battery is SUPER dead. But still showing 5v

Put it on the charger. After 2-3 mins it went from red light to a green light and showing 8V and gets up to 10v then light goes green and drops back to 8. I think the battery is F-ed

[Angita]

May be battery's internal carbon dameged

[cabletech]

For what ever it is worth, as most people do not know the correct way to treat batteries, I would say that yours is shot.

Also, there are devices that are called battery analizers ( not cheap) that will tell you the condication of the battery to include, voltage, current amperage, and in some cases will even return a battery to near 90+% of rated amperage.

Again, these are not cheap. I know, I have one and just the main unit cost me $2500.00 and then $100.00 for a adapter plate for each type battery.

I do not have a plate for your 3000, so I recommand that you send the battery to Universal Batteries in Idaho and they have the ablity to confum if it is truly toast. This is the easest way.

If they say it is toast. then they also have new batteries that you can buy and they are not that expense and the people there are great to deal with.

I use these folks all the time and buy new battery's from them. Have for years.

[MTS2000des]

Originally Posted by cabletech

For what ever it is worth, as most people do not know the correct way to treat batteries, I would say that yours is shot.

Also, there are devices that are called battery analizers ( not cheap) that will tell you the condication of the battery to include, voltage, current amperage, and in some cases will even return a battery to near 90+% of rated amperage.

Again, these are not cheap. I know, I have one and just the main unit cost me $2500.00 and then $100.00 for a adapter plate for each type battery.

.

You don't need to spend $2500 for a battery analyzer (I'd love to know what brand and model Cabletech is using. The Motorola BMS WPLN4079BR 6 station analyzer has a list price of only $550 new)

I have one of these Alexander Technologies Optimizer 2003's. You can get them for less than $100 on everyone's favorite auction site:

Battery Charger Optimizer Alexander NiCad NiMH Lithium Li ion Conditioner Tester | eBay

There are some great aftermarket ones that will work with any battery without the need for adapter plates. Maha made a pretty decent one known as the MH-C777 plus which will do NiCD and NiMH packs, and has pins you can move around to work with most battery packs. Will do full deep discharge and condition, and display capacity of the battery and voltage of the battery. I have one of these as well.

[FFPM571]

Here is an idea... Recycle that one.. and buy a new battery with a warrantee.. Quit wasting time obsessing about a battery that in 99% of the time is not worth the aggrivation of trying to fix or do voodoo magic to maybe get working..Motorola OEM or good recommened aftermarket are worth the money you spend.

[cabletech]

MTS Just for information, I have Alexander Optimizer mdl mz3500 3 unit for checking Icom BP series
batteries (for 1995 $800 with dropin adaptors) and I have a Alexander Optimizer mz6500 for nicads for some Icom, Motorola and kenwood batterys ($500 for the unit +$40.00 for each adapter).

Two years ago I was looking for a unit that would do the newer batteries and the only unit I could fine was from Cadex (2500.00 + adapters) and since the place I was eployed at also was using that same unit, I was up on how it worked.

I can do just about any radio battery that is out there with this unit with the correct adaptor.

Even thru I have over $5000.00 into this equipment, I have not been sorry.

[Muxlow]

Im not worried about saving this one, I figured it was dead. Havnt had it long. Came in a trade and wasnt sure if it was the battery or charger itself. Have a new old stock moto impress on the way. 30 bucks cant go wrong

[RodStrong]

This is quite the deal if you ever need another. 2100mAh NTN8294 NiMH Two Way Radio Battery for Motorola XTS3000 XTS3500 XTS5000 | eBay

I've bought hundreds of batteries from these guys over the years. Best cheap knockoffs out there. Look at their feedback rating. Good luck.

[cmdrwill]

Originally Posted by cabletech

MTS Just for information, I have Alexander Optimizer mdl mz3500 3 unit for checking Icom BP series batteries .

The Alexander Company is long gone, since the 90's. Very OLD technology.

Advanced Tec Industries INC in Florida makes a very good line of Conditioning Chargers and Analyzer Chargers.

We use the single conditioning charger AT2000IFD.

BTW, Motorola sells the same units for less $$$

[cabletech]

Yes, I also have one of the Advanced Tech analyzers but they do not make adapter for all the differant type battery's that is why I went to Cadex.