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Charging into the 21st CenturyThe Millennium is Novak's full-featured DC Battery Management system. For the second year in a row it was voted by the readers of R/C Car Action as the NUMBER 1 CHARGER! Read on to find out why the Millennium has made such a powerful impression on R/C car enthusiasts everywhere. At the touch of a button, you can access one of three different charge modes that the Millennium is equipped with: Reverse Pulse Mode for all Ni-Cd (nickel-cadmium) cells, Linear Mode for Ni-Cd and Sub-C size Ni-MH (nickel-metal hydride) cells, and Ni-MH Mode for smaller Ni-MH cells (transmitter & receiver packs). All three modes are user-adjustable, including the charge rate, delta-peak value, reverse pulse duration, and trickle charge rate (even the button and alarm tones are adjustable!). While the Millennium performs complicated functions, it is designed for easy operation and comprehension. The large backlit LCD on the front of the Millennium is electronically adjustable for optimal viewing. Easy-to-follow prompts guide you through all of the Millennium's adjustments and controls. An especially convenient feature is that the Millennium displays messages in actual words rather than symbols or abbreviations, which are not always easy to understand. Another added convenience is that the Millennium can be powered by the N-Power, a compact and handy DC power supply also available from Novak. Simply connect the Millennium to the N-Power, and you are ready to charge. As mentioned earlier, the Millennium does more than just charge batteries. Battery analysis and conditioning (if needed) occur during each charge. If the battery pack is below nominal voltage, the Millennium will attempt to condition the battery with a low-level trickle charge to bring up individual cell voltages so that successful charging can occur without reversing a cell. At the end of the charge, the following valuable battery information is cycled through two screens on the Millennium's display: 1. charge time and pack voltage; 2. number of cells and delta peak value; 3. charge mode, charge current, charge time & pack voltage. This information is retained until the next charge, even when disconnected from the power source, allowing you to compare battery packs and keep track of the performance of your packs. Built-in safety features ensure the Millennium to be protected from damage. An internal heat sink and fan are included to provide a cool and reliable operation. It is also fully protected against input/output reverse voltage, short-circuits, shorted batteries and thermal overload. If it is accidentally connected backwards to a power source, it will simply not power up. If anything is amiss when attempting to charge, one of a variety of messages will appear on the Millennium's display giving a brief explanation of the error. Charging your battery packs couldn't be easier! RECOMMENDED SETTINGS Our testing & racing people have dedicated many hours to determine the best settings for the Millennium's different charge modes and the different battery types. Here is what we've found: Ni-Cd <DISCHARGING> To maintain maximum battery capacity, discharge Ni-Cd batteries every charge cycle by placing a 30 ohm/10 watt resistor across the terminals of the battery pack. Remove the resistor when it has cooled to room temperature. Ni-MH <DISCHARGING> Do NOT deep-discharge Ni-MH batteries (No discharge trays, resistors, or light bulbs). Ni-Cd <LINEAR CHARGING MODE> In this mode charge Sub-C and D size Ni-Cd cells at 3.5-4.5 amps, and charge AA's at 0.5-1.0 amp. Battery makers specify the charge current at no more than 2.5 times the cell's capacity (2.5 x 2000mAh = 5.0A) for Sub-C and smaller cells, and they specify no more than twice the cell capacity for D size cells. Ni-MH <LINEAR CHARGING MODE> Use this mode for charging Sub-C size Ni-MH batteries at 4.0-5.5 amps with the trickle charge turned OFF. Ni-Cd <REVERSE PULSE CHARGING MODE> Using a reverse pulse duration of 12ms will help enhance run times and increase the average discharge voltage of Ni-Cd packs by lowering the battery's internal resistance (even more so with older cells). Use a 5-9ms duration for small (A & AA) cells, and 10-20ms for large (Sub-C & D) cells. Ni-MH <REVERSE PULSE CHARGING MODE> This charging method is NOT recommended for Ni-MH batteries. Ni-Cd <Ni-MH CHARGING MODE> This mode is NOT recommended for Ni-Cd batteries. Ni-MH <Ni-MH CHARGING MODE> This mode was specially designed for transmitter and receiver packs (the only Ni-MH cells available when the Millennium was designed), NOT for Sub-C or larger. Charge smaller cells at 0.5-0.8 amp. Ni-Cd <RE-PEAKING> Wait a short time (5-10 minutes) after the end of the initial charge to allow the individual cells of a Ni-Cd battery pack to equalize, then re-peak the the pack to bring all the cells up together. Ni-MH <RE-PEAKING> NOT recommended. Ni-MH cells give the best performance when used immediately after the end of the initial charge. Ni-Cd <VOLTAGE THRESHOLD> For Ni-Cd batteries set the delta-peak (volt threshold) to 12 mV/cell for Linear charging, and 14-18 mV/cell for Reverse Pulse. Too-high of a delta value can overheat the batteries and decrease the battery life. Ni-MH <VOLTAGE THRESHOLD> This is the most important setting for Ni-MH batteries, as too-high a setting will easily overheat and damage the batteries. If your Millennium is version 1.20 or higher (displayed at power-up), set the delta-peak to 4 mV/cell. If your Millennium is older than version 1.20, or does not show a version number at power-up, set the delta-peak to 8 mV/cell. These values should be the lowest number that you can specify when setting-up your Millennium.
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