Yonez 180 Posted October 11, 2014 Hi, I just got one of the classic big 4000mah batteries that were used in the Bruiser. This battery looks brand new. It was purchased in the 90's but the car was never completed. It probably hasn't been charged for 20+ years and not since it was purchased. I'd like to try charging the battery to see how well it is holding together. I have a modern computerized charger with a lot of different plugs, but I can't find any that fit the odd "reversed tamiya plug" on the 6V battery. I have some spare female plugs for Tamiya 7.2V packs and these don't fit as the shape of the plug is different as well as female and male being reversed. Does anybody know where I can get a female plug to construct a charging cable? In the end, charging is just out of curiosity. I'm not actually thinking of running with this battery pack. But I'd like to use it in a shelf queen Bruiser. I'm thinking I might disassemble the battery, remove the cells and reassemble the empty box for display purposes. Does anybody have any experience with disassembling this battery pack? Any guides out there? My main concern is how to break the box apart without disfiguring it.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Butler 338 Posted October 11, 2014 If it's a shelfer leave it alone surely. I'd personally charge it also, but not disassembly it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dutch_rc 71 Posted October 12, 2014 I think it's this one (manual's not exactly clear about it) : eBay ID 151381956057 I wouldn't disassemble it, chances are it's still in great shape (it's a NiCd after all). But it may have crystallised, fooling your smart charger to think it's either full or in bad condition. You can often zap these crystals away with a 'dumb' current - and get back full capacity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz-trash-cowboy 63 Posted October 12, 2014 I have had some luck with NiCd cells that are 20+ years old. It really depends on the condition of the cells before they went into "suspended animation" / long term storage. If your battery was never used, then providing the electric connections are all ok, all you should have to do is "wake up" the cells. The easiest way to do this is with a battery of higher voltage. Connect the batteries red to red / black to black for just a few seconds. (If a fire starts, you left it too long). Then try your charger to see if it works. Fingers crossed. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted October 13, 2014 I think it's this one (manual's not exactly clear about it) : eBay ID 151381956057 I wouldn't disassemble it, chances are it's still in great shape (it's a NiCd after all). But it may have crystallised, fooling your smart charger to think it's either full or in bad condition. You can often zap these crystals away with a 'dumb' current - and get back full capacity. Wow, thanks! Tthat must be it. I did try searching ebay myself but found nothing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted October 13, 2014 I have had some luck with NiCd cells that are 20+ years old. It really depends on the condition of the cells before they went into "suspended animation" / long term storage. If your battery was never used, then providing the electric connections are all ok, all you should have to do is "wake up" the cells. The easiest way to do this is with a battery of higher voltage. Connect the batteries red to red / black to black for just a few seconds. (If a fire starts, you left it too long). Then try your charger to see if it works. Fingers crossed. So how high should I go? Can I connect it to a 7.2V stick pack to zap it? Worth a try at least. The only thing I don't want to risk is damage to the case. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterbok 1282 Posted October 13, 2014 Try Google charging nicd, or first can you still measure any voltage? If it has a negative volt, polarity might have changed. (Can happen) if it still has some power left like a couple volt charge it with 200mAh for at least 24hr. (If a cell is loaded the 200 just warms it but the other cells will continue charging) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dutch_rc 71 Posted October 13, 2014 From my experience, the current doesn't need to be high. It just needs to be 'dumb' - without delta peak detection. I wouldn't go for an uncontrolled current myself... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted October 13, 2014 Thanks for all the tips! I'll wait for the plugs to arrive, see whether I can dig up a multimeter and give it a go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz-trash-cowboy 63 Posted October 14, 2014 I've used a 12V (1:1 car) battery on 7.2V packs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted October 20, 2014 I think it's this one (manual's not exactly clear about it) : eBay ID 151381956057 I wouldn't disassemble it, chances are it's still in great shape (it's a NiCd after all). But it may have crystallised, fooling your smart charger to think it's either full or in bad condition. You can often zap these crystals away with a 'dumb' current - and get back full capacity. Turns out that wasn't the right connector. 5039 is for a smaller connector. Just found a Bruiser connector set on eBay. Trying again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz-trash-cowboy 63 Posted October 21, 2014 Male and Female connection dramas?? I'm there often, just ask my wife. You can avold the whole issue and go direct to the metal bits at the back of the plug. One of my favorite "gettp rigs" involves tinning up ( solder ) some spare wire with the appropiate plug on the other end and then jamming it in along side the battery wire ( on the battery side ) of the plastic bit where the metal connector lives in the plug. Improvise adapt overcome, the O-T-C way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dutch_rc 71 Posted October 21, 2014 Not exactly sure what that means but I suspect it might be a similar action to using a tool like this : Bummer and sorry I gave the wrong lead on the connector. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted October 21, 2014 Not exactly sure what that means but I suspect it might be a similar action to using a tool like this : Bummer and sorry I gave the wrong lead on the connector. Nah, no worries. Now I've learned there are different 6V connectors. +1 Tamiya XP And I have a set of the small ones in case I ever get one of the small 6V packs. If I had some spare connectors I could solder and jam, but while I can find a bag of 7.2V housings, the actual pins are nowehere to be seen right now Soon to be the proud owner of this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/380595984789 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Meakz1973 36 Posted January 2, 2016 Hello All, I'm in the same boat as I need to find this 'exclusive connector' for my Blazing Blazer's 6v battery. Anyone know of a source for this part please? Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KEV THE REV 2319 Posted January 2, 2016 Why not ask yonez if he has one spare as it looks like he bought 3 in one lot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Meakz1973 36 Posted January 2, 2016 Kev you are smarter than me! PM sent to Yonez! Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted January 2, 2016 Hi, I should have a spare, but everything is in disarray after moving house. Responded to your PM Meakz1973. One thing that strikes me is that "Tamiya Connectors" are just 2-way Molex connectors. It may be that this type too is available. I just reassembled an elevating desk with a 6-plug connector that was broken. This turns out to be a 6-way Molex and easy to find on the bay. So getting one was easy. It is the same plug as a 6-pin PCI-E power connector as well. So it could well be that the 6V connector is just another configuration Molex plug? Maybe even easy to find once you know the shapes you're looking for. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Meakz1973 36 Posted January 2, 2016 Thanks Yonez, I replied to the PM too. I'll keep looking for the Tamiya specific connector as I have little confidence in my ability to identify another comparable and suitable plug! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonny Retro 12 Posted January 3, 2016 Search for Graupner G2 connectors, e.g. http://www.componentshop.co.uk/leads-and-connectors/connectors/graupner-g2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted January 3, 2016 Search for Graupner G2 connectors, e.g. http://www.componentshop.co.uk/leads-and-connectors/connectors/graupner-g2 These look like the small version used on the 6V 1200 Mah hard packs that preceded the 7.2V hump packs. The Bruiser/4000Mah packs use a connector that looks identical to the standard Tamiya connector until you see that one of the prongs is inverted so that they don't fit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted January 3, 2016 Thanks Yonez, I replied to the PM too. I'll keep looking for the Tamiya specific connector as I have little confidence in my ability to identify another comparable and suitable plug! Can you take a picture of the plug head-on so that we can see the shape of the prongs? That should help and we can get some documentation of the plug. My ebay link above only shows a top view of the plug, which doesn't help. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Meakz1973 36 Posted January 3, 2016 I'll take a photo and post when I can get to the battery later today. In the meantime I purchased this in the hope it's correct. http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/271694599840 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted January 3, 2016 Good find. That could very well be it! At least it is not the small 6V connector. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yonez 180 Posted January 3, 2016 So the part number is MRC X9118 it seems. Now with that I found the Tamiyabase entry: http://tamiyabase.com/index.php?option=com_joodb&view=article&id=2776&joobase=10&Itemid=775 Seems you struck gold! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
