Saito2 5286 Posted March 17 Hi all. I'm in need of a Nimh battery to fit my one of my Wild Willys. I'm US based. Poking around, I've seen some receiver packs such as these: They are only 6v and the capacity is kind of low and the lead looks all wrong, but will something like this work? Will it fit under the body properly? Being only 6v might not be a bad thing considering the age of the vehicle. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 15090 Posted March 17 @Saito2 Those wires on the receiver packs will probably melt.. I make my own 6 cell humpbacks. I source the sub-C NiMH through Amazon. They come with tabs so it's not too difficult to solder them together. I first superglue the cells together (I am sure you remember from the 90's making side by sides). 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 15090 Posted March 18 16 minutes ago, Saito2 said: Thank you. You're welcome. If you need more pictures or what not let me know. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JennyMo 3426 Posted March 18 Where are you located Saito2? - this company in the UK sells NiMh batteries in various shape combos: https://www.ebay.com/itm/122356944958?var=422840645352 I have their 6-cell 'square' pack in my Baja Blazer, and they do ship internationally if required. Jx 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Gecko 1232 Posted March 18 22 hours ago, Willy iine said: sub-C NiMH Bingo. Besides the smaller wires, I think all those "receiver pack" types are made with smaller cells, which is why they're all lower capacity. (1600mAh vs. 3000mAh of Willy's homemade packs with full size sub-C cells) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan1891 101 Posted March 19 On 3/17/2023 at 10:08 PM, Willy iine said: @Saito2 Those wires on the receiver packs will probably melt.. I make my own 6 cell humpbacks. I source the sub-C NiMH through Amazon. They come with tabs so it's not too difficult to solder them together. I first superglue the cells together (I am sure you remember from the 90's making side by sides). Nice! I would love to build me such a pack for my old Datsun 280ZX! What do you use to wrap the pack up in? Or do you use them with no cover at all? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 15090 Posted March 19 17 minutes ago, Dan1891 said: Nice! I would love to build me such a pack for my old Datsun 280ZX! What do you use to wrap the pack up in? Or do you use them with no cover at all? Thanks. You can buy large heat shrink tubing, but since I balance them occasionally on a tray, I do not use any wrap. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan1891 101 Posted March 19 5 minutes ago, Willy iine said: Thanks. You can buy large heat shrink tubing, but since I balance them occasionally on a tray, I do not use any wrap. Can you explain the schematics? How do you connect the cells in the pack? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 15090 Posted March 19 11 minutes ago, Dan1891 said: Can you explain the schematics? How do you connect the cells in the pack? Sure, it's very simple.. I just made a diagram a while back. Hope this helps. I am out of attachment memory here so I will probably delete it in a couple of days so please right click and save it or take a screen shot. The cells are just soldered together using the preexisting (pre soldered) tabs when you buy the sub-C This is the discharge balancing tray if anyone was wondering, I do this on occasion for NiMH too. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan1891 101 Posted March 19 2 minutes ago, Willy iine said: Sure, it's very simple.. I just made a diagram a while back. Hope this helps. I am out of attachment memory here so I will probably delete it in a couple of days so please right click and save it or take a screen shot. Thanks! This is exactly what i needed to understand the way to solder the cells!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saito2 5286 Posted March 19 23 hours ago, JennyMo said: Where are you located Saito2? US Considering the age of most Wild Willys nowadays, would it be wiser to just run a 5cell 6v setup to go easier on it or will that be too slow? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 15090 Posted March 19 @Saito2 With only 6V you might not be able to pop wheelies.. a couple of mine are pretty slow already due to the age of the motors so I run 7.2V. The battery packs are pretty easy to make if you're up for it. And cheap if you intend to make a few packs. I bought a finished one from a UK seller a while back, but honestly didn't like it because their shrink wrap hits the underside of the M38 body so ended up having to cut it..and ~$50 shipped or something. Mine are like $20 each since I made a handful of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saito2 5286 Posted March 19 I believe I probably still have some battery bars from the old days I can scrounge up for the task. 7.2 it is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nikko85 2651 Posted March 20 Another option might be a 7.4 volt Li-Ion. They can be discharged down to 5 volts safely although may be a little lively, you could use a lower turn motor. If you do go down to a smaller pack just be weary of voltage cut off - many ESC aren't happy under 7.2 volts (although you can of course use a MSC or something with a low cut off!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan1891 101 Posted March 20 23 hours ago, Willy iine said: Thanks. You can buy large heat shrink tubing, but since I balance them occasionally on a tray, I do not use any wrap. Do you think a heat shrink tubing of these dimension will be usable: width 95mm, diameter 58mm. Shrinking 50%. ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 15090 Posted March 20 1 hour ago, Dan1891 said: Do you think a heat shrink tubing of these dimension will be usable: width 95mm, diameter 58mm. Shrinking 50%. ? Sorry, honestly I do not know.. one thing to remember is that the stretched portion from the top battery may cause clearance issue on some cars. The UK pre-assembled battery did not clear my M38 so I had to make a slit in their heat shrink to allow clearance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan1891 101 Posted March 20 3 minutes ago, Willy iine said: Sorry, honestly I do not know.. one thing to remember is that the stretched portion from the top battery may cause clearance issue on some cars. The UK pre-assembled battery did not clear my M38 so I had to make a slit in their heat shrink to allow clearance. OK, thanks, i will have to have to try then! I report back if it works. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simensays 320 Posted March 22 Combine old & new link to original post (page 3): 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
