What type of battery is th best?

[DimmaDan]

As you may of read, im new to all this.

I am looking for a good battery/cell to use in my FF02.

What is the diffence between

1400, 1700, 199, 2100 and 3000 mAh?

I don't have a clue.

Thanks

[minijosh]

3300 by far. I use to race 2400's and 3000's. When I switched to the 3300's, I got tons more power and runtime compared to the other 2. Well now people are making 3600's and I've seen some LiPo's that are 7.2 volts. Hmmmmm which to get?

[DimmaDan]

So the higher the rating, the more power.

Does that mean less or more run time?

[DJTheo]

The higher the capacity, the higher the run times, but a good 2400mAh has more punch then a 3000mAH, would reccomend a known brand pack (Sanyo or GP)

Cheers

[mud4fun]

I would tend to buy 2 x 2400 NiCD packs for same price as 1 x 3300 NiMH as that way when your at a meeting away from home you won't have to wait for an hour while your one pack charges, you can run with two packs for longer. Ideally you need 4 because you can't charge packs whilst still warm and they take 30-40 mins to cool down after a good run. 2000 & 2400 Sanyo NiCD packs are awesome performers, last a long time and will still give good runtime as long as the car isn't running some extreme motor AND they are quite cheap now as they are 'old' technology.

Obviously having 4 x 3300 sanyo NiMH packs is the ideal but then you'd probably have to re-mortgage your house....... []

PS. The NiMH packs also require their own special type of charger which is more expensive and they need more care taking of them. The NiCD's in my opinion can suffer more abuse, are cheaper to buy and also cheaper to buy chargers for.

[raemin]

Totally agree with mud for fun. I use nimh in my radio gears but stick to matched sanyo 2400 nicd cells for my cars: they accept high amps charges, are not sensitive to high discharge load and are cheaper. These are the ideal packs for battlefield operations. Overall I prefer them to 3000nimh, but can't say about 3300 and 3600 as I did not gave these a chance yet.

[DimmaDan]

Looks like im going to get some standard 2400mAh for now.

2 for £30 seems like a steal so ill get them.

I feel so out of my depth, you guys really know what your talking about.

Thanks for the help again.

[mr_pushrod]

As DJTheo says, best stick to a known brand. For 2400s try to get Sanyo, you'll get the most power and longest runtime

[keyboardKen]

Hello. This is my first letter as a newbie. I have just built the Tank Hauler and fitted two 1700 batteries wired in parrallel, inside the cab. Can anyone advise if this is (a) not recommended, (B)A silly thing to do © To much for the charger.

My reason for doing this was to provide more power for extras on their way, like lights and servos to animate things. I told you I was new. I tend to over build the engineering. . Can't wait to get the Mercedes van and drive it up the ramp on the back of the Hauler, one Futaba in each hand. Silly me. Thanks for listening

[Live Steam Mad]

quote:

Originally posted by keyboardKen

Hello. This is my first letter as a newbie. I have just built the Tank Hauler and

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id="quote">id="quote">

What is a "Tank Hauler" ?

Alistair G.

[keyboardKen]

I sit here looking at the 'King' on the window sill, deciding what to do next. I have just finished replacing the bearings. Yes, all of them, and had left it with the cab floor with its two seats on, resting across the section above the back wheels. The cab had been just been placed back in position and the effect it quite funny. Gives me more ideas. (open top tourer !!)

[splod1]

Like live steam mad says, what is a Tank Hauler?

[DJTheo]

Personally I would reccommend 3300mAH GP cells, as they perform great (not punch lacking like the 3000 Sanyos), they don't cost a fortune anymore (I paid 20 Pounds for each) and need less care then NiCDs which need complete discharging etc.

Cheers

[Tipsy]

quote:

Originally posted by keyboardKen

I sit here looking at the 'King' on the window sill, deciding what to do next.

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id="quote">id="quote">

I thought Elvis was dead, and all along he is sitting on your window sill[]

On the batteries front, I agree with Theo. I run GP3300 and the increase in runtime over 2400 Sanyos is huge (642 secs compared to 477 secs @20A). They are easy to look after, and nearly all current chargers can charge NIMH nowadays.

[ChrisB]

quote:

Originally posted by minijosh

<snippage>Well now people are making 3600's and I've seen some LiPo's that are 7.2 volts. Hmmmmm which to get?

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id="quote">id="quote">

The 7.4V 2000mAh LiPo packs are REALLY small and light (about the size of the old Swan Vesta matchboxes if you are an old git like me and remember them [] ).

I use them for my Hovercraft and they can take a constant current of up to about 20A, with a peak a bit higher than that in short bursts. They are coming down in price now too, with the Kokam packs I have only costing about 35GBP per pack.

Only downside is you have to use a special LiPo capable charger, charge them in a fireproof area, and also you have to use an ESC that supports voltage cutoff like the e-flight ones.

Of the more normal cells I would go for NiMH everytime for just bashing around. They may not have the "punch" of the good NiCD race packs, but you don't have to worry too much about fully discharging them / memory effect etc. Plus the 3000mAh NiMH packs are getting very cheap now.

Chris

[keyboardKen]

I am very pleased with my KING HAULER. Sorry to 'Live Steam Mad', and 'Splod1' for the error in it's name, it was the end of the day spent stripping it from completed and finished so far, to fit the new bearing set. Here's me thinking it was just the wheels needed to be done, and I had to strip the gearbox and the back axel to replace them.

I shall take your advice and get a better battery. This will leave a bit more room for the lighting unit on it's way from Stellamodels.

I plan to make the lights switchable from the remote control, so I shall need extra space for this. Has anyone done this please ? Any tips ?

[ChrisB]

keyboardken - I have remote switchinging of the lights on my Hummer. Full details in my showroom under the LED instructions.

I think others have done this too, but I used the spare "gear shifter" channel on my 3 channel set along with a small RC switch I found via the web (costs about 20 USD).

Cheers,

Chris

[GPZ1000RX]

Keyboard Ken,

It's very risky to connect Nicads or Nimhs in parallel please tell me you've HAVEN'T had an accident with them yet!

They can "cross charge" each other at unlimited current and blow up!

[keyboardKen]

Thank you GPZ1000RX I have disconnected one of them immediately. I had used plugs and sockets so it was a simple job. I shall go for a larger capacity battery now.

I had a feeling about this and am very glad I asked. Luckily, nothing has blown. Cheers mate.

Hey Chris, you're a clever little designer. This is the sort of thing I had in mind. I have a Skysport 6 with a rotary control going spare. I figured on controlling a wafer switch to differrent lights, then I could turn on say, the side light, then the dipped headlights, then main beams and spots. How to do the horn is being worked on.

Thank you all for your support. It's great being young again...I'll try and photo my construction as I go along.

Ken

[DJTheo]

quote:They can "cross charge" each other at unlimited current and blow up!

id="quote">id="quote">

Could you please explain that? I could only think of high current flowing between them when one is empty and one is full, but not if they are connected when empty and from then are always charged and discharged together as battery differences would balance immediately with current flowing from one to other before they differences become big to have a large current flow.

Cheers

[Live Steam Mad]

Greets keyboardKen, a thought occurs to me regarding your comments on the Tamiya 1/14th trucks & battery packs ;-

When I started using my Merc 1838 with MFU for the first time, I had only a 7.2V 1200 mAh SC Tamiya / Sanyo NiCd pack, which otherwise was giving about 20 minutes run time around the garden (grass) in a Tamiya Toyota Celica GT-4 (TA-01), but in the truck it gave about 15 minutes only when just pottering around the house (normal carpet) in 1st gear with all the lights and vibration and sounds on, which really suprised me!

I realised then that I needed something else, so I got a GP 3300 7.2V NiMH pack, but I haven't got a flippin' charger for it yet! I want an MRC Super Brain 969 for it but money is tight at the moment.

The other thing is, if you want a horn and lights everywhere, get the MFU, it's flipping amazing!

One last point, if you get the MFU, then get the Futaba FF6X and a set of CNC gates from TC member ant88. It is a perfect, heavenly match for the MFU. All the 'special' functions work to perfection, and with perfect repeatability and swichability from the TX, once you have calibrated the MFU to the TX with the setup button on the MFU and the VR-1 potentiometer on it for the channel 3 'dead band' as per the MFU manual.

No interference (FM) indoors near your cooker and R/C heaven with this radio set, it's the closest to perfection that I have found yet. On the TX, I took the spring out of the gear shift axis, and put it onto the throttle axis (took off the ratchet), backed off all the spring tensions to minimum, it's a dream of a TX to use!

Cheers,

Alistair G.

[GPZ1000RX]

DJ,

I've just looked in the RS catalogue, and sure enough, there are the words "NOTE: Do not connect batteries in parallel" with reference to nicads.

It's to do with the very low internal resistance of the cells, this results in a total inability of nicads/Nimhs to regulate their own charging in the way that lead acid batteries do.

If you connect them in parallel there is nearly nothing to restrict current flow in or out of one pack to another these can result in even quite small voltage differences between packs producing a large current flow from pack to pack. This flow can easily be high enough to cause damage to connections and/or the packs themselves!

I can't say I've ever tried to achieve this or seen anyone else try it but I have seen an ESC shorted out by rain water glow red hot as it was destroyed by the attached racing packs ability to deliver huge current into a totally unprotected load.

[keyboardKen]

Thanks Alistair.

I have digested your info. Great stuff. I haven't gone the MFU path because of the cost and also I don't want my model shaking to look like an engine vibration.

Being electrically minded, I am having a ball working out the wiring so far.

With regards to your altering the Tx springs and things, this is what I have done. I thought it would not be standard, as I use the right hand toggle for steering, and the left toggle ( less ratcher and return spring ) for gears ( L to R )( must make a gate to stop changing gear at speed !!) and acceleration is up and down. This leaves the right hand up and down for something else. As I have another channel free on a trim pot, I thought that, if this was tied to a rotary wafer switch on the model, then I could graduate through the light sequence by turning it.

Great little hobbie eh!!! 1st I nearly burn the house down, and now I don't see much of her indoors.

regards..Ken

[Live Steam Mad]

quote:

Originally posted by keyboardKen

>...[ ] I don't want my model shaking to look like an engine vibration.

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id="quote">id="quote">

O.K., I respect your opinion, but do remember that you can stop the RX from vibration with foam and also you can liquid threadlock the screws (Tamiya liquid threadlock is really excellent, best so far and better than Loktite [spelling?] since it is runny but slightly like syrup and cures quite quickly (about 2 minutes) making it easy to use and very effective). The engine vibration looks REALLY good when the engine sound starts and stops, it's very cool.

>I use the right hand toggle

Do you mean stick?

>for steering, and the left toggle ( less ratcher and return spring ) for gears ( L to R )

Yes, the right hand stick is sprung on both axes on mine and is steering L/R and horn U/D normally (brief burst or long honk) but when in 'Motorised Support Legs' / 'Uncoupler' mode becomes :- Right stick half way down = legs down on my Tanker trailer, Right stick fully down = legs up on my Tanker trailer, Right stick up = coupler detach (Tanker Trailer becomes uncoupled).

This 'mode' above is swiched between remotely by using the TX, the MFU detects it and does the business for you (TX must have mechanical trims to do this) and it works a treat every time for me with the Futaba FF6X, whereas it worked only nearly every time on my Futaba Attack 4VWD!

>and acceleration is up and down.

Yes, my left stick is sprung for this throttle function, I removed the ratchet. The spring that I installed on this up/down axis on the left stick was taken from the left stick L/R axis which has nothing holding it at all (no ratchet or spring). Stays in gear!

I did this with the 4VWD and the FF6X, no problems, perfect and intuitive operation.

I was using the GPM carbon fibre shift gate on the 4VWD, but I am using TC member ant88's CNC polycarbonate shift and steering gates for the FF6X and they are beautifully made and fit perfectly (push fit, they stay on firmly, no need for adhesives or double-sided tape.

>This leaves the right hand up and down for something else. As I have another channel >free on a trim pot, I thought that, if this was tied to a rotary wafer switch on the >model, then I could graduate through the light sequence by turning it.

I am too lazy for this! The MFU has 5 'Special Functions' (9-channel equivalent operation), one of which, would you believe, is for this very thing, i.e. pull the right stick vertical axis trim down from the middle to the bottom, and then briefly pull back on the right stick and let go, and the sequence is switched remotely via the TX as follows;-

All lights turn off -> Roof lights turn on -> Head lights turn on -> Fog lamps turn on -> loop back to start!

Also when you switch the headlights on remotely like this they sort of blink like a flourescent light for a second or two as they come to life which feels very real.

Also when you start the truck's engine, you don't just get the sound of the starter motor, the vibration kicking the truck cab slightly, and the engine starting sound, but you also get all of the lights including the headlights DIMMING and FLICKERING slightly in the same sort of way, in a MOST realistic fashion, it's absolutely authentic and amazing.

The MFU is one the world's greatest inventions in my humble opinion! Tamiya have done us proud again! The functionality of the thing and the realism are astonishing!

It's not *that* much money if you get the MFU from Stellamodels whilst you are getting a tractor truck and some accessories with it at the same time, I mean you will get a truck *and* the MFU from Stella for the same price that you would just get the truck in the UK... no thanks to The Hobby Company being a total pain in the ***.

>Great little hobbie eh!!! [ ], and now I don't see much of her indoors.

And the downside to this is? ...what exactly ? []

Cheers,

Alistair G.

[keyboardKen]

I'll Have one....I must have one... Great write up Alistair. I have have been enlightened even more now. Good stuff

My Mercedes Benz and the lights electrical unit arrived today from Stella. Great company this, everyone. Can't speak too highly about them. Came perfectly wrapped and un-damaged. I have submitted my next order allready for bearings and another light unit. BUT now I am going to change it to the MFU device and fit it to the Mercedes. There should be enough room in the back for a three piece suite and stereo LOL.

Do you think that if I photo'd my construction bit by bit, and maybe add a word or two, it would go down well in this club ? I am, after all, a newbie and I wouldn't want to step on anyones toes.

Must go now. Er indoors want's company

ken