another battery talk

Erik M
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat 2. Mar 2013 11:15

another battery talk

Post by Erik M »

I would suggest another source for batteries.
Get on places as Craigslist and get some cellphone batteries.
They are flat, thus lower gravity, and are fairly simple to get loaded with basically any old cellphone charger.

Other benefits are the well above 1000mAh and not possible to polarity switch.
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Lasp
Posts: 313
Joined: Wed 16. Jan 2013 16:35
Location: Helsingborg, Sweden

Re: Where to buy battery and charger

Post by Lasp »

The solutions with the battery is good. If somebody just have a look at the solutions as WesR have done.
I ts obevisly (uppenbart in svedish) that the cant be any misstake.
Please Read, Study and Understand before critisism!

We how use this has no fear!

I told others, dont go in replica with this kind of argument! And then I do the same misstake by myself.! Sorry for that.
Oldgoat
Posts: 121
Joined: Sat 22. Dec 2012 23:25

Re: Where to buy battery and charger

Post by Oldgoat »

:roll: Erik,
Like Lasp said, Wes choose this size/shape to make changing batteries a quick process , like a pit stop for fuel, etc. NorCal Mike has come up with a fatter but shorter battery so diff. placement can be tried to have narrow old school 60 type cars.

Chris
Erik M
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat 2. Mar 2013 11:15

Re: Where to buy battery and charger

Post by Erik M »

Ah sorry, it's in no way negative critique.

And has nothing with polarity or any some such that LAsp is on about.
I'm not illiterate LAsp. I have both read and understood. And have no problem what so ever with the present format. (There was a couple of peculiarities I stumbled upon, nothing to it. And most definitely nothing to go on and on about. You're barking up the wrong three.)

As for cellphone batteries, I just find the format better, the actual casing.
The problem with that casing is that it isn't one form. There are legio forms.
But they are, basically, all flat. And fairly much the same setup of contacts.

OK, fair enough, I happen to have a bunch of them laying around, with chargers.
So what I'm mostly interested in is what mAh the mandated cells have.
And I don't really mean it would work better or anything.
Only pointing out that "smoke if you have 'em". :bighand

These Li-Ion cells aren't common on the consumers market, even if we as such have a multitude of them around us. In our cellphones and in our laptops.
But not in the radio, the MP3-player or your flashlight.
(Even if the flashlight really could use it nowadays. White LED's typically wants 3.6 volts... So these Li-Ion fit that bill perfectly well with their 3.7 volts.)

So, enough of that.

Just the question of why they are not included in the first place.
Wouldn't that be more "user friendly"?

There's always a certain amount of anxiety when you have to find the right bit yourself like this. And the additional cost for postage and escrow (or whatever things as Paypal should be called) adds up to.


And there where much jubilation when Erik's inkpot went dr
Raudi1
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed 13. Feb 2013 20:16
Location: Covington, Washington , USA

Re: Where to buy battery and charger

Post by Raudi1 »

I too noticed the voltage and amperage rating for the li-ion battery in my camera was very similar, and it was also flat.... Great for handling and very low to allow other bodies though not necessarially any narrower. Unfortunately it would require a complete redesign of the chassis to relocate the steering magnet etc,.

Main problem I saw was it weighed 14grams compared to the 8 grams of the AAA format Wes chose! In a car this light that is a big weight penalty. For all I know maybe this option was considered and discarded. in fact I believe this may be the main stumbling block for using these cars in a 1/24 scale format. Heavier tires, bigger motors, larger bodies will all shorten battery life, maybe to the point where the cars are no longer viable.

As I see it, if magracing really takes off there will be a multitude of options tried. In the meantime I'll enjoy the format we currently have until a better one comes alone. In the meantime I say to the inventors and tinkerers amongst us, have at it. But I suggest it might not be as easy as it first might appear.
Erik M
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat 2. Mar 2013 11:15

Re: Where to buy battery and charger

Post by Erik M »

What does the mAh say on the triple A's?
And what on that camera/cellphone/whatnot?

If eight grams are 800mAh and fourteen are 1600mAh...

But if one triple A is enough for one hour worth of driving it's a moot point..

And that's actually a point I wasn't able to pan out of the descriptions, how many cells are there in a car?
Nor Cal Mike
Posts: 183
Joined: Fri 21. Dec 2012 22:22

another battery talk

Post by Nor Cal Mike »

I don't think that politely making suggestions or pointing out alternatives is somehow being a magracing heretic. I think that this hobby will be made better by the ideas of the many. Wes has his reasons of setting up his cars as he does. Those reasons are valid to him and may be to you to. But even though we all very much appreciate this really cool thing that Wes has brought to us, not all of us have the same requirements. I for one, have no need or interest in quick change batteries because I don't run these cars for longer periods than these batteries provide. I would rather have a more compact battery with similar capacity. IF there is an alternative battery that will allow me or someone else to make these cars capable of installing a smaller body of another type (most 1/32 cars are narrower than present battery / chassis configuration allows), lower the CG, will last longer because it has a few more mA's, or a host of other reasons yet thought of, then I would very much like to know about it. The sharing of information is why I come here. I like Erik's idea and would love to hear more.
Raudi1
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed 13. Feb 2013 20:16
Location: Covington, Washington , USA

Re: Where to buy battery and charger

Post by Raudi1 »

Battery I was referencing is a NP-BD1 common to many of Sony small cameras. It is 3.7v 700mAh.

They are readily available on eBay and measure 46mm x 35.5mm x 5.3mm thick.

A slick little battery package but again requiring a whole new chassis package. I believe the existing package is a lot more sophisticated than many give it credit for.
Erik M
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat 2. Mar 2013 11:15

Re: another battery talk

Post by Erik M »

Thank you Mike.
Nor Cal Mike
Posts: 183
Joined: Fri 21. Dec 2012 22:22

Re: another battery talk

Post by Nor Cal Mike »

Raudi 1 said,
"Main problem I saw was it weighed 14grams compared to the 8 grams of the AAA format Wes chose! In a car this light that is a big weight penalty. For all I know maybe this option was considered and discarded. in fact I believe this may be the main stumbling block for using these cars in a 1/24 scale format. Heavier tires, bigger motors, larger bodies will all shorten battery life, maybe to the point where the cars are no longer viable."

I think there is an answer to this that someone, maybe one of us, will prove. :think If you look at the larger RC world, there are plenty of cars that are heavier and faster than the ones we now have to play with on our magsteer tracks. The only question that I have is how much will the current receiver support? How much more resistance caused by larger components will the steering coil support? Can we use two coils in stereo, wired opposite with one pushing the other pulling to achieve more steering force? That takes more power from the battery(s) all of which must flow through through the receiver.

Many electronic devises will handle a modest increase in voltage ok but the killer for them is typically drawing more amperage. Is this receiver capable? Wes has stated, and rightly so, that he cannot warrant his receiver if larger motors are used. :stop We should only assume that he includes more amperage/ current capacity batteries in that warranty limit as well. That is how it should be. For those of us who choose to jump outside the box we must gracefully accept that we are on our own and not blame Wes's system if we fry something during our journey.

If we find that the current receiver will not support the current flow we need, our task is to find one that will. Is there another option in the greater RC car, boat, plane, helicopter, robotic world? People have been scratch building RC models for generations now. There is a well established industry to support those builders. If the current equipment will not handle our need, surely somewhere out there in the RC world is an alternative that will.

Mike
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