breaking battery connectors
11-27-2011, 10:17 PM
#1
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breaking battery connectors
hello,
my brother and I have been flying a pair of parkzone P-51's for the past month. This weekend, I had two pretty rough crashes that snapped the connector on the battery, leaving bare contacts exposed on the battery and a hunk of plastic blocking female plug on the plane. I am distressed over the losses, since we are now down to three batteries between my brother and I. Attempts at repairing the damaged batteries were only partly successful and not safe. Both losses were Eflite 150mAh batteries, one brand new from the store.
so here are my questions:
1) have other people broken batteries like this before, or am I just that bad of a pilot?
2) what can I do to prevent damage to replacements? (and please don't just say 'don't crash')
3) what is the correct and safe disposal for the damaged batteries?
my brother and I have been flying a pair of parkzone P-51's for the past month. This weekend, I had two pretty rough crashes that snapped the connector on the battery, leaving bare contacts exposed on the battery and a hunk of plastic blocking female plug on the plane. I am distressed over the losses, since we are now down to three batteries between my brother and I. Attempts at repairing the damaged batteries were only partly successful and not safe. Both losses were Eflite 150mAh batteries, one brand new from the store.
so here are my questions:
1) have other people broken batteries like this before, or am I just that bad of a pilot?
2) what can I do to prevent damage to replacements? (and please don't just say 'don't crash')
3) what is the correct and safe disposal for the damaged batteries?
11-30-2011, 05:08 PM
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RE: breaking battery connectors
ORIGINAL: kotori
hello,
my brother and I have been flying a pair of parkzone P-51's for the past month. This weekend, I had two pretty rough crashes that snapped the connector on the battery, leaving bare contacts exposed on the battery and a hunk of plastic blocking female plug on the plane. I am distressed over the losses, since we are now down to three batteries between my brother and I. Attempts at repairing the damaged batteries were only partly successful and not safe. Both losses were Eflite 150mAh batteries, one brand new from the store.
so here are my questions:
1) have other people broken batteries like this before, or am I just that bad of a pilot?
2) what can I do to prevent damage to replacements? (and please don't just say 'don't crash')
3) what is the correct and safe disposal for the damaged batteries?
hello,
my brother and I have been flying a pair of parkzone P-51's for the past month. This weekend, I had two pretty rough crashes that snapped the connector on the battery, leaving bare contacts exposed on the battery and a hunk of plastic blocking female plug on the plane. I am distressed over the losses, since we are now down to three batteries between my brother and I. Attempts at repairing the damaged batteries were only partly successful and not safe. Both losses were Eflite 150mAh batteries, one brand new from the store.
so here are my questions:
1) have other people broken batteries like this before, or am I just that bad of a pilot?
2) what can I do to prevent damage to replacements? (and please don't just say 'don't crash')
3) what is the correct and safe disposal for the damaged batteries?
01-07-2012, 08:45 PM
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RE: breaking battery connectors
I had a battery connector break off after a crash and when I picked it up the wires shorted and smoked. Lucky I didn't have the battery catch fire. I waited about a half an hour before taking the battery home in the car!
01-08-2012, 09:18 AM
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RE: breaking battery connectors
To quote one B. Clinton, "I feel your pain."
As CJ noted, these Lithium powerhouses are looking for the opportunity to unleash their stored energy-floom! Fire! I gave one fully-discharged (it burned), bad battery to my garbage guys, no problem, but wondered what to do with one that might have charge, knowing just tossing it wouldnot be good enough. So now I have a routine set up:
So, per question #3, (RKS's is justbeing the funny man with the dumpster suggestion) don't put a damaged, open-leaded charged battery in the mail or you might end up on someone's watch list.Correct me if I'm wrong, but because they're surrounded by Li-pos, any cellularphone seller/cellular service contractor at the mall should do, or, if youwanna go full-boreon disposal, look in your phone book for a "hazardous waste disposal" site. I've got one here on the island and when I brought them some old gasoline they looked at me like I was deranged
.
"Most people just dump it or burn it in their lawn mower or something," the attendant said. I wouldn't do that to my Toro. We go back, man.
What I would do is disable the battery-remove the contact leads so they cannot short and start a fire, and put it in your lipo safety bag and keep it until you've got enough little bombs stored to merit a run to the hazardous disposal site or cell phone place. Call up Horizon Hobby and ask what they recommend as a fail-safe. Most people look over their shoulders and dump it wherever. Don't be "most people." Little thingslike this make a man a man.What if a bum (or your neighbor in this O-conomy) digging aroundfor bacon and cheese burgers bites into your lipo thinkin' it's a chicklet and-boom-he's at the hospital and we're having to cut a check to cover his indigent medical bills? Like that's not already the case.
Anyway on your #1.) I've rattled them loose but not broken. Haven't had to dispose of one yet. 2.) With the plastic connector hooked up and the batteryinside the foam slot there should really be no problem of it breaking in flight or in a wreck. God bless you and your brother as you fly your 'Fitty One to victory!This is gonna be a great year for flying, especially after November.
As CJ noted, these Lithium powerhouses are looking for the opportunity to unleash their stored energy-floom! Fire! I gave one fully-discharged (it burned), bad battery to my garbage guys, no problem, but wondered what to do with one that might have charge, knowing just tossing it wouldnot be good enough. So now I have a routine set up:
So, per question #3, (RKS's is justbeing the funny man with the dumpster suggestion) don't put a damaged, open-leaded charged battery in the mail or you might end up on someone's watch list.Correct me if I'm wrong, but because they're surrounded by Li-pos, any cellularphone seller/cellular service contractor at the mall should do, or, if youwanna go full-boreon disposal, look in your phone book for a "hazardous waste disposal" site. I've got one here on the island and when I brought them some old gasoline they looked at me like I was deranged
."Most people just dump it or burn it in their lawn mower or something," the attendant said. I wouldn't do that to my Toro. We go back, man.
What I would do is disable the battery-remove the contact leads so they cannot short and start a fire, and put it in your lipo safety bag and keep it until you've got enough little bombs stored to merit a run to the hazardous disposal site or cell phone place. Call up Horizon Hobby and ask what they recommend as a fail-safe. Most people look over their shoulders and dump it wherever. Don't be "most people." Little thingslike this make a man a man.What if a bum (or your neighbor in this O-conomy) digging aroundfor bacon and cheese burgers bites into your lipo thinkin' it's a chicklet and-boom-he's at the hospital and we're having to cut a check to cover his indigent medical bills? Like that's not already the case.
Anyway on your #1.) I've rattled them loose but not broken. Haven't had to dispose of one yet. 2.) With the plastic connector hooked up and the batteryinside the foam slot there should really be no problem of it breaking in flight or in a wreck. God bless you and your brother as you fly your 'Fitty One to victory!This is gonna be a great year for flying, especially after November.
