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All Forums >> Radios, Batteries, Clubhouse and more >> Batteries & Chargers >> Mr. NiCd's Batteries America
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Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/6/2007 12:11:53 AM   
01vette


 

Posts: 3
Joined: 10/10/2002
From: Rochester, NY, USA
Status: offline 		I had purchased a 2100 mAh battery pack for a Futaba 8 radio Tx at Toledo in 2006. I had no occasion to use it until I sent the transmitter in for service 4 weeks ago. Prior to sending the unit in, I replaced the original Futaba tx battery with this new Batteries America battery. I charged it using my Hobbico Accu-Cycle charger. The Tx was immediately sent to be calibrated whereupon I was notified, by the Fatuba service representative, that they had cycled the battery and were only able to get 813 mAm hours from the new battery. When the Tx & Rs's were returned I put the battery through 6 complete charge/discharge cycle using the Hobbico charge set at 500 mha rate. The best I ever got was 935 mHa.

I called Mr. NiCa Americam Batteries and inquired about the pack. I was told that if I returned it they would check it out and get back to me. That very day I packed it off to them. I was not told there would be a charge for this service.

Yesterday I called to check on the status. The same women, who said to send it in, answered the phone and relayed me on to a man who said the problem was the way I was charging it. I was told that I should charge it with a charger capable of 250 ma. and to charge it for 14 hours. I informed hin I had been using a 500 ma charge rate. I then said to send it back. At this point I was asked for my credit card number so I could be charged the S&H charge of $8.95 and they would wave the $40.00 per hour (with 2 hours invested in it at that poiint) service rate. At this point I had $21.00 invested in the battery pack itself. My shipping charge of $4.90 postage to get it to him and then another $8.95 to have it returned. I decided that it wasn't worth the additional cost because he only got 1700 mAh out of it with his method of charging on a 2100 mAh battery pack.

Well I know when I get to Toledo again in 2008 Mr. NiCad Batteries America will no longer be getting any of my hard erned money.
SO I TOLD HIM TO KEEP IT.
       Post #: 1

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/6/2007 1:10:48 PM   
MOTORMAN37



Posts: 2058
Joined: 10/26/2002
From: CLINTONVILLE, WI, USA
Status: online 		I fellow in my club just went through the same thing this year from Toledo, he only was able to get 500 mah, and sent it back. I will never buy anything from them again, I bought a 1700 mah nicad pack from them at the EAA last year, and was only able to get 1320 from it. It was advertised as Genuine Sanyo cells, I opened the shrink wrap, and the cells said china, and nothing about sanyo. I ran into the seller at a swap meet during the winter and asked about it, and he told me it was my cyclers that were not accurate. I cycled it on a Accucycle elite, plus, Triton, and a Triton 2. That is funny because all of of my other batteries are very close to there rated capacity. They can keep there junk.

Try NO BS batteries next time, there cells are top notch and the construction is un equaled.

(in reply to 01vette)
       Post #: 2

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/6/2007 2:59:28 PM   
J-3



Posts: 193
Joined: 2/5/2002
From: Saint Peters, MO, USA
Status: offline 		I have not bought any batteries from Batteries America and from the sound of things I never will. I can say that NoBS Batteries (HangTimes Hobbies) have great receiver pack construction and uses SANYO batteries. I also just bought a new 1650 mAh Tx battery from them as well. I have had good luck with NoBS Batteries.
Thanks...Brian

(in reply to MOTORMAN37)
       Post #: 3

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/6/2007 3:29:59 PM   
R.Robinson


 

Posts: 274
Joined: 10/16/2005
From: Boca Raton, FL, USA
Status: offline 		BUYERS BEWARE. YOU could have saved time and distress and made your own battery packs. Now you can have 2650 NIMH pack for $17 and they do have the numbers. Always research before buying anything.

(in reply to 01vette)
       Post #: 4

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/6/2007 11:13:48 PM   
d_bodary


 

Posts: 858
Joined: 4/9/2004
From: trenton, MI, USA
Status: offline 		01Vette. Do you have the ACCU CYCLE or the ACCU CYCLE PLUS?

Dennis

_____________________________

NSRCA members make smooth passes

(in reply to R.Robinson)
       Post #: 5

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/7/2007 12:54:10 PM   
Rodney



Posts: 4713
Joined: 12/8/2001
From: FL
Status: offline 		If you do not form charge your batteries, either NiCad or NiMh, by charging at 0.1C for 16 hours then you can not blame the vendor for your problems. It may take two or three cycles of this form charging to bring either type of battery to it's full capacity (discharging between cycles at not more than .5C). When you measure the capacity, you must also discharge down to 0.9volts/cell at 0.25C or a lower rate else you will get a false and lower number for capacity. Check out www.rcbatteryclinic.com for some good advice on the care of your batteries.

(in reply to d_bodary)
       Post #: 6

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/7/2007 2:18:15 PM   
MOTORMAN37



Posts: 2058
Joined: 10/26/2002
From: CLINTONVILLE, WI, USA
Status: online 		Rodney,
I am not disputing the form charging bit one bit, the statement I made is about useing cheap cell's, which account for there poor performance. The packs from NO BS batteries are leap years ahead of the Batteries of America packs.

(in reply to Rodney)
       Post #: 7

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/8/2007 8:07:35 PM   
dan4466


 

Posts: 356
Joined: 1/8/2002
From: perry, MI, USA
Status: offline 		I had the same problem. Bought a new 1100mah Tx battery in 2006 from them at the Toledo Show. Also bought a 1100mah Rx battery sometime shortly before that. Both were shot in very short time. Haven't had problems with other batteries over the years. I too will not be buying from them again. And yes, I have a battery cycler. I'll stick to Towers Hobbico HydriMax's.

(in reply to MOTORMAN37)
       Post #: 8

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/9/2007 12:28:25 PM   
420Speedster


 

Posts: 155
Joined: 4/23/2007
From: Dunedin, FL, USA
Status: offline 		...and this is where a company loses its ass by not backing its products. You get one person with a problem and they blow you off, then next thing you know it hits the forums and everybody is saying " I'll never buy from Batteries America " or whatever it is.
If companies would simply back their products, they wouldnt get their ass kicked in the forum and end up losing thousands.

(in reply to dan4466)
       Post #: 9

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/21/2007 5:30:16 PM   
Swifter


 

Posts: 2
Joined: 10/14/2003
From: Miamisburg, OH, USA
Status: offline 		I have been buying batteries from these people for many years both at Toledo and at Dayton HamVention. Lots of batteries between the two hobbies! Now I even buy them for my full scale flying. Been a flyer for 40 years, 30 RC, Ham for 44 years, full scale flyer for 6 years. I've built many many packs over the years and NEVER had a single problem. I got 12 Cadnica 700 mAh solder tab cells at the last Toledo. I built 3 each 4 cell packs and two of them REFUSED to hold a charge. The third would show barely 700 mAh. Not usual for a brand new pack. I figured I got a bad batch from that box. I tried 4 different chargers and cyclers. No difference. I triple checked the construction. I put meters in the charger lines to assure the charge current and polarity was proper and I read voltages across each cell during charge which showed 1.65 VDC each! A sure sign that something drastic is very wrong. They wouldn't hold enough to even START a discharge cycle! I sent them back after a few e-mails. They took plenty of time only to tell me, after I called several times, that "Cadnica nevers makes a bad cell, ever" and they refused to replace them. When I tried to explain my methods and testing and charger types, they HUNG UP ON ME! I called back. A different guy answered but he still refused to replace the cells.

They get no more of my business for sure!

(in reply to 01vette)
       Post #: 10

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/21/2007 10:18:47 PM   
Red Scholefield



Posts: 4899
Joined: 12/8/2001
From: Newberry, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Any battery supplier that tells you "XXXXXX never makes a bad cell, ever" should be avoided. Sanyo (Cadnica) probably has a better record than most, but they still let one slip through now and then, more offen now that they have a cell assembly plant in Mexico.

_____________________________

Red S.
AMA 951 Leader Member

(in reply to Swifter)
       Post #: 11

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/22/2007 2:34:58 AM   
ira d


 

Posts: 790
Joined: 5/29/2003
From: Rancho Belago, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I also have found their batteries to be substandard they just dont hold the full
capacity they claim, i wont be buying anymore.

_____________________________

Ira d

(in reply to 01vette)
       Post #: 12

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/28/2007 2:53:13 PM   
Lynn1953


 

Posts: 82
Joined: 1/5/2004
From: Mount Olive, AL, USA
Status: offline 		I thought my packs were just going bad normally but after seeing this I have had the same problem as you folks to the tune of 3 tx and 3 rx batteries. They just started failing and I check them religiously. I agree with the Hydri max as they seem to do better.

(in reply to ira d)
       Post #: 13

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/29/2007 8:25:00 PM   
RC Accessory



Posts: 600
Joined: 12/7/2001
From: Tampa, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Most Sanyo cells come from the Industrial division. These are light green in color for nicad and dark green in color for nimh. They do not say Sanyo on them. This is normal. They are usually assmebled either in China or Mexico, depending on the cell.

Ni-xx typically have a shelf life of 3 years. Sanyo is very generous in how they rate their packs. Most Sanyo's will cycle 10% higher than the rated capacity when cycled to .9V or .8V per cell. My Litco Alpha 4 99.9% of the time cycles out to 10% above the rated capacity.

Evan Chapkis
RC Accessory, Inc.

(in reply to Lynn1953)
       Post #: 14

RE: Mr. NiCd's Batteries America - 5/30/2007 12:42:08 PM   
MOTORMAN37



Posts: 2058
Joined: 10/26/2002
From: CLINTONVILLE, WI, USA
Status: online 		I buy packs from other suppliers and there cells say Japan, NOT CHINA OR MEXICO. I have got stung more than once by them and nolonger will touch anyt