Tracker III Voltage Display Error !
09-03-2005, 01:26 PM
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Tracker III Voltage Display Error !
OK , Ihave been flying RC for 42 years and know a little about Ni batteries and how they dump but sometimes life provides a surprise.
I have been using 2300 and 2500 NiMH in my Transmitters for well over a year and know full well that at 9.6 volts there is still two hours flight time left in the battery before low voltage alarm at 9.3 volts based on 250 mAh discharge rate. This based on many packs and two many cycles to count. I fly approximately 10 hours per week.
Well this morning I started a flight with Transmitter display showing 9.60 volts and at the end of a 10 minute flight when I started to cut off transmitter I heard and saw the low voltage alarm and a reading of 8.??.
Being curious about such things I checked a fully charger battery 30 minutes after charge with an accurate DVM. No laod volts 11.51. Installed in T3 ,switched on and dispaly showed 12.10 volts and that is .59 volts more indicated under a full load. That certainly explains why the batteries dumped this morning. 9.01 at the start of flight instead of 9.6 as displayed means the cells were right at the 8.8 dump point.
I first posted this on the Polk's Forum a few days ago. There seems to be next to no activity there so thought perhaps a reposting here was in order.
Charles
I have been using 2300 and 2500 NiMH in my Transmitters for well over a year and know full well that at 9.6 volts there is still two hours flight time left in the battery before low voltage alarm at 9.3 volts based on 250 mAh discharge rate. This based on many packs and two many cycles to count. I fly approximately 10 hours per week.
Well this morning I started a flight with Transmitter display showing 9.60 volts and at the end of a 10 minute flight when I started to cut off transmitter I heard and saw the low voltage alarm and a reading of 8.??.
Being curious about such things I checked a fully charger battery 30 minutes after charge with an accurate DVM. No laod volts 11.51. Installed in T3 ,switched on and dispaly showed 12.10 volts and that is .59 volts more indicated under a full load. That certainly explains why the batteries dumped this morning. 9.01 at the start of flight instead of 9.6 as displayed means the cells were right at the 8.8 dump point.
I first posted this on the Polk's Forum a few days ago. There seems to be next to no activity there so thought perhaps a reposting here was in order.
Charles
09-06-2005, 07:26 AM
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RE: Tracker III Voltage Display Error !
Please contact us and get the radio back to us so that we can check it out. The voltage meter in the radio should be very accurate
John S Gill
Sales Manager
Polk’s Hobby
John S Gill
Sales Manager
Polk’s Hobby
09-06-2005, 08:17 AM
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RE: Tracker III Voltage Display Error !
Thanks for the offer however after wiating 8 months to get the radio using it 10 days ,sending it in for gimbel (pot) replacement I will just live with it until something important breaks. It is easy enough to watch the dispaly and use 9.9 volts on dispaly as the low voltage point, I can not hear the alarm anyway.
Charles
Charles
09-30-2005, 11:39 AM
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RE: Tracker III Voltage Display Error !
Well another Tracker III user has checked his voltage display and found that his reads 0.76 volts high which is even worse than mine. I would suggest that new T 3 owner be very careful when thier voltage display is below 10 volts as the end may be very near.
http://chat.polkshobby.com/cgi-bin/u...c;f=1;t=000084
Charles
http://chat.polkshobby.com/cgi-bin/u...c;f=1;t=000084
Charles
