BBW Walt

My Feedback: (11)

I have a whole pile of chargers. They usta" be scattered all over my shop till I bought a Hughes Charge +. Now all the others are in a big pile where I think they will stay. Nicd/NiMH- Hughes all the way, Lipo's-Astro flight 109 all the way. For security purposes I drag out the Smart Test occasionally, until my Christmas present comes, an ANALIZER + of course..Happy Holidays guys, Walt

hankpajari

My Feedback: (1)

Lighten up a little Red We used wall warts many years before the first Accucycle came around. I still have a constant discharger I built back in the 80's (that a buddy designed for me) that still works for someone that only cares about relative battery condition.

hankpajari

My Feedback: (1)

That's a fair question.

Personally, I had the Accucycle first. Wanted more accuracy and bought the Alpha. Haven't sold the Accucycle yet but will. I will probably get another Alpha when I start using electronic ignition and need more ports.

The Tritons are for charging Lipo's at the field.

The Quick Charger II is to replace the Quick Charger I since it can be used to charge my radio and also Lipo's at the field. If you fly electric you need to be able to charge multiple packs at the field or be prepared to stand around alot. Haven't sold the Quick Charger I yet.

Red needs all those chargers since he does a lot of reviews and is still in the business. I assume he gets out to fly once in a while.

Hangtime

My Feedback: (19)

LOL Mike, it's like Hank sez.. if your serious about electric planes you gotta have at least 2 and sometimes 3 competent chargers capable of Lipo, NiMH and Nicad fast field support just for a steady day of flying with the ususal complement of a trunk load of foamies and one or two 'decent' sized birds.

In my particular situation the pile of DMVC's and DDVC's and old digipaces and sundry simle cyclers make it possible to do controlled formation charging and capacity checks on up to 40 packs per run.. we do some unca sam contract work and have to verify & label spec on some jobs, and just like everbody else; when the order comes in they want it yesterday.

Most folks don't need anywhere near the pile of chargers Red & I have to keep around.. besides; when we power up the benches, irons & welders the lights go dim in the neighborhood.. yah wouldn't want all us electric nutcases to be responsible for makin yer TV pictures smaller, would ya?

Somebody oughta start a "You know yer a battery redneck when..." thread.

Mike01

This may be a dumb question....but wouldn't it be cheaper to buy multiple batteries and charge them the night before?

I know batteries aren't cheap, but last time I checked, chargers are more expensive!

I fly a foamie...I take four motor batteries, my Triton and a fully charged set of TX batteries and can fly for a very long time....one bat cooling, one charging, one flying, one waiting to be charged. All of the bats are charged the day before, and the TX batteries last all day and then some (2250mAh NiMH AAs).

What are you guys doing differently?

Flying Geezer

My Feedback: (14)

Most of us are not flying electric foamies. Our battery packs are padded with foam and fastened in place firmly. I have seen some battery packs that were less accessable than the connectiing rod in the gas/glow engine.

Forget the "dark side", come on over to "real airplanes", you'll love it.

Mike01

We've been through this, FG. I came from "real" airplanes to park flyers.

Both types of airplanes fly. Both are controlled by a radio, both fly well and can do tricks.

One type cannot survive a crash, requires constant maintenance and is in constant danger of systems failure leading to total loss. It requires constant cleaning and is large and difficult to transport and requiers a truckload of supporting equipment.

The other type requires almost no maintenance or cleaning, can survive almost all crashes repeatedly, is small and easy to transport and requires no supporting equipment.

Like I said, they both fly...so why bother?

Hangtime

My Feedback: (19)

Aha! A purist! I wuz one of them once. Nice thing about this hobby.. there's room in it for whatever suits on any given day. I fly giant scale (gas).. almost exclusively now... and I've seen battery installations in gas 3D and IMAC pattern giants that meet your accessibilty description perfectly... doofus installations ain't found in just electrics.

I've had heaps of abuse piled upon me at the field for bad-mouthin the 'goofy lil hamburger plate airplanes' on more than one occasion. Regardless and like it or not, the foamies are becoming more popular all the time. While I still prefer some wood in the stuff I fly, there are ever increasing numbers of those that DO carry around a park flyer (or two) in the trunk... any wide spot in the road is a handy flying field. I may get a couple of 'outdoor' foamies myself just for the full contact combat sessions that are springing up on our field in the twilight hours after the big stuff gets put away. Looks to me like them guys are having waaaay too much fun!

Mike; with a single 3S1P 10C 1050 Lipo running above 50 bucks average, the packs ain't all that much cheaper than a good Lipo charger. And, since diversity in personal airlane inventories is the rule rather than the exception, a lotta guys wind up flying planes with different pack and power system configurations. While some folks do have 'one' plane with multiple packs, others fly different planes with different type or configuration packs; charging one while flying something else. If you've got two or more 'different' planes, your likely to have two or more chargers.

Cheers!

Hangtime

My Feedback: (19)

BZZZZZRRRRRTTT!!!! Wrong answer!!

I've got a 106" Super Cub.. Zenoah G-38 power. Takes me less than 5 minutes to set it up, fuel it and it'll fly for 56 minutes on .25 cents worth of gas. Requires no starter, no cleanup afterwards and will do anything short of a hover for aerobatics. Friend of mine has an old Midwest 80" Extra on a Zenoah G-45... same thing, and he can hover. I also hace a giant scale mustang with retracts and all the goodies, that takes 10 minutes to set up.. and the air for the retract system is free.

Mike you got 'glow' confused with 'gas'. Ain't the same thing AT ALL, and big gas birds pound the heck outta electrics in 'field ease'. There's no 40 minute wait for a charger between flights, no massive field battery (dead halfway through the day usually) to support all those packs. No 100 dollah smart chargers, no 100 dollah battery packs. Our engines last decades, we don't need to replace the power system after a 100 flights... it's just about broken in then. If the bird has a 2 piece wing (most do) then transport in a car is no problem at all. They fly better, they handle wind better, they look better they smell better and they give back every bit of effort put into them as big happy smiles that match the big beautiful aircraft that they are.

Big Birds are real miniature aircraft with full house controls, (whats a ship without a rudder?) and are powered by real internal combustion engines... not little plastic and tape kiddie toys on steriods with a power train scalped from what's left of uncle joe's electric shaver.

(...hang reaches for nomex flame suit)

Flying Geezer

My Feedback: (14)

Make up your mind Hang! Which side of this debate are you on?

Mike01, I fly mostly gas, still have a 4 stroke glow. It doesn't take a truckload of support equipment to get me in the air, either. I drive the mid-size Lexus SUV and can still carry 5 people with me. I do take my turns a little wide to keep from scraping my trailer on the street signs. And, the three 12 volt batteries, 5 chargers, tack, voltmeter, geared 24 volt starter, tree climbing equipment and oversize trash bags, don't take up that much space.

Mike01

A foam park flyer, such as an Aerobird Xtreme, is quite large and fast (540 motor). It can survive almost any crash and takes about 10 seconds to set up. There's this little open area near me...I drive past, see that the flags above a nearby car dealership are not being buffetted by wind, then I pull into it. I open the trunk, grab the plane, flick it on, turn on the Xmitter and toss it into the air...just like that.

Gas planes may be easier to run, but if you crash one...say goodbye to thousands of dollars. Not to mention they cost that much to begin with. An Aerobird Xtreme is 200 bucks, another 200 for everything you need IF you get top quality stuff...of course I already had the charger so all I bought were a couple of battery packs.

Best part is...if I crash...no loss. Nothing. Nada, zip zilch.

You may think...no big deal, I never crash...well when you know you can crash and get right back up in the air, it changes things. All the stress just drains away...and you know what you're left with? Fun! Yep, I didn't think it was possible...just fun.

Not to mention I don't need a flying field, club, rules, AMA (which I don't plan to renew) or fuel.

Do you really think you have more fun flying a gas plane than I do flying the foamie? Somehow, I doubt it.

Flying Geezer

My Feedback: (14)

Hey Mike, we're just kiddin' around. Different strokes for different folks!

Keep the Nomex suit on Hang.

The PIPE

Dear Felker14 and Carl Becker:

The PIPE Here yet AGAIN...currently I have...

Two (2) FMA SuperNovas (for just about EVERYTHING I use)
One Ace CVC charger (for my 12 V starter gell cell)

About half-a dozen Ace RC sourced "wall warts" looking for new batteries to charge...

Planning to get: Ace DDVC charger (for initial charging of NiMH batteries-especially LARGE CAPACITY ones!!!)

For Carl Becker...Sorry to inform you...and I KNOW this is a BIT off-topic, but I just could not resist, since I LOVE "Gordon Shumway" as much as Coloradoz does..."Coloradoz's avatar thinks YOURS looks DELICIOUS"...

Yours Sincerely,

The PIPE!

Hangtime

My Feedback: (19)

Ahh, Mike; it's all totally subjective. Do you have fun? I know yah do, or you wouldn't do it. Is it as much fun? I don't think so, but that's just the view from my side of the fence. Yah see, I've 'been there, done that' with a whole range of electric projects.. and I can hugely appreciate the 'no stress' factor when it comes to risk with the foamies.. but to me flying on the computer is just as 'easy', costs less, offers the same thrills and of course, there's no stress, no risk. Using that logic, why bother flying electrics?



..but I humbly submit that 'risk' is a big part of the fun, part of the thrill of doing it well. If Risk is the big objection, then collecting stamps or running lionel trains might be a better 'hobby'. Building and flying big birds just ain't much of a 'hobby' for someone who's more worried about a loss than enjoying the thrill of flying. For me it's the pure adrenaline rush of a blistering fast gas powered warbird when it howls past.. no drug, no wussy lil electric sparks my fire like blasting around the pylon course with an old Dynaflite PT-19 with a gasser under the cowl, wingtip to wingtip with a like minded pilot. It's especially rewarding when the plane didn't come off an assembly line that was stamping out McDonalds 1/4 pounder bun warmers last month.

For some of us, this just ain't a hobby; it's an addiction.. an obsession at the least. We scrape and save, put off buying unnecessary things, refuse to be teased away from the bench by 'lesser' hobby expenses (like foamies) and patiently work our birds from the bench to the field. Sometimes it takes years to get a project in the air. We're not fooled by the promise of 'from the box to the field in 45 minutes'.. there's still a few of us left that appreciate the thrill that's consummate with the sacrifice. The harder you work, the better we feel when the gear finally come up. Satisfaction is in getting it right, getting it up and wringing it out. The thrill is in flying a piece of history, crowding the 'edge' and bringing it back whole. Sure there are losses. And yah, it's gut-wrenching when we discover we went too far and crossed the line in structures. It's how we find out where the limits are. 'Dumb Thumb' gets our planes every now and again too. Such is life.. 'no pain, no gain'. Is the learning curve steep? Yup.. especially if you insist on re-learning the lessons the hard way. On the other hand, if you 'paid attention in class and did the homework' it's no more difficult to do it sucessfully than flying a foamie or anything else. The biggest investment is paitience.. not cash.

Are foamies 'fun'? Yup. Are they ultimately satisfying? Not for me... I have higher expectations. But that's just my opinion.. I could be wrong. I happily support all flying.. everybody should fly and be happy, regardless of what form that flight might be in.. foamie, computer, pattern, heli, sport, scale, turbines, giants, IMAC; full scale.. it's all good. All steps on the road to personal satisfaction... trying to compare the 'fun level' of flying a foamie with flying scale giants is like comparing the kiddie coaster with the 'green monster' at Six Flags. Some folks just prefer their rides to be more (or less) demanding... and even if you do prefer the kiddie coaster right now, there's always the Monster waiting if your decide you want more of the 'good thing'.

(hang sees the car & buggy crowd sparking up torches... pulls the nomex hood up, kicks the soapbox, bolts for the door..)

Mike01

Well...

I guess once you've tasted the thrill of building a race car and engaging in adhrenaline pumping edge of your seat competition with your fellow man, pitting your best against theirs, putting it all on the line, where time slows to a crawl and an 8 second lap is an eternity of strategic manuevers and the perfect lines....well, flying planes seems like a mild diversion.

I suppose I'm guilty of not realising that so many people take it so seriously. I can understand why foamies just wouldn't do it for you. But since all I want out of it is the fun of flying something real (as opposed to on a PC) that is under my control, I'm sure you can see how foamies offer exactly what I want without any of what I don't.

ZapRC

Well I only have a couple of chargers (Triton and double Vision) but I got tired of all the darn wires and charging from under the hood of my truck. So I installed them both in a clear box with a built in power supply and a cigarette lighter plug. Both chargers are in one place and operate from AC or DC. I also installed a cool looking neon light inside for effect. When at the races many people came to me and asked if I could build them one just like mine. Well Now I am making all kinds of charger combinations for people. It really makes charging very convenient.

crownvic

Got 8 wall warts, 3- glow plug, 1- digipace, 1- accu cycle, 1- fast field, 1- 2amp 10amp lead acid charger, 1-50amp, 4- cell phone 110v, 4- 12v cell phone, 1-digital camera charger, 2 cordless drill, 2-fla****e, 1-circular saw , 1-batt powerd chain saw charger,I like my accucycle best ! Oh I forgot toothbrush and hair trimmer also sometimes I wonder why I have electricty to the house? Oh yea to run all those chargers

Lonnie

hankpajari

My Feedback: (1)

Very nice, well thought out.

Mike01

ZapRC,

That is the coolest thing I have ever seen.

b.bixel

My Feedback: (123)

Sirius Quad Charger, no knobs or switches to set. Plug and play, then walk away. This one only goes at MY Estate Sale.

Regards,
Bart

felker14

My Feedback: (50)

ZapRc

Do you have a picture of a Schulze installed in your box?
How big is the power supply in box?
Is it big enough to allow the Schulze or Triton to charge at there max?
verry cool idea.

Dirtnaper

My Feedback: (11)

ISL-8

http://www.schulze-elektronik-gmbh.com/index_uk.htm

This charger used to be in the $950.00 range. Now with the dollar crashing against the Euro its probably well over 1000. Seems like a lot of money well to those that have 4 or 5 charges its a bargain. Just hook it up to the ol'pc and download updates to the unit. Alpha 4's were/are good chargers but its 10yr old technology with little changes over the years. The Tritons, Ices, orbits are great for the budget minded too. But if you want to stop making post on the subject and have one charger that you can say "yeah it does that" for now and the next 10yrs this is the one for ya. Never agian do you have to think "will my charger do that? I wonder if its any good"

And no they dont take American Express.

Mike01

I checked out their website. Great chargers for you flying guys...but they don't cut it for the car world, not even their specialized eco-select.

Not enough discharge current. Oh, it's a great charger...but the Futaba CDR-5000 is better in every way, except it has one less port (few people in the market for a high end race charger care about number of ports). Not to mention the eco-select doesn't do graphs or monitor individual cell voltages.

Not to mention it costs a lot more than the Futaba. Less charger for more money...damn those Germans have got a strange sense of humor.

crownvic

Boy for a 1000.00 I could buy a hole lot of batt paks probaly a life time supply!

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Lonnie

Dirtnaper

My Feedback: (11)

Mike,

Yeah, the post was kinda geared toward planes. Electrics are popular overthere. I have yet to tinker with the futaba. From what I see and read that charger is aimed at your market.

The shultz used to be very reasonably priced (when I bought one) not near that much but If you check the US dollar Vs Euro over the past couple of years you will see the reason. I wonder how much more its gonna tank. I think Yahoo has an exchange rate calc on there. Anyways good thing most of our toys are made in Japan LoL.