Mayday!
01-23-2004 | 08:21 AM
#1
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From: Louisville,
KY
Mayday!
I was wanting to fly this morning, but accidently left my transmitter on all night. I have it on charge right now. The batteries were almost completely dead. How long will it take on a standard charger to recharge?
01-23-2004 | 08:43 AM
#3
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RE: Mayday!
No. If the batteries are nearly completely drained, it will take at least 16 hours to fully recharge with a C10 charger. (The one that came with the radio.) You'd be better off leaving it for 24 hours in my opinion.
The C10 charge rate on our wallwart chargers is usually about 50 mA. Most transmitter packs are 600 mAH packs. So theoretically, 600 mA's divided by 50 mA's per hour = 12 hours. But with the losses due to the cells heating, or for inconsistencies in chargers, the minimum recommended charge time is generally 16 hours.
Dennis-
The C10 charge rate on our wallwart chargers is usually about 50 mA. Most transmitter packs are 600 mAH packs. So theoretically, 600 mA's divided by 50 mA's per hour = 12 hours. But with the losses due to the cells heating, or for inconsistencies in chargers, the minimum recommended charge time is generally 16 hours.
Dennis-
01-23-2004 | 02:01 PM
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RE: Mayday!
Caution with fast chargers... you can cause NiCds to explode if they get too hot. The NiCds n a TX are not designed to handle the 15 min charge rate. A 1 hr rate is safer. (and don't neglect to get the peak detecting charger that turns itself off. Timer/resistor chargers destroy batteries.)
One time letting the NiCds go flat like that... probably not a big problem. But do it a few times and you can ruin the battery. NiCds don't like being drained below 1.1 v per cell.
Another note about fast chargers... remove the battery from the TX while charging. It alows better airflow around the battery keeping it cooler. It avoids any diode in the TX without doing a TX modification. (peak detect and a diode in the charge circuit = no peak detect!)
One time letting the NiCds go flat like that... probably not a big problem. But do it a few times and you can ruin the battery. NiCds don't like being drained below 1.1 v per cell.
Another note about fast chargers... remove the battery from the TX while charging. It alows better airflow around the battery keeping it cooler. It avoids any diode in the TX without doing a TX modification. (peak detect and a diode in the charge circuit = no peak detect!)
01-23-2004 | 02:07 PM
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From: Spring Hill,
FL
RE: Mayday!
ORIGINAL: FHHuber
Caution with fast chargers... you can cause NiCds to explode if they get too hot. The NiCds n a TX are not designed to handle the 15 min charge rate. A 1 hr rate is safer. (and don't neglect to get the peak detecting charger that turns itself off. Timer/resistor chargers destroy batteries.)
One time letting the NiCds go flat like that... probably not a big problem. But do it a few times and you can ruin the battery. NiCds don't like being drained below 1.1 v per cell.
Another note about fast chargers... remove the battery from the TX while charging. It alows better airflow around the battery keeping it cooler. It avoids any diode in the TX without doing a TX modification. (peak detect and a diode in the charge circuit = no peak detect!)
Caution with fast chargers... you can cause NiCds to explode if they get too hot. The NiCds n a TX are not designed to handle the 15 min charge rate. A 1 hr rate is safer. (and don't neglect to get the peak detecting charger that turns itself off. Timer/resistor chargers destroy batteries.)
One time letting the NiCds go flat like that... probably not a big problem. But do it a few times and you can ruin the battery. NiCds don't like being drained below 1.1 v per cell.
Another note about fast chargers... remove the battery from the TX while charging. It alows better airflow around the battery keeping it cooler. It avoids any diode in the TX without doing a TX modification. (peak detect and a diode in the charge circuit = no peak detect!)
- Paul
01-23-2004 | 02:13 PM
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RE: Mayday!
It can be a problem removing the TX battery on some radios... but there is a fix. (and its easy) Futaba Conquest and a couple of others use a strange plug that you have to remove screws from the radio, pull the back cover and its a real mess to unplug the battery.
Get a short aileron extension cable. Clip in half.
Cut the battery's wire about 1 inch from the battery.
Solder in the aileron extension cable.
You now have a plug that is reliable and easy to get at.
If the radio doesn't have the strange plug... you just take the short aileron extension and leave that plugged into the radio... the battery will have a plug that is compatible with it already.
Get a short aileron extension cable. Clip in half.
Cut the battery's wire about 1 inch from the battery.
Solder in the aileron extension cable.
You now have a plug that is reliable and easy to get at.
If the radio doesn't have the strange plug... you just take the short aileron extension and leave that plugged into the radio... the battery will have a plug that is compatible with it already.
01-23-2004 | 02:17 PM
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From: Spring Hill,
FL
RE: Mayday!
ORIGINAL: FHHuber
It can be a problem removing the TX battery on some radios... but there is a fix. (and its easy) Futaba Conquest and a couple of others use a strange plug that you have to remove screws from the radio, pull the back cover and its a real mess to unplug the battery.
Get a short aileron extension cable. Clip in half.
Cut the battery's wire about 1 inch from the battery.
Solder in the aileron extension cable.
You now have a plug that is reliable and easy to get at.
If the radio doesn't have the strange plug... you just take the short aileron extension and leave that plugged into the radio... the battery will have a plug that is compatible with it already.
It can be a problem removing the TX battery on some radios... but there is a fix. (and its easy) Futaba Conquest and a couple of others use a strange plug that you have to remove screws from the radio, pull the back cover and its a real mess to unplug the battery.
Get a short aileron extension cable. Clip in half.
Cut the battery's wire about 1 inch from the battery.
Solder in the aileron extension cable.
You now have a plug that is reliable and easy to get at.
If the radio doesn't have the strange plug... you just take the short aileron extension and leave that plugged into the radio... the battery will have a plug that is compatible with it already.
I have an 8UHP - one that has a battery that is directly accessible. The Futaba site says they make high-end radios with batteries easy to get at because if you own one, you must know what you're doing. But if you're not advanced enough to own a high-end radio, then you don't know enough to figure out how to unplug a battery so they bolt it in. Craziness.
01-23-2004 | 09:39 PM
#12
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RE: Mayday!
That's a real complaint of mine about the Futaba 6XAS. It has a strange plug that actually plugs into a connector on the circuit board, so you have to unscrew the transmitter case and remove the back to get to it. Then it doesn't match anything else, so....
Good advice FHHuber. I'd planned on it, just haven't done it yet.
Dennis-
Good advice FHHuber. I'd planned on it, just haven't done it yet.
Dennis-
