Ok, so these are probably questions that most people know...and i think i know the answers, but i doubt myself so im going to make sure...

Picked up the Hobbico Ultra-Tote combo with glow starter, power panel, fuel pump, and power panel...as well as the 12-V Lead-Calcium battery...

My questions are these...

The 12-V Batter (came with the charger too, seperate but in the combo) ... to charge it is simple enough i assume, connect the red + black leads on the charger to the red + black on the bettery... simple, but making sure im not burning up a battery... so for now im just clipping (i hate alligator clips, those are gone very soon...trust me) the leads to the battery since i dont have the box built...

Now on the power panel..there is no space for actually charging the battery...but the slots for the starter are 12V...can i put the connections on the charger and just charge it backwards through the panel...or is it best to pull out the batt to charge it?

I know i had others (only i can make something this simple out to be a problem...but i hate wasting money on somthing just to mess it up out of ignorance)

Thanks...

...btw....am I the only one to be a little suprised at the level of building needed to put the Tote Together....not complaining, good practice i guess for my next plane, which wil be a kit...

You can charge through the power panel. I have been doing it for years. As for swaping the leads, you do not need to do that. Positive to Positive, negative to negative. The starter jacks pretty much go straight to the battery.

Later,

Ryan

Just put some plugs on the wires from your charger and plug them straight into the 12v outlet for the starter. Positive to positive - negative to negative. simple as pie

Hope this helps

Yeah, I didnt mean swapping the polarity of the leads, i meant the connection....i have a deep rooted hatred for aligator clips for some reason......going to tput the correct ones on the panels wires to the battery (the rectangular female that meats the male end on the battery...whatever those are called) and put the cylindrical ones on the charger...thanks alot...i thought i was right...just making sure so i didnt mess stuff up...thanks guys

rjm- just a word about battery maintenance. If you want to get better performance and longer life from your field battery, then don't use the charger that came in your combo. It probably has a constant output of 12v, and that will not actually charge your battery fully, which will cause it to lose capacity pretty quickly. Lead-based sealed batteries require almost as much care as nicads if you want to get decent lifespan. I really recommend what I'm using, its called a DelTran Battery Tender- basically its a wall-wart but it has three modes of charge, an initial check phase, a "bulk charge" phase, and a float charge (keeper). This charger actually takes the battery up to a little over 14v AS IT SHOULD, then monitors it and charges more as necessary. 35 bucks, and I like it a lot, and it should really extend the life of my field battery. Just a thought

The cylinder plugs are called "Banana Plugs" and you insert them into the "Banana jacks" on the panel. You can purchase either at the LHS or radio Shack. Solder wiring connections whenever you can and if they can contact other wiring protect with heatshrink tubing, also available at both listed locations. Be sure nothing can fall across the battery terminals and short circuit it. [:'(] [:@] When in doubt, always ask someone. It's safer.

Good idea.....you can get a floater type charger from Harbor Freight for 9.95...................been using one on my field box battery for almost four years with no problems and battery is always charged.