donnyman

Battery fires, a thought that haunts my everyday. I charge my batteries on the second floor of my house, if a fire occurs it could go unnoticed for quite sometime until it's too late. I have batteries that have been on charge for months (nicads) they are on the trickle charge rate and I only do a full charge if I use the battery and lately that is all too seldom. I've been a bit worried lately so I may just take everything off the chargers, better safe than sorry. Has anyone had problems with nicads?

BrightGarden

That is a great share. You have to take the Sun seriously. Oh, those days back in High School laying out without a care, no sunscreen.
Well, I just got back into sailing after 15 years away.
I innocently looked up my old favorite brand of sunscreen, Bull Frog - it was a tenacious oil like castor oil, stayed on for water sports.
Well, the entire Encyclopia Internet came down on my noggin about latest trends in sunscreen, and I will share.
90% of the sunscreen on shelves of pharmacies and grocery stores has one or more of about 7 or 8 chemicals that work into your skin.
Some of the chemicals can be found in your bloodstream 2 weeks after a single use - toxicity unknown.
Get the expensive white stuff that doesn't really rub in - it has one or both of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide which is a literal shield against the sun.
Those two things are basically like clay(!) They block sun from getting to your skin.
There is plenty of info on the interwebs, and as I mentioned, you can usually tell it is this good stuff by the price.
Hope this helps -
PJ

GallopingGhostler

Donny, anything is possible, but thus far, nicads over their long history don't seem to be a problem. They have been used in many backup systems for a long time to include emergency exit lighting, computer memory maintainers, etc. Those systems basically place the battery pack in a maintenance charge load. Later these have been replaced with the improved ni-mah batteries. Main problem with the earlier ni-cads was memory retention problems, where they sometimes would not obtain their full charge unless discharged first.

However, their construction doesn't lend themselves to fires, (provided charging rules are followed), although all things are possible. I never heard of a nicad flight pack or transmitter smoke and catch fire, although I suppose it is possible.

Newer li-po battery systems have been the concern. Lately, there have been a number of YouTube and other videos documenting electric vehicle fires. The components are so volatile, that a car or bus battery pack fire leaves no room for occupants to safely escape. Reminds me of the words to "Baby Come and Light My Fire". "And our love becomes a funeral pyre."

David John Davis

Foamie electrics have their place if all you want is a fast way of getting a model into the air but what could be more satisfying than building a model from scratch, choosing your own colour scheme, restoring an old engine to power it and watching it fly on that maiden flight?

This video is the final one of about twenty videos produced by Mark Robinson describing his build of a Great Planes Trainer 60 powered by an old British Merco 61.

Perhaps some of you gentlemen would like to see it.

bisco

for us old timers, i couldn't agree more. but people are different these days

donnyman

Ghostler
I am sure you are right because my batteries have been on the charger longer than I can recall but I am a little scared since Davids problem.

David
The time I've wasted trying to engage the youngsters is lost to me, I have just about stopped caring. time has brought about a change and it seems there is nothing we can do about it so I am backing off. I use my trainer plane (Goldberg eagle 63) to keep my coordination an auto responses in tune especially after a long period of no flying.

mgnostic

The talk of nicads puts me in mid of a recent event. One of the older members of my local RC club had to go into assisted living due to dementia. Wilbert is a great guy, one of the first people to make me feel welcome at the local flying field. An RC modeler since the 1960s, he, at one point, ran a small hobby shop out of the back room of his house. After he moved to assisted living his wife asked some of the local club members to come over and help sort through his modeling stuff. He hadn't been out to the field much in the last ten years and from what his wife said he hadn't been in his shop in nearly that long. It was clear that the dementia had been having its impact for a long time. That room was like an archeological dig. There were several times when we found items that he had apparently purchased, forgot about and then purchased again. Where this relates to the discussion of batteries is that we discovered several power strips with trickle charges connected to nicads and lead acid batteries, all still plugged in and powered up, hidden under the clutter. We marveled that the house hadn't burned down and if he had been charging Lipos it might have.

donnyman

It is my intention to keep a sharp eye on the nicad charging regardless.

Here lately my interest in gliders has increased, I have always had a thing for the Cleveland Albatross and the bird of time. The shape of the wings is a thing of beauty to me. Is anyone flying gliders? I have a few but haven't flown them, the one short glider flight I've flown was with a *****cat, my heart got to pumping when I hit a thermal and a whole new way of flying became known to me.

acdii

I have a 3 channel powered glider. rudder and elevator and electric motor. Let it climb to where I barely see it and let it soar. When it gets low, power it back up and start all over again. Can stay up for hours if I let it.

donnyman

Mine do not have motors but I have considered adding them but I don't know anything when it comes to hooking up electrics though I have plenty elect. motor stuff I really never applied myself in that medium.

Do you have slopes and hills to fly from? I am on flat land and purchased a bungee launch system.

David John Davis

Concerning my LiPos, I am carefully monitoring the state of charge of all of my 3S 2200 LiPos, which is the type I use to power my starter motor, both before and after charging. So far there appears to be nothing wrong with the charger. I have about five LiPos of that size. I'll produce a list of results once I have it. I suspect that I am letting the voltage discharge to below 30% which I understand is not best practice. I will be more careful in future,

Electric powered gliders are very popular in France, most of my clubmates have one. I've nothing against them myself but they are not my main interest and I have enough projects to last me for some years yet.

acdii

All flat land, which is why I went and got a small foam powered glider. I can fly it in my back yard.

I think you just found the cause of the effect. If you discharge too much it will kill the battery. I had the same thing happen, killed a new battery by discharging too much using a starter. It puffed when I went to charge it.

Get yourself these and plug it into the balance jack when using the battery. It will alarm when the voltage drops to low point.

donnyman

FlyerinOK
How ya doing? Hope your OK!

David
You may have discovered the reason for the lipo fires, The ones I have were charged with a cycling or what ever charger that monitors each cell and then balances them that is about all I know of lipos and my usage of them is limited, to be honest I have a fear of them.

My shop is crowded because of my spontaneous diversity seeking new and different stuff, gliders is one of them, I switch from one thing to the other so often little gets completed before the next project is begun one example is I have a desire to scratch build a 1/2A scientific controline mustang I flew as a teenager in Brooklyn N.Y. The idea struck me while eyeballing my balsa stockpile

It is just a hollowed block of balsa that I have fond memories of. I'll bet G. Ghostler is familiar with it.

GallopingGhostler

Thanks, Donny, I didn't have Walt Musciano's plan of this before. That reduced plan view on the plans/instructions is to scale, 1/4th the original size. I've taken a clip of those before as a graphic file, blew it up 4 times, then tile print out. Although a little crude, is sufficient to build one to match Scientific's original. The landing gear doors as is, is best left off. These will get broken off upon first landing.

One can also template the fuselage as a profile from 1/4 inch thick balsa sheet, then use Brodak's / Cox International's / Ex Model Engines' universal plastic engine mount to mount a Cox, OK Cub, Testor 9000, or K&B Stallion .049 engine. (All tank equipped engines use the same bolt pattern.) Scientific borrowed a lot from their series, so as to simplify stocking parts and easily producing variants from the same.


Cox International, Canada's motor mount shown. coxengines.ca: Cox .049 Engine Firewall Mount

Same engine mount can be used for the Sterling Beginner Series profile half-A's and Midwest's half-A WW-2 profile warbird series. Or, one can roll their own like Walt and Carl Goldberg did.

David John Davis

Just a bit of trivia which may interest you gentlemen.

I was watching a historian's reaction to the 1970 film "Waterloo" on YouTube. The film featured Christopher Plummer as Wellington and Rod Steiger as Napolelon. The film was being scrutinised for historical accuracy. The night before the battle, the Duchess of Richmond, played by Virginia McKenna, held a ball for Wellington's officers. In the film this takes place in a ballroom, in reality it was held in a barn! During this scene Wellington says that he'd noticed that the duchess's daughter is rather keen on one of his young staff officers. McKenna replies that she opposed the young couple getting married until the war was over and that she "...wanted to to see her in white before she wore black."

Apparently this was historically inaccurate because the Battle of Waterloo took place in 1815 and the custom of young brides wearing white on their wedding day did not start until 1840 when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in a white dress. Prior to 1840 I suppose young brides wore their best frock regardless of colour.

Their were other minor historical inaccuracies but generally the film was a pretty accurate portrayal of the battle and in my view well worth watching. If the Prussians had not turned up in the afternoon, Waterloo would have been a railway station in Paris!

acdii

In world news today, there are reports of Elite Iranian soldiers entering Ukraine to support Russia. How did it get this far?

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Its called politics. Russia or I should say Putin is desperate and Iran is very opportunistic. The Iranians no they can get anything they want since Putin has no place else to go. Putin is staring into his own doom and desperate for a way to survive. He is like Hitler in the bunker in 45.

Thanks Donny! I am recovering on the knee struggling with a muscle that doesn't want to wake up. The nose is heeling fine and still numb in one spot.

donnyman

Ghostler
I am familiar with the mounts but never used them, my intent is to scratch myself a copy as close to the original as possible, the one I had in the fifties did not have the gear doors or the engine cowl due to my lack of skill. Also the 1/8' firewall pulled off more than once, epoxy will cure that. I was rifling thru a box in my shop and found the plans for the Berkeley p-51 control line with some instructions we spoke of these kits before is why I mention it now, heaven only knows what I have stashed in my file cabinet. If I get my shop cleaned up maybe I'll get the chance to carve out the little mustang just for kicks.

donnyman

The way I see it is the Ukraine need targets I look forward to see Ukrainians in Russia. FLYER has it pegged pretty good Putin's in trouble, we just need to be careful of cornered rats.

acdii

The Hitler comment is the scary part, now I know how people felt during October of '63 during the Missile Crisis. Here we are again, repeating History. SMDH. Well, back to work, have a pellet stove to install, and a couple tons of pellets to haul home. I was hoping they would be on sale by now, but even those have jumped up in price by $1 per bag, or $50 a ton. Looks like my RC working time is getting pushed further and further back with everything going on. Trying to finish house repairs, but material costs are too damned high, trying to get fertilizer for the 8 acres of hay, no one returns calls, and getting lime? Yeah, that aint happening either. Top it all off my mortgage was transferred to another bank and they totally hosed my payment in addition to sending out the letters AFTER I had already set up a payment through my bank, only to find out they transferred the auto pay as well, AFTER my check was already sent! So they got 2 payments, and they overcharged on the autodraft. Even better, the company I work for decided they now want everyone in the office 3 days a week instead of 1, so now instead of a typical 9 hour day leaving me 90 minutes more at home to get things done, I now put in 11 1/2 hours a day away from home so things I could get done, wont get done.

acdii

Right there with you Donny! The Russians calling the Ukraine terrorists when they bombed the bridge was uncalled for too. Russia invaded Ukraine, they are at war and when at war, you fight back. Besides, it was a missile attack on the bridge, not a truck bomb as they claim.

donnyman

Flyer
Good to hear from you! you wont be entering any marathons in the near future for sure, I am keeping you in my thoughts for a speedy recovery. I did notice you have color in your hair, mine is almost snow white.

donnyman

Missile attack? when did the Ukraine start using missiles? I thought a boat and or a truck was used. none the less they need to send a couple more. and save the missiles for Putin.

donnyman

acdii
my curiosity is buggin me, what do those pellets look like for your stove. Pellet stove?

GallopingGhostler

You folks have picked the wrong forum to argue about worldwide politics, when you have your own resources at home to do the same. There's a cartoon mem* at that is applicable at this time. It states, "With a real live woman right here, why would you turn to the Internet for an argument?"

You'll get a lot further along going that route instead.

* Done to spare the RCU staff of concerns over posting copyrighted materials.