yekots

My Feedback: (1)

I have been out of flying for about 14 years but I still have all my stuff, of course it is all old like me. The Tx and Rx battery packs were fairly new back then and I did nothing with them until this past weekend. I put them on the charger that came with the radio for 24 hours and tested them today and they seem to be holding a charge very well, I have left the Rx batt on my expanded scale volt meter for an hour now and it is still in the green, around 5.0 volts. The Tx batt is still showing 10.0 for the same amount of time. Do you think these would be OK to use or are they too old?

Thanks guys.

WCB

They might be ok but if it were me I would replace them rather than chance it. Batteries are not that expensive.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I measure the voltage before every flight

If there is more than normal voltage drop after first full charged flight, I change packs

yekots

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the replies guys. I am just thinking of getting back into this but I have to keep my better half of 22 years happy as well. She remembers all to well how the RCing consumed me in the early years as well as cost quite a bit. Where do you guys reccomend to buy NiCd battery packs on-line? I have found some replacements for my old Futaba FM radio but I would like to go a bit higher on the mAh count so they will probably need to be made to order.

-pkh-

My Feedback: (2)

I'd just replace them. Any battery more than 5 years old would worry me. BatterySpace.com has pretty good deals on battery packs:

[link=http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=256]BatterySpace.com RC Flight Batteries[/link]

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Charge up the batteries and see how they hold up

I have some that are more than 10 yrs old

yekots

My Feedback: (1)

PKH I went to batteryspace.com and it looks as though they are limited on NiCd batteries. They could probably custom make one but the price is around $60.00, way too high. They do have a lot of NiMH packs, would this work with my Futaba FP-T7UAF radio? Could I still use my original wall charger or do I have to get a different one?

Sorry I am being so stupid about this but I have been out of RCing for a while and now I have to re-educate myself.

Thanks.

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

If you know someone with a battery cycler, use that to test the packs capacity. If the pack has 80% or more of its original capacity, go ahead and use it.

Brad

cstevenpeterson

My Feedback: (21)

Same as Brad says - I cycle mine and look at the capacity to make a decision on replacing them.

Steve

-pkh-

My Feedback: (2)

I use only NiMH batts in my TXs and planes, and I use a peak charger to charge them (not a wall wart trickle charger). Your wall wart might work, but with the higher capacity NiMH batts, the charge rate may be less than 1/20C, so it may take more than 24hrs to fully charge it.

I use the batteryspace.com NiMH TX packs in my TX (Futaba 9C) and I use custom packs (4x or 5x A cell NiMH packs) from [link=http://www.cheapbatterypacks.com]CheapBatteryPacks.com[/link]. The A cells have a much higher current draw than typical AA cells, and they are just slightly larger/heavier.

Nathan King

I replace NiCD and NiMH batteries every four seasons. LiPo batteries for electric engines can typically go two to three seasons.

yekots

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for all the info guys, this helps a lot.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I use all NiMH batteries and have done so for many years.

I notice one being a little short, I will cycle it a couple times and see what I have.

But I don't go throwing them away because they are a certain age.

Stick 40

One of our guys have been getting 2100 Mah, NiMH 5 cell batteries for around $11 a pack and has been using them for some time. I got a pack from him and they seem to be good batterys. If its cost that is a problem these are an answer to the problem.

I would worry about one on these Old packs that check so well having a cell die and take the pack out quick. like it mid air.

I just got back into flying after 15 years and I replace all my batterys did not even try and check them. I do not want to loose a plane over a bad battery.

I will try and get the name of that company with the cheap batterys and get back.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Yes, that one weak cell is what always has me concerned.

proptop

My Feedback: (8)

My opinion is...for the cost of a new battery pack or two...is it worth gambling the cost of the whole airplane?
When my packs cycle at 75% of rated capacity, I start wondering about them...when they get to 70% I pitch them out...(to a recycling center, of course )

To the original poster, do you have a battery cycler so you can test for actual capacity?

If the airplane came crashing down into the pits, or parking lot...because of a failed battery pack...well...[X(]

I wouldn't bother with or risk trying to fly 14 year old batteries.

To me, probably the most "iffy" aspect of the hobby is radio batteries...you really gotta keep an eye on them, especially when you have lots of airplanes. Battery maintainance during the winter can be a hobby in itself...

For you guys who can fly all year, you're lucky, but here, in winter, we need to keep tabs on our batteries so they don't self discharge too far while sitting around...so we need to "exercise" them periodically during the winter doldrums so they'll be ready to go come springtime.

Edit: After going back and looking at all the previous posters, I see that all of us have "Winter" and some "off time" for some of our airplanes.
My float plane and flying boat are the only 2 that get used from November to March...

yekots

My Feedback: (1)

Again, thanks guys, battery technology has evolved greatly since I last was into flying. I don't want to loose a plane right out of the gate so I will just replace them and move forward. One of the web sights that was suggested shot me a pretty good price on custom made NiCd Tx and Rx packs with higher mAh than the original batteries so I will probably go with those.

karolh

Check out the Hangtime Batteries site as they offer some very good and reasonably priced nicad battery packs, and if you are a sport flyer like myself their 800 mAh std. size packs maybe enough for your needs and which can still be charged with a wall wart charger.

Karol

Stick 40

one thing to keep in mind, some of the new servo's draw more amps, and at the price of the bigger packs. If you get into the digital servos down the road, the 800 or so packs may not be enough. The 2000 Mah battery's are not much more in cost and can give a very long day of flying.
I still have not got the name of the company with the cheap batterys.

800 Mah is fine for a sport plane , with reg servo's . Glad your back!

sticks

proptop

My Feedback: (8)

Stick...is this the "Cheap" (or rather "inexpensive" ) place you're thinking of?

http://www.cheapbatterypacks.com/?sid=1514430

Here's the Futaba transmitters page:
http://www.cheapbatterypacks.com/mai...anufacturer=38

The Sanyo 1100 AA NiCd cells would work well for your application yekots, and you could still use your wall wart charger.

Stick 40

Ya, that sounds like it. I lost all my saved email address, in a virus attack. I will save that one down.

My friend was getting them ( 2100 Mah , 5cell NiMH batteries ) for around $11 in your hand ( not sure how many he got to get that price ). I even cycled one and got 1950 Mah out of it before it was cycled more than a couple of times, thats not bad for a less expensive battery.
My JR 2300 , that I paid $38 for checked about 2100 Mah on the cycler and it had been cycled several times.

Yes , 1100 would be a great RX battery for a 4 or 5 reg. servo sport plane. My 2300 Mah are a bit of over kill.

thanks proptop.
sticks

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

If the engine quits, you can glide back to the runway, or at least try and find a soft spot to put it down.

If you lose the ailerons, you can still fly it on on the rudder.

If you lose the throttle control, you can usually fly it around until the tank runs out.

If your retracts won't come down, you can belly land in the grass.

I've even seen a guy lose a wing and he flew it on on knife edge and landed it. (Bill Hemple)

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.If your battery quits, you can't do a thing except sit back and watch the crash.

Spend the $50 and replace the batteries. Is the plane worth $50?

frank99

My Feedback: (29)

well said

karolh

Amen.

Karol

yekots

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks to all of you, this is great stuff. I know some of you would like to see me go NiMh, which I will probably do at some point, but for now I just want to get back in the air, make sure I still have my flying MoJo and go from there. Man I wish the web was around when I did this dance the first time around years ago, so much information too little of brain matter to absorb it .

Proptop, the packs I am looking at are 1100 mAh, thanks for the input on that, you have reassured my thoughts.

karolh, thanks for giving me another sight to check out. Not bad prices I'm seeing!

Stick, I'm glad to be back!