75lover

I just bought an brand-new Atlantio 059 R/C Boat with a pistol grip transmitter of of ebay. I have some questions.
I want to increase the running time of the boat. I considered putting a gas engine in place of the electric but a gas motor needs air therefore the general appearance of the boat would look substantially different. It currently runs on a 7.2V Battery Pack. What I wanted to do is put a 9.6v battery pack in it's place but I am worried it would blow it up...does anyone know if it would blow the motor...I want to make sure because this boat was pretty expensive. If the 9.6V would work I would buy a whole bunch of packs from the store and increase my running time. I know 7.2V battery packs last less time the the 9.6's but how long do they last? And the 9.6? I just needed some help and advice...it seems everyone on hear is real experienced.

Xfactory

My Feedback: (3)

To increase run time you need more capacity not voltage, going from 7.2 to 9.6 volts could fry something. Just as an example if you are running a 7.2 pack of 600mah cells going to a 7.2 volt pack of 1200mah cells would roughly double your run time. More voltage is like having a more powerful motor, More capacity is like having a bigger fuel tank.

Umi_Ryuzuki

You want more amps, I think they mentioned that in your other post as well.

And typically in the scale model section we build bigger boats.
An 8 foot cruiser, or a 12 foot battle ship will carry a one or two 12 volt 24 amp battery.
The weight of those batteries help get the ship down to the water line.(often 100 lbs)
And with 24-48 amps(24000mah-48000mah) the ships can run all weekend non stop.

LtDoc

FWIW
A battery's current capacity deals with how long a motor will run. The voltage deals with how fast the motor will 'spin'. To run longer you'll need a larger current capacity battery which usually means a battery of a larger physical size. Hope you have 'room' for it.
An electric motor will usually 'work' on a fairly wide range of voltages. The higher the voltage the more heat is produced, and at some point that heat will 'get to' the motor, either burning it up, or affecting the surroundings (melting/burning stuff). The way things work, a manufacturor usually uses the smallest motor they can get by with, and 'pushes' it as much as possible (cheapest way to manufacture things). Increasing your battery voltage may not be the 'smartest' thing to do. Two batteries with the same current capacity, but one having a higher voltage, the higher voltage battery will 'go dead' sooner than the lower capacity battery. "Cain't win for loosing", right? What you're looking at is a balancing act with the 'room' in the boat for the battery, the weight of the battery, the cost of the battery(s), and the amount of run-time you gain. That's if you try to use a larger than provided battery. The easiest solution is to get 'more' batteries and swap them out while boating (recharging the low batteries in the mean time)...
- 'Doc

PS - 'Limits' is 'limits'. At some point you'll reach it...

75lover

Thanks for your advice....so I should buy more physically larger batteries of the same voltage...I really appreciated your advice...thanks.

LtDoc

'75lover',
That's too easy! LOL The physical size isn't always a sign of the battery's capacity (mAh of current). Different types of batteries have different capacities, even if they are the same size. Check the 'mAh' ratings, that's the only sure way...
- 'Doc

E-Challenged

It's probable that the battery packs that came with your boat are about as big and heavy as your boat can handle. If you install larger, heavier, higher capacity, batteries, the boat may sit too low in the water to run well. If you are using nicad-type batteries you might be able to switch to Nickle Metal Hydride ( NiMh) cells and get longer duration with no increase in size or weight. You must have a charger that can "peak" charge NiMh batteries such as an Astro Flight 110D and charge them at a 1C or 2C rate. For example if the NiMh battery is rated at 1000 milliamp hour ( 1amp) capacity, you should charge it at a 1 amp (1000mah) rate for longest life, if you are in a hurry, you could charge at 2amp ( 2000 ma) rate but no more. The other guy's suggestion of simply buying more of the same battery packs is good too. Buy 3, one running, one cooling off and one charging. This way you can run continuously until you get tired of it. Eventually your motor brushes will wear out and you will need to replace the motor.