Large Scale Central

Aaaaahhhhh...batteries!

Electronics Power and Sound
#1

Crew,

Life is good. No track to clean no joints to worry and fuss over, no jumpers to solder. BATTERIES!

Spent a grand Sunday afternoon running the converted Pacific and U25 on batteries from a trailing car. I did more switching and yard work than ever before due to the lack of grief from inconsistent rail current. IT WAS GREAT!

Pulled as many cars as I ever have with track power. Grade and loco traction limit me here and the batteries pulled as many cars with the same wheel slip problems as they did with track power.

I am a fervent convertee. Am going to work to get the rest of the locos adapted. I will keep them dual useage as I have friends that still run track power…ain’t seen the light yet! At least not until they see mine operatin! hehe

Am itching to try the SD45s on battery power as it has little grade trouble except when hauling 40 cars up the south loop from the hard side! Will see if there is any difference there. I seriously doubt it based on what I saw yesterday.

Funny thing is…near the end I couldn’t get that loco to pull a dang thing. Finally disconnected the string and it went down the track for about 50 feet then died! Twas then I remembered…BATTERIES!

Almost three hours of run time on two 9.6v Nimh batteries in series. They had only been charged once about 1 1/2 months ago and had been left sitting except for use on the bench when constructing the battery car and making tests on the test track.

Looks to me like this is the real deal!

Thanks for the push guys! Yell when another prospect comes nosing around…I’ll help!

Andre’

#2

I bet the smile on your face is about as big as it can get.

Tony Walsham.

#3

Next thing we’ll know, he’ll be putting batteries in everything he can find. Its suprising how much space is in these locomotives, even critters, for some batteries and an RC unit.

#4

Yep huys you are right. Happy Happy Happy

Trouble is I need more batteries to fit the locos and cars now. Hmmm what to sell off to fund them?

Andre’

#5

Good point. Maybe Santa can bring you an early present.

Ive been battery powered from day-1. When I started this whole LS train thing, I had dozens (and I mean dozens) of packs from my RC car racing days. 2 of them and I get 14.4v, rechargable. The problem with them was space, they were big for their capacity. Now Im switching over to NiMH, which have the same, or larger capacity, in a smaller area. I even think I can get onboard batteries into the Whitcomb (maybe, dont quote me on that). But I do have them on the bed of Goose #6 in a wood box.

#6

I did this to a Trail Creek Whitcomb a couple of years ago.

I used rechargeable 4 x 3.6 volt 800 mah “AA” Lithium Metal batteries. They fitted neatly under the hood. I had the R/C equipment under the floor between the motor and floor.

So it can be done. Don’t know about the Accucraft Whitcomb though. I believe the hood area is taken up with an oversize motor.

#7

Why don’t you dispose of your “Now surplus to requirements” track powering equipment?

#8

Ive got the Trail Creek one myself, and have the RCS underneath like you do, but currently (ha!) I have batteries in a trailing car. Need to figure out how to get them onboard.

#9

Tony,

I would dispose of the track power stuff but I still have a number of locos as yet unconverted to battery and still need to be exercised! Also the friends as yet are all still track powered so to keep them operating I’ll need track power for a while.

Andre’

#10

Batteries, eh?

Well, my batteries from 2010 would NOT charge past 12 volts - i put them into my loco and NOTHING. No sound, no movement.

What to do? Well, a search of my ready suppliers yielded LOTS of options, but I didn’t like the price. Amazon is a favorite - it’s hard to get upset at somebody that delivers to your door! What did they have!

Well, I really wanted 14.8 V, but all they had was batteries with the WRONG connectors! OK, I can deal with THAT. I have wire cutters and they seem to work.

SO, I found THESE Shark batteries for a pretty decent price: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C2JMWTC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Cut off the connectors and soldered in my own. It works!

#11

What are you using as a charger?

#12

MIKE PATERSON said:

What are you using as a charger?

Well, THAT is a good question…

Uh…It charges batteries…and looks a lot like this…

Maha? Wawa? I just don’t recall…

#13

My go to place for batteries is here mainly because Amazon restrict my choice here in Aust.

For chargers I use this one (I have 4) does everything I need

But this one is just delivers the goods just need a US plug which they will supply.

#14

I use Tenergy for batts and chargers. But thanks for the lead, Bruce.

And I have returned to the old fashioned Nihm for my 7/8 scale locos.

They run just as long as my Li-ions.

#15

John Bouck said:

I use Tenergy for batts and chargers. But thanks for the lead, Bruce.

https://power.tenergy.com

And I have returned to the old fashioned Nihm for my 7/8 scale locos.

They run just as long as my Li-ions.

Now, THAT’S interesting. The pack that died was from Tenergy and was dated 2011 (my date of install), I sure don’t feel bad about 10 years of useful life; might have gone on longer if I regularly charged it, but not me!

So, Tenergy has a 14.8V 2200 Mah for 46.49 (Battery Packs - Li-Ion Packs - 14.8V - Page 1 - Tenergy Power).

The pack I got from Amazon is 14.8V 2600 Mah for $25.99. Yeah, it did have the wrong connectors on it

#16

Cheaper on the bay.

In fact, I got 14.8 V, 5,200 maH for ~$28. The packs shown by the OP are $2 cheaper on the bay with free shipping.

#17

Bruce, I have some Tenergys that are over ten years old (Nihm) and still running.

When I splurges for some Li-ions from Cordless innovations (Who used to advertise here) they lasted less than two years.

And were delivered wired backwards. I have one Tenergy Li-ion on its 5th year and still going strong.

#18

I guess battery longevity really depends more on how well you take care of them, rather than brand.

When I first started converting to battery, I was buying Tenergy Li-Ion packs through All Battery. They worked great for a few years, but then I started getting cell failures within the packs. I since learned that I was probably not treating them to well with my discharge/charge routines. I upgraded my charger and no longer run batteries down until they shut off. I also started buying better quality packs.

I’m currently using MTO packs that I buy through Don Sweet and have had great luck with them.

#19

Perhaps their life is also dependant on “how” they are charged. For example, I would imagine that a balanced charger could result in longer life because it equalizes the charge across the cells.

#20

Todd Brody said:

Perhaps their life is also dependant on “how” they are charged. For example, I would imagine that a balanced charger could result in longer life because it equalizes the charge across the cells.

Correct. However, unless you modify them to install a balancing pigtail, none of the commercially available Li-Ion packs that I have seen can be balance charged without modification. Li-Poly, on the other hand, usually includes the balancing leads. This was my successful attempt to balance charge a Tenergy pack…

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