Noob With Battery Question

Cant get your radio to work? General Hardware issues?
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steveor
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Noob With Battery Question

Post by steveor »

I'm new to RC so I have a lot to learn about all of this. I just cracked open my new 9X and realized I have to pop in 8 AA batteries or go and buy another means of powering it. So until I research what batteries I will buy I will use my supply of a dozen rechargeable AA batteries lying around in the meantime. According to the manual it seems at one time a rechargeable battery pack was supplied and was chargeable via the connection on the side of the unit. Will my regular NimH AA batteries charge if I put them in the 9x pack and plug in my new Hobbypartz charger (http://www.hobbypartz.com/2-3cell-charg ... 00-s-.html)? I've searched this and other forums but have not seen a definitive answer.

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ShowMaster
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Re: Noob With Battery Question

Post by ShowMaster »

Any 8 cell tx Nicad or Nimh pack normaly used will work. That being said, so will 8 rechargeable AA batteries in the dry cell pack.
The 9x has a diode in series with the charge jack center pin and you want to wire your charging plug so + goes to this pin. This jack wiring is the same polarity as Futaba wall wart chargers and you can find them in junk boxes at most rc club swap meets for next to nothing. You can use any brand if you change the plug to fit and swap the jack wires if the polarity is JR.
The charge current of the wall wart divided into the batteries current capacity will give you charge time.
The series diode is 1 amp so keep the charge current under that!
About your charger?
It may charge but it's not rated or ment for your type batteries and could take a very long time to charge, or charge to much to fast?
Any recent lipo smart charger for your plane should be programable to charge spacific nicads or NiMh batteries.
The issue is charge limitation and cutoff when fully charged here?
Nicads want to charge to full and then be trickle charged the final 10% the chargers can't detect in fast mode to keep from damaging them.
Nimh want to be charged to what the charger thinks is full and then all charging should stop. No trickle charge to keep from damaging the cells with excessive charging that results in excess heat. Two type chemistries here.
Your charger doesn't say it's made for Your type batteries and may charge but also damage them?
So use your holder and 8 cells and any tx wall wart from the past as long as the plug and polarity matches, or do the same with a newer charger that does all types of batteries most of us electric fliers own, or use a 3 cell life battery, all drop in options. If you solder many make up a 2 cell lipo or trust fire pack. I think a 3 cell lipo pack is too much excess voltage to "burn off" in my opinion but it works.
In any case I'd get rid of the dry battery holder and go to soldered only cells or battery connections !
Sooner or later the the dry pack holder contacts will not make good contact from warping and cost you a plane.
We've all owned a flashlight or other battery device that we have to "pound" to get it working again! Without that gag horror movies wouldn't be as much fun either. It does give everyone at the field a good laugh when you see a flyer slapping/ pounding his TX case while flying. Look for it.
Hope some of this was if help. Get rid if the dry pack ASAP and have more fun longer.
SM
Last edited by ShowMaster on Sat Jun 09, 2012 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kilrah
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Re: Noob With Battery Question

Post by Kilrah »

steveor wrote:my new Hobbypartz charger (http://www.hobbypartz.com/2-3cell-charg ... 00-s-.html)?
This is not a charger, it's a power supply for a charger...

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