Stainz battery conversion

[andyspencer]

I did hear somewhere that its not a good idea to charge batteries in those battery holders. Much safer to use the tagged batteries and solder them together your self. Poss something to do with the charge rate of the charger?

 

[yb281]

has anyone noticed a problem with batteries heating up on charging with this set-up ?
I use the Cliff Barker supplied charger iaw instructions
melt damage to 2 double AA holders
now have one 8 AA holder [Maplins]and two 2 AA holders, so fewer joins and less spaghetti in the tender
still get a bit warm on charging but nowhere near the "what's that smell?" level

No, never had that problem. Maybe charging them a bit too quickly?

 

[owlpool]

I did hear somewhere that its not a good idea to charge batteries in those battery holders. Much safer to use the tagged batteries and solder them together your self. Poss something to do with the charge rate of the charger?

thanks for the advice, if it keeps happening I'll try that

 

[owlpool]

has anyone noticed a problem with batteries heating up on charging with this set-up ?
I use the Cliff Barker supplied charger iaw instructions
melt damage to 2 double AA holders
now have one 8 AA holder [Maplins]and two 2 AA holders, so fewer joins and less spaghetti in the tender
still get a bit warm on charging but nowhere near the "what's that smell?" level

No, never had that problem. Maybe charging them a bit too quickly?

The charger that came with it doesn't appear to have any adjustable settings, just goes through its own cycle
I'll ask Cliff

 

[Bram]

Mmmm, I would say you had a short there. Recheck your wiring and make sure all wires are insulated properly and that includes the exposed ends of the battery holders. You were lucky not to lose the tender. Also did you fit a fuse?

 

[owlpool]

Mmmm, I would say you had a short there. Recheck your wiring and make sure all wires are insulated properly and that includes the exposed ends of the battery holders. You were lucky not to lose the tender. Also did you fit a fuse?

thanks Bram

I've been through all the wiring, checked for shorts, resoldered as necessary, heatshrink on all connections
good suggestion about the ends of the holders - some insulating tape at the w/e I think
no fuse, apart from the inbuilt one in the receiver/controller unit - will ponder on that
Cliff thinks it is a ventilation issue, as the battery bodies get generally warm

 

[stockers]

The aircraft boys (who pull far higher currents than we do) never use spring connectors - always the soldered blocks of batteries. Its a well know problem - usually with the discharge cycle rather than the charging. The springs are too unreliable and the contact area between battery and spring contact can be very small. Many of the battery suppliers will make up a unique pack shape to exactly fit your requirements, even if its in two or three separate 'blocks'.

 

[owlpool]

went through it with a circuit continuity tester screwdriver with LED thing
one intermittent cutout in a wire now sorted [fracture in the wire]
tidied up with one 8 AA holder and two 2 AA holders
charging with tender body apart
seems to be fine, batteries just get warm

 

[yb281]

If you do decide to go for a made-up battery pack in the future Paul, these guys will custom build them to fit your requirements;

http://www.strikalite.co.uk/

 

[owlpool]

If you do decide to go for a made-up battery pack in the future Paul, these guys will custom build them to fit your requirements;

http://www.strikalite.co.uk/

cheers Mel
looks like a good site

 

[CoggesRailway]

I have two kits in the post... I have one already in a 2095. I build nimh packs by soldering batteries with tabs, probably the charging issue was down to the holders. just slow up your charge rate. Don't worry about poking your tip out, it will still work with it tucked in and don't worry about the heat either, not seen any even with two motors and long trains. In fact the whole idea of PWM which cliffs kit is based on means less heat build up the traditional speed control.

 

[owlpool]

I have two kits in the post... I have one already in a 2095. I build nimh packs by soldering batteries with tabs, probably the charging issue was down to the holders. just slow up your charge rate. Don't worry about poking your tip out, it will still work with it tucked in and don't worry about the heat either, not seen any even with two motors and long trains. In fact the whole idea of PWM which cliffs kit is based on means less heat build up the traditional speed control.

Thanks Ian
seems to be working ok with the battery holders out of the tender for charging
getting a lot of use with grandson home for the Summer
Its even survived a dunking in the canal !
dried out overnight on the back of the Aga and works ok still
I think the tagged batteries are a good idea and will invest in some when they need replacing

 

[owlpool]

oops - had a blow-out during charging - smoke, and everything
I assume too much heat build-up at the battery spring contacts
charged outside the tender and under supervision so ok
battery melt, and spring pop-out from the plastic

 

[owlpool]

So I made my own battery block from 12 NiMH tagged batteries soldered together in series with a 100w iron
batteries from -

http://www.strikalite.co.uk/

thanks for the steer, Mel

charges with no heat
room for the air to circulate
runs a treat