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Possible weight reduction on an SE????

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2004 7:38 pm
by Son_Gokou
I was thinking about something Micro_Amps said, that there was a voltage regulator in the stock chassis. Quoting him, "It doesn't matter if you put a 12 volt battery in there, it will be regulated down to the same voltage" or what not. I was thinking, that if it regulated it down, then it might also regulate it up.

I was thinking, you could take the dual battery in there and seperate the 2 seperate cells, and leave one in there to operate on, using soldered wires or strips or something of the sort to connect it to the tabs. Maybe you could also do the same thing with a single Layman's cell. IF I'm right, the voltage would be "regulated" to the correct standard, with a fraction of the weight to increase acceleration.

Correct me if I'm wrong on this, if it didn't work, you could also use 2 Layman's cells to replace the one cell.

Just a suggestion....

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2004 7:52 pm
by sessiz
I don't think the voltage regulator will regulate "up". From my understanding it's more of a defense against frying the electronics. Putting in laymans cells will reduce the runtime and the weight, unfortunatly the weight reduction you get from this isn't going to be worth the reduction of runtime in my opinion.

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2004 9:41 am
by Finks
laymans cells
Should have asked this a long time ago, but what exactly are "laymans cells"?

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2004 10:56 am
by DarkTari
Finks wrote:
laymans cells
Should have asked this a long time ago, but what exactly are "laymans cells"?
2-3 Button cells (1.2/3v ea) put together to make 1- 3.6 cell. Great for usable power, bad for run times.

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2004 1:32 pm
by Son_Gokou
sessiz wrote:I don't think the voltage regulator will regulate "up". From my understanding it's more of a defense against frying the electronics. Putting in laymans cells will reduce the runtime and the weight, unfortunatly the weight reduction you get from this isn't going to be worth the reduction of runtime in my opinion.
Well, there's always peak charging.... as for the voltage regulating, you could just stick one regular button cell in there and see how it will go.

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2004 5:16 pm
by sessiz
Son_Gokou wrote:
sessiz wrote:I don't think the voltage regulator will regulate "up". From my understanding it's more of a defense against frying the electronics. Putting in laymans cells will reduce the runtime and the weight, unfortunatly the weight reduction you get from this isn't going to be worth the reduction of runtime in my opinion.
Well, there's always peak charging.... as for the voltage regulating, you could just stick one regular button cell in there and see how it will go.
So try it yourself and let us know then.

Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2004 9:48 pm
by Cheesehead
Lithium Polymer.
420 mah at 3.7 volts (4.2 peak).
5 grams of weight.
Huge runtimes.
Amazing accel.
Need I say more?
:D
Need I say more?

Actually, I probbably should.
Lithium ion does the same thing, except that they are usually WAAY too large. I, however, am going to shell out the bucks for a set of 2 210's (maybe I'll get four) for my ZZSE. Each weighs about 2.8 grams, and is 210 mah @ 3.7 volts. 2 in paralell should boost runtimes, and with my trusty Apache it should run great.
Does anyone think that they might be interested in one of these packs bundled with a set of JST plugs so you can quickly replace and remove the batts on your car? The cost might be proibitive (estimated 20.00+ each, depending on price fluctuations) but for sheer chutzpah, you can't beat Lithium.
You see, the way Nickel cells are composed, the bigger the cell, the better the efficiency. Large 3300 NiMh packs can do amazing things, but partially due to the heavy metal external shell, small NiMH cells are at a disadvantage. Lithium polymers, however, work BEST in the really small stuff. I use them in my planes, and I once saw one guy fly his homemade Cessna (it was made out of insulation and carbon fiber!) for TWO HOURS on one lithium battery charge! Which is'nt bad, considering that they charge in half that time!
There are disadvantages, however. Lithiums do not like heat, cold, or pressure. If you get a rupture, or overcharge them (you would need a special charger) you would get a great big fireball. More than one r/c pilot has lost his car after he put a crashed airplane, which turned out to have a ruptured cell, in his trunk. Thankfully, he was off in a field flying his plane when the gas tank melted through, and his insurance assumed that it was a car short circut (there was'nt much left to examine!)

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 7:17 pm
by merc-blue
hey cheesehaed were are you getting them lipo cells from casue ive seen them in all the micro helis and planes and they kick ass ive been tryin 2 track 1 or 2 down for my micros

Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 7:53 pm
by hogjowlz
with lipo dont forget 40$ for a charger.