I think we've all learned something today, that post should go on the articles section of the website.
-Gregory On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 4:48 PM, Steve Tyng <[email protected]> wrote: > > Kamron wrote: > > > I was wondering if the battery from a kiddy car would have enough power > to > > support a tank? and if not are there any suggestions? > > The kiddy cars that I'm familiar with typically run a single 6v 12 Amp- > Hour (AH) deep cycle battery. Most active tanks are running between > 18 to 26AH capacity and 12 or 24 volts. So the answer to your > question is no. Typical setups in our tanks are two 18AH batteries > wired in parallel or series (giving you 12 or 24 volts respectively) > or a single 26AH (or larger) battery providing 12v. When it comes to > selecting a battery setup for your vehicle, we need to know what > motors you will be using and the amount of space on-board for the > batteries. > > > Some random thoughts on batteries. > > Amp-Hours doubles when batteries are wired in parallel, so if you wire > two of your 6v 12AH kiddy car batteries in parallel you will have a > 6volt 24AH battery pack. When batteries are wired in series this > doubles voltage but not AH, thus wiring two of the 6v 12AH batteries > in series gives you a 12V 12AH pack. > > The batteries we use are deep cycle batteries. These are different > from car and motorcycle starter batteries which are not appropriate > for running electric vehicles. Our batteries are typically marketed > for UPS and alarm system backup service. > > SLA is another term that we use for these types of batteries. It > stands for "Sealed Lead Acid". > > Spend the money and get a smart charger for your batteries. Do not > use a car charger if at all possible. > > > Some hard learned lessons on ordering batteries. > > If you have a local source for UPS batteries - great, if not, eBay is > probably your only source for batteries. > > When searching for batteries on eBay, use something like "18AH SLA", > or "UPS Battery". This will weed out the multitude of other types of > batteries that a simple "battery" search will return with. > > When ordering batteries, determine the date code from the vendor > before ordering them. You want batteries that are no more than a year > old. > > If the vendor acts like he doesn't know what a date codes is, wont > give you the codes, or gives you a song and dance about how "fresh" > they are, go to another vendor. > > Tell the vendor that you insist on matching date codes and model > numbers (if ordering more than one battery). > > Let the vendor know that you expect the date codes to match what he > told you and that you will ship them back as incorrect items if they > do not (and leave appropriate feedback). > > Determine if the warranty includes return-shipping. Most don't but > you may be able to find someone that does. > > Tell the vendor that you want the batteries shipped fully charged > (most ads state that they do this) and that you will check voltage > when you get them. State that you will consider any batteries that do > not match the rest in voltage (within .5 volts or so), you will > consider to have internal cell damage and will return as damaged. If > the vendor does not agree to these terms, find another vendor. > > Insist on a description of the shipping method and exact packaging > that the vendor is using. Many of the online vendors are now > advertising low-cost flat-rate shipping. They get away with this by > shoehorning the batteries into USPS flat-rate priority mail boxes. > Some vendors do it better than others. I've received batteries that > were well packaged with layers of cardboard that arrived undamaged and > I've had others packaged in shredded newspaper that arrived with > cracked cases. > > If you can, get the vendor to ship signature required. This will give > you the opportunity to check for damage before accepting the > shipment. If you have to go to the post office to get them, take a > voltage meter with you. The box or boxes will most likely have at > least some dented or crushed areas on them. This is your excuse to > open them up to "check for damage" before accepting the shipment. > Checking for damage means checking for cracked or dented cases, a > voltage check, and don't forget the date codes. Refuse the shipment > if you note any damage whatsoever. If you do this, this will save you > on return shipping of defective batteries. > > When buying multiples of two you can often get better per piece > pricing by looking for UPS replacement packs. As an example, larger > APC UPS's (American Power Conversion) battery packs are typically two > 18AH batteries that are taped or glued together and sold as a single > unit. > > If you can, pay by credit card and avoid PayPal. If you have to > return product, the vendor may be less than forthcoming on the > refund. You are almost 100% assured of getting your money back > through your credit card company. You are 100% assured OF NOT getting > your money back if you have to go through the PayPal grievance > procedure. > > Do not buy used, surplus, or "refurbished" batteries, these are more > than useless IMHO. These batteries are pulls from old UPS and alarm > systems. They will typically be very old and will not take a deep > charge. > > Some vendors sell magic de-sulfating chemicals or mystical "pulsating" > devices that they advertise can rejuvenate an old worn out SLA. This > is all BS and none of it has ever been proven to work so don't wast > your money on these schemes. > > > > Steve Tyng > > > > > > > -- > > Conar > > > > () > > __)(__ > > '-<>-' > > )( > > || > > || > > || > > || > > || > > || > > || > > || gnv > > \/ > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group. To post a message, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
