A newer battery technology.

[Pete Barth]

Here at work I have contact with a Dolby engineer that is a R/C car fanatic.
He is using a new-er type of battery called LiPo, or Lithium Polymer.
It seems to have a (power) gain of 2 over metal hydride batteries.
And those have 60 % over Nicad from what I have heard.

I have been lugging a bare gel cell or cells around for awhile now for the
K2 and the KX1.
These LiPo's are 3.7 volts per cell under full load. Four gives 14.8 volts
under load.
They also seem to operate parallel well too.
I think they are made in China.

I know they can explode when charged improperly. A two stage charger seems
common with them.
They have very low internal resistance, as they use multiple leads
internally.

This seems like what we might want to go towards.

Comments please from all.

And oh yeah, with the Anderson Power Poles becoming common in hamming,
R/C'ers seem to use a "better" gold plated connector called a "Deans Ultra
Plug".
The fanatic R/C'ers say Andersons have too much resistance.

I have used the Elco / Edac pin and plug for 25 years. They have eight
common surfaces and are good for eleven amps. Gold plated too and self
wiping.
Anderson only has two common surfaces.

This post is also designed to take the focus away from ship dates.
In my work in recording studios, TV broadcast, and feature film work
I have always dreaded getting the first of ANYTHING. Quad tape machines to
Hi Def servers.

Our people in Aptos are always going to take ALL extra effort to get even
the first ones out the door to be the same as the last ones out the door.
The 75A4 and the KWM-1 were perfect in the first shipment. I had them at
college.

I never felt I had a part in Heath company, but I feel I have a part of
Elecraft.
--------------------------------------------

I love my Orion 1. I bought it because I would never need another because it
could be updated with a download. Then they came out with the Orion 2.

--
Pete / พีท  W6LAW

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[Mark Bayern]

>"The fanatic R/C'ers say Andersons have too much resistance.

Yeah but, what currents are they running?  W2CVZ's RC car has a motor
controller that claims to handle 350A pulses. At that kind of current
the resistive losses get real high, real fast. (Those high currents
are another reason they like the LiPo technology. High current, low
weight makes electric RC airplanes and helicopters feasible.)

If we use the APPs at or below their rating, they should be fine.  In
my use over the last 3+ years, the APPs have been perfect, no
problems, no failures.

Then there are the design differences, APPs are hermaphroditic, and
insulated, the Deans are neither.

Mark  AD5SS
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[k6dgw]

Pete Barth wrote:
> Here at work I have contact with a Dolby engineer that is a R/C car fanatic.
> He is using a new-er type of battery called LiPo, or Lithium Polymer.
* * * *
>
> I know they can explode when charged improperly. A two stage charger seems
> common with them.

They can and might.  They can also burst into flames when just being
used.  Mine did.  If you are going to use them, I'd:

1.  Do it outside

2.  Don't do it where you could start a range or forest fire

3.  Have a way to get rid of it quickly [i.e. some way to grab and fling it]

4.  If it does catch fire, the fire will be hot.  It will be hotter if
you put water on it.

5.  For Pete's sake, *don't build it into your radio!*

There are some other Li-based technologies out now that might be safer.
  I don't think I'll get another Li-Poly.  It was kind of pricey too.

YMMV

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2007 CQP Oct 6-7
- www.cqp.org
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