few ?'s about glow ignitors..

[beason]

diver I'm pretty sure they are nicd.. ill have to tripple check.. and i didnt get the manual so i guess ill have to get it from eddy.. if there nicd do i need to discharge?? i dont think i can change the battery.. its all one piece (no screw top)

 

[Diver6127]

NiCd .... you'll probably need to cycle them a few times to minimize the memory. SubC's are pretty cheap these days and all you need is 1 for an ignitor. You're better off getting a new subC battery. It's not expensive and will be a lot better if it's NiMh.

 

[cvec7]

I have that one but the metered version. good ignitors.

I got the metered version as well, and I agree, it's been real good.

 

[atye]

i have two and i charge mine (no kidding ) about every three month and that from three cars

 

[Tweak]

I was actually gonna ask about that. I am getting a metered one in the mail this week from Tower Hobbies. Does the meter measure the charge from the plug or the charge the battery is holding?

 

[1500valk]

Kind of both. Since it only reads under "load" when connected to the glowplug. It can also tell you if your glow plug is burned out. If the meter reads nothing at all, then, more than likely the plug is bad.

 

[beason]

i think the meter shows how much battery is left.

 

[Tweak]

So is there any alternative to a glow plug/ignitor setup? I veen pics of blue wires and such leading to the heatsink, And I assumed that that was some way to bypass having to hook up a glow plug ignitor for evey startup. Anyone know?

 

[Candyman]

The blue wire you typically see is on the Traxxas rigs. That's a remote glow ignitor that is wired into their electric start system. There are ways to make onboard systems, but that would mean you have to put another battery on board. You could hook a sub-C batt or 2 together. Run one terminal to the engine block. The other terminal would go through a 2-pole switch and then to the stem on the glow plug. Hit the switch one way and the plug would light. Turn it the other way and it would go out after you start the engine. But that would mean a bit more weight on the car for the batteries.

 

[1500valk]

I have thought about adding an "on board" ignitor for my Savage. The truck wouldn't notice the weight, and it has a little space. On the T-maxx the wires are for the ex-start thing. so the glow plug is run off of the same battery that turns over the engine to start it.
R/C airplanes, the ones with the covered engines, commonly have remote glow plug ignitors. My plan was to use the "head lock" glow plug socket from an R/C airplane hooked to a button near the back bumper of my truck. I would hold this button while using my roto-start and, voila!, instant firing. And to charge the on board battery, you would just remove the "head lock" socket, insert the glow ignitor charger, clip the button so it stays on, and charge away. On smaller vehicles, 1/10 scale or so, there might be a problem with the added weight of the battery.

 

[Tweak]

Still a really good idea. I'm gonna go hunt flea-bay for a premade one!

 

[beason]

well... i tryed discharging them with some bulbs i made.. the bulbs wouldnt even light up, so i wired them up to an electric motor i had laying around.. clamped it to my bench, rigged up a "flywheel" out of an old servo horn, and hooked some old shock springs on it to give it something to fling around for a "load" let it run till it wouldnt move and now I'm slow charging them.. we will see after a few cycles if it helps..

one question though.. after i run it dead can i dead short it to drain the rest without hurting the cell?? i know with a pack you dont want to run it dead cause you could reverce a cell but this is only one cell so i dont have to worry about that right?? if i do whats the lowest i should go on voltage??

 

[1500valk]

I wouldn't discharge all the way. Even a single cell can "reverse charge", and could change it's polarity (rare, but was more common in the "old days".)
Also, I don't recommend shorting it. if it can't spin the motor, or light a bulb, it should be pretty dead.

Tweak, how are your soldering skills? I can send you info and parts on what it would take to make a remote glow plug ignitor.

 

[1500valk]

Heck, I could probably build it for ya, Tweak. It would be best to use a AA NIMH battery, since they are usually 1800 mah's, and battery holders for them are readily available.
I am still tossing this idea around for my Savage. I got a bit of room in the reciever box, still!
This is the main part:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXBC24&P=7

 

[Pinblaster]

If your charger will charge one cell, you shouldn't have any problem charging your glow stick with it. Look at the out-put ratings on the glow stick charger and charge it at that rate. You can cut the wire on the wall charger long enough to put quick connects between the tip and the power supply and use the tip end to charge and discharge with your big charger or hook it back to the wall charger to use it. :hammer:

 

[tbbh-teacher]

I hate to beat a dead horse but here is some info i know for sure. My mom went to Alaska on a trip. It was soo cold that the batteries for her camera would only shoot about 3 are 4 shots till they were no longer any good. This supports the fact that alkaline batteries{ not making any statments about Nickle metal are nickle cadnium] die in cold.

 

[beason]

what I'm doing so ar is working i think.. they seem to have more punch when i first hook them up to the discharge motor and I've only cycled the once i may try the cold thing some time.. but ima stick to this for now and see if it works

 

[vgibbens]

alkaline batteries don't necessarily "die" in the cold. The cold slows down the chemical reaction that creates current, which is why people store batteries in the fridge or the freezer. If you hold the batteries in your hands to warm them back up, you would get a little more out of them 'til they cool off again.