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Guanli Thunderbird glider battery

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Ade C

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Hi guys. I have an ancient Guanli Thunderbird glider I'd like to get going again but the battery has long since become defunct. Any ideas on a replacement as I've got no idea what the connectors are?
IMG_20240831_203920937.webp
 
Ade C said:
Hi guys. I have an ancient Guanli Thunderbird glider I'd like to get going again but the battery has long since become defunct. Any ideas on a replacement as I've got no idea what the connectors are?
View attachment 200682
Click to expand...
That looks like a Tamiya plug profile.
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0J3178.1200.webp
 
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switch that old connector to a more recent type. what those thing could handle 20 amps before they melted together .sure your not going to pull more than whatever your servos need ,but a xt 60 is smaller and lighter so High she goes. then maybe a smaller lighter lipo?
a small little 2 cell fully charged will give you the 8.4 no higher
 
The battery's weight is going to be important to the CG, so it may be easiest to go with as close a replacement if you can. Something like this has the same cell size and configuration, you could even grab an adapter for a couple bucks instead of of having to rewire it. Just make sure the polarity isn't reversed, if it is, you can carefully remove the pins from the JR connector by lifting the plastic tabs that retain them, and reinsert them the other way.
 
tudordewolf said:
The battery's weight is going to be important to the CG, so it may be easiest to go with as close a replacement if you can. Something like this has the same cell size and configuration, you could even grab an adapter for a couple bucks instead of of having to rewire it. Just make sure the polarity isn't reversed, if it is, you can carefully remove the pins from the JR connector by lifting the plastic tabs that retain them, and reinsert them the other way.
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Good advice right there ☝️
 
tntpoof said:
a small little 2 cell fully charged will give you the 8.4 no higher
Click to expand...
That's interesting. I have some 2 cell Li-ions from other models which are a similar size and weight but figured the lower voltage wouldn't power the motor adequately. Would they work?
tudordewolf said:
it may be easiest to go with as close a replacement if you can.
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Yes, that's exactly the same pack. I think that's my 2nd option if the Li-ion isn't suitable. Would cutting the wires and joining the plug with a block connector be a bad idea?
 
Ade C said:
That's interesting. I have some 2 cell Li-ions from other models which are a similar size and weight but figured the lower voltage wouldn't power the motor adequately. Would they work?

Yes, that's exactly the same pack. I think that's my 2nd option if the Li-ion isn't suitable. Would cutting the wires and joining the plug with a block connector be a bad idea?
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What do you mean by block connector? Pic?

It's not hard to solder on a new connector. XT30's would be good for that battery, and they're easy to solder.
 
Ade C said:
That's interesting. I have some 2 cell Li-ions from other models which are a similar size and weight but figured the lower voltage wouldn't power the motor adequately. Would they work?

Yes, that's exactly the same pack. I think that's my 2nd option if the Li-ion isn't suitable. Would cutting the wires and joining the plug with a block connector be a bad idea?
Click to expand...
It wouldn't hurt to try, since the max voltage of the Lipo wouldn't ever be higher than the Nimh pack.

Nimh has more voltage sag under load, even high drain cells will drop to 1V per cell under heavy load, and for a 500mah cell just a few amps for a glider motor would do that. Lipo doesn't sag as much, so I think a 2S Lipo would probably deliver a similar voltage under load as a 7-cell Nimh. In surface vehicles, it's generally seen that a 2 cell lipo outperforms even 7-cell Nimh packs of the same mah rating. Since you're trying to match the battery weight, you'll probably want a battery that weighs ~90g.
 
Ade C said:
These. I haven't soldered since school (a LONG time ago!)
View attachment 200773

What about Li-ion? I don't do Li-po due to the finicky charging requirements and metal boxes etc
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Li-Ion would be fine for that application. LiPo can output more constant current than Li-Ion so they are used more than Li-Ion, but in a glider it should be any issue to use it.
 
Just ordered a Deans to Tamiya mini adapter from China for £3. Hopefully the electrics still work after being stored in the garage for about 20 years!
Appreciate the help 👍🏼
 
It's a simple matter to solder on new connectors. It's a recurring thing with RC that you will have to solder something, so you'd benefit greatly from learning how to solder.
 
WickedFog said:
It's a simple matter to solder on new connectors. It's a recurring thing with RC that you will have to solder something, so you'd benefit greatly from learning how to solder.
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I know, but £3 for an adapter is cheaper than buying all the stuff to solder and the connectors. Don't even know if the glider still works yet (I'm very doubtful)
 
Just dug it out of the garage. Apart from being very dusty with a broken tail fin it's not too bad. Fortunately there was a tube of glue in the box so all cleaned up and fixed.
IMG_20240918_180624591.webp

Though I'd try the original battery and very surprised that there was some power. Servos work ok but they buzz like crazy. Is this normal or just a result of sitting unused for years?
Unfortunately the motor doesn't run, although it feels like it's trying to. Could just be a duff battery not supplying enough power but anything I can check?
IMG_20240918_180744472.webp
IMG_20240918_180831696.webp
IMG_20240918_180722601.webp


Success! Took the prop off and span the motor shaft by hand and it kicked into life. Battery pack is clearly duff though as it was quite slow. Looks like it may be worth spending some money on after all
 
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Scrub that spending money bit...I cut the deans plug off the adapter and used a terminal block. I can't see the little 380 motor pulling more than 10 amps and the original wires are pretty thin so should be fine.
Motor works perfectly on a 2s 1500mah Li-ion and should get a decent run time compared to the old 650mAh ni-mh.
Let's hope I don't crash it on the first flight like last time 🤞🏼
 
Ade C said:
Scrub that spending money bit...I cut the deans plug off the adapter and used a terminal block. I can't see the little 380 motor pulling more than 10 amps and the original wires are pretty thin so should be fine.
Motor works perfectly on a 2s 1500mah Li-ion and should get a decent run time compared to the old 650mAh ni-mh.
Let's hope I don't crash it on the first flight like last time 🤞🏼
Click to expand...
Good luck man. Glad you got it sorted!
 
Still quite windy today but slightly less than yesterday. With even worse weather predicted for the weekend I just had to go out.
Launched into the wind and it rose nicely on half power. All going good until turning cross wind and it became a little hairy. Managed to get it down and try for another go. After a nosedive on the the second attempt, the third resulted in coming down wing first and...
IMG_20240920_125455858.webp
CRACK!

Glue is drying as I speak and next flight will be on a windless day. This thing will NOT beat me!
 

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