Skeeters contracting services

[skeeter]

Charging help. PLEASE, & thanks. I'd like to find a charge port that I can easily mount, (Drill the hole into the plastic, insert charge port, secure with a jam nut) to the Bruder D5 conversion. I would like one that bolts/screws to it permanently. I've searched Ebay for charge plu, & charge port, but DON'T find what I seek. Any ideas?

[frizzen]

I already run Deans on all my stuff and i like simple, so i'll probably do something like these 'deans panel mount' (once the bobcat conversion eventually starts...)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1733664

https://1080aerial.com/products/dean...luminium-mount

But i'm also lazy and prone to lose special adaptors for things. Normal batts have deans, charger has deans, pass-through gets deans. Same is good.

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by frizzen

I already run Deans on all my stuff and i like simple, so i'll probably do something like these 'deans panel mount' (once the bobcat conversion eventually starts...)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1733664

https://1080aerial.com/products/dean...luminium-mount

But i'm also lazy and prone to lose special adaptors for things. Normal batts have deans, charger has deans, pass-through gets deans. Same is good.

I like the way you think, sir! Thanks for the link to 3D files. I'm printing a trial part now. I REALLY liked https://1080aerial.com/products/dean...luminium-mount but, they're SOLD OUT! I would have never thought to 3D print something like that! I'm anxious for the 3D part to come off the printer, so I can try it out

I was looking at these, BUT.......I thought they look like I woul dhave problems with the wiring in the power supply breaking off.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4PCS-Male-Fe...YAAOSwhQhYxiSZ

[skeeter]

Frizen, TYVM for all your help on my various projects! I took your advise, & have ordered these 2/3A batteries. I ordered them over the suggested link, as they already have the bars build into them!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12pcs-a-set-...72.m2749.l2649

I've got this switch on order for the charge/run/off switch. HOPEFULLY, it is the right kind/type, & will work for what I intend to use it for.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1PCS-Mini-To...72.m2749.l2649

[frizzen]

Glad to help. My suggestions are usually just the first site to come up to show what i mean, not an 'order here'.

2/3 AA should work too, they're smaller (DoubleA size girth, put your thumb over the duracell Coppertop) so you should be able to stick them more places, and the 600 mAh probably won't hold you back too much on a Dozer. Hard to argue wit $0.50/cell.
- - I just like 2/3A since i find it to be a pretty great balance of runtime and size, usually you can get 1500-1600 mAh which can run my 1/10 comp crawler for 15 min, 1/14 van or dumptruck for 30+ min.

Not sure about the switch, it's only showing vac ratings, so no idea about vdc ratings. That would take time tracking down a datasheet if available or trying to figure a safe amount to be derated. All i can safely say is Maybe. Bench test it hard and see if its getting warm or any suggestion of arcing.

[skeeter]

I don't think run time should be a factor too much with this model. the batteries ONLY have to run 3 micro servo's & the 2X5 Sabertooth.

[skeeter]

Today I placed a Team Associated NMH battery into the Bruder D5 conversion, just for giggles. I wanted to see what it would/could do. After I ran about 3 passes of 2 feet long, I had a decent pile. I then turned the dozer around to push that pile so I could push a FULL blad of gravel. The battery died just after I got the camera set up & filming, so this is just a teaser vid.
20171008_1554111 by Anthony Kalnoski, on Flickr

[skeeter]

Yesterday I took the Bruder D5 out for a trial. In the initial test run, I found an issue. The blade controll linkage was moving. The nut I installed on the back side of it was NOT tight any longer. SO...............I mixed up dome epoxy, & tightened the nut. To keep it from happening again, I filled in the cavity with the epoxy.
unnamed (17) by Anthony Kalnoski, on Flickr

I also made a little progress with the front loader. I'll have to take pics of that. I WISH there was a way to speed up that SLOW boat from China. I REALLY want my parts, so I can complete this build!

[frizzen]

Nice to see it's pushing gravel already.
I really like nylock nuts or blue locktite for most things once you finalize a design.

Wait until you find your trucks driving along at a meet and suddenly the back end jumps wildly, and the back starts trying to pass the front, and it locks up... or you have one at a comp being judged through the gates decide it needs to rip an axle loose and bounce its way down the rock face... . Nylock all the things!

[skeeter]

Frizzen, THANKS for the tip. I never thought about it before. I know it's premature, to be working it, but I couldn't help it. I just had to see if it was going to work as I hoped it would. The micro servo's are REALLY slooooooooooooooooooow. I wish I had used FULL sized servo's in it. Perhaps then it would be a little faster.

A quick question, (pardon my sloppy sketck, it's the best I could do. I'm not artistic) In the sketch I've drawn below, is this the proper way to wire a run/off/charge switch into a model? Where EVERYTHING converges, I forgot to draw the battery, at the bottom of the sketch. The bullseye looking thing at the left, is suppose to be the charge plug.
unnamed (18) by Anthony Kalnoski, on Flickr

[skeeter]

I think I found better(BETTER as in MORE bang, 3.7 V per cell, as opposed to the 1.2V per cell I have already ordered) batteries. I found this holder, & batteries on flebay. I've never used the LiOn battery before. Are they good batteries?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=1609013003006

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastic-Batt...72.m2749.l2649

I worry, with LI, like the LIpo, LIpo needs balance boards per cell. DO LIon batteries need a balance board, or can they charge like standard rechargeable AA batteries?

[frizzen]

Smallhaul ha several dozer or bobcat builds that replaced the standard hs645 with the digital version of it since they have a faster transit time, maybe look into those specs for the size you run? Check the channel endpoints, you might not be giving the motor control full range/speed. You might also have a dual rate setting turned on in the tx.

No, that drawing will let smoke out.

All the grounds can just be tied together. Put esc + on a side, put battery + on center, put charge + on a side.

I'm not sure if you're using a 2 or 3 pos switch. You want center off if you have it. One throw connect charge to battery, other throw connect esc to battery.

Li-on isn't used much in rc. Its safer than lipo. You don't generally have much of a C rating, the chargers are kinda weird, and a lot of them have a circuit that bricks the battery after x time or cycles. Hopefully someone knows more about them than me.

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by frizzen

Smallhaul ha several dozer or bobcat builds that replaced the standard hs645 with the digital version of it since they have a faster transit time, maybe look into those specs for the size you run? Check the channel endpoints, you might not be giving the motor control full range/speed. You might also have a dual rate setting turned on in the tx.

No, that drawing will let smoke out.

All the grounds can just be tied together. Put esc + on a side, put battery + on center, put charge + on a side.

I'm not sure if you're using a 2 or 3 pos switch. You want center off if you have it. One throw connect charge to battery, other throw connect esc to battery.

Li-on isn't used much in rc. Its safer than lipo. You don't generally have much of a C rating, the chargers are kinda weird, and a lot of them have a circuit that bricks the battery after x time or cycles. Hopefully someone knows more about them than me.

As ALWAYS, Thank-You, sir, for your help.

No "C" rating is a no go for me. I DON'T want to hang around forever waiting for it to charge.

[SteinHDan]

I've used Li-ion batteries in some robotics projects and a couple of RC-builds:
- Bruder MAN truck: http://www.scale4x4rc.org/forums/showthread.php?t=80393
- Bruder Delta loader: https://www.rcsparks.com/forum/threa...dded-pc.36063/
and I think they work very well for smaller sized RC projects (and Tesla uses them in their cars, so evidently good for larger models as well).


I typically now just buy single 18650 industry standard cells (like Tesla) from a well-known brand like Panasonic:
- NCR18650A 3.7V 3100mAh http://www.ebay.com/itm/292133363075
You have to look up the datasheet to get the C-rating. For this one, the NCR18650A's datasheet:
- https://na.industrial.panasonic.com/.../ncr18650a.pdf

says the maxium charge current is 1475mA. Charging at 1000mA is thus very safe, you could probably also go with 1500mA. With the 3100mAh capacity, you are looking at 4 hours charging time with 1A charger. But for a small RC model, the 3100mAh will also last you a whole day, so the charge time VS run time is a good ratio.

The 18650-type cells is the same type that Tesla use in their Model S and X cars:
- http://fortune.com/2016/07/27/tesla-...y-gigafactory/


I combine the cells in a battery holder with a battery protection circuit to avoid over discharge, over voltage, short circuit and other things that could hurt the cells:
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/381100264951
You can get these holders in any configuration, 1S, 2S (7.4v), 3S (11.1v), 4S, etc and parallels, e.g. 1P, 2P, etc.

and finally I use a charger like this one:
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/191941924713
it's just a standard CC/CV charger, like your typical RC-charger for LiPos.


You can of course also use your normal RC charger.
On top of that you can also charge the cells individually in parallel using a charger like this (but I've never done that):
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/272685459838


You can also get the battery packs pre-build with protection boards, and even in very large size batteries. I use batteries like these in my robots:
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/291652625112



Best regards,
Stein :-)

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by SteinHDan

I've used Li-ion batteries in some robotics projects and a couple of RC-builds:
- Bruder MAN truck: http://www.scale4x4rc.org/forums/showthread.php?t=80393
- Bruder Delta loader: https://www.rcsparks.com/forum/threa...dded-pc.36063/
and I think they work very well for smaller sized RC projects (and Tesla uses them in their cars, so evidently good for larger models as well).


I typically now just buy single 18650 industry standard cells (like Tesla) from a well-known brand like Panasonic:
- NCR18650A 3.7V 3100mAh http://www.ebay.com/itm/292133363075
You have to look up the datasheet to get the C-rating. For this one, the NCR18650A's datasheet:
- https://na.industrial.panasonic.com/.../ncr18650a.pdf

says the maxium charge current is 1475mA. Charging at 1000mA is thus very safe, you could probably also go with 1500mA. With the 3100mAh capacity, you are looking at 4 hours charging time with 1A charger. But for a small RC model, the 3100mAh will also last you a whole day, so the charge time VS run time is a good ratio.

The 18650-type cells is the same type that Tesla use in their Model S and X cars:
- http://fortune.com/2016/07/27/tesla-...y-gigafactory/


I combine the cells in a battery holder with a battery protection circuit to avoid over discharge, over voltage, short circuit and other things that could hurt the cells:
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/381100264951
You can get these holders in any configuration, 1S, 2S (7.4v), 3S (11.1v), 4S, etc and parallels, e.g. 1P, 2P, etc.

and finally I use a charger like this one:
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/191941924713
it's just a standard CC/CV charger, like your typical RC-charger for LiPos.


You can of course also use your normal RC charger.
On top of that you can also charge the cells individually in parallel using a charger like this (but I've never done that):
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/272685459838


You can also get the battery packs pre-build with protection boards, and even in very large size batteries. I use batteries like these in my robots:
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/291652625112



Best regards,
Stein :-)

Stein, Thank-You, sir for the information. I ordered the holder you suggested. I'll make an adapter for my charger to plug it into. It'll fit right in with all the other adapters I have in the charge adapter box. 4 hours charge time for several hours of playtime isn't that bad. I CAN deal with that. To go with it, I ALSO orderd these 6000MAH Li-Ion batteries to go into it.

[skeeter]

I got some goodies in the mail when I arrived home today! The charge/run/off switch arrived. I drilled out it's new home in the D5, & installed it!
unnamed (19) by Anthony Kalnoski, on Flickr

[skeeter]

WELL.....................poop!
My RANT about EBay sellers follows!

I JUST now saw that the Ebay seller of the charge plugs for the D5 sent a message last night. I read it, & was disappointed! The shipment WAS due to reach me in 3-5 days from now. They tell me they HAVEN'T yet shipped it. Something about problems with their distributor(s), or some horsesh!t like that. They tell me it'll be 10-15 days before they have inventory to ship me. Asks if I'd like to wait on them. WTF? REALLY? You contact me a few days prior to the delivery date to tell me you DON'T have the product you sold me. You then have the gumption to ask IF I'd like to wait on you! I requested a cancellation of order with a refund, & it was granted. The ONLY reason I ordered them from the original seller, was they were shipping from California, rather then China. China takes a LOT longer to arrive to me, then does mail from Ca., & I was willing to pay the difference for the speed that they'd be here to me.

Now I've re-ordered the plugs from a different seller. Unfortunately, they ARE comming from China this time around. That said, Once the Batteries, & battery holder arrive me, I'll be delayed a bit till I can get the D5 finished.

[skeeter]

It's getting colder outside. Winter's ALMOST here. Yesterday morning I had to scrape ice form the windshield before I left the house. Knowing that epoxy doesn't like the cooler temps of winter, I decided to get the other set of wheels done for the front loader. I thought about it for a while, & decided that the ones that have 1/2 # of lead added to them should go on the front. I also decided that since the rear of the machine SHOULD be heavier then the front, to add as much lead to the rear tires as I could. I got about 3/4 of a pound of lead crammed into each of them. I then epoxied over it as I did the others.
unnamed (20) by Anthony Kalnoski, on Flickr

[G1050]

Originally Posted by skeeter

I was looking at these, BUT.......I thought they look like I woul dhave problems with the wiring in the power supply breaking off.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4PCS-Male-Fe...YAAOSwhQhYxiSZ

Sounds like you're probably already settled on a route for the charge port on your dozer, but I use those DC jacks/connectors that you linked to from ebay on my builds and I really like them. They're compact and easy to wire. With cheaper ones, you do have to be a little careful when soldering on the wires or they'll melt, but not a big deal.

They're easy enough to install somewhere so they blend in. On the dozer, I put it in the air cleaner (I believe it's the air cleaner, anyway).
You can see it (kind of) in this pic:



Love your thread and builds, by the way. Makes me want to get a 3D printer.

[SteinHDan]

Nice hidden charger port, G1050! I always wonder where to hide those things! :-)


Stein :-)