Well my batteries arrived today and soldered up 2 18.5 volt packs. Out of the first 5 packages (shipped 2 cells to a package) I opened up, on one I could not get any voltage. It went on the charger and it is OK. The voltages raged from 3.9 to 4.2 on the rest. Sometime this week I'll check some run times with some of the K's. On my Accucraft K-28 I can get about 2 to 2 1/2 hours run on the Ni-MH 4200 mAH that are still in it. I will make a pack for it and see if these battery will last any longer.

Rodney

   Well I bit the bullet and ordered 10 each of the 2 and 3 cell, and 5 of the 4 cell holders. 
This will make it faster to make the packs and easier to change out a cell if one should
go bad.
I will most likely still have to make some custom packs for the 2 truck shays, climaxes and a heilser that
I have.

Rodney

   Bill

  It's good to here that the battery is OK

Rodney

  I'll try to help
For the most part the "Big Hauler" line is 22.5 scale with a rubber ruler and for the most part  the "Spectrum" line is 20.3 scale and true to scale.

Rodney

  SB
They look to be about the same charges, just a little difference in the cases and the
Terergy is cheaper.

  Bill
I enclose my tenders for better sound and mount the Airwire board right under the coal load so I can change channels if need be. It also gives more insulation from the batteries and motor wires noise for better radio range.
Also most times when just making laps, I don't use the onboard batteries and use the axillary batteries only. But when I'm operating I use only the onboard batteries.
Next time get get over to StL, I like to come by and see you if that is OK.


Rodney

   Bill
If you have a good 5 amp 12 volt power source go ahead and get the TB6B
It looks like the TB6s would be OK also as it has a power supply and is a little different
but will do the same as either one of the others.

Yes I know that it is nice to have both chargers for Li-Ion batteries. I wire all my locomotives
with a switch so I can also run them with a trail car with a battery.  All the Ni-Mh batteries that
I replace with Li-Ion I use in the trail cars and never have to charge the onboard batteries till
I'm done for the day.  At my open house last summer, I ran one of the K-27's for about 10 hours
nonstop other than to replace the trail car battery.

For Ni-cad (tool batteries) and Ni-Mh batteries I have a Black and Decker charger that I modified with leads
and a plug to charge them.

Rodney

  Bill
I use 2 different ones for the Li-Ion batteries
I have a Electifly Triton 2 that is about 10 years old and will charge Li-Ion up to 18.5 volts
The other is one I bought last spring from All Battery. Its a Tenergy TB6AC and will charge
about anything that we use with out trains.

http://www.all-battery.com/Tenergytb6ac-charger-01322.aspx

I have never used it as a balancing charger yet and might try it on one of the new packs that I'll build with the new batteries

Rodney

Quote from: Young one on April 23, 2012, 01:52:19 PM
Bill,
Thanks for all the info!  I have a few questions.
   What size wire do you use to build the packs?
   What amperage do you charge them at?
   Do you run four cells alone, or multiple packs of four cells wired in parallel?

Thanks again very very informative!


Rick

  Rick
I use either 18 or 20 gauge wire on mine and make sure you add a FUSE in the battery side.
I charge my Li-Ion batteries at about 1.6 to 1.8 amps. this seems to work good
The batteries are wired in series to get the proper voltage. With 4 cells in series you get
14.8 volts. I use 5 cells for 18.5 volts for all my Bachmann locos and 6 cells for 22.2 volts
in my Accucraft and Berlyn locos.
The battery amps are what the battery are rated at and these batteries are rated at 5.3 amp hours.
Hope this helps

Rodney

Thanks Bill
I would guess that you are charging them as a pack as that is what I want to do.
I ordered 48 cells to try them cause that is a heck of a good price
Rodney

  Hey Bill
Great write up on your experience with the batteries.
Can you give the link to the 5300 ma batteries as I can not find them

Thanks
Rodney

  Thanks Bill

Rodney

  Bill
I would wait to see if Bachamnn makes them in metal (I would guess they will be brass)
I ordered 5 sets of gears from Bachmann several years ago. I still have 3 worm wheel compound, 2 idler compound and 3 idler spur gears left. I making new gearboxes for all my connies and will have 4 to 6 extra stock gearboxes that I'll be getting rid of.

  I'm stretching connie frames to make C-21's and C-25 out of them
I've added .680" between the 2nd and 3rd drivers.

This is comparing the stock rod to ones I've made.



Here is the splice







  Rodney

  Jon

   The first one that I bought right when the were first released has ran on the club layout at the mall for 6 to 8 months (about 40 hours a week) pulling 12 to 15 AMS cars and not a bit of trouble with it. But out of the 9 I gotten since then. 2 came with cracked axle gears and with a little run time on them 2 has one of the idlers broke and one, has the gear compound gear brake. 

   This is great news for all those with broken gears.

  Kevin as I read that article, I read that they are just replacing all the gears and not the gearbox. It is a good design for a gearbox but I don't like the small motor.

Bill
I have 2 connie gearboxes right here with bad idler gears and 1 with a bad gear on the compound, so it will be great to have all metal replacement gears.

  Richard,
I have some somewhere and I'll try to find them for you. Send me your mailing address and when I find them, I mail them to you. My e-mail address is   rodsup9000@aol.com

Barry
Thanks for the plug on the gearbox.

Rodney