 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion Groups General ModelsRailroadsRocketsRadio Controlled Air ModelsHelicoptersLand ModelsWater ModelsModelGeeks.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Land Models / February 2004NiMH Batteris - Current Versus Voltage
Hi People, OK I'm displaying my ignorance here (all my other cars are nitros), but I need help. I have a 1/18 scale on road electric micro car. It runs on 4 x AA batteries in series. So far I've been using 1.5V Alkaline batteries, but of course the drain on the finances is getting ridiculous. My question is this: If I swap to 4 x AA NiMH rechargeables, the ampage increases to something like 2000 MAH, but of course they are 1.2 volts, so the total voltage drops to 4.8 (as against the original 6). What governs the performance of the car, voltage or ampage? If I swap to the NIMH, will the car go slower but longer, or what? So what's the deal (in words of one syllable or less) between voltage and ampage? Mike > Hi People, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Mike You go to a 5 cell when you switch. If you stick with 4 cells, it will be a bit slower....maybe. It depends because the nimh's can handle the current draw while the others can not. If you check the battery options for the Micro, they will be a 5 cell. Patrick > > Hi People, > > [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Patrick The new Rayovac "15 minute" AA NiMH cells will give a boost of speed about 30% over regular alkaline cells. Go to a 7.2 volt cell pack, sold by Orion, Dynamite, Trinity for the best speed and run time. > If I swap to 4 x AA NiMH rechargeables, the ampage increases to something > like 2000 MAH, but of course they are 1.2 volts, so the total voltage drops > to 4.8 (as against the original 6). What governs the performance of the car, > voltage or ampage? If I swap to the NIMH, will the car go slower but longer, > or what? Depends. Theoretically the higher voltage of the Alkies should make them faster, but they can't deliver enough current. Cases in point; both the Mini-T and xMods I've timed were faster with plain AA NiMH from walmart than with Energizer Alkalin AAs.  SignatureL.V.X., brother mouse http://www.mousetrap.net/otr/ Old Time Radio trades http://makeashorterlink.com/?K16312E06 CBS Radio Mystery Theater database http://greyhound.mousetrap.net/altus/ retired racing dog In theory, the higher the voltage, the faster it will go, but there are some physical constraints. When loaded heavily, the alkaline batteries cannot supply sufficient current, and the voltage will actually drop. What really is important is the ability to maintain the voltage as high as possible during heavy loads, which NiMH cells do quite well. Power is the product of voltage and current, so a drop in either, will result in a drop of power and hence a drop in speed. > Hi People, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Mike >In theory, the higher the voltage, the faster it will go, but there are some >physical constraints. When loaded heavily, the alkaline batteries cannot [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Power is the product of voltage and current, so a drop in either, will >result in a drop of power and hence a drop in speed. Another consideration, is how the cell discharges. IIRC, the alkaline type cell does not have a discharge curve, it just goes down, more or less in a line. Where the NiCd, NiMh the cell actually levels off for a period of time, and then discharges quickly. . . . . . . . . . . . ........ .......... . . . . Dan ---------------------------------------------- Now that food has replaced sex in my life, I can't even get into my own pants. Yup, completely agree, that is why carefully matched celss always give the best performance. They have the ability to keep the voltage as high as possible, for an as long as possible time, and then quickly discharge. > >In theory, the higher the voltage, the faster it will go, but there are some > >physical constraints. When loaded heavily, the alkaline batteries cannot [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > Now that food has replaced sex in my life, > I can't even get into my own pants. > Hi People, > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > So what's the deal (in words of one syllable or less) between voltage > and ampage? 2000 MAH is not the ampage, it is how long it can supply that many milli-amps for, ie how much energy is in the battery. 2000 mAH means it can supply 2000 milliAmps for 1 hour, or 8000 mA for 15 minutes, or 1 mA for 2000 hours etc etc. The voltage quoted is the voltage when there is no current being drawn from the battery. As soon as you start drawing current (ie using it) the voltage drops. As others have said, NiMH batteries tend to not drop as much as Alkaline batteries. Lastly, Alkalines are 1.5V and NiMHs are 1.2V, so you put 5 of them in series to get 6V. HTH Scott |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.