Guvnor

Posted by PatMc on 11/05/2018 19:11:47: Posted by Guvnor on 11/05/2018 18:44:27: Posted by SIMON CRAGG on 11/05/2018 17:59:28: "Utter Lunacy". I don't think so. Try helping out a newbie club mate who made a sprog mistake and is not flush with readies. It was an experiment that worked. I am well aware of the risks associated when handling Lipos, and employed my own rigorous risk assessment prior to starting the "kick it" process. Ok, the pack would probably not hack it in the latest 4D "must have" model, but for its intended use has proved to be fine. Horses for courses. Your choice. The cells may appear to be working but if you understand anything about the chemistry of Lithium cells, you will know that the strucure of the cells IS damaged. From Zeus batteries website: Over Discharge Conditions Typical rechargeable lithium cells can safely operate down to 2.75V/cell. However, when an unprotected lithium cell is discharged past the minimum voltage level you run the risk of damaging the cell and ultimately lead to degraded cycle-life, unstable voltage characteristics and swelling of cells from internal chemical reaction. Sooner or later, that battery might do something unpleasant. I wouldn't like to be around when it does... I just can't understand why anyone would risk a LiPo fire for the sake of a £13.75 battery... Edited By Guvnor on 11/05/2018 18:45:56 So where's the warning of any previously over-discharged battery likely to burst into flames, other than your opinion ? It isn't "my opinion"... The Zeus battery website as noted above for a start. This is from the mpowerUK site: Under-voltage / Over-discharge Rechargeable Lithium cells suffer from under-voltage as well as over-voltage. Allowing the cell voltage to fall below about 2 Volts by over-discharging or storage for extended periods results in progressive breakdown of the electrode materials. First the anode copper current collector is dissolved into the electrolyte. This increases the self discharge rate of the cell however, as the voltage is increased again above 2 volts, the copper ions which are dispersed throughout the electrolyte are precipitated as metallic copper wherever they happen to be, not necessarily back on the current collector foil. This is a dangerous situation which can ultimately cause a short circuit between the electrodes. There was a big feature on LiPo safety in a recent RCM&E. I don't understand why people can't see that an overdischarged LiPo, no matter how fine it seems to be, is a ticking time-bomb... Edited By Guvnor on 11/05/2018 19:43:47

Posted by SIMON CRAGG on 11/05/2018 17:59:28: "Utter Lunacy". I don't think so. Try helping out a newbie club mate who made a sprog mistake and is not flush with readies. It was an experiment that worked. I am well aware of the risks associated when handling Lipos, and employed my own rigorous risk assessment prior to starting the "kick it" process. Ok, the pack would probably not hack it in the latest 4D "must have" model, but for its intended use has proved to be fine. Horses for courses. Your choice. The cells may appear to be working but if you understand anything about the chemistry of Lithium cells, you will know that the strucure of the cells IS damaged. From Zeus batteries website: Over Discharge Conditions Typical rechargeable lithium cells can safely operate down to 2.75V/cell. However, when an unprotected lithium cell is discharged past the minimum voltage level you run the risk of damaging the cell and ultimately lead to degraded cycle-life, unstable voltage characteristics and swelling of cells from internal chemical reaction. Sooner or later, that battery might do something unpleasant. I wouldn't like to be around when it does... I just can't understand why anyone would risk a LiPo fire for the sake of a £13.75 battery... Edited By Guvnor on 11/05/2018 18:45:56

When all the advice from battery manufacturers is to dispose of over-discharged LiPos and occasionally seeing on here the results of conflagrations caused by seemingly 'fine' LiPos bursting in to flames, am I the only one here who thinks this 'kick it with a NiMH charge' is utter lunacy. I wouldn't have it in my house, nor use it in a model... Is saving a few quid really worth the risk?

No further action. **LINK**

Jon - Thank you for the PM, I hadn't realised it was there, and strangely I didn't get an email announcing it. Many thanks for taking the time to talk. I'm sorry this has come back up, I simply replied to Engine Doctors earlier post. Thanks again, case closed...

Posted by Ron Gray on 22/03/2018 09:27:59: @Guvnor - as per Jon's post above, why not give him a call rather than post on this thread as this is now off topic? When I'm back in the country I will. I was simply replying to Engine Doctor's post.

Posted by Engine Doctor on 22/03/2018 08:44:10: Hi Jon . If people get upset because of your move ignore them and let them spit their dummy out of their pram . Do what you have to do and move on . Not being able to get the latest Laser instantly isn't a life or deathsituation as some seem to think it is. Good things come to those that wait ! Good luck with move and hope it goes smoothly. Nobody is 'getting upset', 'spitting dummies' or treating it as a 'life or death' situation. I simply politely asked when the notice had been placed on the website. I asked for a rough guide to timescales, I can wait for a laser, but it would help my planning to have a an idea when they might be available. Why is that so unreasonable?? There will always be customers who are happy to wait an undetermined time to buy a Laser, and there will be those who won't. Laser is a commercial business, and like JR, it can 'ignore' it's potential customers at it's peril...

I'm quite aware that Laser are on here answering questions. I'm also quite happy to wait, provided there's at least a vague indication of how long... A week? A month?? A year??? there's a limit to what we should be asking. Really??! Sorry, but it's not unreasonable to ask a commercial business how long they are going to be out of action... JR have just done the same thing. Lack of communication about timescales of changes in trading have killed them...

If you buy another different engine, it simply will not be the same. Be under no illusion, you will be settling for second best. If you really want a Laser, then hang fire until a Laser is availble. I've bought five of them since 1993....... I know, I already own two... I'd like it to be three... I posted the notices on the 8th. I am unable to give any further information as I simply do not know. I wish I did, but I don't and believe me I'm not at all happy about it. Now I'm confused. You are being forced to move?? I don't understand why you don't know roughly what the timescales are... Oh well...

Well there's no date on the notice. Has it been there a week? A month? A year?? Some indication of timescales involved might prevent me, and others, buying other engines rather than waiting for what may be a relatively short time!

So I was after a 300V. But this is on the webpage. Undated, and no indication of how long the delays will be... IMPORTANT NOTICE. Laser Engines are currently in the process of moving and upgrading our manufacturing facilities. This is causing disruption to our normal work flow and has required a temporary scaling back of our product line. All of our V twin engines and certain singles are currently out of production and are not available for sale. Engines that are in production (70,80,100 and 155) may be out of stock for extended periods while we move but will be replaced as quickly as possible. This is only a temporary measure and once our new factory is up and running we will return these engines to production at the earliest opportunity. Please keep checking the website for updates as available engines will be listed as soon as they are ready. We apologise for any inconvenience caused

Re: The 3D print Pegasus. Very nice model, but I can't see how you could possibly get equal thrust between the front and back nozzles bu simply blowing in from the front... And what about bleeding air off for roll/pitch/yaw control? My limited knowledge of Reynolds numbers would suggest that this one won't scale down easily. Would love to see this on a thrust rig with some efficiency numbers...

A friend called the new Puffin last week - said they are closing down soon? Anyone know anything??

Posted by MattyB on 09/10/2017 13:34:17: Posted by Erfolg on 07/10/2017 21:08:07: ...I personally sense that HH are about to throw it all away. Not intentionally, but as a consequence of a number of factors. In my opinion they need to get to grips with why their service department has an apparently heavy work load. With respect to the PZ type models, the need to both contain production costs, which are reflected in retail price and also a balance of older products and additions to the range, which both maximises their present assets and new product. From here it is all dead easy, at the sharp end, it is much more difficult, due to many factors which i am thankfully unaware. I to will be sorry to see the fading away of HH, as much as a mourn the disappearance of names such as Sanwa, Enya, Keil Kraft, unfortunately the list can go on for a long time. Even exceptional products such as Graupner produced, is no guarantee. It is a balance of quality and price. It's impossible to know from the outside, but HH's "strategy" in the last 12-18 months is so bizarre it's almost impossible to explain. Market leader one month, almost unavailable in model shops across the UK and Europe the next, with hefty price rises and their reputation for excellent CS dragged through the mud. The only thing I can think of that could explain it are deep rooted financial issues that have caused them to abandon markets that weren't making much if any money, even if they did have a position of market leadership. Perhaps we will know more in another 1-2 years... Edited By MattyB on 09/10/2017 13:35:49 Spot on. I think it highly unlikely they will ever be back. From what I understand, the only period they made money was the early days of the micro indoor helis. After that boom subsided it was all down hill.

Posted by Erfolg on 07/10/2017 11:21:14: It does seem that the hard won reputation, seems tarnished. Now the maintenance and repair service seems to have also deteriorated. All of which is not only a pity, but potentially puts in jeopardy what could be very good products. HH be them German, or from The USA need to remove the basis for threads like this. Edited By Erfolg on 07/10/2017 11:21:59 But they won't for a very simple reason. HH NEVER made any money in the UK and parts of Europe. Hence the retreat. They really don't care what we think, and never will. Shame, as a lot of their models are good...

Posted by john stones 1 on 15/09/2017 19:03:05: The joys of modelling eh ? You've no idea how much Dannys spent or supported Traplet over the years, mind your own business. I rest my case. How sad...

Posted by Danny Fenton on 15/09/2017 18:41:51: It is not to save a few quid, it is a matter of principle! What principle? You have no idea how hard a lot of people worked to try and avoid what happened. And you have no idea how hard people are working to get the kits, plans and parts back up and available. Whover cuts the 'alternative' kit should be ashamed. One day it might be you in trouble...

Funny old world isn't it. Everyone was up in arms when Traplet went bump, with cries of "model industry in crisis" Having struggled out of their problems, you're now going behind their back to save a few quid, just at the point where Sarik could really do with the business. There's no hope...

Just be thankful the plans and kits will be returning one way or another. It really doesnt matter who posts them...

Posted by Andrew Ray on 30/07/2017 10:49:34: There must be a wealth of these currently unobtainable plans in the possession of forumites. With current technology it is easy enough to get a plan copied and downloaded for electronic transmission. How about a plans wanted topic? If a design is wanted and someone is prepared to copy it would it be feasible to connect the two parties? Or is copyright going to be an issue? They may be unobtainable at the moment, but someone, even if it's an official receiver, owns the copyright. Copy and distribute at your peril...

Posted by Brian Cooper on 22/07/2017 10:07:31: This will probably seem a tad controversial, but I really don't care: Personally, I regard drones as the biggest threat to the continued existence of our cherished hobby. . Therefore I would like to see Drone operators (I won't call them pilots) coming under a similar scrutiny as people who apply for a firearms licence. Anyone wanting one would have to undergo a background check and give convincing reasons for wanting one before being granted a licence to purchase one..... and the licence should be expensive. Then, and only then, could someone buy one. . . After that -- and before any flights can be done -- the Drone operator would have to apply for a Provisional Flying Licence, and would have six months in which to pass practical tests with regards to their piloting ability and an awareness of the law. All of these flights should be fully documented and have a police-approved witness to confirm them. . Also, a drone should be kept in a locked cabinet and its Tx in a separate locked cabinet (just like firearms). Any test failure would mean the licence being removed for ten years. Anyone caught flying one without a licence should face a minimum of 10 years in jail. B.C. Really???! And what about the hundred thousand drones already out there? What about the drones home built? What about the drones bought from overseas? I'm glad you aren't in charge of this...

Posted by Colin Leighfield on 21/07/2017 09:58:55: I couldn't find anything referring to them being in receivership, is the closure of the shop a cost-cutting exercise? If they were under administration I'd have thought there would be some indication somewhere. It takes a while for announcments to appear in companies house

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 21/07/2017 01:10:35: The sudden appearance of RCMW many years ago in an already overcrowded market signalled the end of Radio Modeller which was my favourite magazine. So perhaps it's poetic justice. What a truly awful thing to say. Several people have lost their jobs, and you think it's 'justice'...? Perhaps Radio Modeller folded because it was simply a poor magazine...

Posted by Martin Gay on 20/07/2017 12:05:26: I've just bought the August edition of RC Model World. There is a small piece on page eight that says the MyHobbyStore website is now being directed to Trapletshop.com This could be why the Traplet website is closed. Martin. Edited By Martin Gay on 20/07/2017 12:08:57 The website is closed cos they've gone bust...

I spoke to them last week.