Levanter Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Today I was running in a new Magnum XL 15A. It hand started ok but after a couple of short runs to let it cool down as per manual it would not re-start. The glow stick was fully charged to begin with but the reason for the non-starting was the battery went flat quickly. I did charge it for the recommended amount the night before. It is a Ni/Cd of 1700mAh. I have got two others that came in a job lot but without chargers. These are Ni/Mh and say 1.2v - 3700 but are only a fraction bigger for much more capacity it seems. Can I use the same charger I use for the Ni/Cds? The charger has 1.25 volts written on it. Otherwise I will have to find another solution as I have quite a number of engines to run in. Thought I could avoid electrics by keeping glow!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Best bet is to buy a Cyclon 2V SLA cell & avoid the glow sticks altogether.....they often go flat at the drop of a hat. But apart from that then yes you should be OK using the charger on NiCds & NiMHs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Like Steve I have a Cyclon battery.... Only bigger. I use a 4' cable to act as resistance to stop the plug blowing. The battery is in a box with a switch and it sits under my field table out of the way. Haven't charged it for months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masher Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I have tried about 3 different glow sticks and none of them are dependable. Sometimes they work sometimes not so I never use them. I use the glow panel on my flight box which always works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Depend on the type of charger are you using. If it's a trickle charger then you can use it without any problems. If it's a fast charger calibrated for NiCds then the peak detection feature may not work on NiMh's. Some do some don't. There is a 'softer' peak on NiMh's compared to NiCd's that some chargers will not detect. If you try it and keep an eye on the cell the charger should cut off soon after the cell gets warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braddock, VC Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Try www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__44383__HobbyKing_On_board_Glowdriver_v2_UK_Warehouse_.html Regrettably they are out of stock right now but keep a look out. I [power mine with 2 and 3 cell lipos and life batteries but they work with 4 and 5 cell nicads too, I don't have many nimh as I think they are rubbish. It should be possible to design a simple circuit to pull this stunt, if phil green reads this perhaps he could pick up the challenge. The only downside with the product is the rubbish glow connector, apart from that they are ace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly boy3 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 When I started ic flying i was told to buy A Cyclon 2v battery and 2v charger. I scratched the date on the bottom, Feb 1991. Still using it today, got a picture to prove it too somewhere. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will -0 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I';ve had the same two glowsticks for the last 12 years or so. They're still fine. As with any system used around glow engines, it pays to keep them clean or sometimes you get a bad contact. I'm quite happy not to have leads trailing round the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levanter Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 I have ordered the Cyclon 2v battery as the charging of the 2 NIMH batteries was unsuccessful. I take your point about lead Wiil-o but the sticks have let me down too often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Off subject perhaps, but am I correct in believing Cyclon cells don't care if operated upright or on their side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrman Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Cyclon can be used any way that takes your fancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Berriman Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I use a standard 4000 mAH ( Large ) NiMH Cell without any problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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