Hi Rod,
Rod Cameron wrote:Not directly related to the kits, and may be an old-school question, but are the batteries subject to battery memory loss if not discharged and recharged fully?
Old school? - a bit. Short answer - No.
You highlight the issues that plagued radio control ideas for decades; our regular batteries had issues. Ni-cd chemistry allowed degrading if the battery was left on charge after completion, and Ni-mh could be left on, but deteriorated if left fully discharged.
Ni-cd and to a lesser degree Ni-mh batteries exhibit voltage and worse - current - drop almost as soon as they begin to be used, most noticeably when powering electric motors under load.
This does not happen with the Li-Po batteries supplied with the starter kits, though a pedant might observe that the voltage available does drop a little.
They are nominally 3.7 volts, but they include in the pack a control circuit which allows them to be charged up to 4.2 volts. At that point, even if the charge voltage (nominally 5 volts from a USB supply), remains connected, then like your tablet or smartphone, the battery circuit will cease to try to charge the cell. That is even if/when you leave it on charge all night or longer.
A tablet or smartphone continues to function normally even when the charge is down to less than 10% because sufficient current is still available. If left to discharge to zero, the unit turns off and ceases to function but works again immediately it is plugged into the charger, though will drain again fairly quickly if removed before it has time to build up the charge. This is because that little control circuit protects the cell from complete and damaging discharge, limiting the voltage drop to approximately 3.2 volts. But the current is still available, controlled by that circuit, until the cutoff voltage, so the loco speed or haulage remains unaffected.
NB. This is
not the case with bare Li-Po cells, charge over the 4.2v or discharge below 2.7v destroys the cell, which is why the litlte circuit boards are included within the package.
I'm just dipping my toes into r/c for expediency. I am building a small French layout in H0 and it includes a back siding set into a roadway which runs off-scene to some agricultural or vinicultural facility. The layout is in Tim Horn modules, the siding is set amongst buildings and trees, and has OHLE on the main line in front of it. So I'm thinking how on earth am I going to clean the siding track? Answer
r/c the only loco that will use it, an 0-6-0 (or rather 030) diesel 'locotracteur'! I don't think I have the dexterity to convert it myself so Micron Radio Control are going to do it for me. Should be fun! (A colleague in DRAG has shown us one of the kits, very nifty.)
Thanks, and it's good news that Andy Rutter is going to install for you. We might get him into The Society yet!
Ted.