Subject:
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Re: 9V Discontinued? - Rechargeable Batteries
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Mon, 3 Apr 2006 18:19:26 GMT
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Viewed:
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4531 times
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In lugnet.trains, Mark Bellis wrote:
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It seems there are a few types of rechargeable batteries to consider:
NiCds are made obsolete by the European RoHS directive (banning Cadmium), and
they also suffer from memory effect.
NiMH are becoming more common in standard sizes but apparently suffer from
memory effect, and if they don’t last long in my camera, how good are they at
driving motors for hours?
Li-ion I know less about. If these have no memory effect then they might
work.
Lead-acid are well known but large and heavy. Using 12V to control 9V gives
some headroom for the on-board electronics but is less convenient than smaller
voltage increments of other types. Gel types would be best, given the
tendency for some LEGO trains to leave the rails or to need turning over for
repair.
Does anyone know what type of batteries are used by the trains in Legoland
parks? My idea is to make a similar system whereby the trains would do a few
circuits and stop over some contacts to charge up the batteries. The contacts
would not be connected to the track in any way, so no modifcation to motors
would be required (to electrically separate the wheels from the motor, as is
done with DCC). It’s just a case of which batteries to use and the fact that
a smaller battery would be small and light enough to fit in a train but would
only do a limited number of circuits. This limit fits with the sort of
operation on other model railways at shows anyway - often one circuit per
train and swap to the next one.
We’re getting more into robot territory here. Some robots return to their
base station to charge up their batteries.
Control would be RC, so that a fiddle yard under the scenery is still
possible. Some layouts might require a (reed switch?) train detection system,
since there would be no block section control.
If this system is a go-er, it might just save the train shows.
Mark
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The trains at LLCA apear to use gel cell/lead acid batteries.
I’m considering a similar system, and have already tested something like it. I
built a 4 wide train for a recent display. I used 4.5v track but had it spaced 2
studs apart enstead of 4 studs apart. The idea was to make a kids train for a
fair. 
I used a modified racers moter, replacing the super cap with a AA NiMH in a 9v
battery box.I had to replace the AA cell every 3 hours or so. But the eventual
plan is to use a larger super cap, and some 12v center rails. The super caps
only need a second or two to reach a near full charge. So one or 2 of the center
rails and some homemade pick up wipers should keep the train running as long as
I have power. There’s no reason why I couldn’t put a RC circuit in between the
“battery” and the motor.
Mat
Mat
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: 9V Discontinued? - Rechargeable Batteries
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| (...) (SNIP) (...) It seems there are a few types of rechargeable batteries to consider: NiCds are made obsolete by the European RoHS directive (banning Cadmium), and they also suffer from memory effect. NiMH are becoming more common in standard (...) (19 years ago, 2-Apr-06, to lugnet.trains)
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