Using a "new" 20yr. old battery? - RC-Monster Forums

mamba max1 · 04:20 PM

Hey guys,

I'm in the middle of a restoration project and I'm going all out with it. I'm even using "new" vintage era specific electronics. Well, I finally came across a new 1200 NiCd battery from the very late 80's to the very early 90's. So, since it has never been used, how do I go about "waking it up". Also, since I've always been in the era of lipo (NiMh very briefly) I have no idea how to care for NiCd. I do have a DUO3 charger, so I'm good there. :) What charge rate for NiCd, and is there a "store voltage" for them?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Thanks!

josh9mille · 08.09.2011, 04:21 PM

I highly doubt that battery will hold any kind of usefull charge. Might make a good paperweight at best.

mamba max1 · 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh9mille

I highly doubt that battery will hold any kind of usefull charge. Might make a good paperweight at best.

Sort of figured. lol But it will still go great with my project non-the less. I'll still give it a shot anyways.

I'm only planning on driving the car once or twice. So I'll probably only put a few cycles at best on the battery. But I would like to try and see if it could still be useful years down the road.

But it's only a dream lol. :)

lincpimp · 08.09.2011, 05:27 PM

.3 amp charge untill the charger says it is full. Go very easy on it when you run it. After a few low amp charges you can step up the amp rate. Pretty sure the duo has a cycling feature, you can try that. I never fooled with nicds, just nimhs, and I would never go back....

Sounds like a cool project, what kind of car?

mamba max1 · 05:48 PM

Thanks!

I decided on Traxxas' first major competitive rc car (and one of their earliest models), the TRX1 introduced in 1991 (the year I was born).

It's going to be a real thrill using 20+ year old technology. lol

josh9mille · 08.09.2011, 09:21 PM

would be cool to see a pic of that old car! actually lots of pics please :)

mamba max1 · 08.09.2011, 11:12 PM

Don't worry, I was planning on posting pics of the build.

FG101C · 08.09.2011, 11:15 PM

Lol, I feel old. 1991 is the year I stepped away from rc until a few years ago. Been thinking about getting another Hornet since they brought them back since that was my first real rc. Sounds fun, man nicd's were such a pain in the arse. A high end pack, if you were running mod was a 7 cell 1700mah, that was big bucks though.

Shonen · 08.10.2011, 11:15 PM

nice to see a vintage build. I had a similar experience when one of my friends dug up his old RC's (RC10T3 and an MRC Hammerhead complete with MSC's) and there was a 1400mAh nicad in the box.

as Lincpimp said, cycle it several times on low C, then if it holds capacity you can increase charge rate.

mamba max1 · 12:14 AM

Yeah, I can't wait until the parts start coming in! I also just picked up a super rare Composite Craft double decker chassis (NOS of course).

For this build, the chassis and the body will be the hardest to find...and I just so-happened to stumble upon that gem.