Tiger 1 Accu replacement

[Marco Peter]

After 10 years of standing still the accu's in my recently acquired Tiger 1 cannot possibly have much juice left... They still power the tank but I honestly don't know for how long! Probably only to get her in and out of the car...


This are 2x 12v batteries, connected, but you disconnect them and charge them seperately. I should make a better picture. I read 20A or something on one?



Big Question: What to replace them with?

EastCoastArmory on Youtube uses batteries that are 289USD a piece? If I need two that's a lot of money also if shipping is added.
(I don't want to be a cheap-ass but after buying this tank as an unexpected purchase, well, you know, my funds are quite drained.)

Someone on the RCTankWarfare forum suggested buying very strong Li-Po's?
I would LOVE to have the option to switch to a 'next' battery if the first runs out!
Is this cool? I'd buy two haha!
https://hobbyking.com/nl_nl/multistar-h ... -pack.html

What do you guys say!?!

[Vince Cutajar]

Marco, like you, I am new here and am no expert. Infact I am still building my Tiger 1.

One thing I might suggest (unless you haven't already done it) is to pause a bit before starting to change things and go through the posts in the forum, especially the knowledge base. It might help you in avoiding costly or unneccesary expenses. I know it helped me.

Regarding batteries, have a look here:
http://www.armortek.co.uk/Forum3b/viewt ... =34&t=5790

Vince

[Phil Woollard]

Good advice Vince. Marco, if it's mechanically sound can I suggest that you run it as it is for a while, this will give you an idea of how it all works and handles, if you bump it or break something then no big deal, and you can have some fun in the mean time This will also bed the tracks in if it has been stood for sometime, you will find that the tracks will become very loose very quickly....listen to the motors/gearboxes also check they are smooth and quiet, regards Phil.

[Adrian Harris]

I would agree. Charge the batteries and run the tank around your garden and see how they perform. In your video it seemed to drive into the car OK so the batteries can't be that bad.

A pair of 12V 22Ah AGM batteries should cost less than £100 - not sure of the price in the Netherlands but should be equivalent.

I would never use Li-Po batteries to power the tank but you could look at using them to power the sound and smoke systems, thus removing their power drain from the main batteries and hence increasing the running time.

LiFePO4 batteries give a good running time with less voltage sag then AGM but as you have found out, they are very expensive. Maybe look into them once your wallet has recovered

Adrian.

[Marco Peter]

No garden present - I'm afraid it'll run only a couple of circles when I try it now...

Will read all the threads! Maybe getting 'regular' replacement-accu's is the best (and cheapest!) solution!

Is there a way to bring a 'backup' battery? To get it back to the car if it's empty? And how do I even now it's getting empty?

[Gerhard Michel]

Hi Marco,

please do NEVER use a LiPo battery! These types are rather dangerous because they may flame up without a comprehensible reason! If you will use a 'state of the art' battery then use a LiFePO4 battery. Also a lead silicone battery ('Greensaver') is a good choice. Capacity may be around 25 Ah.

[Adrian Harris]

Once you've been driving it for a while, you'll notice when it starts to behave sluggishly, which indicates the battery is getting low.

Ebay is awash with cheap 24V battery voltmeters:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Charge-Level ... 2464646202

Alternatively, if you buy a transmitter with built in telemetry, you can monitor the battery voltage directly from the handset.

Having a backup battery is a must, as the only way to recover a tank otherwise is to remove the tracks and move it on just the road wheels.

It looks like you have a 4mm HXT connector linking the current battery to the power box, so a second pair of batteries with the same connector would allow you to swap over easily. If you have a longer lead on the 'spare' battery pair, then it could sit on the engine deck and allow you to recover the tank without needing to dismantle it to get to the flat battery.

Adrian.

[Marco Peter]

I ordered two volt meters, thanks!

And I sourced 4 more batteries, for sale (used) almost next to my house haha! No idea how much life is left in them but for 8 euro a pice I don't dare to complain. Funny thing is when I got home they turned out to be the EXACT same batteries haha!

[Marco Peter]

Heavy stuff, that's 24kg in total!

[Marco Peter]

At an event last saturday I managed to drive 5km on 1 set of accu's! I was pleasantly surprised, and these were the original set I got with the tank! Rarely used but 10+ years old...

So I decided to buy a brand new set of these same accu's, a total of 75 Euro, and I expect these new batteries to last even longer, so together with the 2 sets of heavily used accu's I found (see above) I think I am set.

[Robert E Morey]

Marco,
Keep them charged as well. AGM type battery do not handle sitting idle for long periods (years). If not using the tanks, charge the batteries every other month or so. This will keep the cells from breaking down. Also keep them inside - if they freeze or get too cold for long times this is not good either.

Not sure if they have battery shops where you live, but here in the US they do. They will take the old cores (dying batteries) and give you a little off the price of new ones in exchange. They can recycle the metals inside.

I always keep a back up set of (AGM type) batteries, charge them and cycle them all through use. They should last many years.
Bob

[Marco Peter]

Thanks for the advice!