I just posted a 5th YouTube video featuring LocoFi in a Dead Rail/battery powered operation.
The New Video is Titled:
Making and Using a Portable Dead Rail Demonstration HO Layout - Part 5
The video is a tutorial that describes how to determine how long to safely discharge a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, so that it is not ruined, when a low voltage cutoff circuit is NOT used. The process is described, and the two previously converted to Dead Rail operation locomotives are compared and used to provide examples.
My Webpage titled “A Journey Into HO Scale Model Railroading in the
21st Century” is where I’ve posted a lot more information on my foam board constructed, portable, Dead Rail demonstration layout. It also has information on the conversion of two Walthers' EMD GP15-1s for Dead Rail operation using LocoFi and lots of other useful information and concepts.
It was fun to put the two Dead Rail Converted LocoFi™ controlled locomotives on the layout and do some prototypical operations. The low speed capability of the LocoFi™ decoder is amazing.
Ken Myers
>...I use mostly LiFePO4 26650 and 18650 sizes.....I use them as they are very safe, don’t care what state you leave them in and last for over a decade worth of recharges the way I use them....
Very good information.
>For HO model railroading it is unfortunate that the smallest physical size is the 18650.
Ah! I see.
>The Specs are here: https://lithiumwerks.com/products/lithium-ion-26650-cells/
This looks like a very cool cell. This can easily fit inside an O scale or larger scales. Heck, 18650 may even fit many HO (possibly with milling)
>...using 3 10440 cells is that it is averaging 0.56A for the 30 minute prototypical...
Sounds about right.
>the 10440 Efest IMR10440 V1 350mAh High Discharge Flat Top with a “Max. Continuous Discharging Current: 3A”
Cool.
Thank you for sharing this extremely useful information. It is highly appreciated.
Best regards,
Peeyush Garg
Large LiPos cells like 4Ah, 5Ah and 6Ah can handle an average 35 amps pretty easily, as that is only about 10C or even less. Maximum current when flying is only for very brief periods, except for electric ducted fans, which resemble and perform like full-scale jet fighter aircraft. They pull a lot of amps, so their flights are comparatively short compared to prop driven planes and their amp draw is continuously high.
For flying, I use mostly LiFePO4 26650 and 18650 sizes. They were formerly known as A123 Systems cells. I believe they are now branded as LithiumWerks.
https://lithiumwerks.com/
I use them as they are very safe, don’t care what state you leave them in and last for over a decade worth of recharges the way I use them. Unfortunately, they are only 3.2V nominal with a charge termination of 3.65V, so I have to carry a bit more in number of cells than a comparable LiPo in my planes.
For HO model railroading it is unfortunate that the smallest physical size is the 18650.
The Specs are here: https://lithiumwerks.com/products/lithium-ion-26650-cells/
I have a local supplier of these cells in here Livonia, MI.
My guesstimate for the Conrail with the battery car/gondola conversion using 3 10440 cells is that it is averaging 0.56A for the 30 minute prototypical run time on the layout, which is about 1.6C. The cells are the 10440 Efest IMR10440 V1 350mAh High Discharge Flat Top with a “Max. Continuous Discharging Current: 3A”, so they aren’t being used too “hard” at all.
https://www.illumn.com/batteries-chargers-and-powerpax-carriers/batteries/10440-efest-imr10440-v1-350mah-high-discharge-flat-top.html
Hope you find this informative.
Ken