Thoughts from the workbench of Radical RC. The online retailer of electronics and kits for radio control aircraft. Dave Thacker shares his thoughts and knowledge of electronics, batteries, kit design and overall enjoyment of the hobby.
All Radical RC Workbench posts
What is the value of money based on? Listen with care. This is a highlight of a series of 100 podcasts which I’ve been working my way through.
It begins: “There’s a famous moment in the play of “Peter Pan”, when he asks the audience to save Tinkerbell by joining him in believing in fairies……”
A History of the World in 100 Objects: 072 Ming Bank Note Podcast.
Series Title and link to home page with RSS feed; The History of the World in 100 Objects
Hello Mr Dave Thacker,
I’ll try to keep it short. Your website is the best I have ever visited. !! Every time I visit it’s like going to an RC school I always dreamed about for free. All the basic important info. Also it seems everything possibly needed in RC aircraft is here expertly laid out also to mention the excellent customer service, no need anymore to look for other sites as complete and informative as yours. I catch myself absorbing info for hours which seems like minutes. For me, its easy to see this site is built, maintained and operated with pride, thinking of the customer first. Prices I feel are also outstanding (extremely reasonable). Again, thanks for the best RC aircraft website on the net. I will soon visit again with another purchase. I have some WWII pictures from my late Pops photo album, Fighter pilot-P-47, test pilot, over 2500 hrs combat, 43000 total, Africa and all of Europe. Many pics. Never published. I’ll send a few in a later E-mail. Of course that’s how most of us ( I ) got started. Thanks again.
L. Stolte, New Jersy
August 2012
I love history and electronics. Where do the terms ‘Discharge’ and ‘Charge’ come from? Enjoy this little treasure….
Fantastic video shared with us from the The Wright Experience”.
Described by YouTube’s “N104f” as follows:
On special occasions The Wright Experience starts this engine … the engine (Wright Bros No. 20) was built under the direct supervision of Mr. Charles E. Taylor. Mr. Taylor also built the 1903 engine which powered the world’s first heavier-than-air flight on December 17, 1903 to the Wright’s specifications. This 1910 engine was started on June 17, 2000 for the first time after being in storage for more than 80 years. At that time No. 20 was the only Wright artifact “doing work” and is considered a “National Treasure” by those associated with it.
Present at this start … October 30, 2007 … were ArthurF, SalG, AntonioQ, BobB and JimD. GregC, master “engine mechanician” was in charge of the operation. Ray, a long time, The Wright Experience, associate, can be seen looking on in the background. Those of us familiar with this engine and its importance to our aviation heritage are drawn to its sound like moths to a lamp. Note: Those present at a start up are asked to sign the engine’s log. This engine powered aeroplanes as they accomplished many of aviation’s firsts. It powered the flight when New York City was first filmed from the air and many other such activities too numerous to mention here. The large galvanized tank adjacent to the engine is there to provide water for engine cooling … the aircraft radiator is not used for demonstrations. Suspended above the engine is a small gas tank used for demonstrations. The “fan” or “club” replaces the propeller and is reproduced here exactly like the one used by Mr. Taylor and the Brothers.
For further information go to a www.wrightexperience.com”.
Home website of “The Naked Scientists” with many excellent science and engineering podcasts.
Home of the Wright Experience where you can hear and see 85 year old Charlie Taylor.
I need to know how to dispose of LiPo battery that has swollen due to an overcurrent.
There are two issues.
1. We want to discharge the battery in such a way as there is minimal risk of fire during the discharge and later when the battery is in the recycle or trash bin.
2. We want to dispose of the depleted pack in a recycling container.
The first thing to do is remove all potential from the battery. We do this with an 1157 light bulb (Brake/Marker type bulb). It’s handy to use because it gives an indication of ongoing discharge by emmitting light and doesn’t tie up one of my ever working chargers. We have our bulb wired with alligator clips and a switch to choose between one or both filaments. I don’t remember what the draw is per filament, but we considered that a small cell would be more safely discharged at a lower rate than a larger cell. When discharging a large cell, we set the switch so both filaments burn. We use an ammo box as an oxygen poor fire safe to do this, since we are indoors and we’re working with a suspect pack in the first place.
This is allowed to burn until the bulb is out, then allowed to set connected to the bulb until the following day. This way we are 100% certain the pack is completely exhausted.
Next we solder together the leads on the pack. Just in case any recovery or bounce back of capacity in the pack were possible, it is constantly discharged through the short. There should now be no chance of any kind of arc or spark starting a fire in the recycling container. Being that the pack is completely empty, there should not be any energy present of any kind.
Federal law (49 CFR 173.185) states lithium type batteries must be individually packaged in non-conductive material and transported to a “permitted” recycler. In our shop, we use Call2Recycle (also known as RBRC 1-877-723-1297). They provide free recycling materials and processing. A bag is provided for each pack, we wrap the back in the pack, seal it, drop it in the box. When the box is full, we contact UPS for a free pickup and delivery to the recycling station. Any local battery seller should have this capability on site. We accept lipos for recycling at Radical RC.
Help finding a Call2Recycle RBRC Recycling Location near you.
There may be other safe and accepted ways of doing this, the above is how we handle it at Radical RC.
These two stupid perps pick the wrong cafe. 71 year old Samuel Williams, resident of the free state of Florida and permit holding gun owner takes care of business. I’m thinking those .380 rounds probably stung a little bit. There is an assumed risk when you go around robbing people. Not everyone is a good sheeple that just lays back and takes it. Lays back waiting for others to provide their defense. Once in a while, you find a Samuel Williams. Watch as these cowardly perps make tracks for less prickly pastures. Maybe this little shot of reality will have a targeted impact on their future decisions. Don’t mess with armed citizens if you want to avoid being down range.
I am without doubt, reservation or apology: 100% for your right of self defense. Never let anybody get away with questioning your full citizenship and full right to self defense. Anybody that wants you to be weak and defenseless probably has some very good selfish reasons. Don’t bend to that nonsense no matter what kind of language or “greater good” wacko-ism nonsense they try to spew at you. Be strong, proud of your citizenship, freedoms and rights of self defense!
Listen carefully, he’s talking about flights that predated what the Wrights considered the first sucessful flights. On the Dec 14th they damaged the aircraft and didn’t consider those flights a success. If you are lucky enough to know an old man, be sure to take time to listen to them. There is wisdom in that age you won’t soon aquire otherwise.