portable controls w/o using tether

[Pat McCarthy]

Can you use one of the blue rechargeable RC backup batteries? Do they have enough voltage to run the OI? They're about 7 volts or so.

[Doug G]

Originally Posted by Pat McCarthy

Can you use one of the blue rechargeable RC backup batteries? Do they have enough voltage to run the OI? They're about 7 volts or so.

I asked IFI that a couple of years ago about using a 7.2 NiCd rechargeable and they said it's a bit under powered and to go get a 9.6 rechargeable from RadioShack, the kind for RC hobbies. Then just splice a barrel connector in parallel to the connector on the rechargeable battery and *poof* your ready to go and you can still easily recharge it.

[scitobor 617]

Originally Posted by Pat McCarthy

Can you use one of the blue rechargeable RC backup batteries? Do they have enough voltage to run the OI? They're about 7 volts or so.

Yea, this year i powered my team's controller with the little blue batteries. Surprisingly enough the OI will operate. Our batteries were always overcharged by the charger. But as the batteries die you will notice strange OI behavior, luckily when the batteries start to die the radio is the first thing to stop working.

[CyberWolf_22]

My team and I built a portable OI powersuppy using a recharble 9.6V nicad battery from radioshack. we built an adaptor cable to take the battery end and convert it to what the OI uses so if we find we need more batteries for longer demenstations we don't have to modify them we can just go to radio shack and buy them.

[eeeeweeezeee]

I built an OI power system into our custom operator interface with 3 9v batteries and a jack for wall power. there is even a swich to change modes. our captain, who asisted, will probably post a picture of it later. my project for next year's oi is to make a rechargeable system that autuomaticly transfers. to do this, i need to find a 9.6 volt charger that can support the drain of chargeing a battery and powering an oi at the same time. does anyone know if this has been atempted before?

[Pierson]

Originally Posted by eeeeweeezeee

I built an OI power system into our custom operator interface with 3 9v batteries and a jack for wall power. there is even a swich to change modes. our captain, who asisted, will probably post a picture of it later. my project for next year's oi is to make a rechargeable system that autuomaticly transfers. to do this, i need to find a 9.6 volt charger that can support the drain of chargeing a battery and powering an oi at the same time. does anyone know if this has been atempted before?

Am I reading this right? This will essentially be a mini-UPS. That is a really neat idea!

[eeeeweeezeee]

Attached is the OI power system the captain and I made. It has a wall jack for 9v input and the transfer switch is near by. in the lower right corner, three 9v batteries are visible. In my previous post, I mentioned that I was making another one. It's still under construction because I discovered the charge controller I was going to use from a backup battery charger wasn't in use for a good reason (It smelled like a burnt victor and, upon further inspection, I discovered one of the IC's had violently lost half it's mass at some point).

[ConKbot of Doom]

Originally Posted by eeeeweeezeee

to do this, i need to find a 9.6 volt charger that can support the drain of chargeing a battery and powering an oi at the same time. does anyone know if this has been atempted before?

If you do this, you'll need to limit the current flowing into the battery pack, otherwise you could damage it.
Otherwise it would be totaly possible to do. Just use 2 schottky diodes that can handle the current into and out of the battery, and a resistor on the one that will be used during charging. That will make sure you have enough current to power the OI, but don't toast the battery.