<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Vicente</font>
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<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The Robbe charger has a setting for
soft peak, which is to be used for NiMH. This is what I had. I cycled twice
before using this new battery..what I remember was getting about 1300 Mah
from this 1450 mah pack. I think there may be a "high drain"
problem on the plane in addition.</font>
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<br>
Gray Fowler<br>
Senior Principal Chemical Engineer<br>
Radomes and Specialty Apertures<br>
Technical Staff Composites Engineering<br>
Raytheon</font>
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<td width=40%><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>vicenterc@comcast.net</b>
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<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Sent by: nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org</font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">09/03/2008 09:42 AM</font>
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<div align=center><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Please respond to<br>
General pattern discussion <nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org></font></div></table>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">To</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">General pattern discussion <nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org></font>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Subject</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Part 2-Its a
miracle!!!</font></table>
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<br><font size=3>Gray,</font>
<br><font size=3> </font>
<br><font size=3>Yes, that is good news. Clearly the battery was
the problem. I had heard that some chargers get a "false peak"
and stop charging when the battery is not really fully charged. I
wonder if this was the problem.</font>
<br><font size=3> </font>
<br><font size=3>--<br>
Vicente "Vince" Bortone</font>
<br><font size=3> </font>
<br><font size=3>-------------- Original message -------------- <br>
From: Gray E Fowler <gfowler@raytheon.com> <br>
</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
Lance and I went out and found the plane right where it was supposed to
be. Do not know how I missed it the first day, so I am going to say that
someone went into the woods Monday night and moved it .</font><font size=3>
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</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
What is amazing in the minimal damage the plane has considering it
went straight in from 200 feet, albeit at a slow speed. The horrible reverbed
cracking sound Keith and I heard was the carbon fiber wing tube breaking.
Both wings have limited leading edge damage, the stab has a golfball size
divot on the R LE, an easy to repair crack in the fuse (buckle failure)
behind one wing and a little nose ring area damage. That is all.</font><font size=3>
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</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
The battery pack had broken the 3/8 bals a stic ks on impact that were
bonded into place (my battery packs are not "removeable" per
say) and the battey pack was on the ground at the nose of the plane. The
plane was standing vertical on the undamage spinner being held up
by the tree branches. Once we got home we hooked eveything up and
of course it all worked fine. Knowing that the battery pack essentially
had the same charge as when the plane went in, Lance took the battery pack
home for diagnostics. Using the Robbe charger he cycled the1450 mah
pack down....it read 80 mah. He then charged it and it read 1000
mah. Anthony described a NiMH "brown out" and that is starting
to make alot of sense. 6 volt packNiMH , drained does not just die
like a 4.8 volt NiCad. Also an important note is I now think the plane
was going in and out of PCM lock. When I tested PCM lock the throttle did
cut, but not to low idle. It cut to about 20% throttle (programming error),
hence the pulsing of the throttle that I exper ienced. If this diagnosis
is correct then it is a testament to using PCM as I was able to fly the
plane for 45 seconds before impact...had I been closer when the problem
started I may have even been able to score a "10" FAI landing
(not really-I would have gone for the grass instead of the runway).</font><font size=3>
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</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
Anyway I am sending the entire radio off for examination, try to see why
the battery was so low, and fix the plane for spring.</font><font size=3>
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Thanks for the ideas</font><font size=3> <br>
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Gray Fowler<br>
Senior Principal Chemical Engineer<br>
Radomes and Specialty Apertures<br>
Technical Staff Composites Engineering<br>
Raytheon</font><font size=3> </font><tt><font size=2>_______________________________________________<br>
NSRCA-discussion mailing list<br>
NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org<br>
http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion</font></tt>
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