The vintage batteries thread- Q&A

[Bormac]

I thought this might be a good place for people to post with regards to the old sub-c batteries. Wether it be charging, discharging, storage or tips and tricks on getting the most out of them, maybe this could be the place for us to share on what we know and questions that could be asked/answered. There's a wealth of knowledge on this forum and I'm sure many people could benefit from sharing their knowledge ( I know I could).

Here's my start.
I love all the old batteries and have a small collection of yellow and red labelled Sanyo sub-c's but these are my first lot of SCRC's. Unfortunately back in the day I never got to run these as they were released after I finished up racing but I have learnt that they were great batteries to use. After some searching around I found these in an eBay auction and squared a deal away to buy these separately when the auction didn't sell.

These little babies turned up today and I couldn't be happier.

Can someone please advise me on what the best method to charge, discharge and store them is please? I intend to charge them on my Novak Digi Peak plus charger and discharge with the Novak Smart tray SE.

[littleVETTE]

nice collection jason. these 1700's were my 2nd favorite batteries to run. the panasonics were first. you could, almost, run them all day.

[LTO_Dave]

Nice 1700's! I always wanted those Point Blank cells, but had to settle for Pushed 1400's instead.

Here's a scan of the package that my Pushed 1400 SCR pack came in with charging and discharging instructions:




I followed these instruction religiously when I used to race and never had a problem with two different packs.

[Incredible_Serious]

Yours are almost as good as mine, Jason!!!

Well.... not really.... I have more....

Alex

[Jay Dub]

They really were great cells BITD. I think they were my favorite cell. The tan 2000's were propably next. The Trinity sheet seems pretty accurate (if memory serves). One thing I do remember was some hubub about the Trinity cells being more fragile than other due to their "pushing" process. I never had the Trinity cells so I can't say for sure. But those packs look to be in great shape, and hope they turn out well for you.

I like the thread too. Is there any way to split this thread into separate topics for various cell types (e.g. 1200's, 1400's, 1700's etc.)? Maybe this should be moved in the vintage electronics section, and we have different posts for the various types of cell (for quick reference). -Jeff

[Bormac]

Great replies to this thread thus far and Jay Dub I like your idea on moving/creating the kind of thread/s you mentioned. I might have to PM one or twoof the mods to see what their thoughts are.

It's been too long but I'd like to relearn how to care for these older styles of batteries.

Great scan also Dave. Keep em coming guys

[Bormac]

Alex I'll take all those SCRC's off your hands sir

Maybe you could help others out with the rest

[Jay Dub]

Well, it just seems that every so often, someone asks "Whats the best way to care for my old XXXX cells", and I think it would be an excellent bit of info for reference and direction.

[Bormac]

Thank you Jason (scr8p) for shifting this thread to the appropriate section.

I'm still fuzzy on some stuff with these old cells.

Charging-
First of all if I want to charge my 1400scr, 1700scr, 1700sce, 1700scrc,1900scr and 2000scr packs what peak sensitivity value can someone recommend? Also my Supernova charger permits me to charge beyond the 100% capacity, as far over as 150%. Can I safely go above capacity and what would be a value to aim for? Or does the peak sensitivity set that value when it cuts off?

Discharging-
I have a couple of Novak's Smart Tray SE versions discharge trays. These obviously discharge each cell seperately. Any suggestions on how low to discharge these batteries? From here do I dead short or let them sit until the next charge on a bulb or resistor?

Its been too long and if anyone can remember any of this stuff please help me manage these old cells before they are left to ruin.

[Jay Dub]

Where is that knowledge base we were just discussing, oh wait we haven't put it together yet . -Jeff

[WC1982]

Since we're just talking about recreational vintage driving there's not much point in doing crazy stuff to get maximum run time and/or voltage out of the cells. All of those techniques greatly reduce the number of good cycles you can get from the pack.

For SC and SCR cells:

Charge at around 4 amps until the cells get warm/hot to the touch.

Run 'em immediately after they have been charged for best results.

Discharge the individual cells using resistors for about an hour, no need to short them out directly. If you need to run them again soon, cool them for about 30 minutes in a freezer or cooler (at the track etc).


For SCE and Panasonic cells:

Leave them on the shelf, run SCR's

[RETRO R/C]

For SCE and Panasonic cells:

Leave them on the shelf, run SCR's

Best advice EVER!!

It was ok if you had multiple packs with SCE's - but darn they were fussy cells!

Cheers

Darryn

[Bormac]

At this stage I was thinking of running with the 1700 SCRC cells. From what I have heard they were supposed to be quit resilient.

I definitely remember the SCE cells required more love so they will most likely sit in a few of my shelf queens for display rather than play.

Good advice this far in, thank you.

[Charlie don't surf]

For SCE and Panasonic cells:

Leave them on the shelf, run SCR's

Best advice EVER!!

It was ok if you had multiple packs with SCE's - but darn they were fussy cells!

Cheers

Darryn

Aww c'mon the P-170's were great, but like NiMh's they had super short life as a great cell.

[RETRO R/C]

For SCE and Panasonic cells:

Leave them on the shelf, run SCR's

Best advice EVER!!

It was ok if you had multiple packs with SCE's - but darn they were fussy cells!

Cheers

Darryn

Aww c'mon the P-170's were great, but like NiMh's they had super short life as a great cell.

Completely agree.

They were really an all or nothing cell, specially in Mod. The top guys were getting no more than 10 really good runs out of them (we are talking nationals level drivers - so a tiny amount of extra voltage or capacitiy meant everything). I remember trying to get them to be consistent for more than 50 charges and they just did not cut it - especially for stock.

The best cells for me were the Black casing SCRC's ....couldnt kill them - they had really good punch. I just made sure that I put them on the individual cell discharge rack after draining them after each and every run. Charged at 5 to 6 amps depending on the class and temp of the day. Brilliant cells for the day.

We are so spoilt now days.

Cheers

Darryn