"Doug McLaren" <dougmc@frenzy.com> wrote in message
news:yEJqd.52279$KQ2.44291@fe2.texas.rr.com...
> In article <PxIqd.6525$NU3.782@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.ne t>,
> Six_O'Clock_High <TargetLock@Guns.com> wrote:
>
> | Where did you learn that 'language'?
>
> Better watch it -- Paul apparantly feels that this thread is `his',
> and has expressed his displeasure in having it `hijacked' without
> having gotten an answer (even though he had gotten several good
> suggestions by that time.) :)
Paul needs to learn how to read and how to beg for exact step by step
instructions of how to get done what he wants. Or he could go hunting for a
cheap box on eBay. Besides since he already had answeres I already ignored
him and his whine.
>
> As for the ASCII art, well, it's been around for a while. I cannot
> take credit (or blame) for the Macarena guy, however.
>
> | Don't you keep your birds on any sort of battery maintence system?
>
> I was referring to a previous post of mine ...
>
> I don't do any `formal' battery maintenance system. I generally fast
> charge (0.5C - 1C) my planes right before I go fly, with the exact
> rate depending on how much warning I give myself. I generally only
> slow charge when a pack is brand new, or just once in a while to
> equalize all the cells.
>
> After flying, if it's a plane I rarely fly (or if I don't plan on
> flying it for a month or two), I usually put a discharger on the
> battery (down to 1 volt/cell), otherwise I do nothing.
>
> Periodically I will cycle my packs just to see what sort of capacity
> they have -- I'm not religious about it, but I usually do it every
> month or two in the case of the planes I fly regularly, or before I
> fly if it's one of the planes I fly only every few months. I also
> generally do a cycle whenever I notice something amiss -- like having
> the battery peter out earlier than expected.
>
> Most of my planes have Hobbico Air Alerts on them -- they will warn me
> if the battery is low. Mostly it's there in case the plane is lost,
> but the battery warning is nice too.
>
> And up until last saturday, I'd never had a battery fail mid-flight,
> which I chalked up to 1) luck and 2) my bigger planes having two packs
> and 3) being relatively careful with my batteries. (I don't do any
> giant scale planes, so *extreme* care isn't really justified.)
>
> But last saturday, I'm slope soaring around, and suddely my glider
> spirals out of control with no warning. WTF? It wasn't damaged (it
> was a built up plane, but still pretty resiliant) but it turns out
> that the voltage was under 4 volts. I'd forgotten to charge it before
> I flew. Well, to be more precise, I was assuming that it still had
> enough charge from last time to fly again. (Which is normally a valid
> assumption in my case, but this time it failed me.)
>
> The glow planes I always charge before flying, but with the small
> slope fliers sometimes I'll let that slide -- after all, they're
> small, the batteries are usually bigger than is needed (why use
> ballast when you can use a bigger battery?) and accidents are usually
> non-events (i.e. the worst that'll happen is you have to trek down the
> hill to get your plane.)
>
> I think from now on, I'll make sure to throw every plane I fly on the
> charger before flying. Even if only on the way to the field. Even if
> it's only a sloping foamie.
>
> --
> Doug McLaren, dougmc@frenzy.com
> A rumor without a leg to stand on will get around some other way.
> --John Tudor