Checking mAh

Batteries and Chargers Chargers
21

@Mandrake50 gave you an excellent response already. I recently got my own MC3000 and I’m in love with it, well worth the money, and to what he said, I can add that:

  • Bluetooth control is great because I can then monitor it from around the house (ok, so I live in a pretty small house, but 10m range should reach at least to the next room in a larger house – much better than having to be physically at the charger).

  • People have reverse-engineered both its USB and Bluetooth protocols and released opensource software to monitor/control it. I took the Bluetooth one and modified it to work exactly the way I want, logging all operations by battery label (yeah, I label all my batteries) and starting time-date of the operation to an individual CSV file, so with just a glance agree the directory I can tell when I charged a particular battery, and if I want I can then load the file into a spreadsheet to make graphs, etc).

  • Just the other day it probably saved me from a house fire: an old, substandard 18650 I had around (but should have discarded long ago) being charged in it, and suddenly it went all the way from 32 to 50C and my MC3000 dutifully interrupted its charge and sounded the alarm, allowing me to take it out (with pliers) and relocate it outside. My MiBoxer C8 wouldn’t have been so smart and it could have ended pretty badly… and to top it off, the other 3 batteries that were charging along with the bad one just kept going uninterrupted.

  • Accepts a wide range of DC IN voltage, so I can feed it directly from my motorhome’s battery bank without the double inefficiency of having to run the inverter to feed a power brick to feed it.

  • The thing is built like a battle tank. I think it will last longer than me, and I don’t plan going anywhere at least for the next few decades…

I could continue, but I think I already went on long enough. my only regret is not having bought it earlier, preferably before my Lacrosse BC700 (now deceased) and the MiBoxer C8.

1 Thank
22

SkyRC recently upgraded the sliders and contacts in the MC3000 to use a new metal alloy that they say all but completely avoids oxidation. I haven’t had mine for long enough to know for sure (just a couple of months) but so far they seem as shiny and spotless as the day I started using it, and I use it a lot.

Re: internal measurements, they seem spot on, at least in terms of repeatability: so far I haven’t seen more than 1-2 mOhms change for the same battery from one charge to the other, even separated by weeks; it’s surely more than good enough for my case (monitor battery health to have some advance warning of when it’s starting to go bad).

2 Thanks
23

flydiver:

Sorry 'bout the delay. Things got rather busy here.

Caig makes some great products (as D100 certainly is), and their site has a lot of good info. I do however think their site could be much better organized to simplify product selection. I admit it’s a somewhat confusing / potentially overwhelming array of orderable offerings. Prepare to evaluate your needs very specifically, then sift through those offerings to determine which best meets those needs.

I spent far more time than I’d care to admit to in researching my product choice(s). I’ll try to keep this simple. I determined that the best product (formulation / ingredients) for >9X% of my professional and personal uses / applications, and likely >9X% of those reading this, is D100. This is the 100% solution, vs say D5, which is 5%, for example. I specifically use D100L, which is the liquid form of that product (as opposed to aerosol sprays and other forms). Anything that begins with ‘D100’ will chemically do the jobs most here are concerned with best, which is why I only specified it that far.

Beyond that, there are myriad variations, usually (but not always) having various suffixes after that. They offer an almost confusing array of choices when it comes to containers, application methods, application-specific packaging, etc. That’s where knowledge of your very specific uses / application(s) and preferences are required. Options include hard bottles, squeeze bottles, squeeze tubes, ‘precision oilers’, felt type ‘pens’, various pre-moistened swabs, pre-moistened ‘wipes’, rugular brushes (like fingernail polish ones), fine brushes, ‘needle’ applicators, etc., etc…

I bought D100L-25C. That is a somewhat squeezable bottle (25 mL [there are smaller and larger amounts available]) and came with a ‘needle’ applicator. I also got a ‘brush’ applicator, which also fits that bottle. In the majority of cases, I use the ‘needle’ applicator to dispense a small drop(s) directly onto a foam or cotton swab, with which I apply the product directly to the point / area needed, with minimal waste, and some wiping action possible. I can imagine other situations where other containers / application methods, sprays, etc. would be in order - but fortunately what I have has served my needs so far.

1 Thank
25

Where does the info on the upgraded sliders come from?

26

Delayed maybe, but you more than made up for it with that info. Indeed, the [Craig Labs] site and product offerings are confusing in sheer number. I went for small and cheap [ DeoxIT, D100L-CPK (Cell Phone Connector Cleaner)] to test the product. I’ve had issues with cell phone and cable connectors anyway, so I thought that might be a good starting point.
I disassembled my Opus charger, cleaned the slides, and put pure silicone grease on them. Somehow that whole process made them worse, though it still charges fine and I don’t use the IR function anyway since I have a better meter for that. Maybe this will improve things.
Thanks.

27

Just keep in mind that most of the ‘smart guys in the room’ recommend against use of formulations containing ‘silicone’. Here’s one quote from Caig regarding that:

Also, the use of silicone in any type of contact cleaning solutions should be avoided because it can be detrimental to the long-term performance of the contact or switch because it will degrade phenolics and plastics over time.

I’ve also been told that it tends to attract / hold dust and particulate ‘crud’, has a somewhat ‘sticky’ residue, and is very difficult to effectively remove once used. I use silicone spray and grease on a lot of things, but not where electronics is involved.

A similar ‘non-recommendation’ applies to one other commonly mis-used element, which is contact cleaners containing alcohol. This is due to its content of water (abeit perhaps small), as this adds conductivity into the mix (D100 is considered completely non-conductive), and also its corrosive properties (which is of course contrary to the whole objective). It also doesn’t clean oxidation from electrical contacts nearly as well, offers no ongoing oxidation prevention (which is critical), and no lubricity. I likewise use alcohol for cleaning lots of things, but again, not in the electronics realm.

D100 is somewhat unique in that it has all the desired qualities / effects (cleaning, protection / prevention, non-conductivity, and lubricity) and none of the detrimental ones. There may be other products now which offer all the above, but I can’t personally name any, so I stick with what my experience (and that of many others) tells me works optimally. I don’t have time to re-invent wheels, and don’t like the risks of experimentation when it comes to my electronics equipment. I prefer to use what I know works optimally.

1 Thank
28

Amazing writeup of all of that, I’m going to get some now. I’ve always been unsure if contact cleaners actually did anything helpful overall or not but everything you said makes sense.

29

I don’t agree with the degradation of [phenolics and plastics] with PURE silicone grease-NOT sprays or other compounds that may have, probably do have, contaminating agents. I don’t use that kind of compound around electronics generally.

I scuba, do my own regulator servicing, and do UW photo. ALL those devices use O-rings, some neoprene/Buna, some Nitrile, some silicone. The camera O-rings are generally set is some kind of hard plastic.
You can put PURE silicone on pretty much anything (even eat it if so inclined :crazy_face:) but NOT silicone O-rings. “Like dissolves like” so they tend to swell with silicone grease. It does not eat them up. It does not damage any plastic I’ve ever used it on.

Yes, it’s persistent, and yes it will HOLD debris (come on, it doesn’t ‘attract’ it), but ALL greases will do that. It will also ‘creep’, and you have to take pains in application and clean-up. A little dab will do ya.
I’ve been using for decades. Good stuff when used appropriately.

30

This is a little bit above my knowledge but would the viscosity of the silicone make a difference in how much dirt or crud that would build up.

31

My non-technical response it that a big pile of thick goo, will trap more ‘crap’, than a thin/limited application of thin goo.
Makes sense to me… :grinning:

It’s not unusual to over grease things. If the grease is not actually on the moving surface, it’s not doing anything you want it to, and may be doing things you don’t want it to.

32

That’s what I was thinking.

I dabble in making cosmetics and one of the ingredients that I use is a very viscous silicone to add slip to the powder. I have been using it on other things like my knives for a thin coating when I’m not using the knife. After I apply it, I wrap the knife with wax paper so it doesn’t get absorbed into other things.

33

Is there any update on where the info on the MC3000 slider update came from?

I could not find any and I got a ‘no (slider) update’ response from Sky RC when I asked them just a couple of days ago.

34

I couldn’t find it either. They did up date them a few years ago where they made the “bumps” for the contacts bigger to make contact better with some flat top cells. But nothin on a material change.

35

Yes - they changed the sliders with more ''bumps" on the positive terminal at the same time as they put in the double fans to replace the single fan - a few years back.

1 Thank
36

Yes… that too. But it has been a while.

37

So what do we think is the ‘status’ of the purported slider-material change? Or is it all a reference to the same change (twin fans, bumps) a few years back?

38

I have not read anything about any changes other than the ones I mentioned. Nothing about a change in material. But honestly my 10+ year old Mc3000 has had no issues with the contacts getting corroded/oxidized (results have been very consistent over the years), so I am not really concerned about it. The newer one that I have that has the fan and “bump” change, sits in a box as a spare.
IOW, while any such change might be nice, I don’t think it is critical. Of course I get it, we would all like to get the latest and greatest if we are looking to buy anything.

Maybe we can get @dmenezes to comment on specifically what he mentions and maybe what “recently” means in this context.

Just curious, why are you worried about it? Are you looking to buy one and want to make sure you get the update?

39

Just interested - there seemed to be a lot of (edit: HARDWARE) changes around 2017 (edit 2016) and then nothing (apparently) until this mention about slider material.

40

I remember the source for this info was a private email between me and Chadd Rains, tech support lead of ProgressiveRC.com (the SkyRC reseller that was very well recommended to me). I exchanged a lot of emails with him when I was preparing to buy my MC3000 and I vividly remember that part. I just searched my mailbox for the exact phrase he used but can’t find it… so maybe my memory is playing tricks with me and/or I’m confusing that with something I read someplace else.

I will contact Chadd soon with a support request for another issue (my MC3000 came with a “Version 1.20” paper manual and the only one I can find at skyrc.com is “Version 1.17”, and I would like to have a PDF the exact same version as my paper manual – already contacted SkyRC itself twice to no avail), so I will ask him about the slider’s material too, and post his response here.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you folks on this. I’ve been really busy with "Real Life"™ and haven’t been accessing BLF as I should.

41

Is your firmware actually at 1.20. Last firmware that I can find (and what my two units are on) is 1.18.

BTW IMHO, “Real Life” should always take precedence.

Anyway, not that it would make me go buy another MC3000 (as I have two working MC3000 chargers) but I am curious as to whether they have done anything after the 2017 rework to improve things. Also, if there is a version 1.20 firmware, it shows that they are continuing to support and develop the. already most excellent, charger.

Now, how to find that installer… ?