# Batteries



## csx381 (Apr 1, 2008)

Hi. 
I was needing two lithium battery packs. CRE-55610 21.5 volts 2 amps. does anyone know where i can get a good deal on them? sorry, in advance, if this isn't the right place to post this.


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

I don't know if anyone has any of the Aristo li-ion batteries in stock. I know Aristo itself is out of stock on them. Last I heard they were expecting a shipment from the manufacturer sometime during this month.

Ed


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Yes they are out of stock, I would look at another source for a battery.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Here's a link to start....

Cordless Renovations


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## csx381 (Apr 1, 2008)

Well thanks for all the info. 

Stan I checked out that site and those batteries were 18.5 volts. Which I was wanting a direct replacement to make sure I didnt mess anything up. Unless I missed something and they had 21.5 volts there. I didnt build this battery locomotive and I was trying to keep it as easy as possible. Which I think the only other part in it besides the batteries is some sort of board; but even if it is just one more part I am clueless about what it does or messing with it in general. 

My problem is I am psuhing the limits of my skills just cracking open the locomotive and taking the batteries out. Which was done earlier this year. I put the locomotive back together figureing it would be a while before I got replacement batteries. I took them to a place callled batteries plus and the guy there confirmed they were dead. I told him they sat for a while and he said that is what did it. I didnt know that....wow that was a expensive lesson. I think he said he could do it for 60 bucks a battery pack...but he would need the boards off the two batteries I already have plus I think he said they would have to be good. I think I will take him the two battery packs tomarrow and see if he can find out if the board is usable if he can still do it for 120 bucks i think i will go that way and have a local person do the work. Oh and these boards he is talking about do you know if he can get replacement boards if the two i have are messed up? 

Thanks for all ya'lls help 
Grey.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Grey, Li-ion batteries should have the protective boards in them as the boards protect against overcharging and underdischarging. If a Li-ion cell is completely discharged, it's dead and can't be refreshed or recharged and they are are a bit sensitive to cold temperatures. The usable range is 35 to around 140 F. If you live in a cold climate, it's not good to expose them to freezing temperatures.

I don't know of any other 21.5 Li-ion packs out there today. Most everything is 14.8 or 18.5. I've been running both since the 21.5's have been out of stock and have been very pleased with the performance. My choice is the 14.8 volt 4400 or 5200 mAh. They run all the locomotives I have very nicely.

I've noticed that Li-ion's are becoming much more popular in the building industry. Home Depot is running 15% off special for their Li-ion powered tools when you bring in an old cordless tool. Interesting.









Home Depot Tool "Trade Up"


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By csx381 on 01 Nov 2009 11:16 PM 
... I took them to a place callled batteries plus and the guy there confirmed they were dead. I told him they sat for a while and he said that is what did it. I didnt know that....wow that was a expensive lesson. I think he said he could do it for 60 bucks a battery pack...



Batteries Plus is the LAST place I would ever go. Their prices are outrageous! I think they wanted $60 for the same battery I could get from Phoenix Sound for around $18.

You didn't say what kind of locomotive you have, but it will likely run just fine on 18.5V.


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## Dave Ottney (Jan 2, 2008)

I've been run 14.8v 2200mah li-ion packs from here- 
http://www.all-battery.com/148vli-iobbatterypacksandmodules.aspx 
They go for $38. If you want 4400mah they have them also. If you want higher voltages just put a 2 cell pack in series with these. 

I've been using them (14.8v/2200mah) in old Bachmann Porters, Lehman Porters, USA and Bachmann power trucks, USA S4 and Aristo RS3. 
Dave


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## csx381 (Apr 1, 2008)

Well got back from batteries plus and it is a no go. 20 bucks a battery times 12 What they wanted was how much the set of batteries i have retail for and i know i can get them cheaper provided the price doesnt go up when everyone gets them back in stock. 

I called st aubin and they said check back in two weeks they are looking to get the batteries from another source. St aubin built this battery locomotive a couple years ago. i had them do it because i have no idea on how to make this stuff work. i got it back it ran fine for a while and i dont have a layout i.e. the only time i run them is when i set the track up and run them which isnt much. Which from what ya'll are saying and batteries plus told me earlier this year that isnt good for them which is why they are dead. Oh and the battery locomotive is running two dash 9's with sound. I dont have any loyalty to run the same type of batteries that came out of it...i am just basically looking for plug and play. for example i dont want to buy a different type or kind of battery and then end up having to rewire the entire locomotive (which i dont know how to do anyway). If I were to get some of the batteries ya'll are recommending do they have the same kind of plug the CRE-55610 has and also would i be able to charge it the same way? 

Money is kinda tight around here (as it is most everywhere else) i had saved up 150 bucks but looks like it wont quite be enough. Might just keep saving. I just thought bout doing it now cause i am off for a week but looks like i better just put the project back on hold. Oh well i like this stuff but i will be bout to die before i ever get it working. 
thanks 
later 
Grey


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## csx381 (Apr 1, 2008)

Well I went ahead and got the 14.8 volt 2200 mah batteries from all-battery .com. Im bored outta my mind on vacation with no where to go. I figured at 38 bucks a pop, needing two of them so basically 80 bucks... pretty much two for the price of one of the aristo battery packs, i would try to get them to work, if they do.... great. If they dont..... oh well. 

I am planning on cutting the connections off of the old cre-55610 batteries and crimping them onto the new batteries when they show up. That way they will plug into the connections on the battery locomotive. Then i can put everything back together. I plan on using the chargers from the cre-55610 batteries. There are two plugs coming outta the fuel tank to charge batteries i am just going to try to use the old way with the new batteries basically. I guess at this point it is trial and error. I guess if any of you know it isnt going to work that way let me know. I thought I may have to get a new charger for the new batteries but im not sure how it would work having a different set of hook ups for the locomotive and a different set of hook ups when it is time to charge the batteries. That is why I hope i can swap connections (from old batteries to new batteries) instead of coming up with a whole new way to do things when i didnt build the system to start with. 

Oh do any of ya know when I get the new batteries do they need to be charged or are they already charged? 

Thanks....again
Grey


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

You cannot use your Crest charger on these batteries. It is the wrong voltage. It is imperative that you use the proper charger for Lithium-Ion batteries, and in this case it is this one ... 14.8V Charger

Using the wrong charger will not only cause damage, you may start a fire.

I would also recommend that you solder your connections to the old connectors, not crimp them. But either way, be very careful. Do only one wire at a time. A shorted battery will melt things!


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## csx381 (Apr 1, 2008)

Oh ok that is real helpful...i was kinda worried bout that for the same reasons you brought up in case it was wrong figured it could get bad but i just wasnt sure. Now the only thing is it complicates my problem more. I am on phone trying to add charger to the order. but the only problem is making it all fit together when it gets here. Pretty sure the batteries i ordered dont have a connection on the end just two wires black and red. same colors as the two off the old battery. I dont have the stuff or skills to solder the wires together. I know you said batteries plus is the last place you would go but do you think they could solder the connections for me? Also i would have to have the old charger connections soldered to the new ones. well just got done talking to all-battery on the phone they told me they cancelled my battery order and to get back online and reorder it with whatever i need to add to it. 

Really at this point I am doing a whole bunch of patch work basically for something that may or may not work. Since they cancelled the order i am rethinking things. i dont have the knowledge to be doing this which is why i didnt build it to start with i had someone else do it. But then people tell me things like just as well find a new source for a battery. my fear of just waiting till i can get the CRE-55610 is now they are backordered which is no big deal just wait.....but what scares me is now they are backordered later they will be discontinued. so seems like eventually i will need to swap batteries like someone told me at the beginning of this thread. I dont know if being backordered is the prelude to eventually not be able to getting them or not. I dont know what to do at this point. 

I am kinda back to paying someone to do it but there is no one in the birmingham alabama area that works on these trains. I looked all yesterday afternooon to the point of getting tired of looking. I am just frustrated at this point. i already have thousands invested in the hobby... not a good time to sell with the economy.. plus market is saturated with train stuff this time of year.....not to mention the pain of packing everything up without breaking it plus i dont have all my boxes. Man i tell ya sorry for the novel Gotta dentist appointment in 29 minutes i gotta get ready for that........maybe when i get back someone will have a great solution for me .......for a hobby that is supposed to be fun it sure is getting to me. 

Thanks again for all your help 

sincerley Grey.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I just have to post something.... 

Grey, with "thousands invested", why don't you ship the loco, etc to a reputable installer and pay to have it done right? Get that person to set everything up, the right charger, etc.? 

I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but if you don't have the knowledge to do it yourself, you could indeed start a fire. You sound frustrated. 

You can't have everything dirt cheap, and high quality. 

Regards, Greg 

p.s. a reputable installer will also put something in that you CAN get later, and not worry about being discontinued


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## csx381 (Apr 1, 2008)

Yeah Greg you hit the nail on the head i am frustrated actually beyond frustrated trying to keep it g rated. I Just dont know what to do. 

Yeah your right about cant have everything dirt cheap and high quality. I toatally agree. That isnt the dilema. 

Maybe i am doing a bad job of explaining. St Aubin did the locomotive professionaly a couple years ago. One reason or another the batteries went dead, which is to be expected. All I need is a direct replacement set of batteries. Which no one has. So people said need to change batteries. Well i cant change batteries without changing the whole system it appears. So instead of every couple years swapping batteries. It looks like i'll spend every couple years having to pay a lot of money for someone to build a toatally new system. Plus i dont wanna have to pack up the loco every couple years to ship it off and have it redone. 

I just dont understand why they come out with a battery then you cant get it anymore.....or well actually it is just backordered. It seems to me once stuff starts getting backordered it gets discontinued.....i mean i dont know maybe i am wrong bout that. 

Does anyone know if there is someone on the forum that knows what they are doing and wants to make some extra money?

Oh i missed the P.s. 

Well I Thought St Aubin was reputable. I like what you are saying bout not putting something in there that you cant get later but how can they know if someone is going to be around in the future. Speaking of which i guess ill call them and see what they say. 


Thanks
Grey


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Grey, try Robbie at RLD Hobbies, he has been known to "find" things when everyone was out, he has done this for me more than a few times. Call him. 

Also, you could have the Battery Renovations guys make you a pack to your specs I am sure. 

Please, though, be careful with the charger situation. I think the best thing to do is find the same batteries and keep your charger. 

I would comment on why Aristo is out of the batteries, but I get heck for bashing them. My take is they are promoting their other battery packs and chargers now. They got burned bad when an entire batch of batteries had defective electronics. Those two things might be the reasons why they are out. 

I think that St. Aubins is reputable, but installations are not their strong suit in my opinion. 

Regards, Greg


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## csx381 (Apr 1, 2008)

Well Thanks to everyone that helped. As for now the problem is solved (God I hope). Just got off the phone with John (with St Aubin) and they should have a shipment after or around thanksgiving. So I am going to wait til then. For those of you that may not know the manufacture's building caught on fire and delayed everything 3 months or something along those lines. As far as backorder vs discontinue. John said the batteries are being produced now; and they also were/are talking to interstate batteries about making batteries to replace the 55610 batteries so they may have two sources to get them from in the future.

Oh i just noticed your reply Greg....instead of doing a new reply i'll just edit this one. Well when i was first seraching for the battery i googled the battery and found RLD hobbies had them but that was before i knew how hard it was going to be to get them. Then when i relized the backorder situation i just went to RLD Hobbies website without using google and i went to batteries and they were not there so i assumed i found a old link when using google maybe. Oh and you dont have to worry bout the charger situation i am just going to wait and see if i can get the replacements. If they had that many problems with there batteries and what not i wonder if they fire is a cover story?

If you dont think St Aubins strong suit is installations then who would you reccomend....I assume RLD Hobbies.....anyone else?




Many thanks to everyone again. 
Grey


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