A 5th Video featuring LocoFi is now on YouTube

>...I use mostly LiFePO4 26650 and 18650 sizes.....I use them as they are very safe, don’t care what state you leave them in and last for over a decade worth of recharges the way I use them....

Very good information.

>For HO model railroading it is unfortunate that the smallest physical size is the 18650.

Ah! I see.

>The Specs are here: https://lithiumwerks.com/products/lithium-ion-26650-cells/

This looks like a very cool cell. This can easily fit inside an O scale or larger scales. Heck, 18650 may even fit many HO (possibly with milling)

>...using 3 10440 cells is that it is averaging 0.56A for the 30 minute prototypical...

Sounds about right.

>the 10440 Efest IMR10440 V1 350mAh High Discharge Flat Top with a “Max. Continuous Discharging Current: 3A”

Cool.

Thank you for sharing this extremely useful information. It is highly appreciated.

Best regards,

Peeyush Garg

Large LiPos cells like 4Ah, 5Ah and 6Ah can handle an average 35 amps pretty easily, as that is only about 10C or even less. Maximum current when flying is only for very brief periods, except for electric ducted fans, which resemble and perform like full-scale jet fighter aircraft. They pull a lot of amps, so their flights are comparatively short compared to prop driven planes and their amp draw is continuously high.

For flying, I use mostly LiFePO4 26650 and 18650 sizes. They were formerly known as A123 Systems cells. I believe they are now branded as LithiumWerks.

https://lithiumwerks.com/

I use them as they are very safe, don’t care what state you leave them in and last for over a decade worth of recharges the way I use them. Unfortunately, they are only 3.2V nominal with a charge termination of 3.65V, so I have to carry a bit more in number of cells than a comparable LiPo in my planes.

For HO model railroading it is unfortunate that the smallest physical size is the 18650.

The Specs are here: https://lithiumwerks.com/products/lithium-ion-26650-cells/

I have a local supplier of these cells in here Livonia, MI.

My guesstimate for the Conrail with the battery car/gondola conversion using 3 10440 cells is that it is averaging 0.56A for the 30 minute prototypical run time on the layout, which is about 1.6C. The cells are the 10440 Efest IMR10440 V1 350mAh High Discharge Flat Top with a “Max. Continuous Discharging Current: 3A”, so they aren’t being used too “hard” at all.

https://www.illumn.com/batteries-chargers-and-powerpax-carriers/batteries/10440-efest-imr10440-v1-350mah-high-discharge-flat-top.html

Hope you find this informative.

Ken

>Others can be set to a specific cutoff voltage.

Yes. That would be more appropriate.

>I usually try for 35 amps for the cells...

Can you suggest some single cells that can produce 35A or more? We have observed that a lot of it is marketing and none of them really delivers that unless it's a higher capacity or a battery.

I have considered it, but not done it yet. People use the LVC (low voltage cutoff) in our electrically powered RC planes all the time, but I'm still old school and just use a timer. I guess you just use what you know. ;-)

Also, some of the LVC circuits built into ESCs for electrically powered models shut down at 80% of the batteries voltage when the battery is plugged in. That is a problem. Others can be set to a specific cutoff voltage. Our amp draws are HUGE compared to these little guys. I usually try for 35 amps for the cells that I use the most, but it is not at all unusual for motors to draw 70 amps to 90 amps using 6S to 12S LiPos. Those systems run through batteries like crazy!!!

>I’ve started converting... The 3S IMR Lithium-ion 10440 battery is really the way to go...

Great!

>It is also very easy to pop out a single cell/battery and measure its voltage with a voltmeter.

Have you considered putting in an external circuit that will automatically shut off the battery once the desired lower voltage is reached?

Thanks so much for the kind comments.

<< We can't agree more with the run time determination method. We have however noticed that for some reason notch 4 (or somewhere midway throttle), the current consumption seems to be maximum (more than "full" throttle). If that happens to be the case, the run time may decrease. >>

This is very helpful information for sure. I did not notice a decrease of time when I was doing the prototypical timed run on the layout. Some running was most likely done in that 4-click range, but it all worked out pretty well in the end as my run time was also the timed-voltage time. :-)

That was a great tip about how LocoFi™ saves data. Mostly when I did shut down, it was because “life” was calling and I had to do other things before continuing, but your description really helps as I do recall noting saying something like “shutting down to save”, which, as you’ve stated here, was NOT necessary.

I’ve started converting the CSX version of the locomotive, that had a 3S LiPo in it, to a version using a battery car, like the Contrail version. The battery car is going to be a boxcar this time. The 3S IMR Lithium-ion 10440 battery is really the way to go because it is the safest, easiest way to go for both system and battery placement as well as ease of changing out batteries during an operating session. It is also very easy to pop out a single cell/battery and measure its voltage with a voltmeter.

Thanks,

Ken

Yet another Wow! Very very nicely done! The content is extremely useful and valuable. Thanks Ken for enlightening us with your experience and using LocoFi™ as the testbed for data collection.

We can't agree more with the run time determination method. We have however noticed that for some reason notch 4 (or somewhere midway throttle), the current consumption seems to be maximum (more than "full" throttle). If that happens to be the case, the run time may decrease.

Another thing to note is that you don't need to exit the loco dashboard to save the config settings (seen here https://youtu.be/Sk6YcvzWPE4?t=880). Not only are the config settings saved automatically when you come back to the dashboard, the dashboard is "refreshed" with the new settings. Try changing something more visible like "number of notches".

In short, all the five videos in the series are highly commendable. Ken, you've done a very thorough fact based testing of the LocoFi™ platform while comparing it to some other systems out there. Not only the videos, but your webpage on HO Model Railroading is also a great resource.

We only hope that LocoFi™ brings more joy to your model railroading experience in the future as it has done for you in the past. On the same note, we will work our best to make model railroading ever more enjoyable and fun for everyone.

Thank you.