Yokomo Aust

How is it done. What steps do you have to go through. What equipment do they use to zap and match batteries. Do most of the companies start with the same GP cells. How different are the processes from company to company.

Merciless

Look at your sign ..............

now go e-mail that very good battery matcher and ask them.I would expect a very good answer from a company like that.

Or read some of the battery related threads on the forum.

If you were thinking of doing it your self, unless your just thinking of rematching older race packs that have a dead cell or 2 amoungst them into practice packs or something i would really suggest you think of something less time comsuming and expensive to occupy your self with.

Also if you want to stand a chance of getting a half decient match with new cells you need to buy around 800 cells to start with and a couple of CE matchers (a rather large out lay really)

sorry to be so negative but i have alot of experience in this field and would say find a matcher who cells you like...........hand over your hard earned cash for said cells ........ go away smileing new matched cells in hand

Yokomo Aust

Thanks for being honest.

I started out on just being interest on how they do it. Then i thought if i have the money i could do it myself. Now after reading your reply i am thinking of just buying them of Fukuyama.

Do most of the matches use the same process to match cells. If they do then there should be very little differece between them all.

Javen13

yeah merciless has a good point matching your own packs is a ton of money and could only be done if you did it as a full time job. i would just buy the fukayamas or some other good batteries.

rayhuang

iTrader: (5)

Yokomo Aust-I see your in Sydney-so maybe there arent as many matchersin Sydney?? I dont know. But-there are alternatives. I am a battery distributer and a few of my customers willl Zap cells for you -or- Zap and cycle and private label -or- even Zap, Cycle, Label and Match them for you in lots of a case or two or 200 to 400 cells minimum.

Of course-the most economical way would be to have them Zap, Cycle and Label and you do your own matching into 4 and 6 cell packs.

Its quite inexpensive-espcially when you consider how much it would cost you to:

-Buy TM4's ($700 a pice)
-Zapper ($200 to $5,000 or even more)
-PC and Labels and printer
-Temp controlled room (Very important)
-the electrcity bill at your house!!!
-labor, liability, etc.

Understand now that if you buy say 400 Zapped cells-expect te smallest percentage to be the most desirable (i.e. 1.175v 420 runtime packs).

And to answer your quetion-yes-if done peoperly-most top cells form the top companies will perform similar.

Ray

rayhuang

iTrader: (5)

And to add to your questions.-Many companies will take a case and zap every cell. After zapping-they will cycle them a few times till the numbers stabilize and on the last cycle (2nd or 3rd usually) they print the label for the cell. How they cycle and what parameters is one thng that sets one company from another. SOme may cycle them hard one time after another. Some might cycle them once and let them rest.


YOur testing and R & D will denote what method works best for you.



So there are differences for sure. Also-it seems that some companies batteries last longer and perform at a higher level longer-but thats really hard to prove.

And last-no matter what anybody says-all the GP cells come form one factory in China. Trinity buys exclusively form a HK sales rep and the rest of us buy from our local reps.

Oh and please understand I probably know a bit more than I am allowed to say-so if I seem a bit vague-its quite intentional.

Ray

Yokomo Aust

You have been very helpful. I do understand that there is a lot of trade secrets involved in the battery processing business.

There is no one that zappes, cycles, matches or labels batteries here in Sydney that i know of. So we have to buy the ones sold by our LHS or order them online.

The only cells i have used are Fukuyama as i am new to the hobby and they are the cells all the gus i pit with use. We buy them from HK for $69US for 1.175+ and IR13-15.

Thanks

Merciless

Yokomo Aust

Please don't believe all the BULLS**T some people will have you believe as someone said earlier all the GP cells come from one factory,moreover.................

There is no mistical ways or black magic in matching either.Infact any matcher out there could con the unweary into thinking they are selling the best cells ever by simply changing a few settings on there matchers(cinical i know, but honest!!).

As i tried to explain earlier find a matcher you are happy with(THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT).If possible find out as much as you can about them by phone,fax,e-mail or simiply other people that use there product.

It is very hard to compare one brand of cells to another by the badges alone,I'd go as far as to say virtually impossible because there are just so many variables that affect the figures,down to things that most people wouldn't even think about like room temperature which would affect at the very least cell capacity!

I've been involved with electric R/C for early 20yrs now and the battle over brand a being better than brand b will always continue but please try to remeber the big picture............If you are basicly buying the same thing from 2 different outlets they will probably be very similar(i'm thinking reputable companies i.e Fukuyama orion trinity reedy yokomo and my mate in the signature)

hope i helped rather than confused

rayhuang

iTrader: (5)

Very interesting! Let me guess-the elves make them too??? hahaha!!!

Merciless

rayhuang

Sorry i ment about batteries and matching in general

R/C Anonymous

iTrader: (1)

buy one pack from each company and compare them yourself...i got packs from Fukuyama, Surge, and Pro-Match...the Surge batteries seem to work the best for me...also remember to look at charge rate when comparing a 5 amp charge will have numbers .004 lower then a 6 amp charge

rayhuang

iTrader: (5)

Yeah-I thought so-but I still took a jab-no harm I hope!!!

Yokomo Aust-let me add another thing-the one thing that kills I bet 95% of the matchers is they have no where to unload their average cells and not enough capital to buy fresh raw cells when they are sitting on excess slow moving cells.

So-if you do in the future decide to become a matcher-make sure you have an outlet to move your average and below average (stick pack) inventory. Get creative-find new markets.

Theres no glory in battery matching-its all hard work, a lot of luck and a lot of slowly acquired knowledge.

Ray

jeepnyy

Hey Ray.......not to shy away from the topic of this thread....but iam going to anyways......i see on your footnotes.....warpspeed diff cases---DA BOMB !!!!! I went to their website...nowhere was it mention. how do you get them & how much ? oh yeah.....is that for TC3?


Ok back to this thread.....i buy packs then i re-match them myself. I have a 5 yr old turbomatcher6 (upgraded for nimh)and xipp zapper. 3 cycle@6/30. i do them about once a month. buy 4-6 packs at the start of the season. race stock. i for sure knows my NUMBERS...the way i want them.

EAMotorsports

iTrader: (79)

Hey Ray if you want a 5,000.00 zapper let me know!! I will hook you up with 4 or 5 of them!! LOL

EA

jeepnyy

Eric...hows your magnetizer doin? Whats your ETA on production & price?