Glow starting batteries

[lee]

With all this talk of glow vs diesel, the subject came up of start batteries.
I got sick of nicads & wet cells going bad or dying. I use six "D" size alkaline batteries wired in parallel. Wrap in elec. tape with the lead made from extension cord wire. These have a self life of years & will last in use for at least one season. A friend has one going on three years.

[max hansen]

Sounds like you have a good thing there. Back in the "OLD DAYS" we used to use two 1&1/2 volt telephone ones taped together & wired parallel ,they lasted for a couple of years but the weight was great . Then came the smaller square one with 4 cells ,better but didn't last as long . The one I remember most was the first Ni-cad by Tatone , it was adjustable & hung on the glow plug ,very nice until you put it in your pocket with some change or a key ring, we used to call that the glow heater dance . Times change, MAX H. :lol:

[ffkiwi]

When I was an impoverished junior in the late 50's and early 70's flying C/L in the Dunedin club (NZ) several of us used to use the big 1.5V telephone batteries in parrallel for glow starting. Four of them fitted nicely in a four bottle wooden milk bottle carrier, which just about every NZ male would have made in school woodwork classes in those days. In parallel, they seemed to last for years-and you never burnt out Cox heads with them either-unlike our forays into 2V wet cells.
I was doubly fortunate, as my best friend's father worked for what was in those days, the 'P&T'-Post and Telegraph department and through him we had access to a limitless supply of 'used but still good' 1.5V cells.
sadly, 'bell batteries', milk bottles and the P&T department have all gone the way of the dodo..........

[max hansen]

Hi ffkiwi, Many years back when you were flying U/C , the C-124's that were flying out of Christchurch to Mc Murdo Sound in Antarctia were from my Air base in South Carolina. I had a choice to go there or Germany . I was stationed earlier at Thule ,Greenland & had my fill of snow & ice . I went to Germany & have always regreted not coming to your country .
MAX H. :(

[ffkiwi]

Max, I live in Christchurch-and there is still a limited US military presence here-the US Navy pulled out of the Antartcic support program 4 or 5 years back and was replaced by a detachment from the New York Air National Guard. same base, same aircraft same jobs-just a different set of faces. They operate out of the military compound of Harewood, Christchurch's Int'l airport, next to the RNZAF air movements unit. On most days you can see 2-3 C-130's and the occasional C-141 in the Antartic livery, parked up on the tarmac

[Tim Jones]

Interested in the ultimate glow driver?
Check this out.
Rechargable. But you'll probably lose the charger before you need it.
I've used this to make a glow plug glow under water.

http://www.rcatsystems.com/rc/electronics.php