As I prepare for the eventual Lionel Base 3 … updated 3/31/23, again 5/18/23, again 4/18/24

Wait why shouldn't we use the Legacy base as a charger?

@BillYo414 posted:

Wait why shouldn't we use the Legacy base as a charger?

The Base 2 generates a lot of heat which degrades the batteries over time.  Either a dedicated charger or the 993 cradle are better.

Per GRJ's suggestion. I bought a Tenergy charger that monitors each NiMH battery's charge individually.  The one I bought is discontinued, but there are lot's of good options now that also monitor each battery individually.

Why not go to the Tenergy site and get one there.  Here is their site.

https://power.tenergy.com/char...FKgVAnUaAie-EALw_wcB

I use this one, it's worked well for me for the last two years.  Individual monitoring of each battery with graphic display of charge percentage.

POWXS Rechargeable AA AAA 9V Battery Charger with 1800mA High-Speed, 12 Bay Independent Battery Charger for 1.2V Ni-MH Ni-CD AA AAA 9V Rechargeable Batteries and 9V Lithium ion

FWIW, I'm using that exact charger and fully 100% recommend it.

Key is- again, allows individual cells to recharge. My  other chargers (EBL) ONLY charge AA and AAA cells in pairs and example Lionchief and some other remotes are 3 batteries.

When it comes to chargers, you want to get a smart charger (chargers with built-in protective circuits to control charging).  Tenergy has smart charger models if you want to stick with the brand, but there are lots of good models out there.  Rapid chargers and "dumb" chargers (without protective circuits) work, but will reduce the lifespan of the batteries.

Smart chargers let you maximize the life of your batteries and in many cases can refresh them if they start to under-preform or lose capacity to hold a charge.  My smart charger revived my oldest rechargeables that had almost become useless due to the "dumb" charger they came with.  I have been exclusively using rechargeables now for over a decade, and I've only had 3 batteries that couldn't be revived.  Personally, I use Eneloop (by Panasonic) batteries, but if you look at comparisons, most brands perform about the same these days.  The only real down sides to smart chargers is that they take a little longer to charge batteries, and refreshing a degraded battery can sometimes take 24+ hours in a smart charger to revive, but neither of these matter much if you have charged extras on hand.

Andy

I have on a desk at work a 'WissBlue" brand "LCD-4" charger bought on Amazon that has melted plastic because a Energizer NiMH battery from 2012 (yes, that is old), decided to short or whatever. When I flipped the unit over, the sticker says Reverse polarity and short circuit protection, but nothing about over-temperature.

Unless the battery has an internal temperature sensor, it's pretty hard for this kind of charger to actually monitor the battery temperature.  By the time the cradle gets hot enough to cause an alarm, I suspect the battery is melting down!

Along the same line, is there a rechargeable AA battery that is "better" than another when used with Gunrunnerjohn's recommended charger?

I've used a number of different battery brands, I've had good luck with the Tenergy brand, and most of my AA and AAA batteries are Tenergy brand.  I have used a lot of the EBL 9V NiMh batteries, it's the ones I've been using for MTH replacements over the years.  I've yet to find a rechargeable that the Powxs charger has any problem with.

Thanks John.

The NI-MN AA Panasonic Enelope Pro mentioned above, are the most used and recommended AA battery for cameras by the photo fans.  I have had several for at least 10 years and they are very good, much better than other brands I have.

Recently, after 10 years or more, a couple of mine have only been holding the charge for a few weeks and when new, they held charge for many months.  I use an old time charger and I often leave then on for many hours probably contributing to there deterioration.

Charlie

I like the Tenergy Centura Low Self Discharge NiMH batteries, they stay charged for many months in storage.  That way I can keep a stock of fully charged batteries on the shelf.

I've been using this charger. Had it for my flashlight rechargeable batteries and works well with any including my Tenergys used in the remotes. It doesn't charge 9volt type but I don't have any of those at this time at least for trains.

https://www.fenixlighting.com/...e-a4-battery-charger

For Lithium batteries, I have one of these, but I normally use the other one I posted for bulk recharging Ni-Mh batteries.  I got this one for the large Lithium SC cells for some work lights.  The 12 cell capability of the Powsx charger is a big plus.

Universal Battery Charger EASTSHINE S2 LCD Display Speedy Smart Charger for Rechargeable Batteries Ni-MH Ni-Cd AA AAA Li-ion LiFePO4 IMR 10440 14500 16340 18650 RCR123 26650 18500 17670 & Car Adapter

The battery and charging issues have now been sorted out!

I ordered and already received the charger that John recommended above as well as the batteries to go with it.

NOW:  I am moving on to the next part of the (eventual) transition. I constructed this shelf under the layout that will be the home of my Base3 hopefully later this year. Since I had some Mianne benchwork rails that I couldn’t use (came from my old liftgate prior to downsizing it from a 4’ to a 3’ gate opening), I cut them up and together with some scrap wood and other spare parts put together this shelf.

“Little Stevie” is now partly hidden LOL!

I already also purchased an LCS SER2 and cable to connect to the Base3 and my AMC (Accessory Motor Controller) that I use to control my turntable with Legacy.

With this arrangement, should there be a problem with the Base3 I will be able to easily plug back in the Legacy base and keep trains running no matter what. I even still have a TMCC base and controller if ever needed!

I suppose now I am ready for the Base3, albeit maybe 6 or more months early!

Well, are you ready for the oddities that show up with a brand new model of anything?

John: So the answer is “maybe”. That’s why I will be ready to move easily back to to “Base 2” if problems arise with the new system.

The transition from TMCC to Legacy was pretty straight forward, so we will see…

Yep, when and if I get a BASE3, I will be holding on to a Legacy system.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I like the Tenergy Centura Low Self Discharge NiMH batteries, they stay charged for many months in storage.  That way I can keep a stock of fully charged batteries on the shelf.

John;

Could you tell me what is the “rating” on the batteries you use??? The originals I have show:

NIMH 2400 mAh 1.2v

The rechargeables I find locally seem to show lower than 2400. Can I use rechargeables with other than 2400???

Thanks.

@Apples55 posted:

John;

Could you tell me what is the “rating” on the batteries you use??? The originals I have show:

NIMH 2400 mAh 1.2v

The rechargeables I find locally seem to show lower than 2400. Can I use rechargeables with other than 2400???

Thanks.

Of course that is just capacity. How long the battery lasts for one charge cycle in usage.

@Apples55 posted:

The rechargeables I find locally seem to show lower than 2400. Can I use rechargeables with other than 2400???

Sure, that's just how long they'll last in a given application.

Thanks Vernon and John, from a true techno-peasant

Just tacking on here…

The absolute best NiMH batteries I’ve ever bought are the Panasonic low discharge Eneloop batteries. I bought a Tenergy replacement pack for my Roomba and that thing runs better than the brand new with the original battery, and the Roomba is almost 10 years old.

The absolute best NiCd and NiMH battery charger I’ve ever used/bought is the LaCrosse BC1000 https://www.lacrossetechnology.com/products/bc1000

It’s since been discontinued (like all of the best stuff) but there are several other brands that make a similar charger that are available on Amazon.

I also own the Opus BT-C2400 and the Tenergy TN456. These are very similar and both do a pretty good job.

Features I look for from chargers… adjustable charging rates, discharge/charge refresh modes, and a readout to see how much capacity the battery still has. This helps to weed out the bad apples.

Yesterday, I ran a "common" wire from my common terminal strip to the shelf where my (eventual) Base3 will reside, as well as a PDI cable from my SER2 to the same shelf.

While it will likely be several months, all I will need to do will be to plug in power, attach the common wire, and start running my layout with the Base3!

How's that for positive thinking!

That's "Little Stevie" under the soon to be Base3 shelf BTW, LOL!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Yep, when and if I get a BASE3, I will be holding on to a Legacy system.

John (GRJ), I just looked on Fleabay and was astounded with the asking price of pre-owned Legacy Command sets! At close to a Grand, do you want to think twice about holding on to a set? 😂

@Loose-Caboose posted:

John (GRJ), I just looked on Fleabay and was astounded with the asking price of pre-owned Legacy Command sets! At close to a Grand, do you want to think twice about holding on to a set? 😂

Well, I don't want to get rid of the CAB2, as I'm really not interested in running from a phone.  However, the command base can go...

IF WE ALL think and pray hard enough the Base 3 will miraculously appear.

Otherwise, we'll just have to wait.

Now the important question is: When is the new Base 3 coming?

I'm planning on buying the Base 3 for my new layout that I'm planning. Of course I will continue using my Legacy Remote.

I’m as excited as anyone is to use the Base 3 along with the new app. However, I am prepared to wait as long as it takes because I would rather Lionel gets the Base 3 and the new app right before they are released.

Peter

It is easier for those already with a 990 to be patient waiting for the Base 3 vs those of us that are new that don't want to spend $1k now for full Legacy support... though I am very tempted.

For those who are patient, I think waiting a year or two and seeing if the release of the Base 3 leads to someone making a new hardware remote is a reasonable strategy rather than purchasing a very expensive, used cab 2 (993), or Legacy base and cab2 (990).  In the mean time, you could also purchase a cab-1L for $150 or so and that will work with the Base 3, as another transition approach.  Finally, if you only have LionChief, LionChief + or LionChief + 2.0 or Bluetooth equipped Legacy locos, the Universal Remote for $50 is another temporizing measure.  The LionChief app will also work if you don't mind using a smart device for recent Lionel locos.

For reference, I bought a 993 and 990 a year or so ago, but the prices were more like $200-400, not $1,000.  Would not have spent $1,000 if that were the option, personally.   I have had TMCC for 27 years and a Universal Remote for several years and they are quite sufficient for me now and for the future even without the Base 3.

Just a FYI, the Base 3 testing was performed at the Chicagoland RR Club (reported on Facebook) and the comment was added that it was pretty much ready to go and would be in people's hands this calendar year.

@Landsteiner posted:

Just a FYI, the Base 3 testing was performed at the Chicagoland RR Club (reported on Facebook) and the comment was added that it was pretty much ready to go and would be in people's hands this calendar year.

Charles Ro updated their availability to December 10th, 2023, so you might be right.

Hi Guys. Found the one I need but when I pull up the specs. for the ROWXS charger it appears as a 240vac input.  Don't believe this is correct.  What about yours??  Tommy

@thebeeman posted:

Hi Guys. Found the one I need but when I pull up the specs. for the ROWXS charger it appears as a 240vac input.  Don't believe this is correct.  What about yours??  Tommy

Living in the USA, you'd probably want a battery charger that works on the standard 120 VAC line voltage.

Hi Steve, Thanks for the quick reply.  Yeah, I have way too many 240vac outlets running on my 5 acre weed patch.  Both in house, in yard, pond level controls, plants, and lawn irrigation uses.  What I was alluding to were the posts by Gunner and Vernon using the POWXS for recharging. (dated 3/29/23 @ 4:10 pm above).  I pulled up the specs. for the charger that was listed by both gentlemen and I was concerned about the 240vac input.  I know, you know, I ain't gonna put a small handheld device on 240 vac.          Before I order I would be comfortable to see a 120vac input.

I think they're just listing the max input voltage as 240.  Like many devices designed for international markets, this one will work on 120 or 240VAC; 50 or 60 Hz.  See the specifications in second image below.  In the first image, it shows a regular 120 line cord.

This is what you see when scrolling down to the bottom of the listing page.

@SteveH posted:

I think they're just listing the max input voltage as 240.  Like many devices designed for international markets, this one will work on 120 or 240VAC; 50 or 60 Hz.  See the specifications in second image below.  In the first image, it shows a regular 120 line cord.

This is what you see when scrolling down to the bottom of the listing page.

I have that exact charger, and it works fine on 120 US power.