paul_delahaye Posted April 1, 2011 Posted April 1, 2011 Lego Shop at Home says the Lithium battery is sold out in Europe, on the day the Maesrk train is released, a train that crys out for the lithium battery? What is going on? Do you think it will be coming back? I've seen it's been on backorder for months, now it's sold out? who knows? Paul Quote
SavaTheAggie Posted April 1, 2011 Posted April 1, 2011 Lego Shop at Home says the Lithium battery is sold out in Europe, on the day the Maesrk train is released, a train that crys out for the lithium battery? What is going on? Do you think it will be coming back? I've seen it's been on backorder for months, now it's sold out? who knows? Paul Since the brand new Maersk train is recommended by LEGO themselves to be powered by the rechargeable battery box, I don't think it's time to go all chicken little just yet. Give it time, it's probably just a logistical problem. --Tony Quote
Fuzzylegobricks Posted April 2, 2011 Posted April 2, 2011 I agree, since the train has come out and the public has known about it people have been buying them for their trains and the new Maersk train. It will be back soon. Quote
cei Posted April 2, 2011 Posted April 2, 2011 Yeah, I hope it becomes available faster - I've got three units that need motorising, and AAA battery boxes are just tedious en-masse. Quote
KIERAN2400 Posted April 2, 2011 Posted April 2, 2011 The cost of the rechargeable box is just too much I think. The AAA Battery box is a much better idea. Although isnt that dear enoughb too, It is much dearer then the AA box and I dont know why? Quote
Siegfried Posted April 3, 2011 Posted April 3, 2011 The cost of the rechargeable box is just too much I think. The AAA Battery box is a much better idea. Although isnt that dear enoughb too, It is much dearer then the AA box and I dont know why? Because it's a custom smart high powered lithium. There's a good analysis here. Is it worth the asking price? I'm not sure... Quote
Legoluchlol Posted April 3, 2011 Posted April 3, 2011 I believe these types of rechargeable batteries are made in Japan- and due to the crisis in Japan, they have been short in supply worldwide. Quote
SavaTheAggie Posted April 3, 2011 Posted April 3, 2011 A distinct benefit of the Rechargeable battery box over the AAA battery box is the on-board speed control. This allows you to run a train at sane speeds without the use of the IR receiver, especially useful on very small trains that where space is at a premium. Also the rechargeable battery lasts longer on a single charge than 6 AAA batteries, and the rechargeable battery gives you constant output of current, so for the life of the charge your train won't slow down. Of course the cost of the rechargeable battery box has me wanting to buy one, maybe two, but for the most part heavily relying on the AAA battery box anyway - most of my trains have the room for an IR receiver. --Tony Quote
hoeij Posted April 3, 2011 Posted April 3, 2011 Also the rechargeable battery lasts longer on a single charge than 6 AAA batteries, and the rechargeable battery gives you constant output of current, so for the life of the charge your train won't slow down. You can of course also put rechargeable AAA batteries in the battery box. Rechargeable batteries produce a more constant output than regular batteries. Regular batteries start out with a nominal 1.5 volts each, but the output decreases over time, and also decreases if the load is high. Rechargeable batteries have a more constant output, for high-drain applications they are a better choice than regular batteries. Quote
Siegfried Posted April 3, 2011 Posted April 3, 2011 Rechargeable batteries have a more constant output, for high-drain applications they are a better choice than regular batteries. True but they start out lower; 1.25 nominal. Some devices see that as "flat" from the start... Quote
MetroiD Posted April 3, 2011 Posted April 3, 2011 These battery boxes are obviously a great solution and as Tony pointed out, they've really been thought out for LEGO Train fans. But their price is just crazy, and having to buy _two_ sets of these (well OK, sans the remote control and charger), one for the Emerald Night and one for the Maersk Train, for a total that's higher than the combined price of the two LEGO sets they're supposed to power, makes me want to puke. P.S.: Sieggy, thanks for the link to Thorsten's analysis, I'd somehow missed that. Whoa, now there's a good read Quote
hoeij Posted April 3, 2011 Posted April 3, 2011 (edited) True but they start out lower; 1.25 nominal. Some devices see that as "flat" from the start... The nominal voltage on an alkaline battery is 1.5 when it is new. When it is half-empty it'll be about 1.25 volts, and when it is almost empty it will only output 1.0 volts. So during its lifetime, the voltage of an alkaline battery is about 1.25 on average. The rechargeable battery starts at about 1.2 volts, and stays there until it needs to be recharged. So its average voltage is 1.20 volts. The main difference, however, is what happens when you draw a lot of current (e.g. when you're pulling a long train through a curve). The alkaline batteries will see a much larger voltage drop than the rechargeable batteries. In other words, with alkaline batteries, the train slows down more in a curve than what you'd see with rechargeable batteries. So for high-drain applications, rechargeable batteries are better than regular batteries. Edited April 3, 2011 by hoeij Quote
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