Description

50 Years of Pattern Battery Evolution

The following narrative presents the dominant RC battery technologies pattern pilots used in the 1950’s through the early 2000’s. Battery types, go no-go values, testing procedures, load testing and various meter types used to monitor battery status are presented. Some readers may be surprised to learn that battery failures of all technologies have been the leading “technical” cause of model crashes for decades. This was initially due to lack of testing equipment, capable of accurately testing key battery go no-go indicators and because the early years were in the discovery phase, we hadn’t yet learned how to recognize and understand “Battery Language”, the data batteries telegraph that warn of pending failures. The 50’s-80’s battery testing methods of using “open voltage go no-go tests”, often generated “False Safe” readings that were the cause of numerous crashes in the early pattern eras.