Small Battery Box for PF?

[roamingstop]

I was recently going through a bag of old lego and came across the old Small Battery Box - which used a 9V PP3 battery...

Last night I thought wow - this is really neat for fixing inside small MOC's and possibly under custom train bases as it is not as high as the normal PF one. However it was not clear why the PP3 9V battery concept was discontinued, is it related to maximum power / current ratings?

Together with the 9V --> PF adapter cable I could see this as a great solution for some future models.

Something I will be testing out today...

Edited May 8, 2011 by roamingstudio

[DLuders]

I agree that the 9V Battery should be employed more in small Lego Technic applications. I got three of the 9V Adapters mentioned in this Eurobricks post, and mated them up to 9V rechargeable batteries. They work great for at least 1/2 hour; how many AFOLs really "play" with their MOCs for that long anyway? The light weight and small space cannot be beat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhjZoymaYkY

[roamingstop]

I agree that the 9V Battery should be employed more in small Lego Technic applications. I got three of the 9V Adapters mentioned in this Eurobricks post, and mated them up to 9V rechargeable batteries. They work great for at least 1/2 hour; how many AFOLs really "play" with their MOCs for that long anyway? The light weight and small space cannot be beat.

Thanks for the links - I had missed that post in Early April. So the main upshot is that the discharge time is a lot faster? Im also thinking of powering the LED's for the train, I just wonder how long it will run with a new PP3 / 9V and the new PF motor (he shows in the video)...

Perhaps the thread should be shifted to the Train Tech environment??? (mods?)

Oh and at 9$ a pop for the adapter it is not too expensive; but similarly priced to the larger adapter cable.

Edited May 8, 2011 by roamingstudio

[DLuders]

The 9V Battery Adapter is useful for Lego Technic applications as well as Lego Train applications. From Philo's website, the 8870 Power Functions Light "LEDs consume very little current (about 2mA!)"

So, with the 185 milliAmpHour (mAh) rechargeable 9V Battery that I have in my hand, I could power the LED lights for up to (185 mAh)/(2 mA) = 92.5 hours! I don't understand why TLG doesn't offer something like this 9V Adapter above. It can keep the cost and weight of their models down, and it is SIMPLE.

You can read about the power requirements of all of the various Lego 9V motors (including the train motor) on Philo's 9V Technic Motors Comparison webpage. Just do the math with your battery and the Amp draw of all of your motors/lights.

In regards to that black "9V PP3" battery box (a 5391 ), it's just an EMPTY BOX in which to place a 9V battery. I have one of these myself. The 9V Adapter eliminates the unnecessary bulk and weight of the box, AND the need for a PF cable. Less weight --> faster vehicles --> longer run times.

Edited May 8, 2011 by DLuders