PF Battery Box or PF Rechargeable Battery Box

[legotrainfan]

Do you use the PF battery box to operate your PF trains - the box that comes with PF train sets anyway - or do you use the rechargeable one? I have recently bought train 60052 but I don't use the battery box. I use the rechargeable one. I don't like taking batteries out and putting them back in all the time. This way I can simply recharge the entire box by just attaching the cable of the charger. In my opinion this procedure is just nicer and less annoying.

[garethjellis]

I use my own designed LI-Ion batteries. much longer life, much more power, much cheaper

[kibosh]

I use my own designed LI-Ion batteries. much longer life, much more power, much cheaper

Can you share the details of this? I'd love to find a better, cheaper alternative.

[v6TransAM]

Battery box with Eneloops for me. Cheaper in the long run and you can always use more batteries somewhere with 2 children.

Wouldn't mind hearing about the custom battery setup however.

[bjorkan]

Both, have three rechargeable and the rest with batteries, I prefer rechargeable but are expensive, yes...

[Aaron]

I use my own designed LI-Ion batteries. much longer life, much more power, much cheaper

That's the only option I really have with what I'm pulling. Anything less than 11.1 volts probably wouldn't be enough.

[cgarison]

Battery box with Eneloops for me. Cheaper in the long run and you can always use more batteries somewhere with 2 children.

Wouldn't mind hearing about the custom battery setup however.

Same here. I learned about the magical Eneloop batteries when I was getting ready to shoot my first wedding in 2007 and I resisted purchasing them until 2011. Now, it is all I will run in my flashes and my Lego (PowerFunction or Mindstorm) MOCs. Plus I have them for all of my flash lights if we get another storm like Hurricane Irene in the Delaware Valley. Great battery!

On the downside, 6 AAA Eneloop batteries weigh more than the rechargeable Li-Ion battery packs from Lego, so if weight is critical in a MOC, then the rechargeable battery pack has an advantage. Otherwise, the Eneloop/AAA battery pack option gives you the same battery performance for less money.

[kibosh]

So are you saying the 6 AAA Eneloops last as long and are as powerful as the LEGO Li-Ion rechargeable pack?

[cgarison]

In my "unscientific" observations, Eneloop batteries provide as much power and have a pattern of battery drain that is very similar to that of the Li-Ion battery pack from Lego. With the way we run the batteries and with our use of very fast 20 minute chargers, we only see about 75% of the runtime that you would expect to see from the Lego Li-Ion battery pack which uses a slower charger (About 3-4 hours), but using a more conventional charger (or a more expensive Maha "fast" charger that would take 3-4 hours to charge 4 batteries) would yield run times more on the level of the Lego battery pack. When running multiple trains for a show, we have 4 Rapid Chargers and 6 sets of 6 AAA Eneloop batteries plus a dozen Energizer AAA backup plus 2 Lego Li-Ion packs. Yes, we do sacrifice about an hour of runtime from our Eneloop Batteries when we are at the shows, but we are able to keep a nice cache of battery packs charged all the time for a smaller investment than what it would cost to purchase the Lego battery pack.

Where there is a big difference, the Lego battery pack weighs a fraction of the weight of the AAA battery packs loaded with the Eneloop batteries, but in our trains, the weight of the batteries are not as much of an issue as it may be in a remote controlled Technic Model. Even our hanging monorail runs fine with additional weight of the AAA batteries. My thought is the added weight helps keep some of the "wiggle" out of the piece which can cause it to hang up on the stations that is passes.

[v6TransAM]

So are you saying the 6 AAA Eneloops last as long and are as powerful as the LEGO Li-Ion rechargeable pack?

I can back what the other posters are saying about the Eneloops, they are way better than any other rechargeable I have tried personally.

My 4 yr old son now has 1 cargo train, 1 pass. train and 1 TGV all PF, it takes about 3-4 weeks in between having to charge them. He is very good about turning them off when he is not using them however They are expensive at first, but I did the math and figured out by the second recharge cycle you are close to break even and by the third you are coming out ahead. This is assuming you use quality batteries to begin with like Duracell or Energizer, so if they see any amount of decent use you will come out ahead fairly quickly.

[dr_spock]

I think having a heavier battery box over the PF train motor can also help with traction.

[kibosh]

Thanks, guys. I'm going to price out some Eneloops for sure.

[rogul]

being old school 12V the thought of changing to batteries seems like such a backwards step. .not sure i could ever bring myself to do it!

[october]

I need a charger, 9 pcs AAA and 6pcs AA batteries for a train a 4x4 technic cawler and remote.

Do you have any suggestions on what to buy.

Was thinking on this http://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-NiMH-Precharged-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B007B9NXAC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics-accessories&srs=1624982031&ie=UTF8&qid=1415184909&sr=1-2

And this http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B004NBXE6Y/ref=gno_cart_title_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A8TTVTZJO8AO7

[English Electric]

After reading this thread in August I went online and bought 60 eneloop AAA batteries, I have to say I'm very impressed with them. On the website I bought from there were bundle deals where you could buy the genuine eneloop charger complete with 4 batteries for only a small amount more than just buying the batteries, so I got a couple of the chargers and them seem to work well

[v6TransAM]

Nice to see more Eneloop folks having good luck as well.

It's the only battery I'm buying anymore when available.

Part of X-Mas this year will be devoted to many Eneloops for toys lol

[Paperballpark]

I use the rechargable battery box for the trains I run at shows. I have two loops, with four trains. I have two trains charging while two run, then swap them after about 3.5 hours when the batteries die.

I like the rechargable box simply because I don't have to take the train apart to get the batteries out! All I have to do is ensure I can get the charger into the top of it, which means I can really integrate the battery box into the train build - especially with steam trains.

[English Electric]

One of the main reasons I would rather use the AAA battery packs is that they are effectively better 'future proofed' than the rechargeable packs. In 20 years time will the rechargeable packs still be going strong, or will they have died by then? At least with the AAA packs when the rechargeable batteries have past their best they can simply be exchanged at little cost.

[dr_spock]

I designed most of my MOCs for easy removal of the battery box. I don't screw down the battery box top. I just lift up the top part and out it comes with the AAA batteries. I haven't had to run on batteries at shows yet. Last time I borrowed someone's 9V motor and tracks.

[Paperballpark]

One of the main reasons I would rather use the AAA battery packs is that they are effectively better 'future proofed' than the rechargeable packs. In 20 years time will the rechargeable packs still be going strong, or will they have died by then? At least with the AAA packs when the rechargeable batteries have past their best they can simply be exchanged at little cost.

In 20 years time I will have saved enough money (by not buying batteries) to enable me to buy 40 new rechargeable battery boxes should I need to ;)

[rsb0204]

I prefer to use AAA battery packs for 2 reasons. #1. I don't have to wait for my battery packs to recharge if I run them down, I just swap batteries. #2. I like to think ahead, that is to say, my 4.5v trains still run because the batteries in the box are easily replaced. if TLG had made rechargeable batteries back when 4.5v was around, im shure there would be approximately none in working order today. in the future (after PF gets discontinued for whatever "better" system comes along) id like my PFs to work as well then as my 4.5s do today.

A good middle ground would be AAA battery boxes using rechargeable AAAs, that way your trains still work in 20 years, and you don't have to buy 20 years worth of AAAs.

Edited November 9, 2014 by rsb0204

[detjensrobert]

A good middle ground would be AAA battery boxes using rechargeable AAAs, that way your trains still work in 20 years, and you don't have to buy 20 years worth of AAAs.

That is what a lot of people do. They use "Eneloop" batteries in the AAA bat box.

[dr_spock]

You can also buy AAA batteries practically any where in an emergency. When you enter in the dark ages, the rechargeable AAA can be re-used for your TV remotes and other electronic devices.

[stu808]

I'm also a standard Lego AAA battery box (88000) and Eneloop user, I too will sing the praises of this setup.

I also use the old 9V battery box with rechargeable 9V batteries... but that is a different story

I'd also like to add... buy a decent charger. That can make a big difference to how much performance and life you can get out of your rechargeable batteries; especially LSDs like Eneloops. A charger that can discharge/charge/cycle is good, one that features an analyzer/refresher option, even better!

I didn't use the Lego Rechargeable Battery Box (8878) mainly for cost. A standard AAA battery box + 3x Eneloop AAA twin pack =$45NZ vs Rechargeable Battery Box = $149NZ

Never considered future proof part of it...

Stu :)

[AFOLguy1970]

Hello railroad enthusiasts!

This is just the thread I was looking for as I have finished our first motorized train set, the 2014 high speed passenger passenger train. I too would like an option to just buying AAA's over and over again. After discovering that Lego has also made a rechargable battery box, I immediately gave thought to purchasing this. Just one problem, and correct me if I am wrong, but it does not come with the charging cord, which is sold separately? They both are expensive, but there appears to be an even bigger problem with that. The charging cord has a shipping date of July 2015! Are there any generic power cords that could be used as a substitute, or do you have to buy that particular one? It would appear that unless you already have the charging cord, there would be no point of ordering the rechargeable battery box by itself.

Why couldn't they have just sold the box and charger cable together?