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Home / Archives / News Archive 2000 / Pratt Hobbies announces the PowerBrick
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Pratt Hobbies announces the PowerBrick |
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2000 Archived News by Pratt Hobbies
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Monday, July 31, 2000 |
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HERDON, Virginia USA — The PP-12B Ni-Cd Power Pack was one of our best-selling products. Ni-cds are great for launching rockets, and the PP-12B plugged into most launch systems easily. And you couldn't beat the price: $24.95 with a charger and spare plugs included. So what happened to them?
The problem with ni-cds is the cost. Sure, little AA ni-cds are cheap, because they are used in laptops and other low-current applications. But they won't put out the power we need for a day at the rocket range. The Power Packs used Sanyo Red Label sub-C 1300 mAh ni-cd cells, the best you could buy at the time...and we made a large buy that brought the cost down. Then our source dried up. We thought we had enough to last for years...
So, we started searching for cells that met our standards and could be built into a product that would be at least as inexpensive as the old Power Pack. We didn't have much luck. The electronics industry has gone to nickel metal hydride cells, which once again are great for laptops and other low current applications, but don't have the punch we need for igniters. And to use the Sanyo Red Labels (or other cells of similar quality) in a product like the old PP-12B would result in a battery that cost $50 or more.
But we did find some new cells, larger than AAs but smaller than sub-Cs. They're rated at 1000 milliamp-hours, good enough for a typical day's flying. And the best part is the price!
Our PowerBricks come with a slow charger that will charge the pack completely in 18 hours; an overnight charge is usually all that's necessary. Each pack has been cycle-tested and the test results are on the label. PowerBricks have terminals that can be tightened onto bare wire, or they will accept common banana plugs. Two banana plugs are included, so you can attach them to your launch system in place of the battery clips.
The price for the complete package (PowerBrick, charger, plugs and instruction manual) is $19.95. Order catalog #PB-12. In stock for immediate shipment. For more information or to order, point your browser to http://www.prathobbies.com.
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For further information:
Doug Pratt
Pratt Hobbies
http://www.prathobbies.com
mailto:
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