battery fell out of plane

[buggy285]

the velcro straps in the battery box of my super cub are worn out and my battery fell out while flying at about 100ft . is this battery still safe to use? its the stock 8.4v 1000mAh Ni-MH battery that came with the super cub.

[flydiver]

If it were a lipo > no.
If the connections are still good, the battery is just dented and not leaking you can try it. One advantage of NiMh is the probability of having a 'bomb' on your hands is way lower.

FWIW, the average newbie screws up his first half-dozen lipos before they figure out how to handle them. Crash damage is one of the main early problems.

[buggy285]

it makes bubbling sounds when its being charged, is that normal?

[kenninny]

I had a hard crash with on of my planes, the lipo got banged up, but it still going strong all the cell take a full charge and I still get good flight time with it, I did go over it with a fine tooth comb

[buggy285]

the battery is really hot and the plastic insulation is melting, i think its shorted out inside

[flydiver]

It's shot. Trash it.

If you have others and want to stay NiMh, have at it.
If it was your only battery replacements are a bit expensive for what you get anymore. It may be a time to go lipo.

[buggy285]

I have another battery but its 9.6v 900mAH and has 8 cells in it, will it be ok?

[flydiver]

That will be fine, somewhat of an improvement if it's an OK battery.
Pain to get out of the battery box though.

[buggy285]

thats good. also i had to replace the screws that hold the motor onto the gearbox and i noticed that the gears are completly dry, is that normal

[flydiver]

Dry gears = normal.
You can lube them with a DRY lube, oil is not advised as it collects dirt.
I used some dry Teflon I found in the hardware store.

Put a tape strap around the 8-cell with a tab you can grab to help pull it out.

I used to use a 7-cell 1500mA made with power grade AA cells. The battery door wouldn't close so I had to rubber-band it partly closed. Worked fine plus 50% longer flights.
Note-this will NOT work with consumer grade AA.

[buggy285]

thanks, my plane will be ready to fly as soon as the glue on the cowl drys. the screws that held the motor on the gearbox had come out and got lost, any ideas why that would happen?

[flydiver]

Vibration, if crashes weren't the problem.
Vibration is almost always from props being out of balance or damaged.
Get a prop balancer and use it. They run from cheap fingertip to semi-expensive (and more accurate) magnetic ones. Just do a search.

[buggy285]

thanks, i will have to get one. are the stock propellers balanced at the factory? i checked the balance using a small screwdriver and it seems ok. i have used some chewed up props before (some with half a blade missing), would that have caused the screws to become loose

[luvofthagame]

...I would think so...never do that again if you value your SC...lots of vibrations can do a lot of hidden damage, including loosing all your screws...IMO id go over the whole plane to double check all screws and connections...don't forget to check the receiver...

[flydiver]

Yep-tiny nicks can screw the balance up.
No wonder your plane is 'falling apart'.

Do not expect ANY prop to be balanced EVER! I've had the stock 10x8 prop come some bent and screwed up it was unusable. Better brands may tend to be more acceptable overall. IMO, check everything before use.

Take a look:
www.headsuprc.com/servlet/the-PROPELLERS-cln-Prop-Balancer/Categories