Legacy remote Batteries??

Steve,

     I replaced mine with Panasonic Eneloop rechargeables. They are supposed to be the best rechargeables since they don't develop a memory like most. I know longer use the base charger I have a Panasonic smart charger that I bought with the batteries. You can find them on Ebay or Amazon. Never saw them in stores.

also what you can do to improve the battery memory is totally run them dead with a light bulb or small motor. once the batteries are all dead, you have to discharge them totally one at a time and then recharge them over night, you'll usually find out they will hold the charge longer.  the secret with all rechargeable batteries is not to use them for say 10 minutes or half hour and then put them immediately back on the charger. that will cause to develop a short memory cycle. I had the same problem with the NiCad batteries that came with my legacy remote, after cycling as I stated above they held a full charge! another problem is when you let your batteries in the remote for long periods of time and sometimes will cause them to go dead and then they  wont hold a charge at all!

Alan 

After many many efforts to find a good solution, I settled on Lithium Ion rechargeable AAs.

I like having my screen light on and as we know this really drains the batteries.  The Lithium batteries last so much longer even with the screen light on.

You MUST charge these batteries with the appropriate charger.  They charge at 5 volts.  You cannot use the Legacy base to charge them.

I stopped using the Legacy charger.  It took too long to charge with quite a bit of heat build up that I did not care for.

Now a note here.  The icon on the Legacy remote indicating battery strength DOES NOT show the customary 3 bars.  It is always at one bar.   Most likely due to internal electronics, this option does not work with Lithium Ion batteries, at least for me.

FWIW  Been using this Maha charger and battery system for years in many different applications.  2700mah batteries last a long time.  Charges both AA and AAA at the same time if desired.

I vote for the Eneloop or Eneloop Pro rechargeable. They last a long time when sitting or using.

I use the tenerengy batteries recommended by GRJ. They work well just have to remember to charge them before using the remote. 

I use the batteries Lionel supplied, but with an external charger that came with some rechargeable batteries I bought (It's an Energizer charger that can do AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V.).

the batteries that come with the legacy remote are nickle metal hydride. they do not develop memories like the old nickle cadmium batteries and you should never run them down flat as they sometimes will reverse polarity.

I recently got new batteries and have had luck with energizer NiMh batteries. I still use the base charger. As I like the convenience. If I ever get my layout set up good I’d use the charger in the 993 base to take load of the 991 command base 

Trainlover9943 posted:

I use the tenerengy batteries recommended by GRJ. They work well just have to remember to charge them before using the remote. 

I also use these recommended by GRJ, and have passed that off to all my buddies!  They are great!

Fredstrains

@Trainlover9943 posted:

I use the tenerengy batteries recommended by GRJ. They work well just have to remember to charge them before using the remote. 

I'll replace one word from my previous comment. They work "ok". I didn't like the fact that I had to charge them EVERY time I wanted to use them. I switched to Energizer Max batteries, they work better but it seems like they die quickly and I'm replacing them like every 2 weeks. Any Ideas? It did go back to Lionel in 2018 for an unrelated issue. Also, it did have a fall to the (concrete) floor once. After that happened, I couldn't (and still can't) use the remote in the base, it rocks a touch to the right and restarts.  

@Trainlover9943 posted:

Also, it did have a fall to the (concrete) floor once. After that happened, I couldn't (and still can't) use the remote in the base, it rocks a touch to the right and restarts.  

If it will complete charging you could plug the base into a timer or better yet a smart plug to turn off after an hour or 2. However, I don't know if the batteries will discharge while the remote is sitting on an non-powered base.

I use the #993 charging base to charge my CAB2, it doesn't get hot like it does in the command base.  The Tenergy rechargeable batteries last for hours of running, and then they get charged when I plop the remote back in the charging base.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I use the #993 charging base to charge my CAB2, it doesn't get hot like it does in the command base.  The Tenergy rechargeable batteries last for hours of running, and then they get charged when I plop the remote back in the charging base.

I'm almost wondering if I should get a #993 set for battery charging. Would probably make it easier. 

I use two sets of Energizer lithium batteries and never use the Base charger. The batteries hold their charge well and I always have a second set ready to go, if necessary. At the end of each run session, based on the indicated battery level, I plug the charger into the wall outlet and recharge the spent set. The second,  always fully charged  set, is ready to go Total cost for the entire package is less than $25.00.  Sure beats the cost of a Lionel #993. I have never had a battery problem.

Yea picked up A RayOVac Charger and batteries on sale at Menards. Just use that charger and batteries works fine every time. Leave the charger turned off on the Legacy base and have a small piece of cardboard laying in the base on contacts.