American Kitefliers Association

That is strange, I buy NI. batteries to re build power tool battery packs and they come from China via postal and they move by air.


CLIFF

Thanks for that information. I hope it still holds true.
Cpt. A.

I have ordered several dozen times and they have been shipped as a set except the last order. I had quite a few kites on it so they drop shipped the kites directly from the factory and the batteries and chargers with the other parts were air freight from Singapore.

The big problem is that the batteries keep getting a higher amp rating. Carbon zink, then Alkaline, then ni-cads each were big steps. The latest is Lithium which is in most new laptops and cell phones. The big pack is 6 sub D batteries with a 8400 mah rating. If you short it the rapid discharge produces heat that will melt the aluminum case and put out toxic fumes. That is why they have a lump on the side of the case. Its a thermistor that shuts off the flow of the charger when it gets to hot and turns the charge back on after it cools slightly.

The big rules to follow are make sure you charge it away from flamables. I lay mine on a ceramic counter top with nothing near by. You also should inspect the wires each time to make sure they are not damaged and most of all don't leave the charger plugged in to keep it topped off. The best part is they don't suffer from the memory problem like ni-cad's so you don't have to fully drain them but its good to fully cycle them once in a while.