New Basher Tip: Portable RC Power/Charger Box

RC Bashers and racers find themselves in many different types of places while bashing. It can be the backyard, a parking lot, a school, wherever. When you are out there with an electric vehicle, you don’t always have enough charged batteries to last you the whole time you want to bash, and you don’t always have a power outlet available. One solution would be to go out and get a generator. This is expensive, and they take up a lot of room (not to mention the noise) so we bring you a cheap, small, and easy way to have portable power.

Here is the item list we used.
1) One Rubbermaid Container with locking lid. (around 15 quart size) $5
2) One Hobbico Deluxe Power Panel II $21
3) One Hangar 9 Maintenance-Free 12v 7Ah Sealed Battery $25
4) One Hangar 9 12V Battery Charger $12
5) Some sort of charger, batteries and maybe even a power supply.

You may already have some of these items laying around, so see if you can save yourself a few $$.
Measure a hole to cut out of the lid of the container for the power panel to fit in. It’s better to error on the side of too small, so you can keep cutting a little bigger as needed so you have a nice tight fit. Then slide the panel in, and screw it down to the lid to keep it secure.

The 12v battery and charger will take a while to fully charge the first time, so make sure you get it plugged it so you can give it enough time. It’s a slow charger, and could take 12 hours or more to charge. The battery fits nice in with all of our other needs, and the power panel clips right onto the battery.

Because you never know what type of plug you may need when you are off in the middle of nowhere, I make sure to carry a baggy with all sorts of connectors. From LiPo to Tamiya, you can be ready to go. Pack just about everything you need to run electric in the box. Ours has a 12v power supply in case we are near an outlet we can use. A Duratrax ICE charger, this is a great charger that can charge anything you might have with you, it also plugs right into our power panel. A few different types/sizes of batteries. A bunch of connectors, and that’s about it. The power panel will now only supply the charger with 12v to run, but it also has a glow igniter charger, and a way to power an igniter. (Great for those hard to start engines. Lets you give just a little extra juice).

The locking lid is a great addition. Sometimes stuff gets packed into your ride, and it’s nice to know you wont have batteries and chargers rolling around in your trunk. This box is a little dirty, but has really been a huge help. We have used it for over a year now at the track, rc drag racing, bashes, everywhere. If you are an rc basher or an rc racer, this power box can be a real life saver!

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Have a tip this good, or even better? Not just for receivers, but anything RC related? Drop me an email. If it’s good enough for the page I’ll mail you some FREE stickers!! Pictures help! For more great tips check our Tips For Bashers section!