hargravebl

Okay all, new question....

I think I'm ready to make the move to lipo batts. Is it true that in order to fly lipos your speed controller has to be lipo compatable? How do you know?

I have a GWS ISC-480J in my Tigermoth 400...do I have to get a new speed controller to put 3-cell Kokam 1500mAh lipo battery in her?

Also does anyone have a charger to recommend? I'm thinking of getting a Hobbico Elite AC/DC charger for lips and my NIMHs.

raabid

No you don't have to have a particular ESC to use lipos but it helps. If your ESC doesn't have a programmable Low voltage cutoff, then you have to land every few minutes to check your voltage so you don't drop below 3V per cell.

Most of the time the plane will get very sluggish before you even get to 3V per cell but the Lipo ready ESC's let you not have to worry.

The two most popular chargers for lipos are the Electrifly Triton, which will charge most battery chemistries, and the Astro Flight 109, which is a dedicated Lithium charger. If you're planning on moving to big lipos(3000-8000mah) Then the 109 is your best choice. The Triton will only charge up to 2.5A for lipos. Since they can only be charged up to 1C, then a 5000mah lipo would take 2-3 hours to charge on the Triton.

I have the Triton currently, as I have small Lipos and NiMH's that I charge on it. I'm planning on getting a 109 soon though. My neighbor has three of them as he has four huge lipo setups.

Flypaper 2

As said above, you will notice the power drop off before the cutoff cuts in. I use the Castle Creations controller programmed to cut off and it and it seldom gets low enough to cut in automatically.

lwien

You don't have to land every few minutes to check your voltage. You may want to check out the following thread. I get about 25 to 30 minutes out of a 1320mah lipo without having to bring her in. The only time you do have to bring her in more often is when you are tracking voltage to set up your timer.

Check it out:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/How_...2270342/tm.htm