Dave trimmer

first why does everyone use lipos instead of nimh batts for motors. Can I use the one shown in the pic below, as a power sorce for a my motor below.it is a 9v pack. next can someone suggest a cheap plane that will work well with the motor below, weather plans or an arf, foam, (preferably scale small warbird or jet style plane such as the wwii v1 flying bomb or f16 etc). also what size plane may this be for in terms of weight and glow size. what size batt should i use if the one below, If I could I would prefer other types other than lithium batteries due to cost of chargers.

lastly the pack in the pic, is it ok to charge it at 6v, will it ever reach a full charge

I am new to electrics and want a small change from glow, thanks for your help, Dave trimmer

Bad_Daddy

The best way to get the answers to most questions is by READING the other discussion threads already here.
In the upper right of your screen is a strip of buttons, one near the middle says "Search". Click on that and type something like "lipo vs. nimh" or "charging lipo battery" or "battery charger". Then read.

mrasmm

the main reason people are using lipos is power density, or power to weight ratio, and also you can tell exactly where a lipo is in it's discharge curve by just checking the voltage. Both NiCD's and NiMH's run at a pretty constant voltage until they fall off =) Also I personally think that lipos are easier to predict when they are gona fall off and stop working and need to be taken out of service.

Depending on the size of the lipo and how quick you want it to charge, ebay has a balancing lipo charger that is ok for 2 and 3 cell lipos with an 800mA ouput for $16 bucks with shipping which might not be a bad option if you don't have alot of money.

As far as the motor and what it would be good for... I really have no idea =)

jdetray

Hi Dave -

You've received good advice already, but if you want to put a number on it, if you have a lipo and a NiMH with the same voltage and capacity, the NiMH will weigh 2 to 3 times as much as the lipo. Since the battery is often the heaviest component in an electric plane, you can see why lipos are so popular. In e-flight, weight is everything.

Lipos -- along with affordable brushless motors -- have pretty much revolutionized e-flight over the past few years.

- Jeff

jooNorway

The motor is a brushed one. Propably it could run on 6-8,4 volt... ?
The battery seems to be a 7,2Volt (6-cell) NiXX. There is a good chance the things will run together, but usually brushed motors don`t like much current. 10-14A maybe, and the power is not much to talk about. Could propably fly a slow and lightweight glider.
These motors don`t cost "anything" and should not be the item to start the choice of a plane from.

Just an example of specs and price on these motors: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGLK3&P=0

mrasmm

I would definately second that. That motor is probably worth 20 or 30 bucks at the absolute max, but probably more like 10 bucks. I could be wrong though.

ozrcboy

Hi Dave,

I think you have the answer as to why people use LiPo.

You can't charge a 9v battery at 6v - it wont work. Voltage is like electrical pressure and current will only flow if you have more voltage (like a pressure difference when siphoning).

A 400 size can motor with a 9v pack could fly planes in the 12-20oz range (350-500g) reasonably well (30-40" wingspan), although for many applications it will need a gearbox so the motor spins at an effecient speed. Couldn't give you an exact glow equivalent. If you were running a 3s LiPo perahps around the 0.049 mark?

Many ARFs suitable for a brushed motor these days just include the motor - they are so cheap now.

Cheers,
Oz.