Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
hey everyone
I recently got a dragonfly and am getting quite good with it. The only negative thing is that the stock batteries die with 5 minutes of flying. i have ready li-polys are the way to go. My question is, what exactly i would need to buy to make li-polys work in my dragonfly? I am still quite new to this so any suggestions on what to get, and where to get it would be appreciated.
thanks
mike foy
I recently got a dragonfly and am getting quite good with it. The only negative thing is that the stock batteries die with 5 minutes of flying. i have ready li-polys are the way to go. My question is, what exactly i would need to buy to make li-polys work in my dragonfly? I am still quite new to this so any suggestions on what to get, and where to get it would be appreciated.
thanks
mike foy
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
Mike,
The best LiPoly for the Feda/DragonFly/Hummingbird , is currently the E-tec 1200mAh two cell packs. You should be able to fly about 15 to 20 minutes. You will also need a LiPoly charger. The main problem now is going to be finding somewhere that has the battery packs and chargers in stock. Everywhere I check seems to be out of stock. To get the shortest charging times you need a charger that can charge at the capacity of the pack, so for the E-tec 1200mAh, you will want a charger with a 1200mA setting. I don't have any recommendation for the charger, but www.b-p-p.com seems to have a very good selection of chargers and battery packs, if only they could keep them in stock. For most of the chargers, you will also need a DC wall transformer that will supply about 12 to 15 volts at around 1.5 amps.
Jeff
ps. The LiPoly packs are so light that you will have to move them very far forward to balance the heli.
The best LiPoly for the Feda/DragonFly/Hummingbird , is currently the E-tec 1200mAh two cell packs. You should be able to fly about 15 to 20 minutes. You will also need a LiPoly charger. The main problem now is going to be finding somewhere that has the battery packs and chargers in stock. Everywhere I check seems to be out of stock. To get the shortest charging times you need a charger that can charge at the capacity of the pack, so for the E-tec 1200mAh, you will want a charger with a 1200mA setting. I don't have any recommendation for the charger, but www.b-p-p.com seems to have a very good selection of chargers and battery packs, if only they could keep them in stock. For most of the chargers, you will also need a DC wall transformer that will supply about 12 to 15 volts at around 1.5 amps.
Jeff
ps. The LiPoly packs are so light that you will have to move them very far forward to balance the heli.
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Feda Dragon fly batteries
What would happen if you used the same amount of lithiom cells that are in the pack? would it bee too much power? also how in the world did u get you dragonfly to fly???? lol Ive had mine four weeks and have endless problems.
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
Na didn't get it up yet. I got the tail rotor but i got the wrong gear so i glued it on its only a temporary solution but today as i spooled up i found out my tail rotor was blowing the wrong way. I am bout to give up lol there is no end to the problems i have also interfierence on my pcm radio and it spooled up with out my control and rolled along the grass in my yard and i had to go chase after it thank god nothing broke.
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
with regards to lipos - you can't use the same number of cells as lipos cells are a much higher voltage than Ni-MH cells. 1 ni-mh cell - 1.2v ..... 1 li-po cell = 4v ish.
Trust me, a FP heli needs a 2 cell lipo. I've tried it. Tonnes of performance and 20 minutes flight times.
Trust me, a FP heli needs a 2 cell lipo. I've tried it. Tonnes of performance and 20 minutes flight times.
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
i was very surprised to find out how easy my dragonfly was to fly. i fly it in my 2 car garage and can take off and land on small boxes that i scatter around the garage floor. i have taken it outside a couple of times now( in zero wind) with great results. another gripe that i have is the motors burning out so quickly. i have been flying about 2 months and i am on my third main and second tail motors(i have a stockpile of replacements though). i took off the plastic tubing from the main shaft(helihobby mod) and also added the blue swash plate(very expensive) from hellihobby. this thing flys like a dream now, but for ONLY FIVE MINUTES! hopefully lipolys will fix that though.
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parts
Does any one know where to get the official feda dragonfly parts!?!?!?!?!?! I have been buying parts from the centruy humming bird and fileing down the part to fit on my dragonfly and then gluing them on because i cant find a place to get the official feda parts. Any help on where to get them would be greatly appreciated.
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
I don't know of a source in the US, but this place ships worldwide, and only charges $5 shipping to the US. I haven't ordered from him, but he has been posting on the various heli boards for a while, and seems to know his stuff.
http://www.amersfoortairport.com/indexe.html
http://www.amersfoortairport.com/indexe.html
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
Jefs555,
Yep, that is correct. We sell parts for the Feda as well as for the Skylark.
Payments accepted through PayPal. Most items are stock. If a certain item is not available, we can have it stock within 2 or 3 days.
Regards,
Jan-Dirk Schuitemaker
The Netherlands
Yep, that is correct. We sell parts for the Feda as well as for the Skylark.
Payments accepted through PayPal. Most items are stock. If a certain item is not available, we can have it stock within 2 or 3 days.
Regards,
Jan-Dirk Schuitemaker
The Netherlands
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
i get all my extra parts for my dragonfly from helihobby.com. they are great to deal with and have fast shipping. they dont have any offical feda parts, but i just get the hummingbird parts. i have not had a problem at all making them fit on my dragonfly.
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Another source for parts
I bought my dragonfly from www.rc-expert.com . They have been pretty helpful via email for support, and shipping was fast, even though it comes from Hong Kong. They seem to carry all the dragonfly stock parts.
I've had mine for about a month, and I think I damaged the batteries by overcharging. I left them both plugged in overnight on accident and now the main rotor power has gone down the tubes. It will only lift about 3 inches off the ground and that's when the batts are fresh. Has anyone seen this before, before I order a new set of batteries? Could there be another problem?
-brian
I've had mine for about a month, and I think I damaged the batteries by overcharging. I left them both plugged in overnight on accident and now the main rotor power has gone down the tubes. It will only lift about 3 inches off the ground and that's when the batts are fresh. Has anyone seen this before, before I order a new set of batteries? Could there be another problem?
-brian
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
Riderclimber,
Most likely you have damaged your batteries. We sell the batteries for US$ 13.00/piece, so not a big investment you have to do to get your heli up again. Wordwide shipping, like jefs555 said, is US$ 5,00.
Regards,
Jan-Dirk Schuitemaker
(see link to website below - www button).
Most likely you have damaged your batteries. We sell the batteries for US$ 13.00/piece, so not a big investment you have to do to get your heli up again. Wordwide shipping, like jefs555 said, is US$ 5,00.
Regards,
Jan-Dirk Schuitemaker
(see link to website below - www button).
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
riderclimber,
Century Heli has the batteries for $11.95 and I'm sure Heli-Hoby has them too. Both are quite close to you and should be faster than ordering off-shore. 1200 mAh Li-Poly batteries make a great upgrade (20 minutes flying on 1 charge).
An easy test for a cooked battery would be to 1) note how high or well the heli flies when the batteries are fresh off of the charger. Then 2) recharge the batteries, take them off of the charger when done and let them sit for a day or so. Try flying the heli now. Is the performance substantially worse? If so, it sounds like a shorted cell in the pack. You can do the same test using a volt meter (VOM, DVM etc.) if you have that available.
The stock motors have be known to be week points. Many people have found big performance gains by changing to GWS370 or Speed 300's and a 9-tooth pinion. Heli-Hobby should have those...
Century Heli has the batteries for $11.95 and I'm sure Heli-Hoby has them too. Both are quite close to you and should be faster than ordering off-shore. 1200 mAh Li-Poly batteries make a great upgrade (20 minutes flying on 1 charge).
An easy test for a cooked battery would be to 1) note how high or well the heli flies when the batteries are fresh off of the charger. Then 2) recharge the batteries, take them off of the charger when done and let them sit for a day or so. Try flying the heli now. Is the performance substantially worse? If so, it sounds like a shorted cell in the pack. You can do the same test using a volt meter (VOM, DVM etc.) if you have that available.
The stock motors have be known to be week points. Many people have found big performance gains by changing to GWS370 or Speed 300's and a 9-tooth pinion. Heli-Hobby should have those...
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
For the amount of time I've had the Dragonfly, I'm already feeling the urge for something a little larger/more powerful. Is it worth putting money into the Dragonfly for upgrades or would money be better spent on a different heli altogether?
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Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
I've never flown anything larger than the Dragonfly but after getting things sorted out, I'm having a blast. Looking forward to CP in the near future.
I'd like to try something larger too but indoors in the bad weather is a big consideration too.
I'd like to try something larger too but indoors in the bad weather is a big consideration too.
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RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
In Regards to the E-tec 1200mAh two cell packs. Its says to charge them you need the charger ($50.00) and a 15v power souce.. Now I know about a 12v power source, but I never herd about a 15v power source.. It says you can also get a 24v source that plugs into the wall(15.00)... OK what is the cheapest method for charging these batteries, and what are my options.. I am a newbie and em grateful for any information you can throw my way.. Thanks
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RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
jarose,
For charging a 2-cell pack, a 12 volt power supply should be sufficient. I use a 12V 2A bench supply for my 2-cell packs and it works just fine. Look at http://www.mpja.com/listitems.asp?dept=3&main=1 for a good selection at reasonable prices. A 3-cell pack would require at least a 15V supply...
For charging a 2-cell pack, a 12 volt power supply should be sufficient. I use a 12V 2A bench supply for my 2-cell packs and it works just fine. Look at http://www.mpja.com/listitems.asp?dept=3&main=1 for a good selection at reasonable prices. A 3-cell pack would require at least a 15V supply...
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RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
Just getting started with my Feda Dragonfly but flying time is definitely limited with the batteries supplied with it - 2 x 7-cell NiMH (700 mAh/8.4v) Li-poly seems to be the way to go to increase flying time according to what I've read in this forum but I was wondering if voltage is compatible, how to mount them in the FD frame which is specifically designed for the 7-cell shape and a good place to buy them. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
I hope someone can answer a couple questions.. One is Intertrack's question about the volts on a lith being below the 8.4v standard battery. Second if I move the left stick (throttle stick) to the right (heli tail pointed at me) the tail moves to the left.. Is this correct?
oh and 1 more... if I run 2 lith poly in series and then parallel would that give me 40 minutes of flight time.. Now were talking!
oh and 1 more... if I run 2 lith poly in series and then parallel would that give me 40 minutes of flight time.. Now were talking!
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RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
jarose,
Your controls are correct. Some people say to think of it like the stick controls the nose of the heli. I like to think of it as the stick controls the rotation of the heli; moving the stick right rotates the heli clockwise, and left rotates it counter-clockwise.
As for the batteries, a 2 cell Etec 1200 mah LiPoly will give about the same performance as the stock battery because it is lighter, and it will last a lot longer. Adding an additional 2 cells in parallel will not double your flight time, because it also increases the weight.
Jeff
Your controls are correct. Some people say to think of it like the stick controls the nose of the heli. I like to think of it as the stick controls the rotation of the heli; moving the stick right rotates the heli clockwise, and left rotates it counter-clockwise.
As for the batteries, a 2 cell Etec 1200 mah LiPoly will give about the same performance as the stock battery because it is lighter, and it will last a lot longer. Adding an additional 2 cells in parallel will not double your flight time, because it also increases the weight.
Jeff
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RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
A 2 cell Li-Poly pack (2s) measures 8.4V. Just right for our little birds. Here is how I mounted my Li-poly pack: http://www.sparerib.net/pix/batt1.jpg. Many of the hobby suppliers that advertise on this board sell li-polys and chargers for them. http://www.helihobby.com/ comes to mind as one but there are many other places.
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RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
kenru, I see from your photo you have the li-poly way forward of the original 7-cell battery holder - towards the front of the heli. I assume that comes about because of the changed C of G with that battery pack What are using for charging as a matter of interest?