David Bathe

Couldn't find any decent powered cells that would fit inside the case for my ol' 10X so... on Friday, throwing causion to the wind, I hooked up a 2200mAh LiPo 3cell/11.1v and BANG....
It worked. Brilliantly!
48 hour later... still working... STILL showing 12.1v and no smell of smoldering electrics... I'm a happy camper.
Or have I screwed up? Anything I should know?
Please tell.

GeicoGecko

Unfortunately it's not just a case of whether it works or not. With modern electronics, they may work with a higher voltage but the difference is they won't last as long. Every IC has a life, the frequency, temperature and voltage at which you operate it will contribute to accelerating its age. I would say that if it's not designed for 3S lipo it will need regulating. You could be lucky but only time will tell.

rapega

Hi,

I must agree from personal experience in other circumstances.
A workaround: Do not charge the LiPo to higer Voltage than the NiMH would have.

Or try a LiFePo, that's what I will do with my 11X.

Does anyone know a good LiFePo Balancer Charger? Like the small RFT chargers from Walkera and others?

Cheers, Ralf

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

I have been using 3cell LiPo Tx packs with my two 9303's, for over 4 years, without an issue. As was mentioned, some caution that components could fail over time. One easy solution is to charge the Tx battery to 11.7v instead of 12.6. There are also several threads on this subject that describe Diodes you can purchase from Radio Shack which will each drop the voltage .3v. Install them in series on the battery lead and you can charge normally.

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

I have been using 3cell LiPo Tx packs with my two 9303's, for over 4 years, without an issue. As was mentioned, some caution that components could fail over time. One easy solution is to charge the Tx battery to 11.7v instead of 12.6. There are also several threads on this subject that describe Diodes you can purchase from Radio Shack which will each drop the voltage .3v. Install them in series on the battery lead and you can charge normally.

It is so much easier to only have to charge your Tx battery once a month, where it only takes less than 30 minutes. The charge lasts for months. You can also use 3cell LiFe batteries. They will charge to 10.5v, but drop quickly to 9.9v and hold there until it is time to recharge. Since the voltage does not change much from Charge to Fully Discharged, I would charge once a week.

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

I use the FMA 10S charger for LiPo, LithIon, LiFe, and A123. They are excellent. They also sell a 4S Multi, which is less expensive.

rene69

What is the set up in the FMA 4S to charge LiFe? I try using the A123 settings but I get irregular charging. Like when I plug it it says "Fuel:29%", 5 minutes later it stops charging and says full. Plug in about an hour later and says "Fuel: 50%" and again stops about 5-10 minutes later.
Thanks for your response.

Rene

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

On my 10S, there is a separate setting for A123 and LiPo. I choose a 1C charge rate. I did not have LiFe batteries when I had my 4S charger, so I do not know how different it is from the 10S. LiPo is 4.2v per cell, fully charged. A123/LiFe is 3.5v per cell, fully charged. Are you sure you have the correct adapter connected to your 4S?

energyman

My Feedback: (2)

Rene,

I have an FMA Multi 4, which is similiar to your 4S but charges other battery chemistries as well as Lithium. In my owner's information, FMA states that the "fuel" reading is calibrated for their A123 batteries and if you do not use true A123 batteries, but standard LiFePO4 batteries, the fuel reading may not be accurate. I have a Hobbico LiFePO4 pack and some NoBS A123 packs. Their mAh ratings are the same, but the LiFePO4 pack is rated at 10C, and the A123's are rated at 30C. However, both manufacturers recommend 1C charging for maximum battery life.

I am having similiar problems with myMulti 4when charging NiCds. The charger shuts down long before the battery is fully charged. Maybe old batteries? Don't know at this time. Good Luck

Danny Jackson

David Bathe

Cheers for the info.
I'll start by Down-Charging the lipo as a short term solution.

One Q for the JR 10X techies:
The old battery holder housed a small circuit board that contained a diode.
Anyone know what was it's purpose.

BTW, I'm still using that circuit board, just un soldered the NiMH's and put on a conector for the LIpo.

rene69

In the 4S I have also a separate set up for LiPo and A123. If I recall correct the charger indicated that charging was going to be at 4 Amps., that may be part of the problem since this is a 2100 mAh LiFe. The adapter is the one manufactured by FMA.


Energyman,
Thanks for the info. This is my first LiFe that I just bought, I need to play with it a little more.

Thank you both for taking the time.

Rene

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

FMA chargers sense the voltage of the battery packs and charges based upon the adapter port that the battery packs Balancing Tap is connected to. If the battery pack voltage is too high, it will sense that and terminate the charge when the voltage reaches the max for that number of cells.

http://www.rcworld.com.au/media/down...UserManual.pdf

The manual mentions using the 3a 3.6v per cell A123 charge mode as the only one to use for A123 cells. It does not say anything about not using that mode for charging LiFe.

Do you have the 4s charger with the RS232 Serial connector on it that is used to connect the charger to a PC with an RS232 to USB adapter. This is an older 4S charger.

The newer Gold 4S charger has a 3pin JR connector port. FMA makes a FUIM2 or FUIM3 adapter to connect the charger to a PC. You can download new firmware and update your charger periodically. New firmware adds support for newer chemistry and addresses problems that may not have been detected when the charger was shipped.

http://revolectrix.fmadirect.com/sup.../item_1298.pdf

My 10S treats A123 and LiFe as the same. I have never had a problem charging LiFe. I have both EPBuddy and Hobbico LiFe receiver packs.

Perhaps you can find someone who has the 10S charger and see how your packs charge. Look at the voltage per cell and not just the Fuel percentage.

energyman

My Feedback: (2)

Rene,

Glad I could help. According to the manual, higher charge rates, up to 3 amps if I remember correctly are ok, but 1 amp is recommended for longer life. Also, is it is recommended to always charge LiFe multiple cell packs with a balanced charge. I, too am new to LiFe, A123, and am on the learning curve.

I am still having problems with early shut off on the NiCd setting. I need to contact FMA to see what t hey say.

Danny

rapega

Hi,

I'm looking for a charger with balancer connector only, to leave the lifepo in the 11x.
Ist that such a thing?

Thank you,

Ralf

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

running lipo's in my 10x and 9303 for years, works great, I also just dont fully charge them, I do not miss charging TX's at the field!