party pooper

I'm thinking of dumping my Nickle Metal for either Duralite LithiumIon or Limn(Maganese) , A 123's LiPoly 2 cells 7.4 V system. I fly in 4 seasons including the winter in New England down to about temps of 45F. I'm also looking at the Formeco batteries and charger in Lithium Ion.
I have nothing against Nicke Metal except I lose about 150 mah's a day in storage and some of the chargers like the Formeco and the Duralite chargers are cheap and will charge 4 or 5 batteries at once. I think the Duralite will charge 4 batteries at once . I doubt I will need more than 3 outlets 95% of the time. Basicly I'm switching to dual batteries in each plane for the receiver and then a 3rd for the Ignition. So I'm leaning to either Formeco's Lithium Ion's or the Duralite A 123's.

Just wondering what the pro's and con's are beteen going 1)Lithion Ion 2)LiMn (Maganese) 3)Lithium Ion 4) LiPoly. I got a D- in Science Class. These batteries will be used for the receiver in a duel redundant battery fashion.


Party Pooper

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

I just switched to lithium ion. It needs to be regulated to 6 volts with an appropriate regulator. Obviously it is more important to be aware of the battery condition with these batteries. The pros are that you save a decent amount of weight even with the regulator. You get constant power and speed output from your first flight to your last.

Here is the battery I got:
http://centralhobbies.com/Electrical...mp/nmpbats.htm

The different battery technologies have different advantages with respect to discharge rates and such. I don't know much about that, other than knowing the Lithium Ion I got is plenty for running 6 digital servos at 130 oz-in of torque. I think the lithium polymer will have a higher discharge capacity for more electrical demand, but since I don't need that I got lighter weight, smaller size, and higher capacity (not by much though

I don't know of too many cons, other than checking your battery frequently, being around it when it charges, and people talk about the regulator being another failure point in the system. Oh and the lighter battery has less of an effect on CG if you are using it to balance your plane.

Here are the regulators I use:
http://www.tech-aero.net/)

DSTIEBS

Is it true that the Lithium Ion battery will cut out when they drop below a certain voltage without any warning. Say you test them and they read 6v and you take off could they drop off very quickly to an extent that you could not control your plane? Someone told me this and I would like to know if it is true before i decide if I want to go with the Lithium Ions.

alan0899

G'day Mate,
Why not try Sanyo Eneloops, they can be charged with your normal NiMh charger are rated at 2000Mah, for AA size cells, & don't loose charge while sitting around.
Do a Google search for them.
They work really well.

JohnW

My Feedback: (6)

Lithium ion refers to a entire class of batteries with several chemistrys that all operate a bit differently, but I think you may be asking about the Lithium Iron Phosphate, or A123 brand cells. Yes, they have a very flat discharge, hence they give little warning before they die. But saying "no warning" is incorrect in my opinion, i.e. you've flown a zillion flight and haven't charged the battery... that's your warning. But that is pretty much true for all of the Lithium types, but the LiFePO's (A123's) are probably have one of the flatest discharges of the group. But, there are still ways to estimate your usage and fly safely, so not big deal normally.

DSTIEBS

Thanks John for clearing that up.

F4U Corsair

My Feedback: (22)

Go with A123 LiFePO3, you can run most modern servos without a regulator. They put out about 7.2v initially (about the same as a 5 cell NiCd, hold a charge over time, can be quick charged at the field in minutes, and maintain the voltage over a longer period of time. A 1100mAh 2s setup weighs less than the same size NiCd and I get 6+ flights before field charging. I'm a happy camper since switching my fleet over to them

party pooper

StickDude

Of all the A123s which brand do you like? I was thinking Duralite but heard years ago they put some Lipo's out with Gov't surplus cells they purchased that were already 1.5 years old. Some will never forgive them for that. Again, this was some years ago. Maybe old news, maybe false news = dunno how true that rumor is. I would love to find a good brand with the right E-Fligh connectors that fit into J.R.'s top of the line 922 9 channel redundant receiver.

Party Pooper.

ricardinho

hello has anyone tried chargeing a lithium maganese with the great planes triton 2 eq..it comes with voltage too high and cuts off.. charges the lithium ions perfect though.. i friend says his does the same and he uses the duralite charger...just trying to figure out why this does this..

Stick 40

I just switched to the A123's for my flight packs. The threads on this site sent me to wrongwayrc for them. I got the 2 cell 2300's, when I fly 4 o 5 flights recharge is about 300 Mill amps. not a problem.

They are bigger than the 5 cell AA battery's , but weight is about the same.

sticks

K-Bob

My Feedback: (1)

I get mine (A123s) from several sources. The most important criteria is that they be "A" grade cells. WrongwayRC, Nobsrc, and TaildraggerRC use "A" cells exclusively.
Some one mentioned Enloop cells. They are OK for a transmitter battery but cannot deliver the amperage that may be needed in larger planes with high current digital servos.

jester_s1

I've been using the Hyperion LiFe's for about a year and am happy with them. I don't see the point in using any other lithium technology for a receiver battery unless you have high voltage servos and want to run unregulated Lipos for the extra power.

dasintex

My Feedback: (10)

A123 batteries are the way to go; get them from 'WrongWay RC' or 'Hangtime RC'; 'Sanyo Enloops' great choice for Transmitters, get those from 'Hangtime RC'.

http://www.shop.kavarootusa.com/cate...c?categoryId=2

http://www.hangtimes.com/index.html

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I started using Eneloops several years ago. They are Nimh and there great claim to fame is there lack of a self discharge rate or very little. You can charge them today then go fly next month. I like them a lot but most of the giant scale pilots I fly with went over to the A123s. I have one charger for the new type of batteries but I have four or five good chargers for Nimh so I haven't changed over. Another source for Eneloops is a camera shop.