Blender4U

My Feedback: (33)

Need some help.....

Getting back into flying after more then 10 years. Have 50cc planes and up. The nicads I was using are not only out of date but are shot!!!

Any recommendations on what to use in today's standards? I have heard about A123 as well as a few others. I am using 10 year old digital servos and would prefer not to change them as they are fine. I am using a JR 9303 2.4mgz radio. I have a good Thunder Power Lipo Charger and a Great Planes Triton.

I am willing to buy batteries and a new charger if necessary. I am thinking I may need to use a regulator to be safe and not burn out the servos if I switch to Lithium Iron, etc.

What would you suggest as the best, most user friendly set-up out there today????

I would also like to get a Lithium battery for my 9303 Tx as well.

Thank you for your help!

rmh

Opinion:
best setup - genuine A123 a single pack is fine for 50cc models
two packs on big stuff.
Here is the setup.
buy packs from a supplier with proper plugs for your rx.
these will be two pins plus n minus ONLY into the rx.
To properly charge em-another pigtail -which will match your charger ,will have three pins
The A123 should always be charged with this balance setup - others may say no -but- do it.
The good part.
you can charge at 4 amps which is simply a limit of what the wires and plug pins will take
-a full charge is 15mins typically.
DO NOT leave the packs ON when not flying
these cells will die if allowed to drop voltage to zero and the load stays on-
There are other FEO4 cells which are NOT genuine A123- which are good but will NOT take the high charge load - otherwise they charge the same way
Buy a FMA Cellpro charger - the best setup and inexpensive.
My opinion.

aghost

My Feedback: (13)

Agreed.

Blender4U

My Feedback: (33)

Thank you both for your input.

A couple more quick questions.....

1. Do you feel I will need a voltage regulator of some sort since the equipment I am using ( digital servos ) is 10 years old? I am using modern JR 2.4 receivers ( 921 )

2. Is there a way or an adapter that can be used with the Cell Pro 4s that will allow you to charge more then 1 battery at a time?

Thanks again! Hoping to order today and be flying by the weekend!

aghost

My Feedback: (13)

Q1. The LiFe batteries I use (from Hangtime Hobbies) are at 7.2V off the charger and 7.0V 30 minutes later after settling down. unless you can find some documentation that your servos and other electronics are good for 7+ volts, i would suggest a voltage regulator.

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

There are some servos that are restricted to 5V but normally you will not need a regulator for your servos. The receiver has a built in regulator.

rmh

most JR servos will run without regulation onth e A123 or the FEO4 packs
Tho these show 7.2 coming off the charger , they are 6.6 volts when drawing any load.
Really the same as using a good 5 cell NiCad or NiMh pack these both have higher "fresh charged' readings.
Try your present servos- if they run smoothly - use em
avoid regs whenever possible-they are just another potential trouble point
There are lots of chargers on the market - the Cell pro will charge thru the balance leads - I like that.

some really low cost chargers will also work but DO use a balance type charger
Once you get an unbalance in your pack -you may have trouble rebalancing it

Four Stroker

I use A123. I agree with everything said so far. If you absolutely have to have a regulator, use a big linear one like Fromeco Sahara. I tried a new big name brand 10A switching reg. and it glitched my modest setup badly. Back to the ugly Fromeco - all is well.

The Fromeco is a bare board. You can solder on any connectors you want.