ORIGINAL: Missileman
I have 2/3 AA, 6 cell, 400mah nicads in mine. Flies well but the batteries take forever to charge back up.
I was considering upgrading to lipos but was told by club members that I would need a different esc and a brushless motor (not to mention a lipo charger) is this true?
He's half right - maybe. It depends on what your ESC is. Some support nicads, nimhs and lipos. I suspect that most will not though. If your existing brushed ESC does not support lipos then the cut off voltage will be too low and your lipo would be damaged. You could buy a lipo-aware brushed ESC.
Look here for an example of the options - same ESC but with different battery options - [link=http://www.gws.com.tw/english/product/speedcontroller/480.htm]GWS[/link]
The bottom one is the lipo-aware one and they have the same for other power ratings as well.
BTW, we've been using a 6 cell 900mAh pack borrowed from a FBC and it's not a PITA to recharge - maybe an hour or so.