RE: New 1100 mAh A123 available everywhere and no word here!
So far, really good results with these new batteries. The new A123 3S 1,100 mAh pack is holding up.
I have just started to charge the new pack on my Hyperion charger which I mentioned above
in this thread at 6.0 Amps. Real-world charging figures on a run-down pack; that is, a pack
whose cells are about 2.750 Volts per cell are full re-charges in 10 minutes, 30-50 seconds and
the battery pack is at or below 90 degrees F. Again, your mileage will vary depending upon the
application you will use them (new A123 cells in), but for me and my current application as I
mentioned before, my run time exceeds the re-charging phase by like 4 minutes. I am quickly
finding out with these batteries that (in theory), I can fly all day long and the batteries in my
Futaba transmitter are running down and need re-charging before long. If I were to go to a
field with the new setup, I would literally have to carry an extra set of 2,500 mAh AA NiMH
batteries that I use in my tranny, since they would run down before anything else!; (assuming
of course I did not crash or some other event that would cause me to head back home). Right
now, I only have the one pack, but all I need to do is to head back to Home Depot and pick up
another Black and Decker VPX 2S pack for like $19.97, since I already own a spare 1,100 mAh
cell and all the other materials to make a pack from scratch. With two packs, there will always
be a battery available....anytime, since re-charging times are faster than run times. You may
have heard about the flat discharge curves on these batteries, but I can tell you from personal
experience now that it is TRUE. I will have to implement a timer with an audible warning within
90-95% percent of the run time, since there is little to no warning that the battery is about to
dump. That's how flat the discharge curve is! Simply put, no battery in R/C can provide the
amount of discharge for a given size/weight as these new A123 cells do WITH a 10 minute re-
charging time. These batteries, although not perfect (nothing really ever is, especially
technical things), are revolutionary and were the batteries I had been waiting for; a flight pack
that could be safely re-charged at the flying field in less than 15 minutes...