RE: TF T-34 Mentor Conversion to E-Flite 90 Electric w/ A123 Cells
Leo,
I just spent the weekend making up 3 more 6S packs for my FW. Since I'll need the extra weight in the nose to balance anyway I'll be running 12S2P A123. I got 2 more 36V dewalt packs for $160 shipped about two months ago, but they're out of stock now. Now I have enough packs to run 10S, 11S, and 12s and experiment around with different props.
I suggest getting a few blinkies and let them all run at the same time. I haven't measured the bleed-off current of the blinkies yet but it's not too high, and after my first charge it took about 8 to 12 hours to get the each pack balanced. I also wired up a couple 10 ohm 10 watt resistors to put across individual cells that are really high and bring them down a lot faster. Hopefully after a few cycles they should be closer in balance.
The only thing about the blinky is that it balances to the lowest cell that it's hooked to, so it might be a bit of a balancing act to get a 9 cell pack balanced with it, but it will work eventually.
But you really should have a watt meter to know that you're running the motor and ESC within their limits and know how much power you're getting to the prop.
Can't wait to hear a flight report!
Ron