ORIGINAL: CGRetired
ORIGINAL: ndb8fxe
ORIGINAL: CGRetired
Don't be distracted by all the negative hype. Proper care of any battery pack will give you what it has. We went through all sorts of issues with NiCd and NiMh packs but they work as advertised, as long as we use reasonable care and diligence in using the things.
Go ahead and fly with it, but, as any other technology, be aware that these, like any other battery pack, do not supply unlimited power... they have a life (pardon the pun) and will do just fine in your aircraft.
Use voltwatch and do as I always suggest... check it before and after each flight and you will be just fine.
CGr.
How does voltwatch work? Is it just a voltmeter that gives a reading? If so this is BAD info. Do not use Volts to determine whether a battery is suitable for flight. As the other poster said, these batteries hold voltage untill they are almost dead. You could check the volts and it seem fine but a couple dozen mah later the volts can drop rapidly. I use A123 and my gas and glow planes except for my 1/2a stuff. These batteries are safe to use and perform awsome, however I wouldn't trust a volt reading to determine when they need to be charged. Just figure out how much you are using each flight and figure out how many flight you can fly between charges.
No, it's not just a voltmeter that gives a reading. It is a LOADED voltmeter that gives a reading. The load is the system load.. receiver and servos. I just wonder how many times I have to repeat this?
Before you make such a statement, I suggest you do a little research. There is lots of information available here on RCU on Voltwatch 2.
CGr.
OK, CG, I understand. This was not a thread about Voltwatch. My point still stands: you should not base the safe usage of A123 or Life batteries by a volt reading, loaded or not.