Saphion battery. Good or a waste ?
11-01-2006, 05:20 PM
#2
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fowlerville,
MI
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Saphion battery. Good or a waste ?
1. They are hard to get
2. They don't quite have the current density (amps vs. weight) of the best Lipos
3. They don't quite have the power density (mah vs. weight) of the best Lipos.
4. They show a little more voltage drop under load than the best Lipos, and the nominal full charge voltage is slightly lower. Plan accordingly. A 3S pack of Saphions is somewhere between a 3S and a 2S pack of top-grade Lipos.
That said, I'm not at all unhappy with mine. Much, much sturdier than Lipos, and said to be much safer. I charge mine with my Lipo setup, and have had not indication of trouble.
For sport models they are pretty darn good for their size and weight.
The physical tenderness of Lipos is a serious drawback in any model. I've spoiled far more Lipos with crushing damage due to "arrivals", or by just dropping them on the floor, than by any other cause. The Saphions are immune to that kind of trouble.
An interesting side note - you can now get some very large hard-shell Li-Ions by dismantling packs intended for power tools. I just acquired some of these. About $10 per cell, and there's 7 cells in a Milwaukee pack. They're bigger in diameter than a C cell, and about twice as long, but they've been delivering 38 amps thru my Whattmeter for as long as I care to keep the load on. A 2S2P pack of these weighs less than an 8-cell 3000mah NiMh pack, and has a nominal capacity of over 6000mah, and will easily deliver 70 amps. Now I have to buy a motor that will CONSUME 70 amps, and build a plane for it.
2. They don't quite have the current density (amps vs. weight) of the best Lipos
3. They don't quite have the power density (mah vs. weight) of the best Lipos.
4. They show a little more voltage drop under load than the best Lipos, and the nominal full charge voltage is slightly lower. Plan accordingly. A 3S pack of Saphions is somewhere between a 3S and a 2S pack of top-grade Lipos.
That said, I'm not at all unhappy with mine. Much, much sturdier than Lipos, and said to be much safer. I charge mine with my Lipo setup, and have had not indication of trouble.
For sport models they are pretty darn good for their size and weight.
The physical tenderness of Lipos is a serious drawback in any model. I've spoiled far more Lipos with crushing damage due to "arrivals", or by just dropping them on the floor, than by any other cause. The Saphions are immune to that kind of trouble.
An interesting side note - you can now get some very large hard-shell Li-Ions by dismantling packs intended for power tools. I just acquired some of these. About $10 per cell, and there's 7 cells in a Milwaukee pack. They're bigger in diameter than a C cell, and about twice as long, but they've been delivering 38 amps thru my Whattmeter for as long as I care to keep the load on. A 2S2P pack of these weighs less than an 8-cell 3000mah NiMh pack, and has a nominal capacity of over 6000mah, and will easily deliver 70 amps. Now I have to buy a motor that will CONSUME 70 amps, and build a plane for it.
