Which NiMetal battery, 5 cell, for airplanes of all sizes....
 

I need to replace about 10 batteries in 10 different airplanes.... I am comfortable with the NiMh batteries but have had problems with some makes of these batteries... Anyone really happy with their batteries and could you recommend them to me... Thanks...

Gone to LIFE batterys, good as long as you have the proper charger. HK has very good buys on them and so far no problems (about a year). The 6.6 volt works well as my receiver and ignition power sources....

I have two life batteries, 2 cell , that I have not used yet but would I have to take them out of the airplane before charging...?

Nope!:)
That, and the fact that they can be left fully charged for long periods makes them great for receiver packs.
Pete

Nicads and nimh have been the standard for years, but they are on their way out.

Life's are the only way to go.

Nihm are last decades news.

Lifes where invented to solve the problems of Lipos. The only draw back that they have is less capacity at the same weight as Lipos.

But their advantages beat Nicds and Nihm.

I've had pretty good luck with Venom brand packs in my planes and the price is not too bad.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXSFS5&P=SM

Again, thanks to all.... I am going to look at the Life and NiMh batteries and try a couple of each... ...

Remember, Life must be charged with a proper charger..........

The only batteries that have repeatedly been (user caused) responsible for airplane loss where I fly, are NiMHs.

I once stood up and followed another flyer at meeting who was reporting on the wonders on Eneloops, that with the others available he was wrong. If looks could kill his look at me would have dropped me dead. I really recommend against them now.

They just have the ability to getcha.

I have one buddy that has an trickle charger an all his planes, some 15-20 years old. All Nicds and all still good.

Get the best NiMh battery packs at nobs batteries. The lithium based based batteries are a hazard. Ask Boeing and the USPS. Dan.

Eneloops from Hangtime Hobbies , can't beat 'em .

MAXXPACKS.com

JR batteries. Flown them for years. NEVER an issue.

Radical RC NiMH work great for me but he sells Life and A123 also.

This is place for batteries. http://hangtimes.com/giantrxpacks.html

+1

I have their LIFE system in several planes and am pleased. I can charge thru the switch like you would a NiCd or NiMh.

Pete

Would you hook up two LIFE batteries each with it's own charging switch/plug and connect both to the receiver via y harness...? or what do you recommend....

Richard, that is connecting two batteries in parallel. It is an undesirable situation. The weaker battery will always pull down the stronger battery. If one battery fails, it will cause the other one to fail. Dan

Yes, you can safely charge LiFe in place, the only difficult part is making sure you have access to the balancing port as it is most desirable to ALWAYS do a balance charge to get the longest life out of a battery (battery being defined as two or more cells connected to be used as a power source).

It would be nice if in a tech question you include clear info.
Original question has nothing about redundant batteries.
Why are there now 2 batteries and a Y harness?

You like Nimh's but have issues with some vendors.

Nimh are now old school. Some have given vendors they trust. I will never buy Nimh's again, they are last decades tech. IMHO

Life's are tech superior in most opinions. Which includes me. You need a good modern charger that does CVVC @ 6.6 volts. It is also recommended to "balance" charge them. This requires an extra battery connection to the jumper between the 2 cells in the 2s configuration. This is commonly provided as a "balance" jack (3 wire jst).

Please give more info on what your thinking is.

Read this article. http://hangtimes.com/parallel_packs.html

Get some LIFePO4 batteries from a good source. Hangar9 has a digital servo and receiver current meter (HAN172) that will enlighten you to how much your servos and receiver need available when moving all surfaces. I found quite surprising results. Also there is a LiFe-source battery charger (HCAM6375) that costs around 35 or 40 $$ and will charge these correctly from either household current or from your car battery at the field. My NIMH are in the recycle bin at Radio Shack. I found the digital servos can require a lot more power than is available from a NIMH. I had used NiCads before and did not initially understand the NIMH battery's voltage sagged under a higher flight load. Lost an airplane to voltage sag/brownout. Also get educated in "impedance" which is more important than "capacity" -it will surprise you.

Recycle old batteries before they recycle your airplane!!!

I have used one lifepo4 for months now setting up 5 different airplanes, with no loss in voltage, and have placed loads far in excess of flight loads on it, and have not needed to recharge it yet. I will charge before flying, but I am just stress testing it here on the workbench and I am quite happily surprised by its abilities. It is holding its voltage very well and has a lot of time on one charge.

I have also purchased high voltage servos for my next build, may use lipo's but I dont always make the battery packs easily removable, so that may be a deciding factor, lifepo4's can stay in place in your aircraft during charging.

"The weaker battery will always pull down the stronger battery." if the "weaker battery" is defective, true. Otherwise, assuming the batteries are identical in chemical composition, not so true.
They will equalize in voltage, true. But, a smaller capacity battery usually has a slightly larger internal impedance/resistance, so the discharge current during use will be unequal.