I'm just bought the Hobbico Nexstar select, and wasn't happy with the 15 hour charge time. I was wondering what size LiPo bettery i could switch it with. It has a Futuba reciever in it, if that helps at all.

Seriously, you're better off living with it.

The good news is that the 15hr thing is only the first charge. That's what is called a "forming charge". A long slow charge is really good for Nicad and Nimh batteries.

After the first couple of cycles, you can charge at a faster rate with any number of chargers out there.

But most guys just pop the plane on the charger the night before going flying. That should give you 8-10hrs of charge, and that's enough for a pack that isn't totally flat to be ready to fly. And the charge will last through 3-5 flights, which is pretty much a "day" for most guys.

If you insist on going with a Li-based battery, you'll need more than just a battery, you'll need a regulator as well. Li batteries just don't come in the correct voltages for our recever packs. You want something in the range of 4.8-6volts. Anything over 6-and-change can cause problems with servos and receviers. A 2 cell lipo is too much voltage, a 1 cell is not enough.

if you do go li-po you also need a li-po compatable charger and be aware that there have been instances of fire while charging

Why not spend $50 and get a field charger and cut recharging down to 15 minutes or so?

whats a good field charger?

This one will do the job fine
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...4&I=LXCTZ5&P=K
be sure to buy adaptor cables to match your radios
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...4&I=LXL332&P=K

Bruce,
You took the words right out of my mouth.
I would agree in getting this charger.
Now if you want a charger that can work as a cycler as well then get the Elite
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXEYD4&P=ML

The Elite is $80 more and I wanted to keep the costs down. I don't cycle anyway.

Bruce do you have the Hobbico quick charge? if so have you ever charged the TX from a close to dead state, Just
wondering how long it would take?

I don't have one myself but my buddy at the field does. He brought a dead TX up in about 20 minutes. Of course you shouldn;t ever let one get that low.

I really prefer to slow charge myself whenever possible. I have borrowed the Hobbico or others before at the field.

Putting Lipos on a glow trainer is like putting a gold spinning rims on a Yugo. If you want, you can make the switch to Li-Ions this early, but a $10 NiMH pack is all you would lose if you waited until you were flying planes which might benefit from litiums. Frankly, by then there will be a new battery technology available. They (LiPos) are occasionally used to power a large servo, like a seiko, seperately from the rest of the servos in a larger plane.

If you use any pack over 6V, you will need a regulator....again, not a benefit for a trainer.

The truth is, you cannot quick-charge any type of lithium battery. They take an hour...period. With your NiMh or NiCD pack, you can charge at much higher rates. Lipos are rarely used for RX applications in fuel-powered planes. Just no benefit from doing so.

I have charged NiMH and NiCD at as high as 5C...you just need to keep an eye on them. They can over-heat.

thing is i also fly helis, so i have like 15 different LiPo's lying around, and charge rate is faster. I can charge my biggest in about half an hour. But i guess i aggree with you all because they do make those fast chargers. Thanks for the help.