Some times it seems that there is so much to keep up with. I am getting confused about batteries. NiCAD, NIMH and Li-Po. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type. How do I know what size to get? How do I know how long I can epxect to fly off a single charge for a given size battery.

I am currently running a Spektrum DX-7, with included 1100 NiMH battery. Well I should say will be running, as both receivers are getting their firmware upgraded by the great people at Horizon. I have been out of the hobby for a lttle while, but managed to purchase a GB Eagle with OS 40 2 stroke, complete with servos for 75.00. This is what I will run first, to get back in swing of things. But I own alot of models and engines of various sizes and the engines are anything from .25 2 strokes through .91/1.00 4 strokes, to G20ei/G26 gassers.

Is there a cheat sheet for understanding when to use what battery for a certain application. I aplogize in advance for being all over the place, but I am at work kicking this out and it has been on my mind for awhile.

Thanks!

depends on what you're putting it in. For example your GB eagle. All you need for that is a 4-cell pack. It could be NiCAD or Nimh. Personally, I prefert the Nimh because you can get higher capacity for lower cost and less weight.
Head over to radicalrc.com and you can see some of his packs, Great batteries and have served me well. Other great site is Hangtimes.com, both make great packs.

http://www.radicalrc.com/shop/?shop=...866727&cat=19&
Scroll down to the AA packs, the 1100 mah is only $16 with connector of your choice. That should get you plenty of flights on a full charge. You can get higher capacity packs as well. you can also purchase 5-cell packs which are 6V packs, these will give the servos a little more juice but make sure the servos are Spec'd to work with 6V. Personally for a 40-46 size plane such as yours I'd stick with a 4-cell 4.8V pack. 1100mah capacity is Plenty of flights. I have the 1650mah pack in the 4*40 and I can do 5-7 10min flights (I could probably do more but I just like playing it safe), my eyes get tired of flying but my battery does not.

LiPO or Lithium ion polymer are different type of batteries for different applications. I don't really see a use in small glow planes. Most are used to power electric planes. These are high voltage or can be high voltage, high current cells. Like I said, unless you're going into electrics, you probably won't use these.

Lithium Ion is used often in large scale planes and even in midscale planes. high current is + side to these. It's something you can use in your gasser planes.

You don't need a cheat sheet lol, just ask us!, we'll be glad to give you suggestions.

http://www.rcbatteryclinic.com/ This site is VERY informative. I'd suggest you take a look. You'll know a lot more about batteries once you leave that site.

Great information, thank you. One more question, I own a Hobbico Accucycle (not the elite). How often should I cycle my batteries (both TX/RX)? Can it hurt a battery to do it to much?

I only cycle the batteries three times a year. I cycle twice when I take them out of storage to make sure they still hold at least 80% of rated capacity. I also cycle them once in the middle of the season as a "checkup."

Nimh batteries are not supposed to be cycled too often. Nicads need it occasionally.

Nicads should be cycled at least once a year to remove possible memory. Nimh batterys don't have the memory problem so don't need to be cycled but its a good idea to have your cycler test the full capacity of the pack at least once a year so you have a starting point. As Nathan pointed out if the pack isn't putting out at least 80% capacity then it needs to be looked at. Running a cycle on it may bring it back up if its a Nicad pack. If it doesn't come up to snuff, replace it.

I was using the 6V packs 20 years ago with reg. futaba servos and never had a problem.

Is there some thing new going on with servos? I am useing the new 2.4 tx and have seen a lot of talk about using the 6V packs with that system being a good idea. I just went and looked at my new Hitec servos (hs-425bb) and they do say they work with 6V. I learn something every day!!!!!

folowing that line if he goes with the 6V packs does he need to get another charger or is the wall charger that comes with the radio good enough????????

i'd say nearly all servos work with 6V and nearly all receivers also work with 6V but I just said that to just take that extra step and be certain before you connect it.

Depends on the voltage the wallwart charger is putting out. Some have an auto detect feature and will provide the right amount of voltage.

Nicad, Nimh, or Lipo is just the chemicals on the inside used to create the eletricity...each type of battery reacts a little different to the load applied to it...basically how much and how quick of a voltage drop under a load you'll have.....Each are far better than carbon zinc batteries like A, AA, C, etc..
for glow or gas powered aircraft most common voltages are 4.8 and 6 volt.... 6 volt will make your servos more powerful and quicker..so why not use 6 volt at all times?....because enough torque on a servo or quicker servo is not always a good thing..and frankly enough is well enough ...if you know what I mean..
The milli amp hour mah rating is simple...1100 mah battery can produce 1100ma for 1 hour or 1ma for 1100 hours 650 ma for 2 hours etc etc..
Most flight packs come with a 4.8 v 600 mah battery..that is enough with 4 or 5 analog servos to fly 3 or 4, 15 minute or so flights on a full charge....

I cycle my NiMH every three months and my NiCads monthly. I still feel it's the best way to catch a defective pack or one that has begun to fail.

LiPo are pricy, potential fire hazards and used for powering electric motors.

I have a Triton Jr. and like it much better than my Accu-Cycle, though it has to be programmed for each pack if you have many different. Takes 30 seconds. I also have a Hobbico Multi-Charger that handles four packs for the routine charging. I keep a 10 outlet power-strip plugged into an appliance timer and hit my packs for 45 minutes every day to keep them topped off. The Accu-Cycle is a great deal if you have one model and transmitter.

I've been using the 1650mAh NiMH in my tx and 1400mAh NiMH packs in my models/receivers. I can now get in seven or eight flights a day instead of four. Plus, with the Triton Jr, you can recharge off your car battery at the field for long days/weekends.

There are some that won't work on 6V, mainly digital but there may be some analog servos as well.

Tower Hobbies, for one, lists the specs on most of the servos they sell. I just checked the Futaba, for instance, and it showed the voltage specs for their basic servo. It was 4.8 and 6 volts. (showed the torque with each voltage rating). All the digital servos I checked on Tower (Futaba, Hitec, Airtronics so far) all showed compatible with both 4.8 and 6 volts.

It's a good idea to check first with the manufacturer or some other source (like Tower who lists product specs with just about every item they sell) for specs like voltage compatibility.

CGr.

I use a lot of HiTec servos and they are compatible with 4.8 and 6.0v. I also use mostly 2500mAh RX batteries. Yes you will need another wall charger or use something like Accu Cycle Elite.

I appreciate all the feedback, and this of course leads to more questions. If you were to buy a battery cycler/charger with knowledge you have now, what would you buy? I see evryone talking about increasing the capacity and voltage (4.8 to 6) of Rx batteries. Is there a need to replace your stock Tx battery? If I want to go from the stock 1100mah 4.8 Tx battery to 2-2.5kmah 6v Rx battery, what do you all reccomend. I am running the Spektrum DX-7, which from what I understand is the same as JR for leads. I am also running the Spektrum DS-821(specs says 4.8v) I cannot upgrade to the 6v Rx battery?

Thanks again for all the advice.

You can operate the Spektrum with DS-821 servos on six volts. What receiver are you using?

Oh, and 2-2.5kmah isn't really how we reference capacity. 1000 mAh = 1Ah. Therefore, your capacity would be written as 2-2.5Ah. A 2000mAh (2Ah) 6v receiver battery would be nice and would give you quite a few flights.

The Hobbico Accu-Cycle Elite and Electrify Triton charger/cyclers are nice units.

Thanks Nate, I have two of the DSM-2 receivers. One came with the DX-7 and the second I purchased separately. Both are with Horizon right now, getting their firmware upgraded.

Do you feel that the Accucycle ELite is much better then the regular Accucyle. Since LiPO batteries seem to be more oriented torward electric, I have no future plans to get any.