Getting back into the hobby, What type of receiver battery should I get LiFe Lipo?
 

Getting back into the hobby.... Just bought a Spektrum DX8..... Building a Great Planes PT-60...... What type of receiver battery should I get? Voltage? I was thinking of getting JR ST47BB Sport Servos?
I also have a Goldberg Tiger 60 after the PT-60 is built......
Thanks for any advice....

I would go with LIFE rx packs 6.6V and then I would go with one of the standard Hitec servos which I know can handle 6.6 volts, like the 425bb

Anything that can handle a 6v NiCd can handle an LiFe. The voltage of fully charged packs is only .2 volts different. For all practical purposes, the servos and receiver can't tell the difference between the two.

A freshly charged "6V" NiCad is about 6.7 Volts. Most servos don't mind, and the manufacturers will tell you when a particular servo does not work above 5 Volts. I've used 4 and 5 cell NiCads for many years, a very proven technology that is super easy to maintain in a always ready to fly mode with the 1 hour timer method.

But NiCads are on the way out, as too toxic, and low energy density. They had a good 50-60 year run, though they started out as crap when they were configured in button cells.

So today, the LiFe battery technology is looking pretty good in receiver applications when you are not flying LiPo powered planes. You can also use a two cell LiPo, but then you have to also use a regulator unless your airborne pack is configured for high voltage. Most are not.

I've had good luck with NiMH batteries. They don't lose charge if they sit for a while like NiCads.

You should check that more closely.

NiMh lose a bunch starting as soon as they are disconnected it from the charger.
Stored at 70 degrees F (20 C) NiMH batteries will lose up to 40% of their charge within a month.

They also don't handle higher discharge as well as NiCd. And they shouldn't be charged at the higher rates NiCd can handle.

The best technique is to charge them the night before you're going flying.

https://www.servocity.com/html/nicad...l#.Vy9KHxT2acw

NiCD (Nickel-Cadmium) and NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) are two very different types of batteries. Both types must be handled differently from one another in regards to charging and discharging procedures and philosophies.

In general, NiMH batteries cannot handle the high rate of charges or discharges (typically over 1.5-2 amps) that NiCAD batteries can. Many modelers use high rate, peak detection or time-based chargers to charge NiCAD batteries. Such chargers are NOT recommended for NiMH batteries (unless otherwise specified in the charger or battery literature) as they can cause permanent damage to the NiMH cells. Also, NiMH batteries will not perform well in high rate discharge applications, typically providing only a small fraction of the rated capacity in these instances.

NiMH batteries also have approximately twice the self-discharge rate of NiCAD batteries when in an used state. For example, when your radio is off, a 1650mah NiMH battery can discharge itself nearly twice as quickly as a NiCAD battery, typically within one week. Therefore, you must charge your NiMH batteries the night before each use.

When handled correctly though, NIMH batteries can be very beneficial, providing much longer run times than comparably sized and weighted NiCAD batteries.

We highly recommend NiMH batteries in applications that call for long duration but not a high amp load. If you have an aircraft with very large servos that pull a lot of amps or more than 8 standard servos we recommend using NiCAD batteries for the best results

What do you have for a charger and are you willing to buy a new charger????

Dennis

I guess I stand corrected. I always trickle charge my batteries at 0.1 amps overnight. Just did two Sundays of flying on one charge and could probably get a third day if I wanted to.

The newer NiMh batteries such as the Eneloop hold a charge about as well as LiPo's do and are a much better battery for transmitter use than LiPo as the hold a charge as well as LiPo's do and can be charged in place with the old wall wart or your current NiCad/ NiMh charger. Just read the data for your battery and make sure you get an LSD (low self discharge) type, several companies other than Eneloop now make them.