Rhino 4900
 

After hearing lots of good things about them I bought 4 5s Rhino 4900. I cut off the shrink and rewired them to 10s yielding two packs at 1190g. In the process I found one pack had two slightly swollen outer cells. Since I had cut the shrink off I decided to try it. After a careful break in one dropped a cell and then 6 or 7 flights later so did the swollen one. I ordered another 5s to fix the first pack but now plan on combining some cells to keep both packs going a little longer.

Has anyone else been having problems with these or is it just my typical luck?
Should I just stick to the cheaper and lighter Zippy 15c even though the Rhino did run stronger?
I plan on buying another pair in the spring but not sure on what. My budget has been really stretched so the Chinese batteries are the best way for me to keep going.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Hi Anthony,

I have used many of the Rhino 20c 4900's with excellent results. I have had only one bad cell in a pack.
They aren't exactly light but that is no major problem. For the price i find it very hard to complain

They have shown some of the best internal resistances of all the batteries i have used. At my last competition my Cellpro
showed between .6 and .9 milli ohms per cell. With awesome power to boot

Hang in there

Chris

RE: Rhino 4900
 

I have excellent result with the Rhino 4900 too. I use them in a 6s + 4s configuration. You do not have to cut off the shrink an rewire with the even numbered cell packs from Rhino. 4s and 6s 4900 are available as 25C

RE: Rhino 4900
 

My 30C Zippy swells up after 20 flights but my 25C Rhino seems very solid.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

I would call it bad luck Anthony. Sofar Rhino 4900s are rocksolid. I have three 2x5S packs and they are still perfect sofar.

This is actually the first time I hear of a bad Rhino. More problems with Zippys.

Volkert

RE: Rhino 4900
 

I have 6 pieces some six months old. Have been discharging at 70-80A max. So far very good.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Hi,Recently bought four Rhino 4900s to make 10s packs.One pack had one cell at 0.9volts on delivery,another was unbalanced.Hobby City had me take photos of the really bad pack (the other did come up) hooked up to volt meter showing each cell voltage and showing the warranty code on the pack.About 3 weeks after emailing the photos I was credited with a new pack,which is on its way. I have to pay postage but this is better solution to warranty claims than the old way of having to send the faulty pack back to Hong Kong.
I have not heard of a faulty Rhino battery prior to this and Icicles,perhaps QC has taken a tumble!

RE: Rhino 4900
 

It sounds like Hobby City is paying attention to the IATA regulations regarding shipping faulty packs. You need approval and special labeling to do that.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

The Nano packs by Turnigy that I'm using are awesome!

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Update on faulty pack.Very well qualified friend opened the pack and found the faulty cell physically damaged i.e. some one had dropped it!! It came wrapped in foam etc that was not damaged (that I could see),so I presume the damage was done in factory or warehouse. So I guess it is a QC problem of sorts.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Anthony,

Just a thought here, but on Hobby People's site a few days ago I saw 25C 5 cell 5000's for $99. Says they are 609.50g. Have you talked to Mike about these? I haven't yet. Hope all is well bro!

Chris

RE: Rhino 4900
 

I've got about 35 flights ona pair of Flightmax 5000-20C. The Hobby king site lists them at 640g, but mine were 619 and 623g. They run stronger than the 15C Flightmax but not as strong as the 20C Rhinos. When new the 20C rhinos held voltage a little better than new 25C Hyperions. After about 75 flights they were about the same.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Hey Chris,
I have 2 packs, of those HobbyPeople 25c lipo- 5000 packs, they are working pretty good.They are smaller in size, but are a little wider.
I only have 15 cycles, on both packs, but the performance is good, let see what happens at a 50/100 cycle. I went to HobbyPeople with
a gram scale, an weighted 6 of the packs. they came in around 598-610 on the gram scale, so I took the best packs

RE: Rhino 4900
 

I have a couple of Rhino 4900 20 Cand a couple of Zippy 5000 20 C, both are great, but the Rhino are stronger than zippy but a little heavier, 10 -12 flight on every one, not problem.

Jorge

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Rhinos are longer than the others. Changed my balancing methods as there's a different CG when I use them. Need to measure out the center of the pack and mark the CG I like on the plane.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Hello, fellow pattern flyers and builders! Sorry to bring up the old thread, but I have a few quiestions for you.
As Hans Meij mentioned previously in this thread, a 10S 4900 mAh Rhino pack can be made by connecting in series either 2x5S 4900 mAh or 4S+6S 4900 mAh packs. However, Hobbyking has 5S packs of this capacity only with 20C rating, but stocks both 20C and 25C versions for 4S and 6S packs. Doing the math tells me that one could buy a 4S+6S 4900 mAh 25C combo for around 15$ and 25 grams less (total weight 1226 grams, according to HK) than 2x5S 4900 mAh 20C packs. The shipping weight is a bit higher, however.
I'll have to buy 3 or 4 10S batteries in the 4500 - 5000 mAh range for my Vanquish when it gets built so I'm looking for advice and opinions. I'm on a tighter budget and that's why I'm looking at HK's batteries.
Is the 4S+6S 25C combination worth it or 2x5S 20C is better? I've read that Rhinos are by far the longest-lasting from the cheaper batteries. Or are Turnigy Nano-techs the way to go? Which brand in the cheaper range would you recommend?
And which brand or particular battery would you recommend for Rx power? Maybe Turnigy Nano-techs would be better here. I'll be using a PowerBox DigiSwitch and am considering a single 2S lipo in the 400-600 mAh range (for 3-4 flights per Rx battery) to keep weight down. I noticed the 2S Rhino 610 mAh 20C weighs 35 grams, opposed to Turnigy nano-tech 460mah 2S 25C which weighs 33 grams.
Also, are the Polymax 5.5mm gold connectors better than the HXT 4mm gold connectors which come with the batteries? I'd most likely use the 5.5mm connectors between the motor and ESC and am wondering whether it would be better to use them betwenn the ESC and battery, too. For the battery-DigiSwitch connection I think I'd go with the 2mm gold connectors

And one last thing I forgot to add. I'm considering to get an iCharger 3010B for charging one or multiple 10S packs together in parallel. On another forum I got the following reply: How would you comment this? Are you charging your batteries as a 10S pack or parallel as 2x5S packs? I guess the second method has the disadvantage of frequent connection/disconnection and the fact that the packs can't be hard-wired, but if the balancing is better it could be beneficial for the batteries.

Thanks in advance!
Nickolay

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Nickolay, Ihave a Vanquish with 2 5S Rhino 4900s, a Turnigy 1000 2S pack for radio that I've connected with HD JRplugs and a DigiSwitch. The whole aircraft ready to fly is just under 5Kg so no prob. Ican fly a UKMasters schedule using less than 70%of the pack capacity. I can do 6 flights with the Rx battery and it is only uses around 25% capacity. I'm using an AXi 5330/F3a motor and never need to use full power until the very end of the flight. Hope that helps.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

The feedback I received is that the Nano packs like to puff earlier (after 20-30 flights from brand new) than the original Turnigy ones. Do not know if it is a characteristic of the Nano packs or not. I have multiple Turnigy packs (original) and pretty happy about their performance. The only drawback is the weight penalty at out 2 lb 14-15oz.

A pack with 4+6 25c configuration will work well as the ESC does not care how the 10s is physically configured. The only drawback is that you need to re-solder the balance connectors if your charger is good for 5s.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Thank you for the replies, guys!
Yes, the ESC and motor don't care if the connected pack is 10S, as long as it consists of two packs with close IRs and same discharge "C" rate.
I'm wondering about the quote from another forum whether it's better to charge as 2x5S in parallel or as 1x10S in series, provided the charger accepts both configurations equally well. What I'm looking for is relatively low price per pack and longetivity with nice performance. Thus I do think Rhinos are better than FlightMax/regular Turnigy. Also, it seems the Nano-techs aren't as long-lasting as the Rhinos yet, but I'd like to get some more experience on this.
Something tells me the better combination is 4S+6S 25C 4900 mAh Rhinos, hard-wired together (as of yet I don't own any models that use 4S or 6S packs with such capacity), breaked-in and then balance-charged as 1x10S pack. What is your experience with charging as a 10S pack versus reconnecting each time to 2x5S in parallel? I will ask in the other topic of the 3010B however on this one.
Hopefully this thread will be of use to someone like me :)

Thanks!
Nickolay

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Nickolay, I have always combined my packs and charged them as 10S. Works perfect and I prefer not to break the packs, also prevents any mishap/error while connecting.

I love the 3010. If you can charge at your field, you will need only two packs instead of 3/4 since you can charge at a high C rate. I charge my 10S with 11amps so it is ready within 20 minutes. Also the 3010 balances very quickly. There is no problem balancing 10S versus 5S.

Volkert

RE: Rhino 4900
 

a PS: you have to have a good power supply for the 3010. I use the SKYRC efuel 30AMP 540W. You can run it at 18V. I buy it from ZJ hobbyshop in Germany.

Volkert

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Charging as 10s or 2 5s depends on the charger.

My FMA cellPro 10s charger charges two 5s pack at same time, utilizing the discharge wires (forming the 10s), and the two balance connectors (one from each of the 5s). The remaining two discharge wires (again from each of the 5s) are connected during the charge (as well as during flight).

Technically I could permanently solder the 5s into a single 10s pack and many pilots are doing it. I did not do it though because the 4mm bullet connectors could wear out (e.g. due to electric arc) and I have some redundancy with two bullets from each 5s.

I also disconnect the connecting discharge wires after the flight. The pack in that configuration will not be used again unless charged.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

I like Rhinos the best, over Zippy and Blue. They have lasted a long time, still perform very well, and have stayed hard and cool.

Looks like the stock at Hobby King is dwindling. I'd LOVE a set (or few) of 4000mah rhinos.

On a slightly different topic, I just got a set of 4000mah packs; they are 10oz/280 grams lighter than the same 5000mah packs.

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Nickolay,

If you have not purchased a 3010 yet consider the 208B. This is cheaper and Iuse it to charge my Rhino packs in parallel. The charge current for the Rhinos in parallel is 9.8 amps and they take just on the hour to fully charge. I use a 12 v leisure battery that will give 6 full charges. The lower voltage of the parallel pack is better handled by a single 12 V battery otherwise you might need 2 in seriies to provide 24/28 volts. Ihave read that charging at more than 1C, where it is permitted, has tended to shorten LiPo life. Iam sticking to charging at 1C for this reason. Remember that for 10S to be fully charged you need to reach 42 volts whereas you only need to reach 21 volts for the 5S parallel pack so I get away with a single 12 v battery input to my 208B charger. Of course, to parallel charge you must have the same number of cells and the same capacity in each pack - and you must start with both packs at the same nominal voltage and in balance. Parallel charging balances each pair of cells with the other pairs of cells so it is worth checking individual cell voltages after charging to ensure that you do not have a bad cell. Also, you cannot get a true reading of internal resistance with packs in parallel. Idisconnect the packs and then check each one separately at the end of the charge.

Bottom line, it is cheaper to charge in parallel (208B vs 3010 and 2 12 v batts versus 1 12 v batt) and takes the same time as charging in series if charged at the same rate

RE: Rhino 4900
 

Thank you very much for the response!
Honestly I prefer to get the 3010B. It's ~50$ more, but I do think there's no problem to charge a 10S pack from 12V battery, as long as the charger consumes 500W at most. Also, I'd be able to charge a few 10S packs in parallel if needed.
I don't prefer to go anything above 1C for charging.
I'm opting for charging at home mainly with a 24V modified server power supply and maybe at the field (a pack or two). Our field doesn't have any power, nor I have a generator. Thus I think a 65-70Ah 12V car battery would be suitable for charging a 10S pack at 5 Amps and then charge another one with the engine running this time. Or start the engine, start charging, shut off engine in 20 minutes and keep charging, then repeat the same for the second pack. Does anyone have any experience how many charges could one get at 1C for a 10S 5000mAh pack from a 12V car battery with non-running engine? According to my math it should be able to complete at least one charge.
I guess I'll have to figure out that one later, when I get to the field with the finished model and setup :)
I'm open to all suggestions :)

Thanks!
Nickolay