Hi All,

Has anyone done a succesfull battery upgrade for the ABC that increases flight times? I don't mean upgrading to the hobbyzone 7 cell 8.4v battery either, which to my understanding gives more power but doesn't increase flight time. I would prefer it be the same size and weight so that center of gravity is not affected appreciably. (i guess that could be adjusted though if the replacement pack was a big step up)

Or is this whole idea overkill...I seem to remember reading some posts mentioning that the ABC motor is prone to overheating and this shortens its life. Would a "hotter" pack compound this?

Should I be posting this in the battery forum?

auto5man

I haven't tried it, but as long as the voltage is the same, increasing the capacity of the battery won't hurt the motor, it will just run longer. I have an Aerobird and I have been thinking the same thing. I think the plane wil fly fine as long as you maintain the COG. Keep us posted if you try a different battery.

Experimentation is definitely a large part of the hobby.

What you'll run into here is a weight problem. The wing is unreinforced foam. Double the battery capacity, and double the weight of the battery... On top of that, the battery is stuffed in the nose of the plane. More weight will make the plane more nose heavy, something it doesn't need to be.

I think you'll get an appreciable increase in flight time by using some quality cells instead of the cheap Chinese knock-offs that came with the Aerobird. Those 900mAh cells are pushed to the max, and lose a significant amount of capacity through heating.

Take a look at an "identical" pack made from KAN1050 cells. They've got 150mAh more capacity, but are much higher quality cells. They stand up better under load. You'll get better performance, and less loss through heating.

Thanks for the replies...I ordered some packs using the better quality 1050 mAh's and I'm looking forward to trying them out. I do like the experimenting and research process and have already learned lots from this forum. Well into strengthening the wings now...my current method is to epoxy a balsa reenforcement (1/16 inch weighs almost nothing and REALLY adds some strength once the epoxy sets) approx 12 in long to the top of the wing...works like a charm even on wings that have folded or been weakened by creases in the foam.

auto5man

Auto5man. Let us know how the new 1050 KAN battery performs. I am interested in how much it extends your flight times.


Thanks,
Kevin

Kevjud,

I'll let you know once I have some flight time on the new packs...got my battery packs in the mail yesterday. I actually got the CBP 1050 in place of the KAN1050...it was advertised as "same performance but cheaper" by about .60 per battery.

It will be next week before I get a report in though for two reasons. I'm working all weekend (got to pay for this hobby somehow...) and yesterday's flight didn't go too well- I was having control issues with my bird and nosed her in for a nice crash. [] She'll need a little repair time before I can fly again, but nothing too horrendous. I was a little frustrated as it was one of those days where you just don't feel comfortable flying because the control is not quite there and you feel tense at the controls instead of relaxed. I had made several not so pretty landings and should have just packed up and left after the last one, but instead I opted for "one more flight" and you know the rest...Nosed her in for a nice high impact drilling into the ground.( horrible sight!)

I was flying at a big park that is surrounded by trees and houses and the wind was not to bad but GUSTY and unpredictable. I have flown quite a bit in the wind and have learned to compensate for it, but I think the gusts of wind were the problem. I don't think I'll fly at that park again unless its a dead calm day, all the structure (houses and trees) around the park seem to effect the wind even more and make for freak gusts.

Sorry, I'm rambling....needed to vent a little.

auto5man

automan......sorry to hear that...i can relate. I did the same thing to mine....too gusty and was actually trying to land when it stalled out @ 15 feet and nosedived into the ground...2 feet from a bush that would only have broken my wing. But the hard impact loosened my controller board....just an FYI for you. make sure it isn't loose.

I consider that field cursed earth now......bad mojo.

Can't wait to see how the upgrade fares for you.....would like the link to the vendor if all turns out ok.

Good luck!

RC Sumo and Kevjud,

Still havn't gad a chance to repair my bird and test flight my new batteries yet. I will post the link as soon as I've had a chance to test.

Auto5man

I purchased some 1050 packs from Cheap Battery Packs. I have only tried then once but only got 5 - 8 minutes of flight time on my Aerobird. I'm sure it will get better once they are cycled a few times. I'll keep you posted.

Kevin

If you aren't blown away by the difference, you're doing something wrong

Kevjud,

Glad you got some too...now we can compare notes. Thats where I got mine from...cheapbatterypacks.com. I used the CBP 1050 and not the KAN 1050. Did the motor sound like it had more power or higher rpm? Still havn't gotten to fly mine yet. I trickled charged all of them though at the slowest rate my charger will run which is what they suggested I do.

auto5man

I tried out the CBP 1050's today and got about 10 minutes of flight times. They are getting better and I assume they will continue to last longer with each cycle. I am using the charger that came with the Aerobird. It is a peak charger that has an adjustable charge rate. For the initial charge, I charged them slowly at about 400 ma. I thought that would be better...... maybe not??? Anyway, I charged them at 1200 ma the second time. As I stated earlier, the flight times were a little longer, but that may just because they have been cycled twice. I'll see how they are after 5 to 10 cycles. As far the the motor running faster, it doesn't but I wouldn't expect it to since the voltage is the same as stock, just more capacity. I'll let you know after a few more flights.

kevjud,

You're right...I knew that just temporarily forgot! More volts would increase engine speed, and not mAh's. I've learned lots about this hobby in the last several weeks but all the data is definitely not second nature and I get confused at time. Glad to hear your flight times are increasing.

auto5man

auto5man and Kevjud.....
I haven't upgraded my batts yet but I can tell you about an experience I had with a different charger. I have been using my charger that came with my bird up until this weekend. I thought it did an OK job for what it was and how much I paid for it...nothing. However....I had my suspicions as to just how good the peak charge was working. I also race R/C trucks (electric as well) and know from experience a decent charger can make cheap batteries run a whole lot better.

So I bought the charger lead for the FirebirdXL as they have the same connectors as the Aerobird...and put the battery pack to charge....

The resulting RPMs that newly charged pack generated had me jumping through the roof. It wasn't that the batteries didn't have enough flight time or juice to fly before....it's just that this pack seemed to push the motor that much faster. I bought the AC wall charger that HobbyZone sells for the AB, but it didn't come close to performing the way I thought it should. It's not that I minded it took 4 hours to charge a battery....it's just they didn't seem to have the punch this charger did. I used a Duratrax Intellipeak charger. It's not high end charger...only in the $50 range. But it did such a good job vs. the supplied equipment, I thought you guys should consider upgrading your charging equipment. You are spending the extra cash to get these good packs.....do them justice by using a good charger. I was able to charge my packs on a Electrify Triton charger...wow. I don't think I have $120 for a charger though so I will have to find a middle ground. Needless to say though I wouldn't mind a charger that does all three type of batteries....I'll post if anyone is interested in my results..... have fun!

Shane
....now where did I put that epoxy?

RC,

Definitely there with you already on that issue. I don't use the ac wall charger any more either that came with the Firebirds. I do still use the peak charger that came with the ABC, but I also bought a Duratrax intellipeak charger. Additionally, I purchased from Sears one of those portable battery packs that will jumpstart your car. Its very useful for other things besides electric flight, but I use the DC port (cigarette lighter style) to plug my aerobird peak charger into for one battery, then I put a battery on the Duratrax hooked to my car battery, then I place another battery on the Aerobird peak charger in my cars cigarette lighter jack. I am charging three batteries at once that way. I've found that you have to peak the battery as close to right before you fly as possible for longest flight times. (has an ac power converter that will power ac appliances and it has a decent air compressor as well)

Another change I'm making is to convert all batteries, chargers, and planes to the Deans Ultra connector. I had found that the ABC peak chargers quit working after about a month, only it wasn't the charger it was the battery connection plug was failing. (the supplied tamiya plugs are pretty cheap and wear out quickly) The Deans plug seems to be a very good connector that allows for wear. When they are plugged in its a very solid connection. (a little tight even until they break in a little.)

auto5man

!!!! you dont CYCLE the batts on that Intellipeak do you???!!!!!!! ?I wrote to Duratrax and they even have a posting that you shouldn't DISCHARGE the batts on that charger. They said the batts weren't sub-C cells.....which I haven't been able to confirm....also, did you assemble your own packs?

Actually, recent HBZ1012 batteries check out comparably to ones rated at 1000+ mAh (remember, the part and part #'s were created over 3 years ago)... It is just too much work to change the part #'s in the system. You probably won't be 'blown away' by 3rd party 1050 packs.

David

good to know David! Thank you! I am receiving the 8.4v packs soon and hope to be close to being" blown away" by their output. I know theit capacitance is the same...same flight imes....but hopefully i have more oommffff with those packs. Will let you all know!

With 7 cells instead of 6, you will definately notice more motor power/RPM.
Since the load stays constant, and the voltage goes up... the current draw also goes UP (V=IR).
So, IF you leave it full throttle the whole time, you should actually get less time with a 6 cell (than a 7). Note, Capacity is the same.
David