I tried posting this over in the Aerial Photography section, but didn't receive any replies so I will try over here. I"m curious as to what size and brand Lipos people are using to power their rigs? I have an Droidworx AD6 heavy lift fitted with a Photohigher AV200 camera gimbal. I have been using the Quadrocopter brand 6200 4S lipos. They seem to work pretty well, but I am wondering if there is a better alternative for the price. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
Help with what lipos to buy
- Thread starter nws
- Start date
I have a set of the Quadrocopter 6200 4S batteries myself that I LOVE! But like you the price is tough to swallow for a bunch of them. I have since begun to stock up on the Hyperion G3 CX 5000mah 4S batteries which you can find for about $85 each if you shop around. They are excellent batteries that I run 2 in parallel on my Droidworx AD-4 HL. I get flight times of about 14 minutes (17 minutes with the Quadrocopters). My AUW is 3900 grams.
Emowillcox
Member
I use 3-4 cell turnigy from hobby king and had pretty good luck
DKTek
Member
I too am looking for batteries for my SJ8/AV200-360 with AeroDrive 8 and Pletty 15-20's. Price isn't so much an issue as I seek performance(flight time). I've looked at the 5S 30C 8000mah packs but my power supply only gives 4.5 amps so I'll charge them at .5C....sloooow charge! I'm considering the 5S 4000mah packs and using 4 of them in series. I have a Hyperion charger set up that will charge multiple batteries as a single pack....
I'll be using a 5D MK2 which is sort of light for this rig so I want to use extra mah's for extra flight time. So, the real question is what is the breaking point on battery weight VS flight time? At some point, the weight will degrade the flight time so I want to be at the edge of that breaking point. Anybody find that point yet????
Using only two batteries is obviously easier but with the 8000 packs, a bad cell can cost serious money. I like the idea of using 4 batteries which allows considerably more mah and cost less to replace a single pack if one goes bad. It's also easier to match up a set based on individual cell voltages.
I'll be using a 5D MK2 which is sort of light for this rig so I want to use extra mah's for extra flight time. So, the real question is what is the breaking point on battery weight VS flight time? At some point, the weight will degrade the flight time so I want to be at the edge of that breaking point. Anybody find that point yet????
Using only two batteries is obviously easier but with the 8000 packs, a bad cell can cost serious money. I like the idea of using 4 batteries which allows considerably more mah and cost less to replace a single pack if one goes bad. It's also easier to match up a set based on individual cell voltages.
Macsgrafs
Active Member
84V!!!!!! I think you mean parallel
The nano tech 4S 4000ma that I use are perfect for my SJ8, I dont have the AV200 yet, but an old askman mount.
Ross
DKTek
Member
Another question. What C ratings are the heavy lifters using? I see some using 35C lipo's but isn't 20C sufficient? I'm thinking 25C should give enough safety margin. I'm not the electric math guy so here I ask the question. Maybe someone can clue me in as to where I can find the formula's to be educated on the subject.
Macsgrafs
Active Member
Multiply the C rating by the lipos current. Example:-
4s 4000ma 35-70c lipo will give out, 4000ma (4A) x 35 = 140A constant!!!! With a surge of 280A. So if you are carrying 4 lipos per flight, that works out at 4 x 140A = 560A.
Ross
kloner
Aerial DP
the c rating is based off the size components inside a lipo. The higher the number the bigger thicker everything is. That equates to lower internal resistance which is everything in lipo chemistry. I personally haven't bought anything less than 40c turnigy or 25c gens ace in 2 years and every problem with them has been all me. like flying too long
seattle_helo
Member
There is an interesting thread on RCG where folks have gone through the trouble of distilling specs on various battery packs to grams per watt hour (g/Wh). Thunder Power packs have some of the best numbers with some of the Zippy's not far behind. I've been using TP for a long time on conventional electric helis and they have always delivered good performance so I'm not surprised to see the comparison. As for C ratings, I think on heavy lift machines it pays to have a higher number so that we can obtain consistent performance through the entire flight. The 20 and 30C packs allow for too much voltage drop. The trade off is weight but I think 45C is the sweet spot.
seattle_helo
Member
Yes, if you fly with 6200mAh 4S packs you could simply make up a parallel cable and run two of them effectively giving you a 1.24Ah pack. The main benefit being longer flight time. It will not double the flight time as the increased weight of the second battery and cable will offset the additional capacity. You can do this with any sized packs you like. The trick with all this is to find the right combination of energy vs. weight that gives you the flight times and performance to do what you need to do.
There are other practical benefits to using multiple smaller packs in parallel. There is a safety margin and charger requirements are reduced. Although with the newest chargers and a serious power supply you can make quick work of any pack now with enough cash.
There are other practical benefits to using multiple smaller packs in parallel. There is a safety margin and charger requirements are reduced. Although with the newest chargers and a serious power supply you can make quick work of any pack now with enough cash.
DKTek
Member
That's why going with too big of a C rating is a waste of weight. Looking at a 65C battery of the same S count and mah as a 30C battery, there's a considerable difference in size and weight. Yes, it'll probably run super cool only drawing 20C but at what point is the trade off going the other way and being wasteful?
That's what I'm after. Experience is a great knowledge booster! Thanks Seattle...
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kloner
Aerial DP
i've played with some 65c, personally wouldn't waste my time. There so sensitive even the smallest of screw ups damages the crap out of them. Storing improperly they'll swell. Over discharged renders em useless almost instantly. That 65c is what they call "new technology" don't think it's too new, i think it's just so unstable nobody has used it much in rc because of it. they are more than just thick components though there there as well. last year it was hot, 110 in the shade, had 2 of thse silver packs form heliproz and kept em shaded the whole way out, when i opened the box i thought they were gonna explode it got so round, had an IR bellow 5 and was used 3 times prior to that trip.
40c is a good pack, some brands 30c are alright, gens ace 25c packs are incredible. if i wanted a box full of the best IMO, would be a box full of gens ace. you can beat the crap out of them and the IR just sticks in single digits for long periods of time. There way under rated
these are all just over a year and a half old, all still have single digit internal resistance and are all flown weekly if not daily
95% of that is 4s and 6s turnigy 40-50c
40c is a good pack, some brands 30c are alright, gens ace 25c packs are incredible. if i wanted a box full of the best IMO, would be a box full of gens ace. you can beat the crap out of them and the IR just sticks in single digits for long periods of time. There way under rated
these are all just over a year and a half old, all still have single digit internal resistance and are all flown weekly if not daily
95% of that is 4s and 6s turnigy 40-50c
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DKTek
Member
Gens ace 5800mAh 18.5V 45C 5S1P Lipo Battery Pack
This looks interesting, http://www.gensace.com/epages/genspow.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/genspow/Products/B-45C-5800-5S1P . Combining the above comments.....Gens Ace + 45C, ;-)) . Strapping 4 of these on a light SJ8 will give 23,200 mah. Hmmm...
This looks interesting, http://www.gensace.com/epages/genspow.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/genspow/Products/B-45C-5800-5S1P . Combining the above comments.....Gens Ace + 45C, ;-)) . Strapping 4 of these on a light SJ8 will give 23,200 mah. Hmmm...
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kloner
Aerial DP
the 45c are new this year, dieing to try em out myself.
The only reason that box isn't full of gens ace 25c is there hard to get, think hobbypartz is the only US importer, and that place is like walmart, there once, then restocked in 6 months once there gone if ever. They also don't have a massive list of choices like HK but they are some of my most reliable stable packs i've got and i monitor them all. charger and my cell checker have internal resistance values that i look at before i put a pack in a model. Anything over 20 IR is out of the lineup and dispossed of. They start letting you down at the ends of flights, over 100 and your lucky to get a half mah of power, then they fall on there face, all ratings are out the window. IR is everything in lipo
theres a ton of vids about IR on the tube, heres one that is pretty informative to those not understanding what that is and does
The only reason that box isn't full of gens ace 25c is there hard to get, think hobbypartz is the only US importer, and that place is like walmart, there once, then restocked in 6 months once there gone if ever. They also don't have a massive list of choices like HK but they are some of my most reliable stable packs i've got and i monitor them all. charger and my cell checker have internal resistance values that i look at before i put a pack in a model. Anything over 20 IR is out of the lineup and dispossed of. They start letting you down at the ends of flights, over 100 and your lucky to get a half mah of power, then they fall on there face, all ratings are out the window. IR is everything in lipo
theres a ton of vids about IR on the tube, heres one that is pretty informative to those not understanding what that is and does
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