[4*60]

You don't always get what you pay for.
A bargain can be a bargain.

Conclusion seems to be for the average sport flyer the cheaper zippy/rhino type packs will work fine.
That keeps me in the hobby then.

[RAMJET]

i second that thought ,why sell a porsche to my grandmother .is it not just as bad to oversell to someone ,then to sell something that may not do the job,i find some of the more expensive batteries do have a edge for 2% of the people ,i have found no differance in life span on any ,used correctly.And have seen top end batteries balloon,soon A123 will take over anyhoo 2300mah 60-100 c once they get the weight down it will be the end of lipo & all their inhearent problems & dangers my 2 cents. PS i just wish their was a canadian battery manufacturer.

[ginnz]

well, if there was a canadian manufacturer, instead of paying 18.00 for a 3S pack, we'd prolly have to pay 65.00, so im not sure that would be such a good thing.

[Phil Noel]

I have a question to all those commenting on the batteries. (P.S. Shawn, I now your testing is in a high current heli set-up, so you do not have to answer )

How many of the comments are the result of using the batteries in electric airplanes and how many are the result of using the same batteries in larger helis (that use 520mm blades or larger)?

I ask because I have found that the these size of helis, when geared for higher rotor speeds (1900 to 2200) demand a lot more current throughout the flight then do the airplanes that are using the same batteries.

As indicated by Shawn, that is what will seperate the "men from the boys" so to speak in the batteries.

If I set my 550 sized heli to continuously turn the rotor at 2200 rpm, then my average wattage (volts x amps) through the flight will be 750 watts or more (more then 1HP)! If I use a 6S pack, for example, that wll mean a good HD type will deliver an average of 3.65V/cell throughout the flight...a lesser pack may only deliver 3.4V or even less per cell throughout the flight.(P.S. these figures are from computer read-outs I have during from a manufacturers testing during such flights, while testing many different battery packs over the past four years.)

During some maneuvers the peaks were 1330 watts (almost 2hp) !!! So if your battery is a bit wimpy or overated, it will not last long in this situation. Some batteries honestly state the WATTAGE they can deliver continuously, others do not and some, in my experience, state it dishonestly and some just seem to pull numbers out of the air.

Even just hovering a 5 1/2 lb. heli, at a relatively low head speed, requires 400 to 450 watts (depending on blades), so if your battery cannot comfortably deliver that continuously (not just as a peak) then again they will not last long.

The demands on a battery for the larger electrics is far greater then that of the average 400 to 450 sized heli or even the average larger airplane. So how particualar types of packs deliver power, under these different demands, will and can be very different.

Now to overselling or overbuying. If one uses a battery pack that is a heavy duty design, and uses it in a light duty application, you will find that the HD battery will probably get 2 to 3 times more recharges (flights) before needing replacement...so on a cost per flight basis, the better and more costly HD pack could well come out being the better investment.

[Phil Noel]

Originally Posted by ginnz

well, if there was a canadian manufacturer, instead of paying 18.00 for a 3S pack, we'd prolly have to pay 65.00, so im not sure that would be such a good thing.

Well maybe not $65.00 but certainly a significant amount more. But then again, I am sure that the Canadian buying it and working to make it, will be enjoying a lifestyle (income, nice residence, health system, education system, cleaner environment , great transportation infrastructure etc.) then the other.

Maybe Canadian employers (governments & businesses) should do the same as many of their employees who are the consumers of these foreign items.

As they can surely bring in foreign workers to do the same work as their current employees, for a lot less remuneration then the Canadian consumer is willing to work for. Then the price of all items and services in Canada would drop and we would not have to mail order goods from other countries. Maybe they should be able to mail order foreign workers, just like we mail order foreign goods.

But hold it...then we would be all out of jobs, and not have money to buy those goods and services....hmmmm...food for thought.

The foundation of our economy, like any economy, is based on buying from ourselves. When we buy from another country, we are always investing in their economy, at the expense of our own.

[tech1]

Originally Posted by Phil Noel

If one uses a battery pack that is a heavy duty design, and uses it in a light duty application, you will find that the HD battery will probably get 2 to 3 times more recharges (flights) before needing replacement...so on a cost per flight basis, the better and more costly HD pack could well come out being the better investment.

Phil, If that were true then this discussion would not be getting as many replies. I would think most of us base our opinion of a battery on the power it can provide combined with how many cycles it offers. Brand name Lipo's don't deliver cycle counts as expected. The no-name ones probably won't deliver either but at least they do it at a lower cost.
If the brand name batteries gave cycle counts that were reasonable I would not hesitate to spend the extra money. My history has been that they don't. So for flying on a limited cycle count, I may as well do it as cost effectively as possible.

[RAMJET]

I for one can use lower cost lipos and have them last for 2 years .@ $10 each equal batt here $40 .i am buying off shore ether way . if it was made in canada "I WOULD PAY THE EXTRA ".

[benjhind]

What are we talking about in terms of reasonable cycle counts? I have upwards of 100 cycles on some of my cheapo packs, haven't had one fail yet. What is considered a "good" lifespan? 3-400?

[tech1]

I would be happy with 2-300 cycles. Had a few expensive packs go after 100 cycles. That is just under $5.00 per flight. Packs 3 and 4 were purchased used and lasted about 8 months. These turned out to be more cost effective.
The packs flew very well, no complaints about the performance. Just the lifespan.

One thing I have noticed is when a pack goes, it is only a few cycles from when I notice the performance start to drop to when they wont get me off the ground. One of the packs was split up and works great in my video downlink. So the capacity is still there, just not the current.

[Charlie]

Had a few expensive packs go after 100 cycles. That is just under $5.00 per flight.

What battery are you using, that sounds a little pricey to me ($500 bucks for a battery).
I'm guessing you meant 50 cents a flight???????