duralite purchace

[pepper]

ok guys, i need to get some batteries. what do i need to get. i am stupid when it come to lithium batteries so i don't know what i need. i have 5 heli's and all digital servos but i don't want to purchase 5 packs but would like to use a battery or 2 one them.. what do i need????


pepper

[ThBrtmn]

pepper...
Contact clint... he is one of our Duralite guys.

[Spitfire_mk5]

you need: the battery (duh-- 4000mAh redundant is what they recommend and i use)
the regulator (most use 5.1v)
a charger that can handle lipo's -- preferably thier charger, as using a diffrent one voids the warrenty, although if you ask them they can tell you what settings you need to use a triton ect.

a 1 Amp tester, they sell an inline 1 amp load or better yet they have a nice tester that does .5 1 or 1.5 amp loads (very nice i like it)


To opperate them (assuming you use thier chrager) you just plug the yellow plugs into the charger (which feeds off 12v supply/battery) and the light will turn off once its charged, idot proof.

Check your batteiris between flights as they don't recommed flying below 6.9V.

[DavidH]

Pepper,

There is a heli package that Duralite sells. Here is what is consists of.

1 4000 mah pack
1 5.1 volt regulator
1 1 amp loaded test lead
1 Charger ( 1 output)

The above package is $170.

If your going to do a couple of helis. I would suggest the following.

4000 mah packs These are $89 each
5.1 volt regulators with safety switch $47 each
Digital voltage tester $52, this unit will apply up to a 1.5 amp load on the battery. The new Futaba volt meter will work also
4 out put charger This does 4 receiver packs at the same time $85
3 +1 charger This does 3 receiver packs and one TX pack $105
You would need this charger if you had a transmitter pack also.

Also the Duralites are the only batteries right now that have a safe charge circuit. This circuit will not allow the batteries to be abused while charging.

Here is the instructions for Duralite Li-Ion batteries and the Li-Po batteries also.

http://www.duralitebatteries.com/pdf/instructions.pdf

Here is the website http://www.duralitebatteries.com/index.html

If you have any questions. Just ask. I have been using these batteries for over a year.

David

[WillJames]

Thanks for the info David.

I think my Duralites are one of the best purchases I made last year. I love them. SImple batteries for a simple guy. :)

[Hulley]

Hey Pepper, definitly go with the 4000mah pack, I have a 2000mah in my raptor 50v2 and can only get 6-7 flights before I need to recharge. I currently have a 4000mah FLAT pack in the mail. With Duralites I dont have to bring a charger or big car battery to charge at the field, only heli, radio and flight box is all I need! Customer service is the BEST!!

[Clintstone]

David covered it allready. I went with his recomendations and I am really pleased. Just give them a call and you will be pleased.

[SteveK]

Just to let everyone know, when I called Duralite today to get the package that DavidH described earlier, and that package is no longer available as listed. The 1 amp load test is not sold by them anymore and if you wish a load tester of theirs you have to use the one that has the .5 / 1.0 / 1.5 amp loads and the digital readout. It sells for $52.95.

I got the 4000 mah pack, 5.1 voltage regulator, load tester and the single charger and the total without shipping, was $209.80. Shipping was $11.

I must compliment them on their service so far. The lady that answereed the phone was extremely helpful and knowledgable..

Also have to add that I am happy with this new forum.. Just found it today.

[DavidH]

Steve,
I did not know they was not doing the basic heli packages anymore. The 1 amp loaded test lead was just a large ohm resistor with a plug on end for battery and plugs on the other end to go into a volt meter.
I made one from Radio Shack parts when I use the original Duralite batteries back a few years ago.

Rachelle that answers the phone at Duralite is knowledgble about the product and a pleasure to talk to. Also if you have any problem I believe you will find that Duralite's service is impressive also.

When you get your package, if you have any questions about the batteries. You can ask them here and with the several Duralite users here we should be able to answer them.

David

[SteveK]

Sorry, didn't mean the post to infer that you were giving bad info. She indicated that I must have gotten it off of the RR site as it is still listed that way there. They still do have the basic heli package that does not include the load tester, shown on their web site under packages. I think they are getting behind in updating all of their various ads. Too many sales and not enough time.

Steve K.

[Fredrik aka. mrNoodles]

To opperate them (assuming you use thier chrager) you just plug the yellow plugs into the charger (which feeds off 12v supply/battery) and the light will turn off once its charged, idot proof.

Great to know, I was pretty sure the charger used 110V (we´re using 230V here in Sweden).
And since I got a 12V DC supply for my SuperNova already.. hmm :)

[DavidH]

Fredrik
There is an AC/DC adaptor that is available for the Duralite. But it only comes in 110 AC I believe.
The Duralite chargers are 12 Volts DC. They do come with the 12 volt alligator clips also to hook on to the 12 volt source.

David

[Busta Rapta]

So I take it this 1 amp load tester is important? Simply reading voltage isn't enough?

Is there a way to make one up for less? $52 seems a tad high for what you're getting. The rest of it seems great.

I'm considering this for my next heli which is probably going to be the Fury Gasser (having grown tired of the Bergen VS. Predator wars) Oops . . I don't want to hijack the thread!!!!

8)

[DavidH]

Glenn,
Your correct. Just reading the voltage when not under load is not going to give you a true reading. A fully charged battery will read about 8.3 volts with no load on it. When the 1 amp load is applied the reading will go down to 7.9 or 7.8volts. The stop flying voltage is 6.9 volts with a 1amp load appled.

Most of the Expanded Scale volt meters for the hobby industry apply about half amp ( .5) load . This would before example like the Hobbico digitial or analog. The ACE volt meters apply around the same.

If you have a regular Volt/Ohm meter. It is fairly simple to build a 1 amp load test lead to check the battery. I don't remember the exact valve of the resistor that is needed. But the resistor used is the one that looks like a tiny brick with wire coming out each end. I have one around here if I can find it. I bought everything at Radio Shack to build the loaded lead. I was using it with Fluke meter when I had the first generation of Duralites that were the Lithium/metal cells.

David

[SteveK]

Curious as to how long it takes to charge a 4000 pack. I just got mine tonight and jave jad it hooked up about 2 1/2 hours. Didn't want to let it stay on while I'm not watching it.

Also, I have a AC to DC converter made by HiTec that I use for other chargers that I have. The Duralite charger says that the input is 12 volts but a car battery is usually around 13 volts. The HiTec converter shows an output of 13.5 volts and it actually measures 14 volts. Anyone know if this would be OK to use with the Duralite charger???

[Al Magaloff]

I'm interested to know how long the Duralites take to charge also, so I'm signing on here. I'm interested in the 2000 packs, as opposed to the 4000's, because of their smaller size. I like using "The StrongBox" for mounting of battery and receiver, and really don't want to change these due to larger batteries.

[S.Peterson]

Steve K.

I just got 3 4000mah packs a few weeks ago and my initial charge took about 7-8 hours. I had all three plugged in to the 4port charger and they were on for 6 hours, then I shut it off and went to bed, then another 1-2 hours the next morning. Might be quicker with just one pack instead of 3, I don't know. All of my charges since then have been much shorter, maybe 1-2 hours.

I have been using a Rivergate 45 amp power supply to power my charger. It puts out 13.5v and I have not had any problems so far. To tell you the truth, I never even considered the fact it puts out more than 12v.

[SteveK]

I'm interested to know how long the Duralites take to charge also, so I'm signing on here. I'm interested in the 2000 packs, as opposed to the 4000's, because of their smaller size. I like using "The StrongBox" for mounting of battery and receiver, and really don't want to change these due to larger batteries.

FYI: I turned the charger off at 3 hours and went to bed, and the voltage with no load was 7.44V. Will put it back on charge when I get home tonight and see how long it takes. Thought it would charge faster than that but obviously not.

After hearing all of the horror stories about LiPoly packs I didn't want to leave these unattended while charging even though they are LithIon and not LiPoly.

[DavidH]

Steve,
I can understand your wanting to be cautious with the Duralite. With the charge safe circuitry that is installed in the receiver packs. That circuit is not going to let the pack be abused by charging. My 4000 mah packs took 6-8 hours on the first initial charge. Now after a normal day of flying maybe 6 to 8 flights, they recharge in about 3-4 hours.
The packs will take the same amount of time where you have 3 packs hooked to the charger or one pack.
The Duralites when fully charged should read 8.2 to 8.4 volts with no load. With a 1 amp load they will read about 7.4 to 7.6 volts.
The power supply should be fine to use as a 12 volt source. I would think the Hitec converter should be fine also. The charger is not using a high amperage draw when it is charging.
Hope each of you enjoy your Duralites. Theyhave worked great for me over the last year.

David

[pilotError]

Do you use the flat pack or the square packs? Also, is anyone using the switch that they sell?

Mike...

[DavidH]

I use the flat packs. They fit the radio tray in my Tempests the best.
I am also using the Regulator with the safety switch. These safety switches work as advertised. If the switch fails, the only way you know it has failed is you can't turn off the power to the receiver. I had one of the Oddino safety switches fail a few years ago. Couldn't turn the power off. Sent the unit to Oddino and he replaced the switch, was still using it for about 3 years till I switched over to the Duralite batteries. The Duralite regulator handles more current than the other system I was using.

David

[Busta Rapta]

Curious as to how long it takes to charge a 4000 pack. I just got mine tonight and jave jad it hooked up about 2 1/2 hours. Didn't want to let it stay on while I'm not watching it.



I wouldn't say you had to stand there and "watch it" the whole time. . . I doubt anyone does that. I imagine people are close enough to hear the smoke alarm though!!

I would triple check that you set the correct cell count on your charger and if possible, have the battery on a concrete floor, maybe in a large old pot or ammo box, and nothing flammable nearby.

And listen for the smoke alarm!!!

Be careful with lipos!

But you know that already!

:D

[SteveK]

Glenn:

Had it sitting near the computer while I was working, wasn't just sitting there staring at it aimlessly. :glasses2: :lol: :glasses2: :lol: :shock: :lol:

To all others:

Thanks for the insight on the charging times. Hope to get back to flying this weekend and try the new stuff out. Weather is pretty crappy here. Since last Friday - high winds and starting today - rain project thru Sunday.