Battery Life Questionare?

[F1Atom]

I know there are some people out in the heli community who get up to 100-200+ cycles or more on their lipos. I was wondering what is the secret/technique to getting that kind of performance. Is it how you charge them, fly them, balance them, etc... Whats your technique? Please describe in detail. NOTE: DO NOT INCLUDE BRAND NAME OF LIPO. I will ask about it in another post if I get people willing to participate. Thanks for participating in my little questionare.

Lipo (cell count/mAh):
Flight Time:
Flying Style: Example: mild, moderate, extreme, insane, suicidal.
Charge Rate:
# of Flights:
Other info: (Any additional info/tips/warnings in any) For Example Ex: "First flight was very powerful but after 100 or so flights its starting to loose its punch and starting to puff" or something on those lines. Try to keep it short but informative.


Here is what I have been doing:

Lipo: 3s 2200
Flight Time: 4mins
Flying Style: Mild (Flips, rolls, climbouts)
Charge Rate: 0.8C or more if I'm in a hurry. Max I have ever charged at was 2C.
# of Flights: 10-12 flights (I just bought them)
Other info: Being brand new it still has a lot of punch.

[john_3330]

Lipo: 3s 2500
Flight Time: 4mins 30secs
Flying Style: Moderate to Extreme? (Flips, rolls, sudden punch, pitch pumping, etc)
Charge Rate: Mostly at 2.5A if I'm using my charger, else 4A with buddies charger
# of Flights: 20+
Other info: Being 21c, it still has lots of punch and actually can last till 5min 30sec of flight time. Take into concern the weight of the pack too.. Its at 218g.. =D

[carlo_the_wonder_frog]

LiPo: 3s 2100
Flight time : 6 min 30 sec
Flying style: Moderate 3D
Charge rate: 6.3 amps (3c)
# of flights 300+ ( These LiPos were produced in 2005)
Other info. Still going strong, some punch and capacity has been lost. No puffing at all. Batteries are brought to half charge and stored if not going to be flown for 2 weeks or more. None ever gets charged more than 2 times in a 24 hour period. Balance charge every charge.

[F1Atom]

Thanks for participating and the info. Lets keep it going.

[redgiki]

Here are several brands I've tried:

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 2100 15C
Flight Time: 6-7 minutes, T-Rex 450XL HDE (10 minutes on airplanes)
Flying Style: Sport Aerobatics
Charge Rate: 1.5-2C
# of Flights: 320 total on best pack; around 200-250 average on packs I didn't crash or otherwise destroy.
Other info: Sagged under voltage a bit too much for operation in the T-Rex between 100-150 flights. Worked well in my airplanes, where I target 12-15 minute flights. I bought nearly two dozen of these packs over 3 years and flew the crap out of them, but they did not keep pace with the price reductions and performance increases of comparable vendors. Really good customer service. Two packs replaced due to early death at similar discharge rates to other packs.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 2200mAh "20C-30C"
Flight Time: 6 minutes
Flying Style: Sport aerobatics
Charge Rate: 1.5-2C
# of Flights: < 35
Other info: All four puffed, replaced under warranty.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 2200mAh "20C-30C"
Flight Time: 6 minutes
Flying Style: Sport Aerobatics, beginner 3D
Charge Rate: 1.5-2C
# of Flights: 70+ and counting
Other info: Warranty replacements for above brand. Getting squashy (not puffy, just no longer firm), I only expect 100 flights out of these cheap-o packs. Currently flying 7 of them, with 2 of the 2008 generation for evaluation (<10 cycles on the new ones, though.)

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 2100 10C-12C
Flight Time: 12 minutes
Flying Style: Couldn't keep the T-Rex above 2400RPM; Sport Aerobatics in planks
Charge Rate: 0.5C-1C
# of Flights: 50-75
Other info: I was just getting into LiPos from NiMH and didn't know how to take care of them. Surprising longevity despite my ineptness. Eventually I converted some of my nitro birds to use a UBEC and converted these packs to 2S for use as receiver packs.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 2070mAh "25C"
Flight Time: 6 minutes
Flying Style: Beginner 3D
Charge Rate: 1.5C-2C
# of Flights: ~30
Other info: Not buying this "extreme" battery ever again. Being ignored by customer service totally soured me on this vendor.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 2S 1300mAh 6C
Flight Time: 15-20 minutes
Flying Style: Sport aerobatics
Charge Rate: 1C
# of Flights: >200
Other info: Not for the T-Rex, but this pack was light, crashed well, and suffered a lot of abuse without ever being balance-charged.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 1345mAh 18C
Flight Time: 7 minutes
Flying Style: 3D (airplane)
Charge Rate: 2C-3C
# of Flights: 18 so far
Other info: New vendor I'm trying, I like the pack so far, really well-balanced and very low voltage sag. Still in the honeymoon-phase with this battery, but if it keeps this up for another 40+ cycles, I'll start recommending them.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 2S 800mAh "10C"
Flight Time: 4-5 minutes
Flying Style: Basic hovering, circuits, slow forward flight.
Charge Rate: <1C
# of Flights: 30-50
Other info: Taught me that C-ratings from battery vendors LIE. These packs -- I bought several for $28 each -- weren't labeled with the C-rating, but I at least thought they'd work for a long time when used in the aircraft for which they were designed, and with which they were sold in a RTF package.

Pack longevity tips: If you must store fully-charged, store it in the freezer. Cell capacity (mAh) is more important than C-rating in packs 15C and up. Aim for 6C-8C constant discharge, 12C-15C peaks. Don't charge past 4.0v/cell when the temperature is below 55F. Most flyers don't need to squeeze the last drop of performance and flight time from a battery... time your flights conservatively and log your power consumption using an EagleTree. Don't believe battery vendors C-ratings.

And lastly: If you follow good LiPo care tips, and the battery STILL dies in less than 100 cycles, move on. I'm still trying to find good-longevity replacements for my old, trusty 15C vendor who didn't keep up with the times. I just need higher voltage at peak 15C draws, and 15C batteries sag too much for the punch I want.

[F1Atom]

Thanks for info. Need more people.

[liaan]

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 2170mAh 25C
Flight Time: 7 minutes
Flying Style: Sport
Charge Rate: 1C
# of Flights:70
Other info: still flying it.. but no more high current draw manouvers (rolls) ..low battery warning kicks in. been abused (low discharge, long storage etc)

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3s 200mAh 25c
Flight Time: 5 minutes
Flying Style: basic 3D
Charge Rate: 1C
# of Flights: 20
Other info: same as above pack, don't have punch anymore, flight time down to 4min now. never discharged less than 3.8 v.. never put more than 1600 back in.. never stored for more than 5 days without flying..

[andrewt1971]

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 1800mAh 20C
Flight Time: 2 minutes
Flying Style: I wish
Charge Rate: 1C
# of Flights: 1
Other info: Battery was new, balance charged, used to setup a new model, balance charged used for a tentative newbie hover, balance charged then puffed sat on the shelf over night!

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 1800mAh 20C
Flight Time: 8 minutes
Flying Style: Beginners hovering and forward flight.
Charge Rate: 1C
# of Flights: 120
Other info: Capacity was way down after 80 ish flights but kept using it until cycle 120 then retired it due to very poor flight times.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 1500mAh 20C
Flight Time: 6 minutes
Flying Style: Beginners hovering and forward flight.
Charge Rate: 1C
# of Flights: 1
Other info: Very similar result to above, not surprising as the cells were from the same manufacturer.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 4S 2100mAh 15C
Flight Time: 12 minutes
Flying Style: Beginners hovering and forward flight.
Charge Rate: 1C
# of Flights: 150
Other info: Would probably have lasted much longer but I puffed the pack after letting it sit about, fully charged, outside on a freezing cold day!

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 3S 2000mAh 15C
Flight Time: 8 minutes
Flying Style: Circuits and simple aeros (loops, rolls etc)
Charge Rate: 1.5C
# of Flights: 419
Other info: I have two of these, still going strong, capacity is still around 90% of new, voltage has sagged slightly but they show no signs of giving up. Always fully charged right after use, occasionaly will sit around for a couple of weeks if the weather is poor. They have also been crashed, fallen through rotor blades and look distinctly tatty.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 4S 1500mAh 20C
Flight Time: 7 minutes
Flying Style: Circuits and simple aeros (loops, rolls, flips etc)
Charge Rate: 2C
# of Flights: 40
Other info: 2 Packs, Still fly like new, same manufacturer as above so hopefully they have a lot of cycles left in them.

Lipo (cell count/mAh): 10S 4200mAh 16C
Flight Time: 12 minutes
Flying Style: Circuits and scale flight
Charge Rate: 1C
# of Flights: 93
Other info: 93 cycles in 18 months, are always charged ready to go, have been known to go six weeks between uses which is probably why they don't feel as firm as they should, though not puffed (hard to describe!) Capacity and voltage hold still good.

[F1Atom]

Thanks for your replies. It look like it doesn't really matter fast you charge your lipo as far as "charge rating is concerned. But I would like more data to rule this out.

THanks Again!