Best Battery and Charger?

[loewermx]

Hi Guys,

I am just curious but, what is the best charger out there for the Li packs for the ION? Either 6000's or 8000's

Also, what would be the best battery for the ION? For mild 3D flight.

Thanks
Scott

[50feet]

With all electrics it depends on how you intend to fly and how much current you need. 8000s are a bit heavier but you will get more flight time and more current an 6000's of the same current rating. If you want to stick bang, 6000s are lighter and should give you 8-9 minutes of 3D maybe 15 of normal flight. I read the Ion can pull 90 - 100 amp doing hard stuff and pulls like 30 in normal flight so you want to make sure you packs can handle what you intend to do.

I think many are using the astro 109 since it gets the job done for $112 or so. You can buy one for each pack where as other chargers start at 200+

[WillJames]

With the TP 8000 packs, your safe flight times using the 32-3 are going to be about 9-10 minutes for even the mildest 3D and flying around. I have 2 sets of the TP-8000 Pro Lites and they work very well. What Chris Stephenson recommends and I go by is the 75% rule. So far I have 181 flights on my Ion-X in the last 4 months and my packs are hanging in there great. The 109's are cheap chargers, and it is a lot easier to fry packs with them than some of the higher quality units that have a lot more build in safety features. As with anything, you get what you pay for, but they work fine if the operator is careful. Some of the more expensive chargers will also peak your packs better automatically.

[50feet]

"you get what you pay for".... I hate that saying.

Case in piont, Baja mentioned you get 9-10 minute from and $800 set of 8000s. Lowandslow said he got 6min on 3800 round cells carrying a camera rig @ 17lbs AUW. If he drops the camera he would get about the same time. I think I get 8 on 3300's which have been said to take up to 100 amp draws. And I know what you thinking but the flights are short... Well the "pro" setups are to because they are using like 4000 of the 8000 before recharging or landing to cool off every 5 min.(from what I have read)


But if you got it like you say you do, spend it. I personal have been flying, powering, charging, ect... on the cheapest I can find that have the spec's I need and have never fried a pack or crashed a ship from equipment failure.

[WillJames]

50feet is leaving out the weight of the heli as a factor in whether you are flying something fun or flying a brick. Bricks take larger blades to perform the same as lighter helis. What do you want to do with the heli makes a difference in what batteries you choose. No electric 90 sized heli is goign to be cheap. He is also not taking into account the setup. I personally would setup a camera rig a lot differently than a sport rig. Is low and slow running the same ratio's ESC settings doing the same flying etc? I doub't it but your mileage may vary....

Do you like to auto and do aerobatic flying? The round cells from what I understand (I have never run thm on anything that flys other than for an RX pack) increase the weight of your machine dramatically. It is all about what you are looking for in a heli. I was trying to pass along info that I have found to be true with what I fly and use to charge with. Thats all. I regularily put back in 75% of the rated capacity of my packs after a 9-10 minute flight. You will learn the feel of the heli and know what you can get away with. I personally LOVE to auto my helis, If I can';t auto them, I don't want them. With the TP 8000's my Ion is weighing in at 11.45 pounds ready to go. I am not interested in it weighing any more than that for me to still have fun with it. I also have 2 sets of the Tanic 8880's and they are about 12 pounds on the heli ready to fly. The Tanics discharge a lot differently and the weight is definitely "feelable" in the flying characteristics, but they still ROCK!!. I am not interested in a heaver Ion-X unless my Average Joe Tom Fiddler camera mount is strapped to the bottom.

But if you got it like you say you do, spend it. I personal have been flying, powering, charging, ect... on the cheapest I can find that have the spec's I need and have never fried a pack or crashed a ship from equipment failure

Specifically, on the 109 you set what you are charging with a dial and charge, there is not any circuitry to protect you from making a mistake that I am aware of. What happens if you set it wrong and then charge? With the more expensive, more intelligent digital chargers you set the number of cells in the software, if you hook up a pack with the wrong number of cells it wont charge, if there is any problem it stops the charge and warns you. It is very hard to mess up with the better chargers. I try to keep it simple. Program the charger one time and use it. Sorry I did not make it more clear. If you have never crashed a ship from equipment failure you either don't fly much or you are very lucky, it can and does happen. You do your best to PM your heli and keep your kit in shape, but it would be impossible to completely eliminate equipment failure. I am not that lucky.

You can hate that saying all you want, but in life, I find it to be VERY true.

[50feet]

I did say it was based on how you want to fly it. That why Im moving to gassers I dont do the hard stuff out side of the sim and I dont mind the wieght. The ion is heavy to start compared to a logo bionic. I flew lipos in my Eco 8 and Li-ions in my micros back when because it made a difference, I used round in my logo 20 and in the Ion they cab handle it . Some of theres guy are weight for thoso 100g 123 ion cell that are heavy than my packs.

[Tom Fiddler]

In my opinion you either have a Microlader Pro or you want two of them!!

[50feet]

I missed this


You can hate that saying all you want, but in life, I find it to be VERY true.



People who have money to wipe their ass with don't shop around. They buy the biggest and best to try to out do one another. They dont know or care that Pep boys motor oil is name brand oil in a genereic bottle at a lower cost, Or in this case if there is a $100 charger that will work as well as a $400 charger. If you read consumer reports you will see product A for $1000 is not alway better than Product B for $400. Your paying up to 200 % motor than dealer cost for some that as made for like $2 in Taiwan.

Same thing in this hobby..... I just got a 9C... well I just got a 14z.... it has even more stuff that you will probably never use and stores more aircrafts than you will ever own at on time. Some guy was bragging about having kevlar blades and I ask why are they worth the extra cost. He says "I had to get my freind to test them becuase I can't fly that good but they make a cool whistling sound. I dont know how many times I have see guys with ships that were modded to the max on expensive lipo's that cant even FFF.or piro. or have a stinking Co-pilot.

I used to be in sales. I hooked ppl with deep pockets with that line all the time. I see a guy wearing a Rolex and key to a Mercedes... I'll tell him...this is the best and you know "you get what you pay for". And for the smart shopper I would say look this does the same thing, better warranty, and cost 30% less that name big brand where your paying for the name.

I like nice pens so I was going to spend $150 on a monte blanc from the web that was more locally. I happen to be in this store that sold them and I ask if I could see the one I was going to buy. The $8 gel pen I carry wrote 1000 times better. So I said.. this writes like a cheap roller ball pen so why does it cost so much. The sales person said "I dont know". Needless to say I did not buy this pen.

[epc2]

I own an Orbit Microlader pro and a 109 and I can tell you that the 109 is a very good charger that does the job but is not even on the same league with the Orbit.

The Orbit Software ( I have the 6.4 ) rocks IMO is one of the best chargers on the market.

epc2.

[WillJames]

I have 4 Schulze chargers currently, and the 109 is not in the same league with them either.

Sometimes the things that cost more ARE worth more IMHO, not sure what all the pent up anger is with 50feet is all about. ;)

[Rickster]

I have used the 109 for a quite a while. I borrowed a friends 109 and his power supply so I could charge both 5S's at the same time. Bang for the Buck you cannot beat the 109. For safety I always hook the battereis up and drop the Amp to "0" and verify cell count. After it goes to the second stage it is looked in on the cell count and I turn the Amperage up to where I want to charge at. At the field I charge at 1C at home I normally charge at .5C. Even if it was a computerized do verything type charger I would still be looking at it periodically and feeling the BAtteries for heat . I would rather spend $250.00 on a pair of chargers that will do what I need them to do reliably ...

Just my opinion..

Rick

[50feet]

Sorry... I guess is anger from been told I could not afford this hobby when I started out buy some jerk that wanted to sell me top of the line stuff. Or the way I have been treated buy sales people when I question what they are selling me.

I am the type of guy that will never shop some where again if I dont get treated like my dollar is the same as the guy buying the plasma tv when Im buy the on sale 32" flat. When I bought my car the ford guy acted like I was not worth the time. So I went down the street to the Chevy dealer, bought an Impala, drove back to the Ford dealer and told the sales guy and him manager that I bought that car becuase he didnt act like i was worth his time. As I was leaving I heard his boss yell "you should have been doing your f***ing Job...

[WillJames]

I agree with you there 50. I had the exact same thing happen to me when I bought my first Toyota Truck. I went back to the first dealer with the bill of sale and rubbed the jerk salesman and his managers faces all over it. It was kinda fun actually.

[misskimo]

Dang 50 feet , disgrunted right before the end of the year , TP 8000 prolites has way more grunt than the prolite 6000 , I know , because I have both sets , 8000s will do 8 minutes flat , and yes , tone that down with a gov can get you more but 3D turns into 2D , and then its good to fly 2 flights , one long isnt avised.
hope you have a better year than last one ,

[misskimo]

by the way , my MAH kevlars , 3D there butt off , and yeh , I can makke them whisle just fine Im right where I need to be in the learning curve of 3D , my 14MZ is also , GREAT , at one time in my life . life was kinda pore , planes all stuck together with tape , but thats water under the bridge , I do charge with the 109s and schulze 636 , like both ,

[50feet]

Im am done with the battery. Im buying a Raptors and a bunch of parts or 2 if I can sell this Ion.

I spent $350 on a shark that died 2 days later $250 on a 3 foot green moray eel that jumped out the tank and died. $ 200 on several clown trigger that kicked or were killed by other fish And I bought a $600 camera.. someone stole it and went and bought another. You have any idea what a bushmaster with a 16 inch Hbar goes for? About 2 TP 8000s.. :wink: Not to mention what I have spent on this hobby. So if I wanted them I would buy them :wink:
They are batteries. I bet you would not spend $800 on a car battery.

I just never heard Astro and cheap used in the same sentence. It like say get a 14z because the 9C is cheap. Nothing in this hobby is cheap...