Question about Li-po Battery??????

[slip23us]

I have the align 450 kit with the motor,battery and speed control. I was wondering what kind of other li-po batteries can you use if you cant find a 2100mah, 20c, 11.1v ... new to Li-po batteries, and can you explain what the 20c means ,, I think it mean the discharge rate!! Plus is the battery a 3 cell that comes with the kit? Thanks

[Redfire SVT]

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6306

[slip23us]

Is this the battery you suggest?

[ken22golf]

Yes, the align battery is a 3 cell battery. Any 3 cell lipo battery will be 11.1v and will work for the heli. 2100mAh is the capacity. The higher the capacity, the longer the flight times.
Yes, 20c is the discharge rate. You can find 11.1v lipos in 15c, 20c, 25c, and now 30c. The higher the number, the more amps (current) the batteries can put out, and the stronger the engine can run (producing higher headspead and less bog for more 3d performance). I'm sure someone else can and will explain it better(and more correctly).

So, when looking for a battery, you will need an 11.1 v li-po battery.(3s, or 3 cells in series)
The rest varies with batteries.
Capacity is generally 2100-2200mAh. (5-7minute flights)
Discharge rate- since you are new, you could probably get away with a 15c for low headspead hovering, but I would suggest some 25c batteries, at least 20c.
The lipo drives the heli and pretty much determines the power, so a good high quality lipo with a higher discharge rate will give you more power throughout it's life.

Some general good lipo brands include: Thunderpower, Flightpower, Kong Power, Outrage...I personally have two Tenergy(lower quality) lipos, and so far they keep up with my Thunderpower V2, but that's only around 10 cycles.

Just don't ever discharge them past 9v or 3v a cell!! It can cause permanent damage or catch fire upon charging.
You should follow the 80% rule, only discharge 80% of the capacity. When you recharge the battery you shouldn't put in more than 80%. For example, your 2100mAh Align battery should never take more than (2100*80%=1680) 1680mAh to completely charge after flying. My batteries never get below 11.1-11.3v while following the 80% rule.
There is also balancing the batteries, but I've already said too much.

A good charger is a great investment.

[ken22golf]

Yes, many people do have good luck with the Zippy batteries. For the price they are hard to beat! I will most likely purchase some when mine start giving out.

[TomRex]

The higher the C' rating also means less internal resistance, less internal resistance is less heat, less heat is more efficient. If your hovering etc then higher C' rated batts could allow more flight time but if you get into dogging the system as in 3D the flight times remain pretty much the same but with the desired power and performance sought by many flyers with way less heat. The problem with lower C rated batts is the new bee tends to fly like they have a 12 oz tank of fuel onboard and usually overheat the batteries consequently causing irreversible damage.

[WickedDragon]

Can't beat the price on the Zippy at the link Redfire gave you and Outrage packs are awesome.

As far as the 'C' is concerned...... with a 2200mah, C=2200 or in amps(typical) 2.2. this is used to determine max current draw and charging currents. Using the Zippy as an example, you would normally charge at 2.2 (2) amps and can have a sustained current load of 20C (20 x 2.2= 44amps or 4400 mA). you can draw a constant 44 amps from the battery.

+1 on a good charger!