Battery costs?

[uninc4life2010]

Hello,

I have heard that one major drawback to larger electric birds is the battery cost. What is the damage on quality 600 series batteries?

[satgod]

you can get decent packs for about 50-65.00 each

for those that want TP packs 130-150.00 each

and a 12s system needs 2 of them

[uninc4life2010]

So a 12s system can run you up to $300 in just battery costs? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

[satgod]

if you buy really high end batteries
I have been flying mine with sky lipos and its does just fine

[nieves50]

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dproduct=17915

$75.00 for a 12s pack....Granted, this is only for sports flying. If you into hardcore 3D you'll need the more expensive packs..

I'm using these on both my T600 and Fusion 50 on 12s with no issues. 6 min flight times on mild 3D (inverted piros with full collective pulls, loops / rolls, etc).

Packs come down warm. Also fit great on my T500...

[Mike A.]

Two $40-$50 Turnigy packs will be fine for the majority of hobby pilots out there.

[utrinque]

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=14367

For 12S setup you need two of those... around 2x30$ + shipment (Euro warehouse)

Higher than 20C rating would give you more power but using those my motor and regulator are slightly warm after flight and lipos do not get hot either.

my setup
T-Rex 600e:
regulator castle creations 85 HV
motor scorpion 630 KV HK-4025 12 s
gyro Futaba 611 + futaba s9256
cyclics 3 x Futaba S9252

[Andy01]

I think you might be stretching things a touch by using 20C 3000mAh on a 12s 600. Probably worth the few $ extra to get 30C at least.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=9489

The 20C would only take around 60A (2660W, which is well within the range of most 600 motors), which is not a lot, even on 12s.

Colin

[utrinque]

Originally Posted by Andy01

I think you might be stretching things a touch by using 20C 3000mAh on a 12s 600. Probably worth the few $ extra to get 30C at least.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=9489

The 20C would only take around 60A (2660W, which is well within the range of most 600 motors), which is not a lot, even on 12s.

Colin

I DO AGREE 40C would be much better but twice as much expensive.

Fortunatelly currents on 12S are much lower than on 6S.

I maidened this second hand heli last Friday. 30 flights with no issues/problems. I do not push it hard. Sport flying/simple flips, rolls, inverted hovers etc. No tic-tocs. The only reason to go for 20C was PRICE. They get only slightly warm during the flight.

I fly my FBL 450 Pro TT much harder on 2200mAh 20C lipos. Some of them are only around 7,89$ now : ) http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=8932

[Andy01]

I think that 40C would be overkill, unless really flogging the heli. The 30C are $40 instead instead of $30, and will probably last twice as long, so better value.

The 450M motor that is in most Pros is a 400W motor, so capable of pulling 400/11.1 = 36A. Even the 450MX motor (500W) will pull a max of 45A. Your 2.2Ahr 20C lipos will handle 44A (at a stretch), but if flown this hard, it is unlikely you would see 100 cycles from them (perhaps less than 50 cycles).

Most 600 class motors (eg. Scorpion 4025-630kV) can pull around 3700W if pushed hard, which on 12s is 83A, and many fit 4035 class motors in 600 helis, which can pull 5200W if pushed hard, which is 117A.

A 3000mAh 20C lipo can only handle 60A, so unlike your example of a 450 using 20C lipos, they can be a loooong way from coping with the motor's demands. If, of course, you are planning to fly scale or light sport, you may well get away with lower ratings. The OP did not say what what flying style he had. Having said that, I use 5000mAh 25C Turnigys in my 12s scale helis, so they are rated for about 4x what I pull out of them, so I should get a long life.

A couple of years ago, the 6s 600s were running a motor capable of around 1800W, which was 81A, and people were killing 5000mAh 25C (should be capable of 125A) lipos in less than 20-30 cycles, so even running lipos close to their rated capability (probably depends on the quality and cost of the lipos as well) can result in very short lives. I have found that 450 sized lipos are far more forgiving (to bad treatment) than bigger lipos.

I would rather spend a little more and have the lipo last 100 cycles or so, than go cheap and replace then often. I also think that if going for a cheaper brand (and I have had good service from Turnigy and Rhino lipos), it is worthwhile getting a slightly higher rating than perhaps with an expensive brand name lipo.

But, hey, everyone to do what works for them. Best to do the homework, and make your choice, and sometimes learn from your mistakes.

Colin

[utrinque]

After I converted 600e to FBL http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=418944

Scorpion motor started to get hot (40-50 Celsius) but 2 x Zippy Flightmax 20C 6S are getting only slightly warm after flight.

When I use high angles I can hear head speed is slowing down but with FBL I do not observe control deterioration.

[seanh]

I'd go with the higher C rating, 30C minimum. It's well known that the C rating isn't always accurate so go with some wiggle room...20c won't do that.

On hobby king prices you need to be careful. If you're not ordering from the local warehouse you're looking at prices before shipping.

I haven't had much experience with electric but I understand that the cheaper batteries also puff faster than others reducing the number of flights.