Can people who have used lipos for their receivers and their radios/transmitters post their experiences here, please.  

We are looking for what brands of lipos and BECs/regulators you  have used, sources for obtaining them etc.

Hi All,

Believe it or not, I have not used a single NiCd pack for any of my Rxs till date.  I always fly on Lipo+regulator combo.  And I have never bothered about Rx voltage.  This weekend I took 9 flights on a single Lipo charge and didnt even bother to check the voltage.  I was so confident.  With good quality Lipos / BEC, you would never have a problem.  The BECs I use are Dong Yang, Turborix and Dualsky.  All 3 serve me very well till date with never a problem!!  Quality wise, the Dualsky and the Turborix are better off and you can switch between 5V and 6V outputs. Get a 2 cell Lipo (say 1300 to 1600 mAh) for .40 to .60 size planes.  They would last you atleast 15 flights.  My personal best is 10 flights on a 1350 mAh pack flying the Funstar on 2.4Ghz and 5 standard servos.  Even for the 50cc, I might put in a 3000 mAh 2 cell pack.  But that is yet to be decided.  Alternatively, do some research on A123 Rx packs.  They work without a regulator and they are more reliable and robust.  The Lipos I use for Rx are mostly Dong Yang.  Only one of my Rx pack is a Hextronix.

My Futaba 6EX 2.4Ghz Tx runs on a Lipo I got from Mr.Sai.  One of the best investments I have made till date.  I can fly for more than a month without bothering about Tx voltage.  Its that reliable and safe.  But we should be careful of leaving the pack on the Tx for long as it might over discharge and damage the Tx as well.

- Chan

My first experience with lipo for powering receivers came with the Align Trex 600 nitro heli.  It came with a two-in-one unit which would be the BEC was the electronics and a glow igniter power source with 15 seconds cut off, driven by a 2s lipo.

http://www.google.com/search?q=align+RCE-B6T

It was hugely convenient that no separate glow driver was needed.  And even with serious 3D flying, we could fly 4 or 5 times before we ate up the 1200mah battery.  Soon enough, some of the nitro aircraft fliers noticed the unit, and they also started putting them on their planes    They also found it convenient that they don't have to worry about charging the glow driver.  And if the plane engine could be started with a chicken stick, all they needed to fly was the radio, a charged receiver lipo and fuel !

I did have one incident when the heli crashed nose down and the receiver lipo got damaged that it started fuming.  I had to disconnect and throw it away, and it burned down.  In retrospect, better placement of the lipo may have prevented that incident.

Now I see people using receiver lipos on all helis all the time.  Some plankers do it also.

As for transmitter lipo, this was one of the best investments I have made in RC ever !  I got a Dualsky 2500mah low discharge TX lipo from the local store for my Futaba 9CHP (at that time), and it would allow me to fly for a whole month ! 

With the 12FG I have now, finding a TX lipo was a little bit of a challenge because of the flat size of the battery compartment and also the operating voltage is around 7v instead of around 10v for most others. Finally found a match in the Outrage RX lipo http://outragexp.com/index.php?c=27&p=96 .  So now I have one type of lipo that can be both the TX lipo and RX lipo at the same time !

well i am getting the rds8000 but i want to know that which lipo can i use as i have zero experience with tx lipo's please help

Send me the dimensions and the voltage of the battery  , I will check if the Tx Lipos I have will fit.
Based on the enclosed Image , this should fit :
http://cgi.ebay.in/BATTERY-11-1V-1800-Tx-battery_W0QQitemZ110403617557QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_203?hash=item19b4918315&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A30
rgds
sai

Seriously consider the hyperion A123 tx batteies. will try to put a link to the data sheet.
http://media.hyperion.hk/dn/fg3radio/
They charge to 3.3 v per cell and can be used with the overnight nicad charger.
But lipos in Txs are great. Only problem will be if the radio is laft on with the antenna collapse. The battery lasts so long that the RF module will be fried before the battery dies out.
Also safer to use the TX on a sim with the antenna extended.
Avijit

In rebuttal of Chan's post
'Seriously I have never used a lipo anywhere even near my Rx and Tx and never had nay problem with my setup. I ensure I take good care of batteries and they inturn serve me well!  

I think Chan (like me) is all excited about the convenience factor     It is nice not to have to worry about charging one more thing before every flying session.

And it is even nicer if you want to spend hours in front of the sim  (using your own TX)

I use Lipo for my Spektrum DX7. I made it LiPo safe after changing the voltage regulator to a "switching dc-dc" one from a linear one. It works awesome. Many tx manufactures dont support LiPo though, because the chances to mess up your system is high without proper voltage regulation. I use 15$ Hobbyking rhino batteries and ebay ones too.

I dont know why LHS(so called) asks for 1600rs+ for such batteries when they dont have to pay duty for that. I have bought thishttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170401871332&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT 3s 2200mAh from ebay for 690rs from china. It arrived Kerala in 12 days with no issues or Customs duty. If you dont get the item in 20days they will offer you a refund or will send you a new battery. Which is cool for me.

Well, Why does everyone goto Lipo, when SAFE LSDs exist and are of the same/Lesser price? I have 12 of these and i will make a battery pack from 8 of them. These batteries once charged can last longer than a 2500 Lipo, well depending on how infrequently you use your radio

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10456

Can anyone suggest a good LiPo (6 v) or any other recharable battery to be used in place of 4 AA batteries on a nitro monster truck for powering the Rx , servos and steering system because i need longer runtime than 4AA cells..............................


Regds



Kartik

You can get NiCD/NiMH/Eneloop etc cells in pretty much any electronics store, which you can use to create such packs.

Or you can use a 2s lipo with a regulator that brings the voltage down to 6v.

Remember that you will need to get an appropriate charger whichever way you go.

Try these... You would not need any regulator..

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8249&Product_Name=A123_Systems_2300_6.6v_2S1P_Rx_pack_Lithium_ion

I had serious concerns about accidentally over discharging 3S Lipo as my Futaba Tx beeps the alarm well below 9v safe limit for Lipos. Apart from that neither I wanted to remove the batt cover for charging or cut a hole in my Tx to pop out the charge leads. I wish these Tx Lipo guys offer a kit which has
1. Tx Lipo with Dual connector for main lead - one for Tx and one for charge
2. A panel which neatly houses the Charge lead and main lead, one can simply fix at the back of the battery cover.

So I bet on LSD NiMh battery pack instead :

http://cgi.ebay.com/RC-Transmitter-TX-Battery-Futaba-Plug-NiMH-2600-Square_W0QQitemZ170448950397QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item27af8c947d

Now I have all the benefit of Lipo, don't need to bother for under voltage and charging hassles as I seamlessly charge with the original charger port.

Most transmitter specific "low C" lipos have 3 connectors (Futaba, JR and balance).

Like these :  http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6955

You can use one for permanent connection to the TX, and use the other two for charging (which should be fairly periodic in case of lipos, I was charging them once a month).

Quote from: saurabhhsrivastavaa on March 02, 2010, 09:18:04 PM
Try these... You would not need any regulator..

Weight is a minor factor, and so is the need for chargers that are even more specific (but I guess most good chargers now support A123 too).

Like Ujjwaana I would surely bet on Ni Mh. Modification done to both my 6EX and 7C to receive a battery pack of 2500-2700 mah Ni Mh last for more than one and half month of usage (i.e. Plus 20 Hour) of flying on a single set of charged batteries.

Further no issue of charging out side tx, over discharge and separate charger port. you can use tx seemlessly as if with its original battery pack only longer.

Further on the receiver side though a Lipo may be a better option still a set of four Ni Mh lasts sufficiently long for two to three flights, further does not require a BEC, as regards to weight has a major advantage.

@ sundaramvelar

As far what I see in the photo you posted, I had ordered a similar setup. I got the 8 cell holder from ebay(very very good quality) and the Turnigy 2200 LSD from Hobby city.

As far as I know, When the cell were inserted, they were a snug fit inside the Holder. Some times the spring was not able to push the cell upwards with enough force causing milli seconds disconnect. I then and there decided not to crash an expensive plane and rather spend a few bucks and get a SAFE pack.

I had to get either a soldered NIMH battery back like Ujjwaana's photo(which are way too expensive including shipping.) or a Lipoly.

Then I decided to goto Lipoly from HC (Rhino) which based on user reviews holds 2800 mah of charge. Also the reason I went to lipoly is the cost effectiveness and the "COOOL FACTOR" .

Ofcourse, we have to keep an eye on the Low cutoff voltage manually. Considering that we check the voltage our RC flight pack every 10 mins in a flight , keeping an eye on the TX battery voltage is no big deal as the TX always keeps on displaying the battery voltage at the corner of the screen.

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7346 is on the way. Let me see how it goes. I have to reverse the polarity of the connector for the RDS as the center connect is ground in my case.

Quote from: vinay on March 03, 2010, 08:40:51 AM
As far as I know, When the cell were inserted, they were a snug fit inside the Holder. Some times the spring was not able to push the cell upwards with enough force causing milli seconds disconnect.

It is only my 7C which has the 8 cell battery holder which fits snug inside the battery compartment. I have two of them never faced problems experienced by you the AA cells fits perfect inside case and there is no break in supply. Second battery case is just a added bonus never had the requirement to use them arisen before. (The spring of case is so strong that the batteries never break contact even with any amount of jerks. Only as a good practice to ensure good contact the case with batteries is given a slight twist along the longer axis, once after inserting the cells inside the case)

On the other hand the 6EX is modified with battey holder clips and spring integral in the battery compartment. The AA cells are clicked inside the compartment.

For both  this is the first time I had to open the battey back cover to photograph for the thread post. 

Though I bought them in ebay.com, The 8 cell Holder is available with one of our LHS also.

However I agree with you that the, soldered pack fits easily in the battey compartment and not snug. I bought the 8 cell battery case to be able to replace with charged batteries, which the requirement had never arisen.

Quote from: sundaramvelar on March 03, 2010, 10:51:51 AM
Only as a good practice to ensure good contact the case with batteries is given a slight twist along the longer axis, once after inserting the cells inside the case)

I did this long back, but the cells are such a snug fit that once I take the TX to the field, the vibration due to transport can slightly move the cell apart. And the spring is not able to push it back even though the spring is strong due to snug fit. This was causing the Milli second disconnect causing the RX to loose signals and restart.

I could have loosened the holder somehow and heat shrinked the whole setup. Then decided that a plane/heli/safety are more expensive than the TX battery, and piece of mind I got from changing to lipo is TONS!

Good to know that you did not face any problems. 

I received my TX lipo today morning. Need to go home and open the parcel. Received 4 parcels today. My Record!

Actually NiMh battery packs like mine are already available with few LHS like RCDhamaka for reasonable price. If they had listed it on their site, I would have definitely bought from them only instead of waiting hassle.
I would strongly suggest either to get OEM battery holder or get a pre-soldered packs. Don't try to solder normal AA cells ans the professionally assembled pack are made of a slightly differently looking AA cell which have proper solder 'Tabs'

Being an electric flyer myself, I know that Lipo has become an indispensable component of my kit as one of the most effective and efficient power source. However LIPO are to be treated with respect and handled carefully. Any lapses then they are accidents in the making.

Take them for granted you will have one of these........

Wish Manufacturers sell Tx with charging circuit and low voltage warning designed for LIPO since the LIPO's have become the norms of the day.

which transmitter is that?
how did such a thing happen?
any damages/injuries???

Hi All,

I see some people are extremly cautious of the high voltage of the 3 cell Lipo using as a tx battery and hence skeptical using the Lipo as a TX power source. There are numerous debates on the same.

I understand Mr. Sushil is an electronics engineer.   I would request him to please develop a linear regulator that is capable of converting 12.6V from a Lipo to 11.0V to ensure that high voltage of the Lipo (fully charged) does not damage the circuitry of the tx.  

If such a regulator can be developed, I am sure more people would shift to Lipo as tx power. Though I have been using Lipo's only for a long time, I have not faced any problems on the voltage. But my tx module gets warm because of the high voltage.

Also, I do not see charging the lipo only to 11.1 V as a solution as you never know when the lipo may konck off (unless you are much experienced)

No Ankur this happened no where near me photographs are pulled down from the net