2100 mAh LiPo upgrade

[zeta30]

I just took the SC up for the first flight after upgrading to LiPo batteries. I was very impressed with the extra power it provided. It seemed to have the same power at about 1/2 - 3/4 throttle as I normally have with the stock 7 cells at full throttle. Almost enough power to do an outside loop but not quite.

I was a little disappointed though because I was hoping on getting a lot more flight time out of one pack. I got about 15-20 minutes, for some reason I thought I read somewhere that I would get about 30 minutes but I must have imagined that. I normally get about 10 minutes on stock batteries, due to flying at full throttle almost all the time.

The battery I was using was a Thunder Power 3 Cell, 2100 mAh, 15C cont 24C burst, I use that battery on my Helicopter.

All in all I am pleased with this upgrade and look forward to my next one which will be converting it to run with my DX7 Transmitter.

[WearTheFoxHat]

I too have a Thunder Power lipo (3-cell, 2070mAh/11.1v, 25C continuous/50C burst) and am thoroughly impressed with the extra "juice". Doing vertical stalls was the best. It seems like it's almost hovering and hangs there much longer before falling over. Way cool!

I can't really comment on flight time yet because I flew the pack straight out of the box, which was at 11.5v., and I flew it pretty hard with loops and stuff. Per T.P., the charged pack should be about 12.45-12.66v, or about 1.1v more than what I started with. The Cub cut off the power at 9.8v and I got about 10 minutes of flight. So, if I got 10 min. from 1.7v, then I think I could maybe squeeze out another 5-7 minutes of flight.

Overall, it's great having the extra power. I'll probably run the battery on the stock equipment for a little while, and then convert to brushless in a few weeks after my 6EX 2.4ghz radio arrives.

Later.

[mrmugen]

If you had a BL motor in your sc your flight time will almost double......thats where you heard the longer flight times. I use a 450 outrunner and get 15 mins on a 1200 and 18 on a 1500....flying mildly.

[zeta30]

Thanks mrmugen,

I am working on my brushless upgrade now. I need to take some photos then work on putting it all together.

wearthefox,

I love the Thunder Powers, but they are soooo expensive. I always hear that you get what you pay for but at $75-$85 a pop that takes a big chunk out of my wallet.

I read about the Enerland batteries on this forum a while ago, but the person selling them on E-Bay seems to be diminishing is stock and not getting new ones in.

[WearTheFoxHat]

Zeta,

Yes, they are expensive... that is for sure. The Thunder Power battery came highly recommended by my LHS. I talked with a electric plane and heli guy for about an hour and he said he uses nothing but TP... and loves them. They had another lipo there from Electrifly, which was only 5 dollars less, so I figured for 5-bucks I'll get get the TP.

My only concern is the voltage cut-off on the Cub. TP says not to drop the voltage below 9.9v, but the first flight ended at 9.8. To me one-tenth of a volt isn't a big deal, and it may not be, but I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize the life of the battery.

Are you, or anyone else, seeing the same result?

I'm going to fly in about an hour. I may fly by time instead of relying on the cut-off and check the battery after 10-12min. I'd like to keep the voltage at about 10.5 when done.

[WearTheFoxHat]

Well, I goofed and didn't get my starting voltage. But I can tell you that after 15min's of flying, I'm left with 11.7v. That is amazing seeing that yesterday I started at 11.5v and flew for 10 min's. I wasn't able to continue and get to my desired 10.5v, but at least I know now that I should get at least 20min of flight time and be safe.

[zeta30]

I've never taken any voltage readings before or after so I can't be any help there.

[mrmugen]

using a timer is a great idea. I use one that is programed in my radio for all my planes. They all kill batts at different rates.