Li-Ion Power Tool cells work great for RC!

[BrianG]

Well, that makes sense since the nominal voltage for Li-Ion is 3.6v while Lipos are 3.7. I wouldn't think they would be that sensitive to .1v, but it's possible. If I felt especially paranoid, I'm sure the connections on a stock power-tool pack charger could be modified to work with a standard deans connector and balancer connector.

[MetalMan]

Older Li-Ions charged to 4.1v/cell and have a 3.6v/cell nominal voltage. Most newer Li-Ions go to 4.2v/cell for charge and are 3.7v/cell nominal, including the cells in the Milwaukee V28 pack.

[cart213]

Have any of you gotten these cells yet?

[MetalMan]

I haven't. Spent my money on a Tamiya Dark Impact instead. If I do get them, it probably won't be until the summer when I can get more money. But you don't have to wait for anyone to get them first! The helicopter guys are having a lot of success with these cells.

Sorry for the delay.
I think my preference is the more cells you can do alot more with more cells. (Play with weight, add more voltage, add voltage subtract mah ect....).

These cells are from here
http://www.toolsforless.com/product/7364.html

[MetalMan]

Those are the Makita cells, though, and are different from the Moli cells in the Milwaukee packs.

[squeeforever]

Aren't the Milwaukee cells 3000mah instead of 1500 like the Makita?

[BrianG]

I really hope so since those are the ones I'm waiting for.

BTW: It looks like DeWalt will be using the A123 systems M1 cells too in their upcoming 36v line: http://www.dewalt.com/36v/ (click "battery/charge" link on left and then "technology story" tab).

Originally Posted by BrianG

BTW: It looks like DeWalt will be using the A123 systems M1 cells too in their upcoming 36v line: http://www.dewalt.com/36v/ (click "battery/charge" link on left and then "technology story" tab).

it says they use the A123 cells but it comes with a 1 hour charger

[MetalMan]

Milwaukee are 3000mah.

[squeeforever]

Thats odd....Also, kinda heavy, don't ya think? It says 2.4lbs....

Originally Posted by squeeforever

Thats odd....Also, kinda heavy, don't ya think? It says 2.4lbs....

Dewalt says that their 36 volt cells way the same amount as 18 volt NiCD cells

[BrianG]

The A123 cells are able to charge in less than 5 minutes actually, but they (DeWalt) must not be taking advantage of that. Maybe it reducing the cell life to charge at a high rate all the time.

I'm hoping they will be 3Ah cells. 36v will mean I'll be able to make two 18v (5s) packs from one module. 2.4lbs for a 36v pack means 1.2lbs for one 18v pack.

About the weight: a sub-C cell weighs 65g. An A123 M1 cell weighs 99g. It takes three sub-C cells (195g) to equal the voltage/capacity of one M1 cell - as long as the M1 cells are ~3Ah each, otherwise two in parallel would be needed and would weigh more...

[MetalMan]

I'd bet the reason that Dewalt isn't doing 5min. charges is because of the current it would require to do that. 60min./5min. x 3Ah x 36V = 1300W! Imagine the contact area on the battery that the charger would need to handle pushing 36amps into the battery! You would need a connector like a Deans for that!

[BrianG]

MetalMan, do you know what the Ah rating of those M1 cells are? I'm hoping for 3Ah (or more). They might be less since DeWalt says there's greater run time, but that might be simply because it's using 36v so the current doesn't need to be so high. I'd like to use a 5s1p arrangement for size/weight/simplicity, but have found nothing on the A123systems or DeWalt sites that says exactly what they are...