Lipo performance varies?

[Nick]

I hope to get a reply from someone who has used more than 2 different makes of Lipo.

Like Nimhs, you can get your dead cheap packs off eBay, rated at 3300mAh and we all know they will performe just terrible, then you can get matched packs, from companies like Orion & LRP which the performance is top notch.

Is this the same with Lipos? Or in majority are they all similar performance, voltage/runtime.

I'm thinking down the TrueRC/MaxAmps/Flight Power and other more known makes in comparision.

[glassdoctor]

Lipos vary drastically in performance.

Part of the reason is that the technology has come very far in the past couple years or so. Like comuters in the 90's there are newer and better products all the time and stuff gets outdated pretty quick.


The best cells two years ago are garbage compared to the latest cells. So they are cheap by comparison. Places like commonsenserc.com make it clear what you are buying and their 8c packs (old tech) are half the cost of their 15c packs.

That's fine if you know what you are buying and understand that. The problem is that you might buy a pack off ebay for example that claims to be a 15c battery when it's actually only a 6c or 8c etc.

Truerc, maxamps, commonsense are examples of the good guys who rate their packs as they are and don't try to sell cheap crap as gold.

[Serum]

Yes, they have got huge differences.

Some companies claim a 20C discharge, (i got some of these cells) and they drop below 3V per cell at this discharge. The companie that sold them claims they can handle 2.75V with ease..

Flightpower packs are 20C and 50C peak. At this 50C peak (250A !! for the 5000mAh) the cell still stays above 3.1V...

So companies rate their cells completely different. You can't compare any cell.

I received some maxxamps lipo's to test. which i will do.

[tallyram]

not to hijack, but how do polyquest packs compare (their 20c packs)? i own 7 of these and was told they are pretty good. i was also told they use the same cells as flightpower and hyperion.

[Serum]

Yeah, i thought they are the same cells too. Emercel or something like that.

But the max current they can deliver also depends on the quality of the connections.

The 'new formulation' flightpowers are upgraded with better connections. i thought the cells itself stayed the same.

[squeeforever]

Enerland cells maybe?

[Serum]

yeah, that's what i said.. emercel or something.. :p

[Nick]

I would be really intrested to know what you think to the Maxamps in comparision to the Flight Power packs Serum. Keep me posted. :)

[JThiessen]

I'm just getting up to speed on lipo's and trying to read as much as I can on them. I'll be ordering a couple sets and a charger system for the revo within a week or so.

How about cycle life of Lipos? Do they tend to last any longer than Nimh or Nicd?

Any good websites to go look at for more "learning" on lipo's?

[glassdoctor]

www.rcgroups.com under the "batteries and chargers" forum

It will take days to read through all the info there... enough to make your head spin :035:

and leave you with even more questions :032: :005:

[MetalMan]

RC Groups is great. I signed up there over the summer of 2004, and have gotten much of the information about LiPo that I know from there. But it has been a time period of 2 years, and that might be a bit tough to fit into only a few days :032:.

[coolhandcountry]

I find that my maxx amps packs seem to heat up more so than the appogee.
The apogee are 3800 20c and the maxx amps are 6000 at 10c. On same truck
the Maxxamps packs heat up more. Far from danger though.

[MetalMan]

That's not unusal... The 3800 cells are rated at 76amps, and the Maxamps 6000 is rated at 60amps.

[coolhandcountry]

Yeah I figure that was why. I got some 8000 mah coming to. Should be able to play for little longer and have cooler temps on batts.

[JThiessen]

What is the 10C, 20C, 30C rating?