Lipo differences

[Leebert]

ok, If I am good, my packs may last 400-500 cycles.

Anyone know what sort of life expectancy for an FP 2150 flying a TRex 450SE around gentle figure 8s and such to 80% of it's capacity then charged at 1C but without a balancer??

I'm thinking I'll be lucky to see 100 cycles!

[Ashley Davis]

There are some Enerland based packs in circulation that have reportedly got to 150 cycles. I've never seen a claim beyond this. I had a Flightpower 3700 4S cell last only 37 cycles. This was returned as faulty and replaced by their very nice customer service. In the email exchange that followed (discussing the failure of the pack) Flightpower indicated that they would expect to see that type of failure after 100 cycles or more. So I think realistically based on the available evidence (and it is hard to get this type of info) you'll be doing well in the 100-150 cycle range.

[Ashley Davis]

Before we all get carried away though let me make some very pertinent points as it's important to have a balanced view on this stuff.

Kokam packs are typically heavier than the equivalent other brand packs. So in the air we heli flyers tend to see a slightly reduced performance in comparison to a lighter 'other manufacturers' cell. All cells hold voltage to a similar level these days so very often (certainly with heli's) performance is based to some extent on weight.
This means that if you are just an all out perfromance man and you just want punch/power and don't care (too much) about how long you pack lasts then choosing the kokam based back would be an incorrect choice. A flightpower/thunder power/hyperion/polyquest type pack will suit you better.
If you are after consistent but slightly less performance (due to the greater weight) but do care about how long your cells last and want real value for money (on a cost per flight basis) then a kokam cell is a more logical choice.

If you are consistently bending your heli (and pack) then buy an Align pack, they aren't too bad and they are cheap.....and besides it's never going to make it to it's natural death as you'll bury it long before then

[robgt]

buy an Align pack, they aren't too bad and they are cheap.....and besides it's never going to make it to it's natural death as you'll bury it long before then

LOL
Sad but true.

Cheers,
Rob

[Raptorite]

I am using a J Perkins Distribution Ener-G pack in my Twister 3d, OK its only a 15C 1500Mah pack, but it is good enough to have some fun with something like a Twister 3d or a rex 450. They are reasonably priced too for what they are.

There is a whole range of these Ener-G packs, so you can go up to the 2100Mah one if you wish.

Cheers,
Pete.