surf

Went to the LHS after reading up on electrics. I'm new to electrics but not RC; fly glow and gas. I'm thinking that electrics would give me more options to fly.

Anyway, went to the LHS and found out that it takes about an hour to charge a LiPo battery (2200 mah/11.1V). That seemed like a long time, so this would mean that I fly 10-15 min. (depending on plane wt., current draw, etc.) and stand around for an hour (if you only have one battery).

Is this basically true? Are their options to a quicker charge? Thanks for the help.

kihei11

My Feedback: (13)

You Can only Charge a Lipo Pack at 1C so a 2100 charged at 2.1 amps = one hour. I usually charge a few packs before I fly I have lipo's but also still fly with nimh packs. Its a safety issue Lipos are dangerous to charge you've got to follow the rules. you're rewarded with lighter weight and better performance.

surf

I have a Cirrus peak charger so maybe I should look at the nimh. Owning a couple of lipos can get expense, and yes I have read alot about the safety issues. Thanks

Tall Paul

There's three common ways to destroy a Lipo..
1) Over-discharge.. fly it so long the voltage level drops below 3.
2) Over charge.. stuff in amps for too long a period of time or too quickly.
3) Leave it connected when not in use. Overnight, this will kill the thing. A switch won't save it. Disconnect it when you're not flying!
Any of these destroy the battery.

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

find a Ni battery that can put out 30+ amps at 12v and then find out how much it weighs... you will go LiPo

jzrf6c

Look for the new Lipos coming out. I understnad that they will be a 100% improvement in safety. This applies to bothe charging and damage in crashes. It may take awhile for them to reach the LHS though.

Kavalier Bill

Get two batteries - charge one while you use the other. A short break between flights to change the batery shouldn't be a problem. But you need to keep an eye on the charging LiPo and be sure that it won't set fire to anything if it overheats while you're flying.

Flypaper 2

Check out the FMA Cellpro. Mine take about 3/4 of an hr. Charger decides what the charge rate is depending on the batt condition. No need to pick the voltage or # of cells, the charger does it all. Plug and go play. Three batts. will keep me flying steady.

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

If the pack is properly sized and the pilot shows some restraint by not flying until LVC, the pack will not be completely discharged, and will charge in less than an hour. My packs typically charge in 45 minutes at 1C, for example.