Obzi

Your right Timbo, there is a lack of standardisation everywhere but it's the fact that lipos are potentially lethal that gets me wound up. As for Terrys comment about who is going to do something? well there's 3 answers to that. 1, Why can't RCME take this on big time with it's links to other magazines? Why don't they use the power they have to push this with the manufacturers? To bring it up in articles and to tell them at events like Nuremberg that we DEMAND something is done? After all, they want good reviews for their products and not to be critisised for making a product which is ultimately not safe. 2, We can all do something by talking to model shops, trade stands at shows and ultimately spending our money with the responsible manufacturers. The Chinese, etc will only follow the market, and if the vast majority of sales go to the Flight Power system for example then that's what they'll manufacturer. To start it off will need the big players like Flight Power or Hyperion mentioned above to give a name to the system they use (FP1 or Hyp1 for example) and get others to come on board, at least then we will know what we're dealing with and what's compatible with our charger. 3, You've sort of thrown the gauntlet down on this one and although i'm not very knowledgable on Lipos i think i should put my pc where my mouth is and bang off a few emails to the big manufacturers telling them what they should be doing. If a few hundred more people do the same then maybe something may start to happen. The people who read magazines like RCME are usually very knowledgable on things like charging batteries, just think how many thousands bought an Lipo powered ARFT from the net who haven't a clue. Appologies for sounding like a madman on a rant here but i've just had my fingers burnt (literally) and having two children in the house made me think about what could happen. I'm a nice pleasant bloke really.

I think it's a logical move to give Heli it's own section, although there is a lot of crossover between IC, electric, slope, etc it's much less so with Heli. Mind you, seeing as just about all of us has a PicooZ by now we will all be reading it anyway.lol

I think the April issue just shows how much the mag has moved on from a few years ago. It's all now very glossy, much more upmarket, lots of well shot photos and the Nuremberg report is a very good example. The huge splash of colour made for interesting reading especially when you can see what's being talked about. The various arguments for/against electric will go on for eternity, the report should be representative of the show and if it was 70% electric (for example) then that's the way to report it in the way that a FF report will be virtually all FF. As well as RCME, i have bought the odd other magazine recently, (sorry ed) i still think RCME has the edge over a few and miles better than the rest.

The whole issue of Lipo packs is a complete joke and i applaud some of the comments by Nigel Hawes in this months issue of RCME. There is a minefield of different plugs, wiring configurations, chargers, balancers out there and it looks like the manufacturers are not talking to each other to try and make sure you stick with their products. There must be room for say 3 standards (just one is far too much to ask for) 'Taps' has been mentioned but not the answer for most, we need something clear and easy to understand, it's better for us and better for the manufacturers. How can we possibly hope to bring new people into flying when we're making something as crucial as charging the battery so complicated? Do we have to teach them first how to use a multimeter before we can even start to discuss flying? The thing that really bugs me here is we modellers seem to be accepting this shambles, where virtually no other hobby/pastime put up with it, after all this is a very serious safety issue. Ebay and numerous websites are flooded with ARTF's 'for the beginner' and how long is it before a Dad buys one for the kids and just sticks it on charge over night while they go to bed? Do we have to wait for a child fatality before something is done?

It must be because all the noise from those blades whacking the walls and skirtingboards.lol

Thanks for the info, i thought there was nobody out there! You might just have answered in time, i was just looking at the E-flite CX2 with the specky tx, etc: http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=21394 which seemed to offer what i was looking for at the right price, but might need to have a rethink now. Everything i have is fixed wing but just want to test the water without spending a fortune.

As most if not all magazines are created on pc these days, i would imagine it would be relatively easy for RCME to do this. There is an oportunity to either give away a disc as a Freebie containing back issues or sell it to us which is more likely. There would be some work involved with the software, cover, packaging, etc but i would be willing to pay a reasonable price to have easy access to what i want instantly. Just about everyone i know keeps back issues and they do get worn or damaged besides taking up space. The only problem i can see is trying to convince the oldies on here that if your building from a plan you can't go sticking pins in the screen! Ha ha

Thanks for that one Michael, i was just thinking about buying one. Had a look at the BRC site and they are out of stock so good news obviously does travel fast, i'm 100% Lipo and it's exactly what i've been looking for.

Well spotted and i completely agree that all reviews should be dated and linked to an issue where it was published. Technology and quality are moving at an incredible pace and prices are dropping so quickly that £30 over the competion loses you the best buy tag. Although not an expert on helis, i would imagine that they are more vunerable to being out gunned by the new models than a plane would be because they rely much more on electronics. There are a few Hummingbird models from what i could see and quoting £260 as a good buy could convince someone like me to pay well over the odds where i could be paying £100 less. This site is new so a few teething problems are to be expected, it will be a good indicator of how on the ball they are to how long it takes to put things right.

$219 for the yanks? So that'll be £220 for us then. Come on Futaba, make it a fair price for us brits for a change.

Should a first time buyer/flyer of a Heli buy something with counter-rotating blades to make life easier when learning or is it a short cut too short? The number of Helis available now is mind blowing especially for the first time buyer and quite a few have counter-rotating blades. I can see this would make the Heli easier to learn on, to be able to hover, to probably lower the chances of smashing it into a million pieces but is it like learning to drive in an automatic car? Yes, you can do it but along the way you've missed out on certain skills that could invaluable in the long run. From what little i've seen and read, it looks like the counter-rating are quite limited to what they can do so i'd be bored and want to upgrade pretty quickly. Would i benefit from a counter-rotating first heli or should i go conventional?

Keep your eye on Ebay, there's been quite a few bits and bobs for sale recently but you need to keep looking. Here's one auction for a part build i just found.   Edited By Steve Hargreaves - Moderator on 18/06/2012 10:15:43

Thanks to dave for starting this one off, i've been on the lookout for a few local shows this year after a return to flying. And here was me also thinking everything was all London and further south. Don't be making fun of us northerners, i'm in Middlesbrough and we only just got electricity last week!

I'm still on the look out for the perfect charger for me, (see previous post) i need something 240v and 12v input with an idiot proof 'plug it in and a light tells me when the Lipo is charged' and then it switches off by itself. I've seen the odd one on Ebay but always a little suspect if it's unbranded from China at a daft price. All my Lipos are JST connection so would be easier with that fitting and complete with a balancer funtion in one unit would be nice too. And did i mention for around fifty pounds too?lol I'm actually looking at £100 plus, i've just heard of a couple more launched this month which might fit the bill. With the safety on Lipo batteries such an important issue and so many new to using them now, i can't understand why there are not more idiot proof one box does it all to choose from.

I recieved a brand new battery today 11.1v 2000mah 12c and put it on my charger for maybe 10 seconds to see what the current state of play was regarding charge. The charging light didn't come on and it also didn't show as fully charged which seemed a little odd. I decided (in my wisdom) to connect it to a plane and see if there was anything in it, the very second i plugged it the whole thing sparked like hell and set on fire. It happened so quickly i burned my fingers, the carpet where it fell to the floor along with plane which has a also burned a mark on the fuselage. I quicky disconnected it and got it safe outside where i can see the whole of the wire from the cells has melted, the JST plug looks ok and so do the cells themselves. A little bit of background, the charger is a dedicated Lipo charger that i have used quite a few times and only a few days before, it was on the correct settings for that battery. The plane was running only a few days ago on a diffrent battery and not flown so there's no possibility of crash damage. I would appreciate any opinions to the possible cause and where i go from here with my current equipment. I am in the process of buying a new bigger Lipo charger anyway and have decided i will not use my current one again. I am more concerned about the motor and ESC in the plane, could there be a short internally that caused this and if i connect another Lipo will the same thing happen? I will be contacting the battery supplier so your comments will very usefull. Thanks Ian

After all your advice to dump it i rang my local council to ask about disposing of Lipo batteries and they sent a man with a van round to collect it from me. How good is that?! No wonder my council tax has just shot up this year.lol

Hi all An almost new Lipo has started to bulge on one cell, it is a 11.1v 1800Mah 3 cell and this is only it's 3rd charge. It is only on one cell on the outside and not the one sandwiched in the middle. Is this unusable now? I was keeping an eye on it so the bulge is not huge, was just like a small swelling on one side, maybe to 2mm more than the other side when i pulled the plug. It seems to have gone up slightly to 3mm still on the one side. This is the first time i've had this problem, (no jokes pls) it feels soft like gas rather then the contents splilling into the outer casing. Is this what a swollen Lipo feels like? (like a ballon) Or should it be more solid? It wasn't on an excessively long charge and on my usually ok (but basic) charger. Could it have been faulty from the start and would i have any comeback against the supplier or is this just one to write off as experience? More and more flyers are moving to Lipo, it really is an area which RCME could spend a few issues going over all the problems and what we should be doing. Thanks in advance Obzi

Just after xmas i picked up on an Ebay auction clear out and ended up with 3 (yes 3!) brand new boxed models for £10 and the guy only charged me £5 for postage. That's total of £15 for 3 ARTF to use and abuse when trying out a few risky new things or teaching my 10yr old daughter.

Hi all. Back to flying after a break of 20yrs and straight into electric. The number of diffrent Lipo chargers in mind blowing, offering diffrent functions and all a bit confusing. I need a decent charger which is simple to use, tells me when it's full and the change of charging a few Lipos at once. I need a balancer as well but shouldn't i buy an 'all in one'? All my Lipos are 3 cell 11.1volt although might buy something a little smaller in future, have the JST fittings and a balance plug.(tried to buy all the same fitting) Budget flexible, loads on Ebay for £70-150 so i guessed around that. Thanks in advance.