Dave Bran Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Posted by YakMad on 12/03/2015 08:33:49: Simon, There is no way to know when the HK UK warehouse will have stock, it could be tomorrow or a month although the UK and EU warehouses do seem to be re-stocking items like batteries fairly quickly just depends I suppose when the next container is due to arrive. I wonder how much the shipping costs for lipos from the EU and UK warehouses are as they both have to use a courier service to ship them. They do if you call ParcelForce a courier, and you only have to dummy an order through to the shipping stage to see costs and options to deliver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_B Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 QUOTE: Gens Ace do that, they are in my experience of several sizes usually very very poor.............but others are not. Tipple (Loong Max) and the Turnigy Nano-Tech are OK. If I buy a high 'C' rating battery I expect it to deliver, repeatedly, but I've had nothing but short lived performance from both Loong-Max and Nano-Tech batteries. However, the Zippys I've bought (and I have many), are lasting well and seem to cope with the punishment I mete out to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 When I last looked, postage to the UK from the EU warehouse was a fixed $8.99 for up to 45Kg? That's well under £10, Simon. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Posted by Simon Hall 2 on 11/03/2015 16:34:00: Thanks YakMad, I did see that but the postage is nearly £10. I was hoping the UK warehouse would be cheaper. I wonder how long it will be before the UK warehouse is restocked? I do want to try these Zippy Compacts... I often find that HK quote a ridiculous shipping cost initially, then when you click through to the next page they give you several other, cheaper options Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Posted by Dave Bran on 12/03/2015 12:09:13: Posted by Justin K. on 11/03/2015 13:15:17: I've fallen out with LiPo batteries now after getting down to one useable pack from an original 7 gens ace 3s 3000's purchased from Giant Shark less than 2 years ago. All well looked after & correctly charged & stored. As stated about many will be all from the same Chinese factory & rebadged. Gens Ace do that, they are in my experience of several sizes usually very very poor.............but others are not. Tipple (Loong Max) and the Turnigy Nano-Tech are OK. Thanks for the info David , 4 of them lost a cell & the remaining 3 won't ballance. I don't do much electric but I have 4 of the black Dynamic 2200 3s LiPo's Hobbystores sell and they touch wood have been fine. Edited By Justin K. on 12/03/2015 16:54:28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Hall 2 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 Posted by Pete B - Moderator on 12/03/2015 16:33:38: When I last looked, postage to the UK from the EU warehouse was a fixed $8.99 for up to 45Kg? That's well under £10, Simon. Pete When I added the 4 lipos to the basket and went to check out, there was only one option for delivery and it was just under £10 UK and the EU warehouse was the Netherlands. $8.99 seems incredibly low for up to 45kg from EU to UK. I wonder if the cost is higher because they are classed as dangerous items? I still don't know if they would be any cheaper to ship from the UK warehouse when in stock.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hammond Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Hi Simon,Dynamic lipos seem as good as any and the price is right,they are a bit lighter and they are available in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 This Zippy Compact 3s 40c is in stock at UK warehouse. It's a little bulkier than the 25c but, providing there's enough space for it, it should be a suitable alternative. Although it's about £1 dearer if you hang on at the page there should be a pop-up offering it at about the same price as the 25c. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Hall 2 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 Posted by PatMc on 12/03/2015 19:29:41: This Zippy Compact 3s 40c is in stock at UK warehouse. It's a little bulkier than the 25c but, providing there's enough space for it, it should be a suitable alternative. Although it's about £1 dearer if you hang on at the page there should be a pop-up offering it at about the same price as the 25c. Thanks PatMc, I really appreciate your link, I am wanting to buy some Zippys soon. I don't understand in the real world what the difference would be with this 40c compared to the 25c when used in my Radian apart from the size and cost. Would these be a compromise or an advantage regarding overall performance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Simon, in general the higher the "c" rating the better the potential performance. However at relatively modest current levels, as would be the case with the Radian, you probably wouldn't be able to discern any difference in performance between 25c & 40c. Re the postage : since November 2014 I've had two orders that included lipos as well as several other items. Both orders were over 1kg so chose Parcel Force Express 48 max 2kg which is quoted at $8.09. Although HK say that this is £4 the actual cost is £5.87. If your order is under 1kg you should have the option of PFExp 48 max1kg @ $6.59 - realistically about £4.35. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose10 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 My Turnigy NanoTechs have started to fluff in a big way and Ive noticed a drop in power output on my planes, especially on hand launch; both engines are ChangeSun 12 blade and have been perfect for about 18 months. The batteries are 3300mAh 35-70C and I am now looking for a good equivalent for my Sea Vixen and Vampire as per named powerplant. Could anybody recommend a decent Turnigy or Zippy equivalent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Jones 2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I have both zippys and nanotechs... Zippy compacs great and lasting well... Nanos initially punchy but very quickly useless... Stay away from them. , many in my club agree as theirs are rubbish too Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hammond Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I,ve had very good results over the years with Rhino lipos and I agree Nanos don,t seem to be that good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose10 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Brian / Steve thanks; any specific battery within those ranges that you would recommend based on the type of battery that I am using currently, and the context eg EDF, fan type etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Posted by Steve Jones 2 on 30/06/2015 08:35:11: I have both zippys and nanotechs... Zippy compacs great and lasting well... Nanos initially punchy but very quickly useless... Stay away from them. , many in my club agree as theirs are rubbish too Steve Not my experience at all. I still have three 2200 6S Nanotechs that I use on my Trex 500 that are four years old and still give plenty of power. I do agree Zippys are good and I don't pay the extra for Nanos anymore. I like the compact versions. C8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Well my stock Turnigy Lipos have started to puff up a bit. But they are 3-4 years old... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouncebounce crunch Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Posted by Stevo on 30/06/2015 10:22:57: Well my stock Turnigy Lipos have started to puff up a bit. But they are 3-4 years old... Mine too but I have had 2 flights per day from each battery so about 200 charges and they are still giving enough at that cheap price they sell at. my nanotech 2200 has had about 50 flights with no puffing at all. what happens if you pinprick the outer wrapping letting the gases out? Edited By bouncebounce crunch on 30/06/2015 10:57:35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Dont even think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouncebounce crunch Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Posted by Stevo on 30/06/2015 10:59:47: Dont even think about it. Is it sort of like a balloon but with fire involved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott cuppello Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The ones I purchased last year are all in the bin suffering from high IR and are swollen. No doubt very soon people will start flocking to this thread with the usual "I have 30 orders and never had a problem" routine......well take it from somebody who knows for a fact and why....lack of QA and standardisation means that purchasing these things is a lottery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolstonFlyer Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Yes BBC you will let out the magic smoke (and probably fire).You are right Scott, I have found it to be a bit of a lottery with the quality of the LiPo's, some have been great and others of the same brand have puffed after a few flights with high IR.Edited By WolstonFlyer on 30/06/2015 12:29:33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Some points on lipos gleaned over the years from use and the forums I read that are worth sharing I think... Rebadging is rife - This is particularly true at the cheaper end, but I'm sure happens at most levels; if the manufacturer can increase margins by getting similar cells supplied that are cheaper, they will do so. This means that having a good pack from XYZ manufacturer you bought last month doesn't mean the next one you buy will be just as good. Particularly true of HK packs (I have some good Zippy C's and some other dreadful ones), but from this thread it sounds like even Gens Ace are affected (I have some ancient 3S 2600s from them that are still outstanding after >150 cycles, and can still work at their labelled 25C as calculated from the IR). Moral - if buying cheap packs from HK or similar sources, expect the odd dud as a fact of life; the lower QC is part of why they are so cheap. Having said that... Price does not necessarily equate with long life or high performance - There are cheap gooduns (fewer and less consistent, but they do exist), cheap badduns, expensive gooduns and expensive badduns, and these often change over time (see point 1). The best way to know is to regularly check your IR and match the calculated current providing capability (seevpoint 3) of that pack to a suitable powertrain to ensure long life. Nearly all C ratings are entirely made up! - Selling batteries is a marketing game, and the manufacturers know that a) high C numbers sell, and b) most customers have no way of checking the stated number. As a result they tend to massivly overstate the ratings on their packs, leading to disappointments in use. The best thing to do is treat C rating as a very rough guide - a higher C rated pack will probably be able to provide more current, but in most instances will only be able to ~half the rated current if you want decent pack life. IMO internal resisitance (IR) is by far the best indicator of the ability to deliver current, and if you have a charger or device that can measure it I suggest you do so and feed the results into this online calculator. Be prepared not to like the results though - very few batteries are even 25C rated when tested this way, and many will be a lot less than that. Usage and storage practices are by far the most important factor in battery life - Before you put too much credence on views of the type "these packs are great, but those are rubbish...", remember everyone uses and abuses their batteries differently. I for instance mollycoddle mine - I parallel charge them at no more than 1C, never use more than 65-70% capacity, and discharge them to storage straight after a session if they have not been used. I also tend to be conservative on my powertrain choices, meaning full throttle rarely requires than 15-20C. As a result my batteries tend to last a relatively long time, even the cheap ones. More demanding or less diligent buyers will experience lower cycle lifes from their packs if they deep discharge, do not discharge unused packs or use them in models that demand high currents from small packs (the heat generated from high C discharges is a killer to LiPos, especially when you move beyond 3S and an multiple cells are "trapped" between others with no side exposed to cooling air). High C rated packs are more vulnerable to damage from storage at full charge - I did see a scientific reason for this stated somewhere which I will try and dig out, but this is definitely a real effect. Storing a pack with high C rating and low IR at full charge will damage it more quickly than doing the same to a 20C rated pack. You can show this with the online calculator - adding a couple of mOhms to a pack with low IR has far more effect on the true C rating than adding 2 mOhms to a pack that already has a higher IR. Just my 2ps worth - hope it helps... Edited By MattyB on 30/06/2015 13:27:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 PS - For those wishing to extend their knowledge of the batteries we use for RC, I recommend the Battery University site. This article on prolonging the life of lithium cells is particularly instructive... Edited By MattyB on 30/06/2015 13:36:33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 You can only say as you see and know from personal use Scott, Turnigy lipos are by a long long way the most commonly used at our club and very few are dissatisfied ? John P.S maybe we should start doing a club lottery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Berriman Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I have 2 x 2200 3s Nanotech and they do swell a little after a mixed flight schedule and aired to the touch having checked these over quite a few times after flights I am of the opinion that the Shrink Wrap around the batteries is well sealed as when I get home to recharge them the swelling has gone down and back to normal for the next flight . Just my observation and yes the power is getting down a little after 3 years worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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