Christopher Morris 2 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I have a T240 Duo multi-type battery charger for my lipo's, that also has a 11-18V-DC input for charging off another battery. Would there be any preference/best option between a standard car battery & a leisure type? to do this sort of work.?? "besides price" Thanks Edited By Christopher Morris 2 on 16/06/2020 15:21:05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad_flyer Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I use neither, but a sealed stand-by type battery. 12v12Ah, as it happened to be pretty cheap per Ah and not too big to carry. It is not specified for very many amps, but enough for my 2200 and 3000 lipos so far. Edited By Dad_flyer on 16/06/2020 15:34:12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 What size Lipos and how many do you wish to charge from the battery, for instance the above battery is 144 watt hours, so if you were trying to charge 5,000 mah 6s batteries, these are 110 watt hours each, so if you say recharged them from 70% discharged you would be lucky to charge 2 up before the charger battery needs recharging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 Hi, the largest i would be using is 4c 14.8v 60c 5000mah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Standard car batteries deal very badly with being fully discharged, but can supply a fairly whopping current at cold for the starter. Leisure batteries have more (double?) Ah for your money, but will do less current, enough for our lipo packs, and mind a lot less about being fully discharged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 A power pack looks interesting as an alternative. There are quite a few videos on this using the Li batteries, also some interesting ways to make a spot welder for putting them together. Now having a friend looking at this for his electric bike. I think I will take him flying & he can pedal to recharge my batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 16/06/2020 17:17:31: A power pack looks interesting as an alternative. There are quite a few videos on this using the Li batteries, also some interesting ways to make a spot welder for putting them together. Now having a friend looking at this for his electric bike. I think I will take him flying & he can pedal to recharge my batteries. For my electric field charging I use a 12v (4s) pack made up of LifeP04 cells intended for electric bikes. I used to use Leisure batteries but got fed up of repalcing them every couple of years. The Life pack has so far lasted 4 times as long as any Leisure battery I ever bought. Does your friend have any old packs from his electric bike? Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I fly some fairly large electric planes and I would have needed a couple 100Ah leisure batteries at 27kg each. Therefore I have set up a LiPo field battery using Turnigy 10C Multistar batteries which are relatively cheap. In total I have 6 packs of 16,000mAh at 6S for my icharger 4010 duo. Much lighter than lead acid of an equivalent useable capacity. Admittedly, you do not need the capacity I have, nor the voltage, but it shows that the principle is sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Posted by Dickw on 16/06/2020 17:32:19: I used to use Leisure batteries but got fed up of repalcing them every couple of years. Interesting! I bought a leisure battery some years ago for this very purpose. It cost a lot more than the equivalent car battery, and didn't last at all well. Thinking I was just unlucky with a one-off, I bought another - which lasted a similarly short length of time! Nowadays, when I replace a car battery (I tend to keep my cars a long time!), I keep the old one and use it for LiPo charging at the field. Even a knackered car battery usually has enough for a days sport flying! -- Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Standard / basic lead acid batteries do not like two things, being left at anything other than full, and being discharged to low levels. For a leisure battery the economic point is to typically limit the discharge to 50%, running them down to 20% reduces the number of cycles but does not immediately kill them. Leaving them at anything other than fully charged can result in sulphation, an irreversible loss of capacity. You should fully recharge it every time you use it. Fully recharging a lead acid also takes many hours of charging at the low tail current. These points are what prompted me to go the LiPo route, especially the fact that if I only use say 25% of the charge one day, I can go a few flying sessions between recharges. Edited By PeterF on 16/06/2020 18:56:41 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Longley Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I used a jump start battery pack. It was lighter than a battery & so I also used it for my engine starter on my IC engines. Seemed to work OK for field work & the odd lipo charge on the field. Until I accidentally let the 2 clips touch & cause a fire & burn the lot out. Cost about £ 50 from Halfords. Handy for jump starting the car when battery flat as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 Posted by Jason Channing on 16/06/2020 18:31:49: Use a generator Laugh, i sold an old honda generator 900watt about 2 years ago as It got in the way & hadn't used it for a few years. Talk about shot yourself in the foot. I would kick myself if i hadn't shot myself in the foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwain Dibley. Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Posted by Sam Longley on 16/06/2020 19:59:05: I used a jump start battery pack. It was lighter than a battery & so I also used it for my engine starter on my IC engines. Seemed to work OK for field work & the odd lipo charge on the field. Until I accidentally let the 2 clips touch & cause a fire & burn the lot out. Cost about £ 50 from Halfords. Handy for jump starting the car when battery flat as well. Like this one Sam ... Also does 240 so you could run a 12v supply in the back of yer van, which is why I bought it. D.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Longley Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 16/06/2020 20:07:27: Posted by Jason Channing on 16/06/2020 18:31:49: Use a generator Laugh, i sold an old honda generator 900watt about 2 years ago as It got in the way & hadn't used it for a few years. Talk about shot yourself in the foot. I would kick myself if i hadn't shot myself in the foot. Still got mine. It was my fathers & must be 50 years old. Really quiet runner, but not what one would lug round a flying field, me thinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Clark 2 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 16/06/2020 15:19:59: I have a T240 Duo multi-type battery charger for my lipo's, that also has a 11-18V-DC input for charging off another battery. Would there be any preference/best option between a standard car battery & a leisure type? to do this sort of work.?? "besides price" Thanks Edited By Christopher Morris 2 on 16/06/2020 15:21:05 Leisure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Hooper Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Posted by Jason Channing on 16/06/2020 18:31:49: Use a generator I got to that stage and then realised that it made more sense to forget about the generator, and put the petrol engine straight into the model! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Leisure battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 I have been using the same car battery (from a breakers for £20), for the last five years. I keep it topped up at the field via a small solar panel. Works a treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Clark 2 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Posted by Tim Hooper on 16/06/2020 23:06:42: Posted by Jason Channing on 16/06/2020 18:31:49: Use a generator I got to that stage and then realised that it made more sense to forget about the generator, and put the petrol engine straight into the model! Tim Absolutely.. Using a portable generator makes no sense at all. And if you use it in or near the pits its fumes and constant racket close up annoys everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 I only charge at the field, rarely at home, and manage perfectly well with a pair of leisure batteries - a 110ah one for the 3s1p 4200mah- 5s1p5000mah packs and a 75ah one for the smaller 3s1p 1300mah -4s1p 2250mah packs., two chargers running simultaneously. I consider the cost of replacing these every 3-4 years on rotation as a consumable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil James Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 I bought a 70Ah leisure battery a couple of years ago but it’s a heavy beast so lugging it into the shed for charging was a pain. It now lives permanently in my van as I’ve recently set up a solar panel and charger controller on a permanent basis. The panel lives on the dashboard and the wire runs to the controller mounted above the battery. So far it seems to work well and even at a low charge rate the intervals between use are long enough to keep it topped up. There’s an adapter to plug the charger into the car 12v socket rather than the solar panel so it can get a higher current top up while driving to the field. The controller has a couple of USB sockets on it too which is handy for topping up the transmitter or phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Clark 2 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Posted by Jason Channing on 17/06/2020 07:16:20: Posted by Richard Clark 2 on 17/06/2020 06:02:56: Posted by Tim Hooper on 16/06/2020 23:06:42: Posted by Jason Channing on 16/06/2020 18:31:49: Use a generator I got to that stage and then realised that it made more sense to forget about the generator, and put the petrol engine straight into the model! Tim Absolutely.. Using a portable generator makes no sense at all. And if you use it in or near the pits its fumes and constant racket close up annoys everyone else. if your using 10s or 12s 6000mah packs and want a good days flying than a generator make perfect sense, what makes no sense is to buy a big F~~~ off leisure battery to move electrons from one to another?, and a good quality generator like Honda or Kipor just purr away quietly. However if your using a noisy Clark type then yes it will sound like modellers whinging. Edited By Jason Channing on 17/06/2020 07:17:01 As Tim says, it makes much more sense for large and largish planes to just put a small petrol engine in each plane. It's cheaper, far less faffing around both at home and on the field, and just as reliable. A 10-12S battery plus an HV ESC and an electric motor to suit costs far more and you don't have to buy a generator and/or a decent (Yuasa are by far the best) large leisure battery either. And a high pitch whining electric scale plane sounds ridiculous, the ever-popular WW2 fighters very much so. I'm not anti-electric, but I don't take an extreme 'vegan' type approach to anything Edited By Richard Clark 2 on 17/06/2020 11:45:09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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