911hillclimber Posted May 29, 2021 Author Share Posted May 29, 2021 (edited) Thank you all for the input, it clears away the 'fog'. The charger is not the one detailed above. It is an imaxRC B£ Pro compact charger Input:100 to 240V AC Max current 3*800mA It has 2 charging ports for the battery lead, 2 cell and another for 3 cell. My Tx has a timer set to 5 mins. While trimming etc the timer did chime in coincidentally when all done and on the ground. The battery was 99% when we started, 5% when tested. A fresh '99%' battery (same type) was installed for the final fly about (maybe 4 mins) and the battery read 77% before I went home. I hope I have my facts right it came from 4-Max! HAVE JUST LOOKED ON THE 4-MAX SITE AND THIS CHARGER IS NOT LISTED. Edited May 29, 2021 by 911hillclimber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 As others have said, sage charging is paramount. To that end, I never charge lipos at home, always at the field. I purchased a good quality solar panel with control box, a 70mah 12v battery and it quite happily charges 6s packs all day long. Better safe than sorry, especially when you are in process of learning!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers Bowlan Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 5 hours ago, 911hillclimber said: Thank you all for the input, it clears away the 'fog'. The charger is not the one detailed above. It is an imaxRC B£ Pro compact charger Input:100 to 240V AC Max current 3*800mA It has 2 charging ports for the battery lead, 2 cell and another for 3 cell. My Tx has a timer set to 5 mins. While trimming etc the timer did chime in coincidentally when all done and on the ground. The battery was 99% when we started, 5% when tested. A fresh '99%' battery (same type) was installed for the final fly about (maybe 4 mins) and the battery read 77% before I went home. I hope I have my facts right it came from 4-Max! HAVE JUST LOOKED ON THE 4-MAX SITE AND THIS CHARGER IS NOT LISTED. Is this (or a clone) the charger you are using hillclimber? If it is, it is not a suitable charger for your batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 4 hours ago, 911hillclimber said: Thank you all for the input, it clears away the 'fog'. The charger is not the one detailed above. It is an imaxRC B£ Pro compact charger Input:100 to 240V AC Max current 3*800mA It has 2 charging ports for the battery lead, 2 cell and another for 3 cell. My Tx has a timer set to 5 mins. While trimming etc the timer did chime in coincidentally when all done and on the ground. The battery was 99% when we started, 5% when tested. A fresh '99%' battery (same type) was installed for the final fly about (maybe 4 mins) and the battery read 77% before I went home. I hope I have my facts right it came from 4-Max! HAVE JUST LOOKED ON THE 4-MAX SITE AND THIS CHARGER IS NOT LISTED. Is this the charger? Imax B3 pro With such a low output current it's going to take a couple of hours to charge a 2200 mAh battery. The fact that your second battery dropped by only 22% after 4 minutes would indicate that first battery is probably faulty. It might be worth getting someone else who has a more sophisticated charger to take a look at it. Check the internal resistance of each cell, should be 10 mOhms or less and each cell should have the same value, give or take a bit. If the battery if fully charged, use the charger to discharge it storage voltage, note the voltage on completion and the mAh taken out of the battery by the charger. Compare the voltage from the charger with the data in the table "State of charge vs Lipoly Pack Voltage" using the link below. Voltage vs Lipo capacity So if the Voltage is 11.51V it indicates that 50% of the capacity is left, therefore a 2200 mAh pack should have 1100 mAh left and so the charger has removed 1100 mAH. If the data from the charger is very different from the data in the table you have a faulty battery. If you can find someone with a watt meter you can monitor the battery performance and voltage sag under operating conditions (well, almost, in that the plane is still on the ground). Compare good and "bad" batteries. With sufficient data you should be able to ask for a replacement if you have not had the battery very long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted May 29, 2021 Author Share Posted May 29, 2021 (edited) Gulp! yes, that is the charger I have and using. I'll ask George at 4max which is the right one to use as they are his batteries. As to weighing all those factors up... Easier to buy a new battery and correct charger! ( for me) Edited May 29, 2021 by 911hillclimber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 22 minutes ago, 911hillclimber said: Gulp! yes, that is the charger I have and using. I'll ask George at 4max which is the right one to use as they are his batteries. As to weighing all those factors up... Easier to buy a new battery and correct charger! ( for me) Don't be tempted to skimp on the cost of the charger. A good one will help you keep your batteries in good condition and help diagnose problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers Bowlan Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, Shaun Walsh said: Don't be tempted to skimp on the cost of the charger. A good one will help you keep your batteries in good condition and help diagnose problems. Also, a cheap, bad one will wreck your LiPo’s and potentially set fire to your house - so, not so cheap! I haven’t bought a new charger for a long time so get a good one as it will likely be a good investment and last many years. (Buy cheap, buy twice, comes to mind). Buy an AC/DC charger so you can plug it in for mains charging at home but also use it for field charging from a leisure battery - or your car battery. Don’t overdo it if you want to be able to start your car and drive home at the end of the flying day! Overlander do several starting in price with this one possibly? This SkyRC charger has a lot of features and can charge two batteries simultaneously via separate charging circuits which will be useful if you end up with several lipos. Finally this charger is similar. I don’t have personal experience of these chargers but others on the forum might or add their own suggestions. Edited May 29, 2021 by Piers Bowlan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted May 30, 2021 Author Share Posted May 30, 2021 George at 4 Max is obviously bored today, and has replied to my email ref chargers. He has confirmed, that charger of mine is not up to the job, so a further £40 going his way for a very flash looking charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 5 hours ago, 911hillclimber said: George at 4 Max is obviously bored today, and has replied to my email ref chargers. He has confirmed, that charger of mine is not up to the job, so a further £40 going his way for a very flash looking charger. Errr....but didn't he sell you your current charger in the first place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted May 30, 2021 Author Share Posted May 30, 2021 Nope, another supplier who sold me a motor andbattery for my stol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers Bowlan Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 Your iMax B3 charger is sold by Bangood for £4.78 by the way, which speaks volumes about it's quality! George's reputation precedes him so he only sells quality products he would happily use himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted May 31, 2021 Author Share Posted May 31, 2021 I'm sure you are correct about the Bangood charger, and certainly about George at 4-Max. I have ordered the GT Power C607D 80W charger that seems very versatile, but should charge the 2200 in about 1 hour. £45 delivered. It was George's suggested charger. Hoping to get to the field again next thursday, hope Martin will also be there so he can help with the buddy connections we now know works. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted June 3, 2021 Author Share Posted June 3, 2021 Frustrating day this morning. My helpful plane-buddy has gone on holiday. The sock was lively but the others there made it look simple, so with a heavy heart off I went. Takeoff went well, climbed well and when at a reasonable height backed off the throttle to the stick at Vertical, not too bad. However, I really did not have control and it steadliy went due-south and ended nose diving to the ground at some speed. as i tried to avoid a bloody big tree. Undercarriage off again, bigger tear-out from the body, wings dislodged, both struts broken and some other superficial damage. So, ate some cake the wife had made for us and came home to wash the car. "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again" Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 It was the way I learned Hillclimber but these days with buddy boxes stc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 1 hour ago, 911hillclimber said: Frustrating day this morning. My helpful plane-buddy has gone on holiday. The sock was lively but the others there made it look simple, so with a heavy heart off I went. Takeoff went well, climbed well and when at a reasonable height backed off the throttle to the stick at Vertical, not too bad. However, I really did not have control and it steadliy went due-south and ended nose diving to the ground at some speed. as i tried to avoid a bloody big tree. Undercarriage off again, bigger tear-out from the body, wings dislodged, both struts broken and some other superficial damage. So, ate some cake the wife had made for us and came home to wash the car. "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again" Right? I would try and get one of the "others" to buddy box you up. Its virtually impossible to learn (and dangerous) on your own. If you are not getting any help.............try another club. From the outside your clubmates do not appear to be that helpful?. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers Bowlan Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 Sorry to hear of your frustrating experiences hillclimber. With a 'lively sock' a lightweight (low wing loading) foamy model will get blown about somewhat. What you really need is a calm Summers evening if you want to go it alone. Getting help from an instructor and using a buddy box is the way to go if the conditions are a bit challenging. I taught myself when I was living in Scotland many years ago but the model attrition rate was high ?. They don't do calm Summer evenings in Scotland! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted June 3, 2021 Author Share Posted June 3, 2021 There is another larger club closeto me sort of Telford way. The secretary there has encouraged me to come along mid week and will get me going. A larger site and maybe with less exposed scenery.. cant keep on smashing this expensive plane up, so will be my next step, hopefully Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 (edited) 15 hours ago, 911hillclimber said: There is another larger club close to me sort of Telford way. The secretary there has encouraged me to come along mid week and will get me going. A larger site and maybe with less exposed scenery.. cant keep on smashing this expensive plane up, so will be my next step, hopefully Tuesday. 20 hours ago, 911hillclimber said: "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again" Right? I'm sorry Hillclimber, but no, a larger flight area will not solve your problems, and no you shouldn't "try and try again" solo. The test for whether you are ready to fly solo is not whether you can take off "with a heavy heart"; you need to be confident in your abilities, competent to keep the model in the designated flight area given the conditions and have practised lots of successful landing approaches under instruction. It might sound harsh, but based on your posts I doubt you can do these things yet. Please go back and read the good advice you received on pages 2 and 3 to only fly with an instructor - continuing to attempt to fly alone will just result in a bag of bits each time. If an instructor is not available learn via other methods - ask questions of experienced pilots, watch what they are doing, where in the sky they fly, how they approach and land, how much their fingers move on the sticks etc. This will be far more useful to you than another failed solo attempt. If nothing else please remember that by flying solo before you are ready it is not just the model you are risking - you could injure yourself, a clubmate or a member of the public. At best that would severely knock your confidence, at worst it could have negative consequences for your club and/or the wider hobby in the UK given the increased levels of scrutiny we are now under. Please think safety first! Edited June 4, 2021 by MattyB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 I agree entirely with Matty B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 I too agree with Matty B. The size of the site is pretty irrelevant, what is crucial is that they get you flying, safely .... GG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted June 4, 2021 Author Share Posted June 4, 2021 Yep, get the messages! As a novice I am reliant on the good will of others around me at the time when I arrive. Certainly, not everyone is happy to take the responsibility of another's plane esp when it is all neat and tidy like my FMS was... Yesterday, my 'instructor' was not there. Martin has set up a buddy connection on a switch so he can join me on the field. I will try to 'connect' to another willing sole at another field for tuesday, weather seems good. I already have contacted thier secretary who I think can help. The point is with a larger field and facilities comes a larger flying group, so I hope I can get help easily. Their web page does not mention instructors, but I hope someone will take pity. The FMS Kingfisher is proving robust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 Yes, more members would help. Our club has a watsapp group that we use to let each other know when we are flying - maybe either of 'your' clubs has something similar? May help wasted trips/temptation to try solo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Walby Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 911H, Any luck with the PC and a simulator, I know its not ideal, but it saves a lot of UHU Por and you can practice take off circuit and land, then change the setting in the "weather" menu to windy and variable. A bit boring, but it all helps with the coordination and becoming more relaxed with what stick does what and when. Must admit I am very disappointed that any club would allow you to turn up and fly just on the safety aspect. I am sure at our club someone would buddy up or ask you not to fly as it helps no one piling models in and risks injury/damage to others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 I can thoroughly recommend the 22in1 type sims on EBay - Phoenix and the version of Realflight are surprisingly good for quite old products. You can download updates and extra models for these - possibly even your model..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 28 minutes ago, Chris Walby said: Must admit I am very disappointed that any club would allow you to turn up and fly just on the safety aspect. I am sure at our club someone would buddy up or ask you not to fly as it helps no one piling models in and risks injury/damage to others. Yup, even our very laid back club would baulk at that ..... I'd like to think every member would help if they felt they could Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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