Rocker Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 (edited) Just brought 3 brand new Overlander 3s 2200 lipo batteries.They came in storage mode .I have not charge them up yet but I check the battery resistance and all 3 batteries on all cells have a resistance of between 25 and 28.This seems to me to be a bit on the high side and not good .Is this normal for the resitance to be that high on a new battery ???.Or are these batteries faulty Edited December 14, 2022 by Rocker Spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 (edited) Are the batteries cold? EIR is very temperature sensitive. Also there’s no standard way of measuring it so different devices give different readings. That said, I would normally expect a reading of 15mohm or less (per cell) for a new 2200mah battery at around 21 deg C. Edited December 14, 2022 by Trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted December 15, 2022 Share Posted December 15, 2022 How do they compare to existing packs of the same size that you already have at the same temperature and SOC? That is the acid test. Even so, I would expect that IR to drop at a higher SOC, though whether it will get to a number low enough to give you the stickered C rating is anyones guess. You can use this tool to get a more objective view of the performance they are capable of, though - yours look to be only capable of 10C based on that figure. http://jj604.com/LiPoTool/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 Rocker It is quite likely the new LiPo are actually at a "transport" charge level set at the factory. This is now insisted by many forms of bulk transport. It is the lowest level of charge possible without causing long term damage. They usually recommend the battery is either fully charged and used or brought up to a storage level ASAP. Internal resistance is measured by drawing a high(ish) current and measuring the voltage drop. I would not expect a valid IR reading from a LiPo at such a low charge level. Fully charge the LiPo, measure its IR and then compare it to a similar 'good' fully charged LiPo currently being used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryorbik Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 Bit of a long reply Rocker but here is my recent experience. Due to no flying during Covid and despite cycling the packs during this period I found myself needing to purchasing some new 2200 3S 40C+ packs this year for use in my 450 sized helicopters. I purchased four different makes and sadly all but one make had one or more cells with ESR's above 15mR, even after conditioning the pack with three slow charge ( 1 Amp) and discharge cycle at 5 Amps to 3V8 all in a 20C ambient the ESR readings did not improve. Two came from Amazon who immediately refunded the cost once I sent them the results which indicated a real '10C' rating using the Helifreak true C calculator, one Overlander 35C came from a local model shop who disputed my readings of a true 12C rating, but were unable to veryify them "as they did not have the correct equipment!" and they were unwilling to refund or return the pack to the manufacturer for further testing, so I am reluctantly the owner of an Overlander battery that does not have enough "grunt" to even lift the 450 helicopter off the ground for a few seconds !, so has been put to use in a 32" foamy. The fourth battery was rated at 30C and from another reasonably local model shop, and of a widely advertised but new to me brand, it also had a true C of 12C. The model shop accepted my findings and immediately replaced the pack with another of the same brand but rated at 50C. This gave over 28C (still well short of the claimed 50C) but it has performed very well and with good capacity too. I will undoubtebly be shot down for this, but since the demise of HK in the UK the quality of Lipo cells seems to have dropped in direct opposition to their price. For the record the only packs that I found in recent times that consistently provided the claimed C ratings were the Zippy Compact ones, with 30C rated ones giving at least 35C, but are sadly not available at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Stephenson Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 I have suspected for a long time that the original manufacturer's ratings were much more conservative than claimed by the hobby industry. This is because the performance and life expectation of the pack would not be so critically observed by the general hobbyist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Walby Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 5 hours ago, Barryorbik said: Have you tried the GNB lipos from HobbyRC, work well in my EDF and high performance models? Capacity for case size is better than my HK/others and they come out a bit lighter. Totally unrealistic C ratings, but then aren't they all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryorbik Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 Toon true Chris, it seems in life that there are lies, dam lies and claimed C ratings !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 1 hour ago, Barryorbik said: Toon true Chris, it seems in life that there are lies, dam lies and claimed C ratings !! I do agree. However, re: your earlier post, why did you cycle the LiPos during COVID rather than just leaving them at storage voltage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 Lipo cells don't last forever. Some have a very short shelf life. I don't believe we get the best quality cells in rc hobby packs. Even the expensive ones. Cycling is not really necessary for lipo health. Although you may want to keep an eye on how the pack is ageing, I guess. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 Having tried just about every LiPo under the sun - including the "graphene" ones - the best I have found have been the Overlander SuperSport Pro. These appear to be made by Fullymax, who have a good reputation. They are the only ones I've found that don't go puffy half-way through the season! Don't get me started on the junk I've had from HobbyKing! The Fullymax ones also do higher capacities (eg: 2900) in packs that are pretty much the same size as 2200s (well, they fit in my helis, designed for 2200s!), giving a useful increase in safety margin. These are not the cheapest, but in my experience, they last well. Usual disclaimer, I have no connection with Overlander other than as a satisfied customer... -- Pete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 20 minutes ago, Nigel R said: Cycling is not really necessary for lipo health. Although you may want to keep an eye on how the pack is ageing, I guess. Agreed, all the research shows this but I’ve observed that a significant percentage of people who grew up using nicads still think it’s necessary for lithium chemistry batteries. https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-808-how-to-prolong-lithium-based-batteries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Bowers Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 27 minutes ago, Peter Christy said: Having tried just about every LiPo under the sun - including the "graphene" ones - the best I have found have been the Overlander SuperSport Pro. These appear to be made by Fullymax, who have a good reputation. They are the only ones I've found that don't go puffy half-way through the season! Don't get me started on the junk I've had from HobbyKing! The Fullymax ones also do higher capacities (eg: 2900) in packs that are pretty much the same size as 2200s (well, they fit in my helis, designed for 2200s!), giving a useful increase in safety margin. These are not the cheapest, but in my experience, they last well. Usual disclaimer, I have no connection with Overlander other than as a satisfied customer... -- Pete The only ones I can see with "Pro" in the name are the "Extreme Pro". Not being picky - just want to understand 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 They are on the website! For example: https://www.overlander.co.uk/lipo-batteries/11-1v-3s/2900mah-11-1v-3s-35c-supersport-pro-lipo-battery-deans-connector.html I've got quite few of the 2900s for my smaller helis, and a couple of 5000s for my vintage Schluters. So far, they've outlasted every other LiPo I've tried, and still no sign of "puffing". -- Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) I've got just the one Overlander 3s1p 2900mah pack, which is moderately puffy - it's butty has long since gone to the recycling as it was very puffy indeed. Individual cell IR 24, 25, 23 ohmmm Both came with a pre-owned model and I doubt that the remaining pack will be used again. Edited December 30, 2022 by leccyflyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J D 8 Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 This last year been using Zeee 3s 2200 50c batts in my old Phase 3 EF16, most of flight is spent flat out and batts are just warm afterwards. Model soon had Overlander 35c looking like those above. The two Zeee's I have are still fine. Not tidy like in pic anymore but still fun. Wish it was still available. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 I too have some Zees that I use in my little Arrows edfs. Still good after 2 years - at the tine they were on offer at 2 for around £10, but they are much more expensive these days! In my experience, higher cost does not necessarily mean better quality, performance or longevity. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Smith 1 Posted January 7, 2023 Share Posted January 7, 2023 Having tried a few different brands it's Overlander for me. Top price, but they are worth it even if only for longevity. Plus they will solder your preferred connector for a quid a piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Selvey-WIllars Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Hi all, late to this party. I can't believe no one has mentioned George at 4-Max. I have had a few of his cells over the years and no puffiness in any. Like most I have had varied success with HK zippy compacts mostly good but I find longevity a bit short rather than puffed to death. My overlanders seem pretty good in 3900 and 6200 size. Recently I have purchased the China Hobby Line packs in 4000 6s Black 40c and also their 9500 racer pack. So far so good, no puffing detected various planes from 6s EF Turbo Raven for the 4000s to 12s Flex RV8 and EF 91 Extra for the 9500s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 50 minutes ago, Chris Selvey-WIllars said: Hi all, late to this party. I can't believe no one has mentioned George at 4-Max. Maybe it's because he needs to sort out the cost of shipping his batteries to keep the overall price competitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 Worth looking at Zeee lipos as well. Good reports from several club members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 I have bought some from Amazon. No problems with any of them and prices ar very reasonal. If you are on Amazon Prime the postage is Free. Also you can read other users reviews at the bottom of the listing page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 Haven't had much use of them yet, due to the weather, but the Zee lipos I've had in the past few months appear well made, are relatively compact for the capacity, completely hassle free ordering from Amazon and are well balanced when delivered. I wasn't convinced at first with the bulky housing around the balance plug, but I'm okay with that now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 The bulky housing can be removed with a bit of care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 It's fine - not much bulkier than the big blob of hot glue I needed to secure the loose balance leads on my ancient MaxPoly 3s1p 2500mah pack that is only used in my Easyglider. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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