JamieM Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Hi all, I'm new here so hello! I have just bought my first RC Plane, the HobbyZone Apprentice STOL S 700mm SAFE. The battery that came with the model won't charge. I have contacted the place I bought it from and they are sorting under warranty. I think I am going to buy more batteries and a new charger anyway. My question is what would you recommend for my RC Plane, and would: SPM S100 1x100W USB-C Smart Charger O-SPMXC2090 work with the batteries for the plane which are: 7.4V 300mAh 2S 30C LiPo Battery: PH Please let me know? Many thanks, happy flying! I have yet to even use my plane once due to the faulty battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham R Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Think about your future requirements. I realise that you are a beginner. Most common batteries are 3s & 4s 2200ma and upwards. Choice between 12v (will require power supply) or mains. Some chargers are dual input. I think that it should have a minimum of 2 outputs - less waiting to charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 It's important to use only a proper charger designed for Lipo batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 (edited) Looking at the charger you mentioned I notice that the EBay prices vary from £28 to £42 which strongly suggests that cheaper ones could be fakes. Obviously avoid fakes with such a crucial item ( see various reports in the press about fires started by unsuitable chargers mainly for electric bikes) Buy from a UK based Model retailer for such items not overseas sites or people who sell washing machines,freezers etc as well. The Overlander E455 charger was reviewed in the February RCME and would seem suitable and it's mains powered at about £26. However check that it does actually do 4S as well as 2S& 3S. The review says 4S but Overlanders own advert in RCME this month says 2S to 3S which is confusing. Whilst a 2S or 3S charger will suit now buying a 4S charger is for the future as you may want to fly other models which use 4S Lipos. Edited February 25 by kc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 JamieM - welcome to the forum! I expect you know that anybody flying a plane over 250grams weight ( or with a camera onboard ) needs to register with CAA and pay a fee of about £10. Also everybody here recommends being insured. Easy to do by joining the British model Flying Association. We all ( well most of us ) reckon that flying is much more fun by joining a local club and using their field. Ask if you need details on any of this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieM Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 (edited) 42 minutes ago, kc said: Looking at the charger you mentioned I notice that the EBay prices vary from £28 to £42 which strongly suggests that cheaper ones could be fakes. Obviously avoid fakes with such a crucial item ( see various reports in the press about fires started by unsuitable chargers mainly for electric bikes) Buy from a UK based Model retailer for such items not overseas sites or people who sell washing machines,freezers etc as well. The Overlander E455 charger was reviewed in the February RCME and would seem suitable and it's mains powered at about £26. However check that it does actually do 4S as well as 2S& 3S. The review says 4S but Overlanders own advert in RCME this month says 2S to 3S which is confusing. Whilst a 2S or 3S charger will suit now buying a 4S charger is for the future as you may want to fly other models which use 4S Lipos. Hey all, thanks so much for the great replies, there's so many different chargers and batteries! Okay, so I've looked at the Overlander E455. Here are the specs for the Overlander E455: SKU 3425 Barcode 5060470213077 Input AC Charge Power 50W Charge Current 1A / 2A / 3A / 4A Brand Overlander Compatible Chemistries LiPo / LiFe / LiHV / NiMH Lithium Cell Count 2 - 4S NiMH / NiCd Cell Count 6 - 8S I presume that this does 2S, 3S and 4S juging by these specs? Will the Overlander E455 need any extra cables purchasing so my batteries fit into the charger? Indeed, I do knopw about the 250g rule, the plane I have is under this requirement and is not required to be registered. My next plane will definitely need registering! 🙂 I just want to use my Apprentice Stol first, it hasn't even got off the ground lol and the battery has gone (getting sorted under warranty but going to buy more batteries and charger anyway)! I would love to join a club, I am based in Newcastle and Northumberland, North East England, where's the nearest place to go? Edited February 25 by JamieM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 BMFA Club Finder (justgo.com) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 JamieM You do need to be careful with any charger you choose. The Apprentice STOL uses a particular small LiPo battery that must be charged by a smart charger. It only has one lead. The "smart" in the charger automatically takes care of charging the LIPo safely. A more conventional and bigger LiPo has two set of leads. A main lead that is used to both power the plane and for charging. There is in addition a "balance" lead that has connections to each cell in the battery. For charging both leads are plugged into the charger so it can charge and at the same time monitor how the charge is going in each cell and adjust the individual cell charge so all the cells are brought up to exactly the same full level then charging stops automatically. A LiPo must never be over charged. On this basis I would recommend you get your Apprentice STOL flying using the as provided charger as it is rather specialised to the application. Nothing wrong with buying more identical batteries to use to get more flying time. However if and when you want to move onto larger planes the batteries and the charger will be different and more "universal" in their application. The important thing is to ask for advice from a site like this on your next plane and the charger and batteries it might use. At the same time you will be advised on how applicable it might be for the plane after that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 (edited) 44 minutes ago, Simon Chaddock said: JamieM You do need to be careful with any charger you choose. The Apprentice STOL uses a particular small LiPo battery that must be charged by a smart charger. It only has one lead. The "smart" in the charger automatically takes care of charging the LIPo safely. A more conventional and bigger LiPo has two set of leads. A main lead that is used to both power the plane and for charging. There is in addition a "balance" lead that has connections to each cell in the battery. For charging both leads are plugged into the charger so it can charge and at the same time monitor how the charge is going in each cell and adjust the individual cell charge so all the cells are brought up to exactly the same full level then charging stops automatically. A LiPo must never be over charged. On this basis I would recommend you get your Apprentice STOL flying using the as provided charger as it is rather specialised to the application. Nothing wrong with buying more identical batteries to use to get more flying time. However if and when you want to move onto larger planes the batteries and the charger will be different and more "universal" in their application. The important thing is to ask for advice from a site like this on your next plane and the charger and batteries it might use. At the same time you will be advised on how applicable it might be for the plane after that! Actually, I think that he battery can be charged using a standard lipo battery charger but a JST 2.0 PH battery adapter lead will be required. The battery plugs into the adapter lead and the lead has connections that plug into the balance and charge ports on the charger. I use this system on the batteries for my Blade 130X helicopter. Edited February 25 by Shaun Walsh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cripps Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 46 minutes ago, Shaun Walsh said: I think that he battery can be charged using a standard lipo battery charger but a JST 2.0 PH battery adapter lead will be required. The battery plugs into the adapter lead and the lead has connections that plug into the balance and charge ports on the charger. Here's a link to the adaptor cable to use the Apprentice STOL battery with a conventional charger SPMXCA326. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Obviously Simon is more clued up on this matter than I am and Shaun has even more info so follow their advice. My view is that you should visit your local club and see what they fly - I reckon they will probably fly larger models and you will want to as well. Better to avoid spending too much money on the wrong equipment but to buy what you really need. A preliminary phone call to the club secretary will tell you if they can provide an instructor and when the club members are likely to be at the flying field. My own club in Essex trains new members on a 1800mm span plane which is easy to see when flown at a safe height. Most members fly models of 1200mm to 1800mm span with some fast and furious models of smaller size. Small models are tricky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Jamie are you sure it's the battery that won't charge and not the supplied USB charger that is faulty. Did you check the cell voltages of the battery as received? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieM Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 Hey all thanks so much for the excellent replies, mystery solved, it was the old iPhone plug I was using wasn't supplying power after all that! I had the Apprentice STOL flying today despite the higher winds, I thought it was going to blow away (bad idea) but was so keen to fly it. Anyway, I managed to land it safely and I'm going to wait for a nice calm day for a proper run! 🙂 I am going to visit my local club to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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