Please Help Me

Mostly dealing with electronics and pcbs and modifying them, all the things that make electrical-engineers tick and the rest of us cringe in fear.
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SHAUN
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Please Help Me

Post by SHAUN »

Hello, I'm wondering if you guys will help me set up my new plane. Its a Flatout cap 580. Nice little kit after you learn a few tricks to build it right. I have the plane built, now I just have to get my elecs set up.

First my question is lipos, what will I need to charge them properly? Why do I need to balance and what does balancing a battery do? A Google search didn't help me at all.

This is the battery I plan on using.
http://www.unitedhobbies.com/unitedhobb ... oduct=2054

I need to do this on the cheap

I'm also ordering 3 of these servos.
http://www.unitedhobbies.com/unitedhobb ... oduct=5456

So my radio gear will consist of

GWS ICS480Li
Hitec Laser 4
3 9G servos
Hextronic 620mAH 3S lipo

I plan on going brushless soon, but right now I'm broke, and building this on a budget.


Just to let you guys know these are a pain in the ass to build, the hobbylobby yak-55 is a much better choice and even cheaper. I was not happy with this kit at all.

To list a few problems
Hinges break when trying to snap together(Yes, I was being gentle)
many of the carbon fiber rods are the wrong length and will have to be cut down to operate properly
figment on parts is poor
instruction are useless they state that many things are where they aren't
I had to come up with my own control horn system because the crack heads at great planes don't know how to right a instruction manual.



Thank you,
Shaun
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betty.k
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Post by betty.k »

balancing cells means making all the individual cells in a pack charged/discharged at the same level.

eg: say you have a 3s lipo (that's 3 x 3.7v lipo cells wired in series giving you a 11.1v pack).
you may have 2 of those cells that are 3/4 charged and 1 cell fully charged. if you throw that pack on a charger you will fully charge 2 of the cells and overcharge one of them. with lipo this can be disastrous resulting in a fire you can't put out or at the very least an expensive pack will be ruined.

balancing chargers (in the above example) will be like 3 single cell chargers in one, charging each cell in the pack individually.
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the same thing goes for nimh packs too but it's more a performance thing that serious racers do.
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SHAUN
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Post by SHAUN »

Thank you very much, betty.



I'm looking at this charger do you think it will be halfway decent?
http://www.unitedhobbies.com/unitedhobb ... oduct=3823


Should I use deans plugs on the motor?
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betty.k
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Post by betty.k »

that charger looks pretty good but you won't be able to charge anything below 1300mah as it has a charge current of 1.3a.

i use deans plugs because jst plugs shit me!
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SHAUN
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Post by SHAUN »

I was going to run 650mah batts.


EDIT, this would work fine wouldn't it?
http://www.unitedhobbies.com/unitedhobb ... oduct=2055
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betty.k
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Post by betty.k »

that should be fine :-o
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SHAUN
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Post by SHAUN »

Man thats DC. I wonder if it has a plug for AC. So, now my question is, can I even find a charger.



I want:
ac/dc capabilities
Capability to charge 650mah battery's as well as 1500mah
price range $20-40
balancer.
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BilboBaggins
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Post by BilboBaggins »

I Haven't found one in you price range but maybe this one will work.

3e Smart Plus 7.4-18.5V Lipo Battery Balance Charger

It's a DC charger but for an additional $25.00 you can get the AC Adapter (or attempt to get a universal ac adapter from Rat Shack or Wally World.)
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SHAUN
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Post by SHAUN »

I have plenty of ac-dc adapters laying around.
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Post by BilboBaggins »

SHAUN wrote:I have plenty of ac-dc adapters laying around.
JUst make sure the polarity is correct or it'll be Puff the Magic Circuitry of the charger.
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Post by sidewinder »

I don't get it, but then I never asked either. Why do lipos take a different charger? Is it charging rate? Do they automaticly balance the cells? Is there some sort of cut off that other chargers don't have. I never really thought about it until this thread. Any ideas?
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Post by payaso »

newer technology. Same way a old school nicad charger wouldn't charge a NIMH cell.

lithium polymer cells are the new kids on the block. When they're out, you'll need a new charger for the newest cells on the market. :-o






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