Which LiPo is ideal for the Phantom? How much "C"?

[IceFireSoul]

Hi,

I was looking in a local hobby store today, but the guy was like "O, for quad, it does not matter, 20c, 40c, whatever". It thought I'd better ask. What's good for the Phantom? How much "c" on the 2200 3-cell lipo? Which brands are good?

 

[edunwody]

Re: Which LiPo is ideal for the Phantom? How much "C"?

To be honest, the stock Phantom battery is the best.

I'm sure others might disagree but that's just my 2 cents.

E


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IceFireSoul]

The best as in better protected/packed; or as in better power?

And again, if getting additional ones; which one is good? What specs?

 

[martcerv]

I think 20c is fine for the phantom I have had no issues with the stock battery.

I also bought a few turnigy 2200mah batteries 35-70c 2200mah http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... _pack.html

I figured higher C rating cant hurt and where pretty cheap around $18 each, These are a little larger and a few grams heavier

I also got some Storm 2700mah batteries which are my favourites, only a bit heavier but also larger so a very tight fit inside the battery compartment but gives me nearly 2 minutes longer flight times. I had to change the plugs and one was a very tight fit because the cables came out at a strange angle but they were well worth the hassle.

http://www.helipal.com/storm-11-1v-2700 ... -pack.html

Here are all 3 of my batteries and their complete weights with cables.

 

[samob]

I use these they provide a lot of power!

http://www.dronefly.com/ProductDetails. ... &Click=929

 

[IceFireSoul]

Weird, as they are not more C; nor more Mah..

 

[FangsCPO]

Weird, as they are not more C; nor more Mah..

Check out Dronefly.com, they carry a lipo for the Phantom that is 2250mAh and 45C. I find that battery to be slightly better than the stock. I'm carrying a ARRIS CM2000 v4 brushless gimbal and I'm able to go about 7-8 minutes and the Phantom has quite a bit of quick flying around. Additionally, it fits perfectly in the existing battery compartment. No mods required. I have the Nano-Tech lipo but I can't get it to fit and close the battery door like the video demonstrates. I may be just too stupid to figure it out. You definitely need something higher than a 20c if you are going to be flying around hard because if not the 20c lipo will cause that dreaded red light to come on prematurely. I'm no expert but this is what I've experienced. Good Luck!!!

 

[IceFireSoul]

Aha, we are on the spot here!

Why 45C better than 20C?

Does 20C run down quicker?

What's the truth?

 

[Roadkilt]

Has anyone tried hanging a bigger battery underneath with velcro?

From Hobbyking website: (numbers are rounded to tenths):

Turnigy_2200mAh_3S_30C_Lipo_ 255 grams 2200 mAh assume this is our standard battery

Zippy_K_Flightmax_3000mah_3S1P_20C_Lipo 256 grams 3000 mAh ie 1.0 weight, 1.4 x storage

Polyquest_3350mAh_3S_25C_Lipoly_Version_2_ 297 grams 3350 mAh ie 1.2 x weight 1.5x storage

ZIPPY_Compact_3700mAh_3S_25C_Lipo_ 305 grams 3700 mAh ie 1.2x weight 1.7x storage

Money and attachment aside, it seems flight times would have to greatly improve for a modest weight addition

Is there something wrong with this logic?

 

[martcerv]

Roadkilt stock battery is only 178g so your adding quite a lot more weight even with a 255g turnigy as this is much heavier then stock.

The Turnigy nano 35-70c I use is 189g and 2700mah storm 25c 195g so your going quite a bit heavier with all those options.

I did see a 3s 4500mah at just over 300g which may be a good option for an external mount battery at more then double capacity but not double the weight.

 

[tanasit]

Aha, we are on the spot here!

Why 45C better than 20C?

Does 20C run down quicker?

What's the truth?

If they are at full or almost full capacity, the 45C & 20C pack may not make much difference. This is because the 4 motors at "hovering" may take about 18 amp for stock Phantom; 20 - 25 amp with extra gear. Both 45C and 20C can put out 99 amp & 44 amp respectively which is more than enough for hovering.

Now let assume, we are half way through the pack, so both packs now have 1100 mAh in stead of 2200 mAh; therefore they can now only supply 49.5 and 22 amp. At this point if your Phantom carries the video gear and needs 20 - 25 amp just to hover, then the 20C pack is about at its maximum capability and if you open up the throttle to climb, you may get the RED warning low voltage and your Phantom may not climb as fast as you want. On the other hand, the 45C pack can still deliver plenty of power for the same situation.

If the scenario goes on further, the 20C pack will be ready to quit depending on the AUW but the 45C one will be able to give you more flight time. Then you will ask, okay why not go for the much higher C rate like 65-130C pack. The answer is the price, the weight and the overkill factor where you may get additional 30 seconds for $35 more per pack, plus longer charge time.


Again depend on the flying weight and other factors:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... ecker.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-1-RC-Cell-Met ... 2c6f6b7511

I use the gadget above to check my pack after the flight and I set the low voltage to a point that the pack has about 20% capacity left.
People fly their Phantom with different weight, props and etc (not to mention at different attitude), so I think the best bet is to use the device above as the decision factor rather go by how long it flies.
Moreover when the weather changes whether it'll be temperature, wind or humidity you may need to adjust your setting accordingly, so again this gadget will come in handy.

 

[Roadkilt]

I know those weight numbers were too high but I that was straight from HobbyKing. If you click on an individual battery the lower weight number comes up. Who knows why. I was hoping they were all consistently out so the ratios would remain correct. At any rate, it looked like a big power gain for modest weight.

 

[deluge2]

First realize that there is no standard objective test according to which manufacturers or vendors set their 'C' ratings. It's generally accepted that for a given configuration (say 3S1P) and capacity (say 2200 mAh) that higher C-rated batteries are 'better' in that they can safely deliver more power upon demand. This is probably true when comparing batteries from a single source. However it may not be correct that C rating correlates with quality/performance when comparing among different manufacturers. And if you will never need this extra power, then why pay for it?

Use caution when reviewing helpful tips. For example, the comments quoted below reflect an incomplete understanding regarding C ratings and amperage supply as a function of charge state. The ability of a battery to deliver power does decline somewhat during discharge, but this primarily reflects the fact that voltage is decreasing gradually (~4.2 v per cell at 100% charge vs. ~3.7 v per cell at a conservative maximum safe discharge). The C rating of a pack is based upon its nominal capacity (ie 2200 mAh for a standard Phantom battery). So a 20 C battery remains a 20 C battery whether it is at ~100% charge state or 50% charge state. Power delivery only becomes significantly constrained as the battery approaches its maximum safe discharge state. This occurs well after the 50% discharge point.

Although the link posted in the comments quoted below doesn't work, it probably led to an item like the following:
Integy C23212 Lipo Voltage Checker/Warning Buzzer. Google this (or go to Amazon) to see if you're interested. The device shows individual cell voltage, total pack voltage, and can be set to flash and sound an alarm at a user-specified minimum cell voltage. It plugs into the balance charge port of a Lipo battery. It can be used to check batteries on the ground, and can also be used to monitor voltage in flight. Some users Velcro one onto the front of the Phantom's battery door, for example.


If you're so inclined consider getting an aftermarket charger that provides measurements of Lipo cell and total pack internal resistance (IR). A pack's 'true' C rating is a function of IR and there are formulas for making these calculations if you know you batteries' IR values. IR can also be monitored over time as a measure of pack health.

There are lot's of posts by users with years of experience and deep understanding of the technical aspects of Lipo battery care and feeding that you can review if you're sufficiently interested, see for example the batteries and charger section on rcgroups.com and posts on multirotorforums.com.

Steve

Aha, we are on the spot here!

Why 45C better than 20C?

Does 20C run down quicker?

What's the truth?

If they are at full or almost full capacity, the 45C & 20C pack may not make much difference. This is because the 4 motors at "hovering" may take about 18 amp for stock Phantom; 20 - 25 amp with extra gear. Both 45C and 20C can put out 99 amp & 44 amp respectively which is more than enough for hovering.

Now let assume, we are half way through the pack, so both packs now have 1100 mAh in stead of 2200 mAh; therefore they can now only supply 49.5 and 22 amp. At this point if your Phantom carries the video gear and needs 20 - 25 amp just to hover, then the 20C pack is about at its maximum capability and if you open up the throttle to climb, you may get the RED warning low voltage and your Phantom may not climb as fast as you want. On the other hand, the 45C pack can still deliver plenty of power for the same situation.

If the scenario goes on further, the 20C pack will be ready to quit depending on the AUW but the 45C one will be able to give you more flight time. Then you will ask, okay why not go for the much higher C rate like 65-130C pack. The answer is the price, the weight and the overkill factor where you may get additional 30 seconds for $35 more per pack, plus longer charge time.


Again depend on the flying weight and other factors:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... ecker.html

I use the gadget above to check my pack after the flight and I set the low voltage to a point that the pack has about 20% capacity left.
People fly their Phantom with different weight, props and etc (not to mention at different attitude), so I think the best bet is to use the device above as the decision factor rather go by how long it flies.
Moreover when the weather changes whether it'll be temperature, wind or humidity you may need to adjust your setting accordingly, so again this gadget will come in handy.