Larger Capacity Batteries = Larger Batteries?

jasonb

Hi there,

Just is probably a real newbie question but if I don't ask I won't know!

My mate recently got a fairly basic RC Helicopter. The battery pack that comes with it is a KAN Ni-MH 7.2 V 6x2/3N 500mAh battery pack, and it gives him about 10 mins flying time.

We've both been looking to see if we can get a battery pack that'll last longer ( maybe a 2000mAh one ). The battery pack that came with it basically looks like 3 AA batteries together ( though if you run you hands over it there are 6 cells in the pack.

I found a site that lets you build your own battery pack to order and then buy it. So I can get a 7.2 V 2000mAh battery pack there, but I can't tell from the pictures if the pack will be that much bigger / heavier than the one he has.

So, that's my question. Does a battery pack with 2000mAh automatically have to be bigger than a 500mAh one ( i.e. it lasts longer 'cos it's bigger ) or could it be the same size ( i.e. it lasts longer 'cos it's made better / with better materials )?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

J.

Cookie_Monster

wouldn't a lithium Ion be much better than Ni-MH?

jasonb

Ah, that was my next question! From what I've read, a Li-Ion would be a lot better, both lighter and longer lasting. But the voltages wouldn't be the same ( though they'd be close ) and I'm not sure how much hassle it would be to get it sorted.

Basically, he's not an enthusist ( at least not yet ) so really we're looking at what'll be the easiest solution to implement. If we can buy a battery pack that's to all intents and purposes the same, but it just lasts longer, that'd be perfect...

J.

Cookie_Monster

unfortunately thats about the extent of my knowledge on the subject :P
should be a good few others along at some point to offer more advice.

coolwings

You need to look at the weight of the battery packs .... you're looking for higher capacity, but within the same weight range.
Lipo are the lightest, but require their own special chargers.

jasonb

It's not just weight, it's also the size, at the moment the battery pack fits under the skids of the helicopter and we'd like the replacement pack to also fit there.

So, is it possible to get the same size / weight battery pack with higher capacity, or does an increase in capacity automatically mean an increase weight / size?

Also, the Li-Poly batteries are 7.4V, not 7.2V. Is that enough of a difference to cause problems?

J.

syl77

You need to find a 2S lipo battery that when installed has the heli correctly balanced, It doesnt has to be the same weight as the orginal Ni-mh.
Also both a lipo (7.2v) or ni-mh (7.4v) are closer to 8v (or over) when charged. I bet if you google the heli name you may find that other people have done lipo mods to it.

T-Maxx

+1 on Google

Also try eBay

If your mate isn't ready for the plunge (yet ), I would caution against going the lipo route.