Beautiful Plane JB👍👍
If anyone complains about it being on this site, you can just put the pontoons on😂🤣😂
Trev

Hi Trev, been flying since 76, converted everything to electric in 2010. This plane had a 50/45 890KV 1100W outrunner on a gas prop, (56"span) When new, the battery could do that without setting off the battery alarm, HK batteries were quite good back then. As they started declining, their products followed down in quality. I Use Hyperion batteries now,- expensive but way better quality. Can't buy batteries from HK down here now anyhow,- closed their Australian warehouse recently.

(The same plane a guy had in Switzerland managed 156mph on a nitro engine - YT vid somewhere.)

JB

Great sum up Dave. Use what ever battery suites your purposes just be careful with handling them and charging/discharging especially the Lipo's

Very Good Information, Dave👍👍
Trev

how usefull is all thanks dave

Hi JB
Good to hear from someone who also likes recycling useable batteries. I agree the damage often just reduces the power output due to the plated becoming coated with lithium causing the internal resistance to rise. For low power usage and testing this may not be a problem but if a too high current is drawn then the battery heats up and if the internal structure changes a short can occur and bang.
Happened to me once with a slightly puffed 11.1v 2200 mA battery and fortunately I got the boat (my RAF Crash Tender) back to the shore and the battery out before it went bang. The cause was a loose motor mount causing complete stall and smoke.
I have removed damaged cells from packs and just used the good cells so 11.1 to 7.4v. I do check that all cells balance and if they don't I dispose after fully discharging in the battery bank at the local tip.
As you say this is a job for an experienced modeller and should not be attempted by anyone.
Cheers
dave

Hi westward
You can obtain all battery types in a range of voltages and with different current capacities:

SLA are 2v per cell and are typically available as: 6v; 12v; 24v. Capacity can range from 1amp to 18amp in the smaller sizes but leisure and vehicle batteries are much higher amps , bigger and heavier.

NiCd batteries are no longer produced due to their damage to landfill enviromental sites. They have been replaced by NiMh batteries.

NiMh batteries are 1.2v per cell and are typically available as: 1.2v; 4.8v; 6v; 7.2v; 8.4v; 9.6v; 12v etc. Capacity can range from 0.5amp to 10amp in the smaller sizes but you can buy much higher values from specialist suppliers.

Dry cells are 1.5v per cell and are typically used for low powered domestic items like torches and remote controls. They are suitable for use with R/c equipment and I use them in my FlySky FSi6 transmitter as they easily last all season.

To summarise:

SLA are good if you need lots of ballast in your model, say a tug or large liner. Not so good for fast planeing type craft due to their weight and relatively high internal resistance which limits the current.

NiMh are good as a light weight high capacity power source for faster models as their internal resistance is relatively low compared to SLAs but are equally as suitable for more sedate scale models.

Dry cells are not really suitable for powering a motor in all but the smallest toy models due to their low capacity and high cost for just a single use.

LiPos are suitable for all types of models but need careful handling and are not really suitable for novice modellers without guidance from a more experienced and knowledgeable person.

Finally all batteries are marked with warnings on how to dispose and hopefully, if we all follow the instructions, we all remain safe.
dave976

Great Flying!! JB
I could barely see the plane at times.
This is obviously not your first Rodeo😁😁
Trev

Hi Dave, re puffy batteries, I think it depends on the load you put on them if they are slightly puffy. I've used LiPos which have slight puffing for years under light loads, and have even frozen them as an experiment and they still work. As you say, once they have puffed it means a cell (or more ) has been overloaded - sometimes it's just cr.p batteries (HK zippy batteries used to be good but ended up rubbish and dropping cells after one flight).

I still have an HK Flightmax 5s 3000mah 20c LiPo from 02.06.2010 which I still use for low loads, - charges up, balances perfectly, just has no guts. Another Zippy 5s 3000mah 40 c from 05.08.2012 has been slightly puffy for years, charges up, balances perfectly, but again has no guts any more. I can use it with no problems in a boat and limit the throttle, as there is usually very little load on a battery with a small motor. I was using it with a 100mph racer (converted from nitro, and a few others) and pulling around 80A static, and it would come back quite warm after a flight.

Hi JB
I agree with most of your comments with one exception.
Any puffiness in a LiPo cell indicates misuse and irreversible damage to internal components resulting in the release of gases into the sealed cell. Putting in the fridge will cool the gas which will contract in volume and may appear to repair the problem - it won't. On re-use the battery will heat up and puff up and eventually split the seal and self destruct when the air reaches the internal components and results in a chain reaction.
The most serious types of misuse are:
overcharging by a very small amount (0.1v) which can be avoided by using a balanced charger set to the correct battery type, number of cells and capacity;
discharging below the safe voltage, typically 3.5v per cell. A LiPo safe ESC will allow you to set this voltage so that reduced power is enabled allowing safe return to shore;
not discharging to the storage voltage (3.7v per cell) if not using for any length of time (1+ weeks);
common sense as you describe cover the other issues and I would add do not or charge or use the battery if it is too hot to touch.
I agree entirely with your last para.
dave976