A123 Battery Cells On your Radio Regulate Design Plane

Electric powered product airplanes happen to be around for roughly a few a long time. A tremendous trouble  http://www.h-squared.co.uk/     while in the early days was battery electrical power density. In other words, they just weighed an excessive amount with the quantity of juice you can get from them. This case has enhanced radically lately while using the advent of Li-Poly cells, but a battery pack for a bigger product can certainly price tag many hundreds of bucks. The arrival of electrical autos, including the Toyota Prius has spurred a massive sum of study into new battery technologies. In this article, I will describe an alternate to Li-Poly batteries that offers intriguing possibilities.

A123 Systems provides Lithium-Ion Nanophosphate cells. These cells have got a nominal voltage of 3.three volts and can face up to continuous discharge costs of 30C. They can be securely discharged right down to 2.0 volts. The voltage continues to be reasonably frequent via the discharge cycle, nevertheless they do have got a sharp drop-off at the conclusion. Hope 300 cycles ahead of you see any reduction in capability though at 1,000 cycles you'll have 75% from the unique capability. They may be very safe. Overcharging or over discharging will never cause an explosion and can have minor result to the existence with the battery. Balancing the cells when they are charged is still a superb concept, but not totally needed. They are often charged instantly immediately after use in 15 minutes.

The cells are available in two measurements. The first M1 mobile incorporates a ability of two.3 Ah and weighs 70 grams (2.47 oz). A more moderen, scaled-down size can maintain 1.1 Ah and weighs 40 grams (one.forty one oz).

The first supply for A123 M1 cells is DeWalt 36-volt portable power-tool battery packs. Just about every pack includes 10cells. I procured two of these for $100 each and every by way of Ebay. The prices seem to own absent up recently into the $120-$130 range. One cells can even be purchased online for $15 from the escalating variety of suppliers. You are able to come across two of the more compact cells in the Black & Decker VPX battery pack which sells for about $15. The lesser cells can be had for $12.50 just about every.

There are many Li-Poly chargers that support or may be modified to support the charging of these A123 cells. Because of the sharp voltage drop-off when discharged, you are probably better off using a timer when you fly. Otherwise you need your ESC to shut off the motor when two.0 volts per cell is reached.

Bottom line? These cells give you 70% the power density of Li-Polys for about 45% on the price. For many of us, that is a superb trade-off. They are extremely safe and can be billed in 15 minutes. If you conclusion up buying half as many battery packs because of your shorter charge time, then they become a significantly better value.