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06-15-2009 11:43 PM 11 years ago
| busyflyin
rrVeteran Cadillac, MI USA |
Stock Trex 500 w/ warm battery Question; My Trex has maybe a hundred flights on it and using two batteries alternately. I noticed last week that the batteries are warmer than usual. Last night I hovered through an entire flight and the battery is very warm.. hot in fact. What should I be checking? |
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06-16-2009 12:19 AM 11 years ago
| Sean Williams
rrElite Veteran Santa Clarita CA |
Check your gear mesh. This could be putting extra stress on the power system. Of course it's hard to gauge exactly how hot the packs are just by feeling them. I suggest getting a temp gauge and measure the difference over time. |
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06-16-2009 12:52 AM 11 years ago
| busyflyin
rrVeteran Cadillac, MI USA |
Good point.. this is my first electric and there are a couple of things I would do differently next time, like putting a piece of tape on the battery and making a hash mark on it every time I charge it. Maybe I should cycle the batteries to see how much capacity is left in them. I'll check the gear mesh too.. but no reason to believe it has changed.. I haven't repositioned the motor. ?? |
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06-16-2009 05:22 AM 11 years ago
 dkshema
rrMaster Cedar Rapids, IA |
Your batteries are probably starting their downhill slide. Nothing's changed in your setup, but now the batteries are starting to act funny and it's the setup that's at fault? Wrong answer.LiPos have about a three-year life, and the clock starts ticking the day they are built and it doesn't matter if they're never used, or used a lot. Use (and abuse) only speeds up the deterioration process.As LiPos age, one of the more common characteristics is an increase in their internal impedance (resistance). That translates to lower terminal voltage under load, and higher operating temperatures. They lose their "pop" and get warm.And it might be that you're now flying in warmer ambient temperatures than you have been.Cycling won't really tell you a whole lot.Diamonds are forever. LiPo batteries, aren't.-----
Dave
* Making the World Better -- One Helicopter at a time! *
Team Heliproz |
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06-16-2009 12:24 PM 11 years ago
| mmc205
rrElite Veteran PA - USA |
dkshema i think that has something to do with the chemistry. I have 5+ year old lipos that are still ticking pretty good after hundreds of cycles. (the lipos i'm talking about were 8C)The newer chemistries seem to give great C rate (20-30) and punch but seem to also degrade faster. The new Hyperion G3 lipos promise to have 4X the life so maybe they have figured something out the others haven't but i haven't seen any data yet.I think once they figure out a way to package A123 chemistry in a lighter package we'll have the best of both worlds. I've seen a lot of data supporting the lifespan (500+) of the A123'sI tried some in my trex 500 but in the end they didn't have the punch i wanted.***Logo 600 vbar***Henseleit TDR vbar*** |
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06-16-2009 02:06 PM 11 years ago
| dkshema
rrMaster Cedar Rapids, IA |
mm -- chemistries may explain differences in LiPo life, but they start degrading from the time they're made. As for Busy's problem, nothing else has changed in his setup, so for him to start chasing setup problems now is probably a waste of time. He's got old batteries with lots of time on them. And it's summer-time now, with higher temps. Might be time for him to go battery shopping.-----
Dave
* Making the World Better -- One Helicopter at a time! *
Team Heliproz |
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06-16-2009 02:14 PM 11 years ago
06-16-2009 06:53 PM 11 years ago
 McCrasher
rrNovice Ventura, Ca, USA |
There's no reason to not look at the wear on the main gear train as well. There could be something there that is causing a little more "rolling resistance" than before. I do agree that the suspect is probably the batteries. As they age, their capacity diminishes and you start pushing them harder. At the end of the pack, there is less reserve left, and the pack heats up more as the esc tries to draw more current to keep the headspeed up.Mike |
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06-17-2009 02:43 AM 11 years ago
06-17-2009 07:56 PM 11 years ago
| chopper_crazy
rrElite Veteran Delphos, Ohio |
I would start looking for new batteries. I would hate to destroy a helicopter because of a defaulty battery.It's a complex, costly, glow powered anti-gravity machine! |
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06-18-2009 12:32 AM 11 years ago
| dkshema
rrMaster Cedar Rapids, IA |
I guess there's an outside chance that the motor bearings are starting to act up. Would be low on my list of things to check, but then, it would still be on my list.-----
Dave
* Making the World Better -- One Helicopter at a time! *
Team Heliproz |
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06-18-2009 12:47 AM 11 years ago
| busyflyin
rrVeteran Cadillac, MI USA |
Bearings are good. My vote goes to the batteries getting old. I bought 3 Prototek Batteries from Amain and had to send 2 of them back right away. I think they are low quality. The other one I have I bought used from a friend. Time to freshen up! |
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06-18-2009 01:34 AM 11 years ago
| dkshema
rrMaster Cedar Rapids, IA |
I bought 3 Prototek Batteries from Amain and had to send 2 of them back right away. I think they are low quality.
Dave
* Making the World Better -- One Helicopter at a time! *
Team Heliproz |
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