Lipos ROCK

[H&MWill]

I would just like to thank everyone for all the help over the last few weeks with all my Lipo questions. I ran my NEU 5000mah 2S packs in the SV today and man these things are great. I will only run lipo from now on! Thanks again guys. Will

[Darin Jordan]

I would just like to thank everyone for all the help over the last few weeks with all my Lipo questions. I ran my NEU 5000mah 2S packs in the SV today and man these things are great. I will only run lipo from now on! Thanks again guys. Will

Where the heck were all you guys a year ago when many of us were taking it on the chin by those trying to convinced everyone that Lipos would ruin the hobby... :doh:

It's nice to see people trying this stuff out and finding out that going to the dark side fills their life with SUNSHINE and GOOD TIMES!! ;)

[H&MWill]

Darin, I hear ya bro. Sorry so late just took forever to convince the wife! LOL.

[Darin Jordan]

Darin, I hear ya bro. Sorry so late just took forever to convince the wife! LOL.

Well, Just keep track of how many runs you get on them... then figure out how many sets of NiMH cells you'd have had to buy to go that long... and slower!! ;)

She'll be glad you did!!

[H&MWill]

Yeah man! She will be ok when she hears that.

[SJFE]

the dark side fills their life with SUNSHINE and GOOD TIMES!!

Amen Darin :). I enjoy mine just a bit to much. I keep running them to deep:o

[Bill-SOCAL]

Where the heck were all you guys a year ago



I was flying airplanes, many with lipos. Amazing to me that this is even a point of discussion. Lipos are better. Next.

BTW, you are ruining this hobby. Everybody knows it. Even me, and I'm new!!!

Adding to Darin's comment abut going slower with NiMHs. My little Viper could only muster 43.5 MPH with NiMHs. With 3300 25C Lipos it does and honest 57 MPH. Yes, Lipos REALLY are faster.

[obrien]

I am looking forward to more test time with my lipos in the black jack.

[Steven Vaccaro]

Lipos are great. But we have lost many racers over the change. The conversion could have been done differently. But its all under the bridge now.

We lost and are losing many of the people who started the hobby. We even lost Ed Hughey because of the change. In the end I'm sure this change will grow the hobby, but it doesn't make me fell any better about losing some good friends......

[Hydromaniac]

Lipos are great. But we have lost many racers over the change. The conversion could have been done differently. But its all under the bridge now.

We lost and are losing many of the people who started the hobby. We even lost Ed Hughey because of the change. In the end I'm sure this change will grow the hobby, but it doesn't make me fell any better about losing some good friends......Well said Steve.

[Flying Scotsman]

Lipos are great. But we have lost many racers over the change. The conversion could have been done differently. But its all under the bridge now.

We lost and are losing many of the people who started the hobby. We even lost Ed Hughey because of the change. In the end I'm sure this change will grow the hobby, but it doesn't make me fell any better about losing some good friends......

Amen, Steven. A real shame as to the best of my knowledge the Europeans have not adopted the P rule or have even endorsed LI-PO power. We are a small community worldwide and we should all be on the same page, as then records mean something. My 2 cents

Douggie

[SJFE]

My personal reason for converting was longevity. Not about speed or run time. I wanted a battery that would last many many cycles. Lipos last longer if cared for correclty. I want as much back of my investment as possible. I just need to pay more attention to my watch & not run them to deep.

[Bill-SOCAL]

As a relative newcomer to the boat scene it strikes me as odd that people would leave the hobby because an improved power system came into being.


I like Lipos. I would actually have gone the other way. If the boat world was stuck with NiMHs I would have stayed playing with planes. At least there adopting innovation is not a cause for leaving the hobby!! Maybe it was the manner and not the actual thing itself, but Oh Well, here we are.

Changing gears, I have attached a nifty little timer to my TX. It's called the "Talking Timer" I set it for 4.5 minutes and throw the boat in the water and go. I get a countdown starting every minute down to 30 seconds, every 10 seconds to 10 seconds and then every second. Makes it easy to know exactly where I am time wise.

Got mine at Radio Shack years ago. THis looks exactly like mine:

http://www.amazon.com/Tel-Time-Tel-Timer-Talking-Countdown-Timer/dp/B00013KP4C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1200724377&sr=8-1

FWIW I paid $20 for the same thing nearly 12 years ago!!!

[Dale Koblitz]

My personal reason for converting was longevity. Not about speed or run time. I wanted a battery that would last many many cycles. Lipos last longer if cared for correclty. I want as much back of my investment as possible. I just need to pay more attention to my watch & not run them to deep.

Invest in a simple little thing called a lipo cut-off. Novak makes several different ones for the number of cells your running

[Steven Vaccaro]

As a relative newcomer to the boat scene it strikes me as odd that people would leave the hobby because an improved power system came into being.

Bill its all about the cost. To convert a 12 nimh boat to lipo at the time would have cost over $500 with a decent changer. Also at the same time lipos were being introduced, high amp Neu motors came in. Boats grew and so did the cost to race competitively.

[Darin Jordan]

Also at the same time lipos were being introduced, high amp Neu motors came in. Boats grew and so did the cost to race competitively.

To be accurate... Neus were here, and boats were growing, WELL before Lipos were considered... We went from 22" N2 boats to 26" N2 boats, and from 24" P-boats to 30+" P-boats.. in one season... with the potential to make them even bigger... and all with NiMH cells (4200s...) All adding lipos did at this point was make it so these same setups could be run without having to scap cells every 10-cycles...

We were NEVER going to get away from the initial startup costs... Now that things are in place...prices are coming down... new a better chargers and balancers, etc., are here... and the info, experience, and advice are out here to help people make the right decisions on equipment...

The initial shock should be wearing off now... Time to stop arguing and embrace the new age of FE... It REALLY is GOOD!

And if any old timers are still on the fence... Maybe they can look at what many of the nay-sayers are doing now... there are quite a few people out here who originally fought the change, who have turned 180-degrees and are fully onboard... because they've SEEN that it's all good...

I agree that the implementation could have been done a little differently, but let's face it... NO way of doing it would have made EVERYONE happy... NOT a chance... I'm very sorry to hear that people have actually left the hobby over this, but as I head into this next season with the same box full of cells that I started last season with, and have them still fully perform as they did last year, I have a hard time understanding why someone would stay away... The boats are a little larger and more drivable... the cells are lasting many, many times longer.... Hull availability is great and they are very reasonably priced... and their hasn't been a house or car burned down to date... Seems like good times...

[Bill-SOCAL]

Bill its all about the cost. To convert a 12 nimh boat to lipo at the time would have cost over $500 with a decent changer. Also at the same time lipos were being introduced, high amp Neu motors came in. Boats grew and so did the cost to race competitively.

Yes, I understand that, but it still amazes me that people would quit the hobby. And honestly from many of the posts I've read over the past few months it seems like cost is the reason given, but there appears to be more to it. There are some folks that just seem content with the status quo.

Oh well, competition costs money. Always has. When I first started flying IMAC a 25% plane with a YS 140 4-stroke was HUGE and could cost maybe $750 to get going. Now there are guys flying basic with 40% planes with engines that cost $1,500 and all up costs of nearly $7,500. And IMAC has flourished during this change over. The major difference is that it was not forced by the rules, but rather it was the natural result of the pilot's desire to be competitive.

[SJFE]

Invest in a simple little thing called a lipo cut-off. Novak makes several different ones for the number of cells your running
Thanks for the suggestion Dale. I own 3 of them. The probem is they monitor voltage only. It's the Mah thats getting depleted past save levels. I've been instructed not to run long enough to hit the lvc anyway. So again I say I need to watch my run time and recharge rates for optimal run to discharge ratios. If there where programable LVC/LMAH monitors my little world would be one step closer to perfection :wink:

[SJFE]

"Talking Timer"

Brilliant!!!! LOL I shall acquire one of these magnificent devices immediately: D

[Hydromaniac]

To be accurate... Neus were here, and boats were growing, WELL before Lipos were considered... We went from 22" N2 boats to 26" N2 boats, and from 24" P-boats to 30+" P-boats.. in one season... with the potential to make them even bigger... and all with NiMH cells (4200s...) All adding lipos did at this point was make it so these same setups could be run without having to scap cells every 10-cycles...

We were NEVER going to get away from the initial startup costs... Now that things are in place...prices are coming down... new a better chargers and balancers, etc., are here... and the info, experience, and advice are out here to help people make the right decisions on equipment...

The initial shock should be wearing off now... Time to stop arguing and embrace the new age of FE... It REALLY is GOOD!

And if any old timers are still on the fence... Maybe they can look at what many of the nay-sayers are doing now... there are quite a few people out here who originally fought the change, who have turned 180-degrees and are fully onboard... because they've SEEN that it's all good...

I agree that the implementation could have been done a little differently, but let's face it... NO way of doing it would have made EVERYONE happy... NOT a chance... I'm very sorry to hear that people have actually left the hobby over this, but as I head into this next season with the same box full of cells that I started last season with, and have them still fully perform as they did last year, I have a hard time understanding why someone would stay away... The boats are a little larger and more drivable... the cells are lasting many, many times longer.... Hull availability is great and they are very reasonably priced... and their hasn't been a house or car burned down to date... Seems like good times...

ITS ALL GOOD???? WOW. Once again Darin I'm without words........Decline in Racers, Decline in memberships, Decline in friendships BUT ITS ALL GOOD.

[SJFE]

Now that I'm done being silly I can offer a point of view from a pure sport boater. Last year around this time I made my battery purchases for the season. I had them all built by Mr Hill and all said and done I had 500 invested in 12 packs of IB3600s 4-8cell 6 6cells and a set of 7cell packs. I paid about 6 bucks a cell then so add in the Ice charger I bought I invested 610 bucks. Now all those cells where used all summer and where never really race quality cells to begin with. I sold them off for less than half what I had paid for them.

This year I took that 600 dollars bought 12 more packs and only had to put out an extra 139.99 for the latest Hyperion balance charger. From what I have read I will not have to buy batteries for @ least 2 or 3 more years with the mild use of sport running on my conservative setups. I say it's a win win all around for both racers and sport boaters.

[ReddyWatts]

I am planning lipo's for my next electric build in 2008. It is a Miss Bud with a Blackjack motor combo. I had hoped the price of Lipo's would come down more than it has by now. My nimhs have lasted a long time, since I use the HV setups using less amps.

[SJFE]

Well Mr Watts it would seem prices vary depending on who you are. I had some first hand experince with this. Not that I got a really slammin deal but I think the general public prices may a bit diffrent than what people with an "in" pay. I think it goes al little further than just " since you spent x amount I'll cut you a break". I wish we all could just get the same fixed price.

[ReddyWatts]

Ok SJFE, set me up with a contact. ha

[SJFE]

My friend ther is nothing I would like more. Unfortunately I can't gettem there any more :(.

[Darin Jordan]

I'll take this to an appropriate thread... You are right dude... LIPOS ROCK!

[Steven Vaccaro]

Lipo's do rock!!! They have allowed me to do things that I would never have even considered before. Now that prices have come down I haven't bought a sub c pack for a year and look forward to using last years lipos this summer. My one and only complaint is the changing charging tech. I will be buying a improved charger. But thats by choice, not necessity.

[Darin Jordan]

My one and only complaint is the changing charging tech. I will be buying a improved charger. But thats by choice, not necessity.

I hear that! I thought I was heading into next season with what I "need" as far as chargers go... then Hyperion comes out with a whole line of REALLY cool stuff that makes me "need" something else!

Just have to keep telling myself "live with what you have... live with what you have... live with what you have.... spend your money on stuff you really need from OSE... spend your money on stuff you really need from OSE... " :thumbup1:

[Bill-SOCAL]

Trust me, the new 0610i DUO is WAY cool. I am liking mine a great deal. With boats that have 4 packs in them, trust me, chargers are an issue. One thing I really like is at start up it asks you to confirm the number of cells before actually starting to charge.