Turnigy Cells Crush G3's

[wolf IV]

bigdg, what turnigy packs were they? c-rating? did you ballance them ? also how many cycles? after it died did you find out the cause for thr failure? i.e. dis assy pack to find?? check voltage per cell? i have yet to have a bad turbigy, but their all high c rated and high mah..

[wolf IV]

have you opened the packs up for a look. if you do do so carfully.
i run turnigy cells and think dollar for dollar cant be beat,i cant see a battry worth 5x more is going to be 5x better.
i have seen one of the turnigy packs work for half a run and stop,after a carful look my mate found one cell wasnt soldered properly across the tag,after a quick solder it works fine

woops, beat me to it...

[m4a1usr]

I had a set of the turnigy 3s packs and both packs just died one died mid run in a boat the remaining of the set was used to power a traxxas stampede this one also died in the middle of a run in both cases the batteries were not even warm . I have heard of this problem from others also after doing the research after the first one died . I am using zippys now with no problems at all .Just thought I'd throw that out there I mean what are the chances of 2 packs failing in the same way

There was a thread on RRR about odd cell packs being worse then even due to the fact that the manufacturer splices a smaller ga wire onto the larger main negative lead as the pack end comes from the opposite side. I havent done a comparison study but I wonder if that might not what we are seeing from certain manufacturers on occasion? Maybe those with what they consider junk or less then premium packs should do a visual inspection and see if theres a pattern here.

John

[BIGDG357]

I have not, but I have actually posted about the problem on an earlier thread which I'm not sure on exactly where but one of the members tth was so kind as to take a look at it for me not sure what exactly he found ,maybe he can chime in but he was feeling unsafe with the opened pack so I told him to trash it and I would not know where to begin repairing one. I don't really see a battery worth 5x more is going to be 5x better either so I have been ordering zippys 3s 40c 5000mah for 45 usd and I have just recently ordered 4 2s packs 30c 4500mah for 25 usd definitly worth a shot if they blow and I replace them I still didn't spend as much as I would have on maxx amp packs.

[BIGDG357]

bigdg, what turnigy packs were they? c-rating? did you ballance them ? also how many cycles? after it died did you find out the cause for thr failure? i.e. dis assy pack to find?? check voltage per cell? i have yet to have a bad turbigy, but their all high c rated and high mah..

the packs were 3s packs 35c 5000mah , I balance my packs on every charge w/ my hyperion duo and the first pack died on the first run in about 45 seconds .The second pack has maybe 5 cycles ...maybe

[wolf IV]

ive experienced the higher the c- rating ( wich doesnt cost much more and even cheaper in the turigy the better quality. he should have located the bad cell and disposed of it, then you have a good pack but just lower v. for another toy this is what i do, infact i have 6-8 , 25 c packs i puffed ( my fault) testing motors in my plane that ill tear apart and re-build into 4's packs instead of 3's.. its easy! "you can do it"!

[BIGDG357]

Is there a diagram on the wiring that i can use I still have the 2nd pack if nothing else I can learn off of it, I try to do every thing myself I just don't know much about the lipo packs

[tth]

I have not, but I have actually posted about the problem on an earlier thread which I'm not sure on exactly where but one of the members tth was so kind as to take a look at it for me not sure what exactly he found ,maybe he can chime in but he was feeling unsafe with the opened pack so I told him to trash it and I would not know where to begin repairing one. I don't really see a battery worth 5x more is going to be 5x better either so I have been ordering zippys 3s 40c 5000mah for 45 usd and I have just recently ordered 4 2s packs 30c 4500mah for 25 usd definitly worth a shot if they blow and I replace them I still didn't spend as much as I would have on maxx amp packs.

Once I opened the pack there was a fluid all over the bottom of all 3 cellsl. It was not puffed but the bottom seam on the middle cell was open. Really smelly!!! There was a circuit board that the tabs were all soldered to. I have repaired many of my cheap packs that I bought when I first started the hobby.True RC and Elite mostly. They were all easy repairs 4s to 3s or 3s to 2s. After all the discussion on these Flightmax and Turnigy cells I may have to try some.

[tth]

ive experienced the higher the c- rating ( wich doesnt cost much more and even cheaper in the turigy the better quality. he should have located the bad cell and disposed of it, then you have a good pack but just lower v. for another toy this is what i do, infact i have 6-8 , 25 c packs i puffed ( my fault) testing motors in my plane that ill tear apart and re-build into 4's packs instead of 3's.. its easy! "you can do it"!

Exactly what I did but the circuit board on the top that all the tabs are soldered to prevented me from doing the conversion. If the middle cell is not there it is an incomplete series. It would not been bad if it was the 1st or 3rd cell but it was the 2nd right in the middle. With the 2nd pack being open at the seam on the bottom I was uncertian of its possibilities.

[wolf IV]

Exactly what I did but the circuit board on the top that all the tabs are soldered to prevented me from doing the conversion. If the middle cell is not there it is an incomplete series. It would not been bad if it was the 1st or 3rd cell but it was the 2nd right in the middle. With the 2nd pack being open at the seam on the bottom I was uncertian of its possibilities.

i understand now! (all) the ones i deal with have been " circuit board free". its a little tricky to figure out rewiring all the ballancer leads, but circuit boards????

[tth]

Balance leads are a piece of cake. When I saw that circuit board then when I noticed the fluid coming out of the middle cell with the split in it all I could think of was..............

[BIGDG357]

i understand now! (all) the ones i deal with have been " circuit board free". its a little tricky to figure out rewiring all the ballancer leads, but circuit boards????

I peeled the wrapping seen the board and pretty much gave up there, that was my problem not exactly simple circiutry

[Jeepers]

man I must be lucky, I have only killed ONE Polyquest lipo pack, that was due to a magnets coming apart in the motor. Now NiMh cells............

I don't think I will try Turnigy, the esc,servos and batteries that club members bought and tried, are all fried.

I have good luck with Hyperion G3 cells, Polyquests and Poly Rc, and Neu. and for the money Rhinos performed very good for me as well.

[tiqueman]

Interesting what everyone has to say about different batteries. I purchased 3 Turnigy packs back in mid September. I got a 3S 20-30C and two 2S 30-40C packs. I might have 10 cycles on the 3S and 15 on both 2S. So far Ive had great success and am very impressed with them. Not that they have been mentioned, and honestly, Im not even sure how they rate as they are the only packs the LHS had when I purchased my first FE boat, but I have a pair of 2S 5000mah Reedy hard case packs. $100 each and I had one puff on the 3rd or 4th cycle. The LHS nor Reedy would do anything about it. I purchased another Reedy and so far have had no more issues. That was back in June or July. But to compare those against the Turnigys, In a 32" cat, BJ26 ESC and motor, Pair of Reedy 2S 5000 pushed it 39 and change. Same ratings in Turnigy got another almost 2mph. That was impressive enough for me. Im working on gathering parts for my next build and I plan on using Turningy 4 or 5S packs.

Just wanted to share my experiences with the Lipos Ive run....

Scott

[Simon.O.]

Ok so I'll jump in here.
I have an amazing ability to destroy stuff. ESC's and packs are my speciality.
I have rooted a few Zippy's and a couple of Rhinos too.
I have managed to puff Polyquest and Flightpower packs too.

Now here is where I sit.
I have bought a few new Turnigy packs and did so because they are the best bang for the buck there is.
I have 2 that I have done some very unkind things with and they still love me.

I would never be bold enough to say that they are as good or better than the high end packs like the G3.
They are hardy and suit what I do. They are my choice of pack.

When the last of my zippies and polys die I will replace them with Turnigy. Not because they are the best but because they are good value for money and I have not poked one yet. That will make one die now for sure

Go with the G3 or better if you are after all out speed, go with the Turnigy if you are after bang for buck. I have done both and know which side my bread is buttered.

[Xzessperated]

Guys I forked out the hard earned for some G3 lipo's, puffed two first run, third on its second run and the fourth I gave away for free. I use Zippy flight max 5000mah 4s 30c packs in the same boats, same set ups and have had NO problems at all. With a cost of under $60 what more can I say

Andy the only change you made was to throw out the puffed G3's, and give me one to puff, so it would appear that the Zippy anvil is a stronger anvil than the G3 anvil. I had the same thing happen to 2 Elite packs and replaced them with Zippy and if there is a speed difference then my gps can not detect it. Mind you I can not drive a straight line and my DF 33 is slow so what would I know.
I am not saying that the majority of G3's are bad. Far from it. I think you just got the bad ones. It is always a good time to go shopping after I have been because I take all the duds home with me too. eg. my DX3S but that is another story and way off track.

[andym]

Mind you I can not drive a straight line and my DF 33 is slow so what would I know

Mate the straight line thing is a fact !!! But your boats are not slow !!!! If any peanut on here disputes the 70mph DF33 then they have not seen a boat going 70mph!!! Back to the lipo dispute, Some time ago there was a huge gain to be had from running $$$$$ lipo's but the tech has bleed out and now you can get great lipo for a lot cheaper than the name brands. A lot of folk still swear by the expensive ones and you would if it cost you $600 for three packs and a dick head like myself is running just as quick for $150. I think they just have to get over the I spent more cash than you crap.

[properchopper]

One thing that absolutely drives me nuts ( besides the steering wheel on my belly) is the fact that, when comparing specs such as "C" ratings, there has been no discussion of agreed upon standardized parameters disclosed by battery brands for testing such concepts. I can absolutely guarantee that by varying the testing conditions or how a rating is expressed, any results that you want can be obtained. This is unfortunately very common in amplifier power ratings - Jan can back me up on this. Until testing parameters are universally established [unlikely], trusting specs should be taken with a grain of salt. One thing that seems to be overlooked is the gap between "continuous" and "max/burst" ratings. If you look closely, the so-called better packs normally have the "max/burst" rating at TWICE the "continuous" rating whereas Turnigys only add 5 or 10 "C's" to the "max/burst" rating. That should tell you something !
[I have lots of Turnigys and really like them, BTW.] OTOH, I'm currently tuning 2 boats for 4 minute offshore heats and will only rely on the "high end" brands for this. Just some food for thought.

[domwilson]

Agreed. Up until 1997 there were some standards for amplifier power ratings. Then came multimedia devices (powered speaker, home theater, etc.) and those standards got thrown out the window. Now there are various trains of thought for many electrical devices including batteries. One is to inflate specs for marketing purposes and the other is to be conservative for stability and longevity. You can't rely on brand name as some have chosen either route. Word of mouth and some unbias'd reviews work best for these kinds of results. Best thing is to do your homework. Ask questions, do some research. When I started using Lipos, Polyquest and Elites were the top brands. Now I read a few times that they are not so great. So for the relatively low price of Turnigy, Rhino's and Zippy's, if they aren't so great, it doesn't hurt so much to find that out later on.

[properchopper]

Agreed. Up until 1997 there were some standards for amplifier power ratings. Then came multimedia devices (powered speaker, home theater, etc.) and those standards got thrown out the window. Now there are various trains of thought for many electrical devices including batteries. One is to inflate specs for marketing purposes and the other is to be conservative for stability and longevity. You can't rely on brand name as some have chosen either route. Word of mouth and some unbias'd reviews work best for these kinds of results. Best thing is to do your homework. Ask questions, do some research. When I started using Lipos, Polyquest and Elites were the top brands. Now I read a few times that they are not so great.

Thank you Sir for concurring ! !

So for the relatively low price of Turnigy, Rhino's and Zippy's, if they aren't so great, it doesn't hurt so much to find that out later on.

Unless the hurt comes three minutes into a four minute race !!

[domwilson]

Unless the hurt comes three minutes into a four minute race !!

True. There are exceptions.