Powering TREX 600CF

[DonutCity]

I've finished my TREX 600 build and now I need a battery for the drive motor (600XL) and a charger/balancer for it. Can anyone tell me exactly what they are using for this specific heli that's a good combination? Once again, I'm new to this hobby so the info the better...

[Aztek1701]

Hi there,

Im using the Align 4600MAh 6S pack and it seems to do the job just fine however I dont think there is a specific "best" battery. Flightpower also make really good packs so do TunderPower. As far as a Balancer, I use the Flightpower V balancer which is good for 1 to 6 cells and supports a charge through capability. The charger I use is a bit of overkill for a 6s pack but since Ive had to upgrade my charger 3 times in 2 years I made a decision that this was going to be the last.. Its a Robbe Power Peak infinity 3 which can charge just about anything that exists in the model battery world but its not a cheap charger around $400.00.

My advice... Dont buy the cheapest battery (stick with a known brand, such as Align flightpower or thunderpower) and the same with the charger. Pro-Peak Prodigy Im told is a good one.

I dont think this is exactly the answer you were looking for but I hope it helps... Azzy

[uneverno]

Agree with what Azzy said.

I don't run that big, so can't help you out on a particular charger, but I can tell you this:

All the brands Azzy mentioned are good. I think, though I'm not positive, that one of the reasons his charger is pricier is that it runs on AC (Azzy - correct me if I'm wrong). A clean AC/DC power converter is an expensive piece, and prices go up exponentially with the higher amperage ranges required for high cell counts. You can save money by getting a charger that runs off 12v DC, e.g. a car or motorcycle battery - and then charge that with a cheap converter. Lead batteries are much more tolerant of dirty DC.

Forgive me if you already know this, but here's the electrical rationale for what I say: DC voltage is a straight horizontal line on a graph. AC is a sine wave with half above and half below the 0v axis, where the "average" is the target voltage. Cheap converters work by chopping off the bottom half of the wave, so basically, they send a series of pulses of varying positive voltage to the device being charged. Most batteries don't react well to this, and end up heating up more than they would with straight DC. This shortens their lifespan. For what 6S's cost - I'd avoid that and get the best converter/charger you can afford, or go straight 12v.

[DonutCity]

Thanks Azzy and uneverno, all of your info was helpful. Slowly but surely it's starting to make sense. I'm definitely getting the "you get what you pay for"...

[Aztek1701]

Hey All,

Donut... You are totally right about "you get what you pay for".. It seems to apply more in this hobby that any I have expericenced before. It is possible to get cheap Cr@p in model helis but thats exactly what it is cheap cr@p and it rarely works properly or if it does, it doesnt for very long. I think part of this is due to the fact that model helis are VERY stressed little machines so to work at all they have to be of a certain quality, once you start trying to add "headroom" to the quality, the cost goes up exponentially.

Emil, the charger Ive got is actually 12V DC (it needs a power converter too which when I think about it makes it even more expensive) the reason its so expesive is cos of its capability... (can charge A123 cells (lithiums replacement) and up to 12 Cell LiPo, as well as supporting "BID" chips which is like a flash ram chip you attach to the battery so the charger can recognise and configure itself to that pack in future. Like I said, I refuse to spend out on yet another charger in a year or so's time when Ive got a T-Rex 700 E on 10S lol.

Take care... Azzy