Originally Posted by aerofundan

Great flying!!! I think for you 3S would be better for the space you fly in, the spinner comes pre-cut, and i think it takes less time to build than the addiction x, mainly because this one doesnt use a pull pull system for the rudder, apart from that the build is very similar.

Thanks for your reply! I'm glad to hear the spinner is pre-cut! I think I'm going to go with 3s now. That's also good to here it's quicker than the Addiction to build

My favorite packs for everything RC are Hyperion & Thunder Power. Their cells are some of the lowest internal resistance LiPos available, and they have the highest cycle-life in the industry. Hyperion has a 1yr warranty with a 40% discount crash-replacement program. TP has a 2yr warranty with a 50% discount crash-replacement program. Most importantly - both companies are honest, and do not inflate their ratings.

I fly my PA planes on Hyperion's 35c VX-series packs & Thunder Power's G6 65C packs. Hyperion VX LiPos are designed for repetitive 5c charging, and they're good for 300+ cycles @5c charge before they start to fade - when properly cared for. A few of my Hyperion VX packs are past the 300-cycle mark @ 5c charge. They still meet spec! I've never had one fail. In fact, I've never even had one puff. But then my oldest Hyp packs are only 3 years old. Hyperion's new EX 45c packs are good for 500+ cycles before they start to fade. In my PA planes, even my oldest Hyp packs are just barely warm to the touch after an aggressive flight to the 80% discharge point. My 65c TP packs barely get above ambient. Plus, they're designed for repetitive 12c charging. TP claims 600+ cycles before they start to fade - but I only have about 70 cycles on mine so far. While most "bargain" packs fade away in 50 cycles or less, Hyp & TP packs are just getting broken-in at the 70-cycle mark, and are still getting stronger.

Joel

I have heard great things about the hyperion batteries but have not had the opportunity to fly them.

I have not tried any of the 65c TP packs either, but all my 45c's have swollen. I have not tried their replacement program before and did not know they still did that. Looks like I have some batts to send in

EDIT:
To play devils advocate, I will add that while I may have just been fortunate with my orders with HK; there are plenty of people out there will tell you they received batteries with bad cells, poor life, etc.

What do people think of these http://www.overlander.co.uk/batterie...11-1v-25c.html

I've been using them for about 20 flights now, and they seem ok. Has anyone had problems with them? How much better are the ThunderPower/Hyperion alternatives?

Thanks

Originally Posted by turboparker

SP,

We meet again!

Good to hear from you too Joel!

IPA it is then Keep us posted on the build, I'll probably be not farbehind you


Now to decide what colour!

Red: no way (wrong football colours!)
Blue: too babyish
Green: nice, maybe an option but worried about visibility...
Yellow: very nice, but is it not ORANGE!


Tony

Well the Bandit got maiden'd today. Very impressed, incredibly stable, amazing control authority, and the most impressive part for me was it's ability to slow down and not accelerate on a down line unless you increase throttle. It's the easiest aircraft i've ever landed. On the downside the hatch flew off on the first flight as soon as I went past half throttle and landed in some long grass which is known to be full of snakes, so although I went looking I didn't spend too long looking. So i'm about to order a new hatch and a spring latch to keep it on since the magnets didn't do a very good job.

Originally Posted by SilentPilot

Blue: too babyish

Tony

Come on! Blue one looks cool! (ordered one yesterday )

Jan

I'm getting to like the Orage/Yellow

Originally Posted by bsbauman

I have heard great things about the hyperion batteries but have not had the opportunity to fly them.

I have not tried any of the 65c TP packs either, but all my 45c's have swollen. I have not tried their replacement program before and did not know they still did that. Looks like I have some batts to send in

EDIT:
To play devils advocate, I will add that while I may have just been fortunate with my orders with HK; there are plenty of people out there will tell you they received batteries with bad cells, poor life, etc.

I've heard similar things from the local heli guys who have used TP's 45c packs. Makes me wonder if they had a bad run. Last year, Hyperion recalled a bad batch of their little 160 mAh cells for the UM planes & replaced them for free because they were fading away in 50 cycles or less. (Bet none of the "bargain" LiPo companies would ever recall a batch just because they fade away early.) My LHS stocks TP's 65c packs, so I decided to try a couple of them to see how they compare to the Hyperions.

Joel

Originally Posted by turboparker

Bet none of the "bargain" LiPo companies would ever recall a batch just because they fade away early.

Joel

Very True. From what i have heard, HK wont even replace batteries that arrive DOA.... well they will, but you have to pay $25 to ship it back to China...


In your opinion, which batteries have you liked better, the Hyp or TP?

Originally Posted by bsbauman

Very True. From what i have heard, HK wont even replace batteries that arrive DOA.... well they will, but you have to pay $25 to ship it back to China...


In your opinion, which batteries have you liked better, the Hyp or TP?

Given that I just bought the TP 65c packs last summer & have only put about 70 cycles on each of them, it is much too early for me to provide a fair assessment. (They're rated for 600+ cycles before they start to fade!) Static RPM is the essentially the same between the two - but then any true 35c pack should be plenty for this app, so I wouldn't expect to see a statistically-significant gain in static RPM with the 65c TP packs. My charger used to be a big one, but with the introduction of 12c charging, it is now a small one. So, I have not been able to charge the 12c charge TP packs at anything higher than 5c. I plan to upgrade to the TP 820CD dual-channel 800W charger.

I do know that if I wasn't aware of which pack was in the plane, I would not be able to discern any difference between them in flight. Also, I have not had a single problem with any of my Hyp packs - although I did end up with four of the bad 160 mAh UM cells, which Hyperion promptly replaced without question - and free of charge. But then my four 65c TP packs are also performing flawlessly.

So far, it appears that cycle-life & long-term performance may be the only differentiators - if any exist. To provide a fair assessment, I'll need to run the TP packs for at least another season or two.

Joel

Thanks; since everyone's experience with batteries is different, it is nice to hear other perspectives.

I can also tell you guys, that the PA 2200 20-40c packs are awesome!, i have a few that are around 2 years old, and they still are as powerful as always! They also haven't puffed in 2 years of flying! And i use mine also to fly fast pusher jets that really push the packs hard, and they take it perfectly!

Originally Posted by luke352

On the downside the hatch flew off on the first flight as soon as I went past half throttle and landed in some long grass which is known to be full of snakes, so although I went looking I didn't spend too long looking. So i'm about to order a new hatch and a spring latch to keep it on since the magnets didn't do a very good job.

That's really unusual and on my Bandit, Extra MX and Addiction X the magnets are so strong I don't think I'll ever be loosing a canopy.

Can I suggest you check a couple of things.

1. Check the cowl is overlapping the firewall by 2-3 mm to make sure the front of the canopy is sitting under it and can't lift during flight. I have had a canopy come off after repairing a plane and not making sure enough of the front of the canopy was under the cowl.

2. Make sure when you attach your canopy the magnets are clean. Where I fly there is gravel and rocks on the ground. One time when I lost a canopy in flight, I checked it after retrieving it and found lots of small pebbles, grains of sand sort of that must have had metal in them and were being held by the magnets. This obviously meant the magnets weren't connecting cleanly to the holding plates and why I lost the canopy.

Cheers
Brett

Originally Posted by Mr Kamikaze

That's really unusual and on my Bandit, Extra MX and Addiction X the magnets are so strong I don't think I'll ever be loosing a canopy.

Can I suggest you check a couple of things.

1. Check the cowl is overlapping the firewall by 2-3 mm to make sure the front of the canopy is sitting under it and can't lift during flight. I have had a canopy come off after repairing a plane and not making sure enough of the front of the canopy was under the cowl.

Check, no issue there.

2. Make sure when you attach your canopy the magnets are clean. Where I fly there is gravel and rocks on the ground. One time when I lost a canopy in flight, I checked it after retrieving it and found lots of small pebbles, grains of sand sort of that must have had metal in them and were being held by the magnets. This obviously meant the magnets weren't connecting cleanly to the holding plates and why I lost the canopy.

Check no issue there either.

Cheers
Brett

But I did see someone else mention in this thread that his had come off about 3 times and that his magnets were recessed slightly on the airframe. A few people mentioned that may have been the issue as theirs all contacted, which mine don't the back ones are recessed about 0.5-1.0mm. So I might try and bring the magnets up, but put a tether on the replacment hatch so if it comes loose I don't loose it again. Or I can source some stronger magnets or just put a spring latch on it.