Hello everyone, I'm completely new to the world of R/C flying. I've had some crappy air hogs in the past (don't laugh at me) but was never serious until now. I just ordered the HobbyZone Champ and I anticipate some serious fun but I probably won't go much further than this. I might end up with small upgrades but I don't have the time or money to commit past that.

I have read the stickies on batteries but that information is extremely in depth and way over my head as well as level. I have read and read but still have so many questions but instead of really trying to understand everything I would just like help understanding my champ and some options for it.

I don't like the idea of charging from batteries so I'd like an A/C charger. Do I just buy a cable for my charger or do I need another one all together? (Champ gets here next Tuesday so I haven't examined it myself). I also want an extra battery or two because sub-10 minute flight times will leave me wanting more. But searching on that topic results in people talking about batteries that require modding and tearing apart the plane and/or charger and I just don't think I'm ready for that.

I want to stay very simple for now so what simple A/C charger would be good and what batteries are compatible with my champ, maybe with higher capacity but requiring no mods? Thanks for helping out a noob!

Welcome to the sport....And you are a better man than me if you can just buy a champ and never get tempted by all the fun stuff at the LHS

In the champ manual, they mention an optional charger:

EFLC1004AC. Celectra 4-Port Charger with AC Adapter

and they have all kind of batteries for sale at Horizon for this model if you don't want to add a connector to a less expensive lipo's.

In hobby...I have found that if you are willing to Glue, Solder, modify or change something....You will save a lot of money....Otherwise, you can buy the batteries for the champ at a premium price...no muss...no fuss.

Enjoy the hobby...

sts41

Thank you for the input! Believe me I am tempted to pour money into this hobby but most of my money goes to my first love, my motorcycles :-D

So I see the 4 port charger you mentioned on Amazon for 50, not bad at all. But are you saying the typical 3.7v batteries will not plug right into the Champ? It has special connections of some kind?

No...it is a standard type connector...From your post, got the impression that you didn't want to use a different battery....here is a good match from HK.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...mpatible_.html

This is exactly the same at 1/7th the price...Downside, at this time of year batteries are hard to get, and they are BO.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...zone_Etc_.html

This one is lower capacity...but they have...Just buy 10 At a $1.33 each...can't go wrong.

sts41

Just use the supplied AA-powered charger for now and worry about the fancy stuff if you decide that your new hobby can coexist with your first one. The Celectra will be your first step up should you decide to do so.

mw

Well even with the primitive Air Hogs experience I have I know I do enjoy the hobby so I am sure I'd like to get a charger and extra batteries for extended fun time right off the bat, I'll save upgrades of the plane for later on should I feel I need them but this will probably be my first and only "real" R/C plane.

Thanks for the links sts41! I found a set from "Tenergy" on Amazon and the only difference is they are 15c instead of 30c. I can read and see that means discharge but what does that mean in the real world lol

Originally Posted by stevenator128

I've had some crappy air hogs in the past (don't laugh at me) but was never serious until now. I just ordered the HobbyZone Champ and I anticipate some serious fun but I probably won't go much further than this..

the first sentence contradicts the second.. and the second sentence contradicts the way this hobby sport addiction works.

you will be assimilated.

resistance is futile.

Lol maybe if I pick up a second job I'll see the light. Have you any input on the 30c vs. The 15c batteries if I promise to join the dark side?

Edit: I was able to search and read to understand the difference in general but I'm not sure the difference in terms of this particular plane and battery size. Thanks again guys.

Originally Posted by stevenator128

Lol maybe if I pick up a second job I'll see the light. Have you any input on the 30c vs. The 15c batteries if I promise to join the dark side?

when they list a battery as 30C or 25C they are usually talking about the discharge rate. sometimes they are talking about the charge rate, so be sure to look closely.

at any rate (ha) when a battery says it has a 30C discharge rate, that means it can be discharged at 30x its capacity rating for some length of time. the length of time is usually stated somewhere either on the battery or in the literature. usually the battery will be printed with a sustained and peak discharge rating. for example:

a 2000mAh (2Ah) battery that is rated for 10C continuous discharge and 15C peak can be discharged at 20A continuously or 30A for a short time, usually in a burst.

Thanks GeetarJoe and everyone else. Hopefully this thread can help some other noobie Champ owners, too. I'd rep you guys but it's either disabled for new members or just doesn't exist on this forum, so a thanks will have to suffice.