I have never broken in my lipo's (but I have certainly broken a few)!

Originally Posted by heliclown

Any thrust figures Luke? And what brand Lipo ?
Mine does look like a dud compared to yours(voltage drop wise)My cells are new(1 flight only
\ Cheers Steve

No thrust #s but here is the lipo I use: http://www.hobbypartz.com/skylipo5s40c.html

Currently I'm using the 5s 5000 and a 3s 5000mAh.

Originally Posted by heliclown

So i run it at 4-5 amps(1C) and gradually build up to 9 amps, by the 5th run?Have i got that right?
Thanks Steve

Yes that's right, use your lipo battery charger in the "discharge - balance" mode or similar and set to those amp levels, and don't run it all the way down, you can run it down just to 3.75 volts per cell (set that for cutoff - stop voltage). When you charge back up just use 1C charge (in one hour). Do that a few times and the work will happen easily.

If you do not have a charger that will do this sort of thing, go out and buy one for sure. Your batteries will last a lot longer and you'll make up the charger cost in one season with better performing, longer lasting packs.

After a few easy cycles your packs should perform better. What you do with the break in, apparently, is "burn off" the chemical additive in the pack that stabilizes them for shelf life storage before use so they can sit on a shelf for a while and still sell and work well vs. the old way of losing life on a set clock time limit from the day they were made at the factory. Apparently not breaking in packs today can and will cause a little bit of an issue with higher internal resistance but as long as you are flying for sport and not racing I think you would be hard pressed to really know for certain your pack was not broken in properly after having run it properly for say 10 cycles. I think you are OK.

Also, if you want your packs to perform well fro longer you should drain them down to 3.8 volts per cell, some say 3,7 volts per cell (but watch out that's close to 80 percent depleted), for storage of anything longer than a few days. This is why having a nice charger with discharge cycles to individual cell voltages is also important. You will save $$ and have better performance in the long run.

WOW Thanks EddieP for the comprehensive reply! I (and i am sure a lot of other readers) appreciate the info,and will be on the lookout for a descent charger.If you have any tips on brand types that have that high discharge feature(i dont want to start a brand war) i would be pleased to hear.The chargers that i have only discharge at 1.0 amp ., which is almost useless.
On the subject of lipos, can you tell me which lipo you have had reasonable performance with, with a "middle of the road" price range, ?I was thinking of upgrading from the Nanotechs,but the TP's are a bit much for my budget,when you start talking 8-12S!
Thanks Again for sharing your wisdom
Steve

No worries, happy to help. Please excuse the drift, I'll try to get a "few" tidbits out there, and with the caveat that probably half the guys might have better info than me on this, I don't claim to be super current on things all the time especially batteries for this season. Like fashion, things change quick these days. But I tell you what, for basic "sport" EDF or practice packs I've just had plain good luck with Turnigy from Hobby King, Sky Lipo from the USA wharehouse stuff, and a few other budget brands that have good feedback here on RCG. Look at the packs Luke is using on his F-100, lots of decent feedback on those. Only bad thing I can say about a cheap pack in good working order is that they tend to be a little heavier than some others and might not last quite as long but look at pack weights and search for feedback and go from there. Things are changing in lipo tech right now with improvements out there.

I have also used high end lipos, like Thunderpower. Venom also makes good stuff for high performance among several other really good packs. If you are gonna put on a demo on a performance EDF, or you have a high performance EDF that you'd like to see really do something special, then use high end packs like TP or likewise. They are good packs for sure, and I will use them without hesitation in a high amp, high capacity pack in an expensive airplane.

But for many regular daily flying models it's very possible to be happy with cheap packs as long as the cell voltages have been verified individually and cycled a few times to validate the packs health. One reason to consider buying from a USA source is if you get a bum pack you can return it easily for credit for a new one. (One reason I'm not super fond of buying expensive packs from Hobby King these days, though I don't wince at buying smaller packs that I can take a loss with if they are bad, knock on wood ) But document your pack's health with a good charger so you can support your claim, showing what cell is bad, etc. This isn't as common today but it can happen.

Some may have better ideas on this but my "simple" rule of thumb is to buy a C rating that is about 50 percent over the expected full throttle amperage. So if I'm going to pull 100 amps I'll buy a pack that can handle 150 amps. So IOW, a 6s pack for a F-100 that will be 5000mah and is 30c will be "rated" for 150 amps. Don't consider the "burst" rating, that's just there for marketing IMHO and to make you feel better about operating near the limit if you have to. But I won't stress it over 100 amps in the above case if I can help it except in cases where I have really good cooling over the pack and I don't expect to do it that often. If you have to, go with 40C but expect heavier and more expensive packs that way - you don't "need" 40C unless you are really zapping the pack and you can get away with lighter and less expensive packs otherwise. And, finally, if you "need" to run right up to the pack C rating for space/performance/weight issues then that's a sure sign that you've graduated into "high end" pack territory. High end packs will tend to deliver on C ratings and that's where it "pays" to use them.

Chargers- I have a BC-8X "clone" charger among two other similar modern Lipo chargers. Like this but a little updated.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=666885

Here is the one I have, but I suspect you could get something similar, maybe a little less bling, for a lot less if you look around:

http://www.robotmarketplace.com/products/0-BC08DX.html

It charges two packs at a time up to 8 amps (assuming you have a good power outlet) and discharges up to 5 amps but with high cell counts lower as it's watt limited. The most important part of it is that it charges each cell actively and keeps the cells actively in balance on the charge and on the cycle discharge. Easy to keep the pack healthy this way. Don't feel the need to buy a specific charger but you probably could use these features mentioned above if you expect to fly a couple different packs that are more expensive - it may stretch your lipo dollar a lot for larger packs.

Hope I didn't drift too far off topic for the F-100. Feel free to PM if you want more info (and sorry for stating the obvious as in a few points I probably did).

are these still being made ? where can you get them ?

Originally Posted by AIR SALLY

are these still being made ? where can you get them ?

http://www.airshowrc.com/f-100_fly_fly_foam_jet.html

AirshowRC is a great deal, $129 for the EPS version, good for glassing. Come on bud, you know you need one!

Once again, Great work! i will do some checking of the links
Thankyou EddieP
Steve

I have been enjoying my F-100 for over a year now and I am ready to plan an upgrade to the scale apearance. I have the rubbery foam EPO version and want to fill panel lines and paint\detail. Does anyone have experience doing this? What kind of filler and prep process? I'm not looking for a perfect surface just one that will last and not crack too much from the flex of normal use. It sounds like either Mod Podge or Eze Kote then paint. Any one have experience filling and finishing EPO?

I'm stoked about the recent activity in this thread. I thought it died a while back but it is good to see all of the activity and interest in this great flying model.

Originally Posted by mcgoughman

I have been enjoying my F-100 for over a year now and I am ready to plan an upgrade to the scale apearance. I have the rubbery foam EPO version and want to fill panel lines and paint\detail. Does anyone have experience doing this? What kind of filler and prep process? I'm not looking for a perfect surface just one that will last and not crack too much from the flex of normal use. It sounds like either Mod Podge or Eze Kote then paint. Any one have experience filling and finishing EPO?

I'm stoked about the recent activity in this thread. I thought it died a while back but it is good to see all of the activity and interest in this great flying model.

Check our Liquid Sheeting\ Styro spray....PERFECT stuff for this EPO and kind of fills in the lines itself. Will add a nice hard shell without the glassing if you do 2 coats of the stuff, VERY forgiving and sets up faster if you have a moist room to put the parts in. Mix part b then mix a and b together...I'm going to use one of those 30usd sprayers from HD to see if it'll get the stuff on a plane faster than a paint brush.

Dionysis bird reminds me of when people who couldn't afford the Mk4 supra after the first Fast and Furious bought the mk3 and didn't know it's looks potential. A guy lowered the car, put some staggered rims on it, shimmed the waste gate and put 3.5" turbo back exhaust on it and made it a popular tuner car when you could get a non ratted out one for 1500 usd! Thing looked exotic...

HK sells the EPO version for 118 shipped in the US but as you see the EPS version of this has way more looks potential and I bet it would come in a pound lighter than the EPO version but having some composite looks about it.

Originally Posted by mcgoughman

I have been enjoying my F-100 for over a year now and I am ready to plan an upgrade to the scale apearance. I have the rubbery foam EPO version and want to fill panel lines and paint\detail. Does anyone have experience doing this? What kind of filler and prep process? I'm not looking for a perfect surface just one that will last and not crack too much from the flex of normal use. It sounds like either Mod Podge or Eze Kote then paint. Any one have experience filling and finishing EPO?

I'm stoked about the recent activity in this thread. I thought it died a while back but it is good to see all of the activity and interest in this great flying model.

I use the same filler on my EPO planes with a final coat of Mod Podge then paint and it works great, you do not need to glass the plane, especially since it's EPO.

Mix 50/50 Light Weight Spackle and Durhams's Water Putty. If you fail to follow this mix ratio or alter it in any way it will not work and you will be on your own!

Apply with a foam brush and fill all panel lines, but paint the entire plane with it. Sand smooth and either prime and paint or you could use Mod Podge to seal the filler, it's up to you. Generally when I'm filling small area's on my EPO planes I'll use Mod Podge, but if you are doing the whole plane it might be better to use a water based house primer and then wet sand.

Keep us posted!

Dion, do you mix any water into the Durhams water putty? Just to confir, you mix 50\50 by volume?

I will try a sample to get some practice. I will try your method first since I have the materials at my finger tips.

Thanks

Originally Posted by mcgoughman

Dion, do you mix any water into the Durhams water putty? Just to confir, you mix 50\50 by volume?

I will try a sample to get some practice. I will try your method first since I have the materials at my finger tips.

Thanks

Yes, mix by volume and then add water. You want it thick enough so that it will fill the panel lines, it it's to thin just let it sit a little bit and it will thicken slowly.

Check our Liquid Sheeting\ Styro spray....PERFECT stuff for this EPO

erh7771 has a good idea here, after filling the panel lines and sanding, this liquid sheeting stuff would be perfect.

Keep us posted on your results.

Abit off topic but here is my Flyfly F-86 with 4 coats of liquid sheeting. I only filled in a few panel lines and imperfections with Durhams/spackle mix. But the wing was completely covered in the Durhams/Spackle to add more strength aside from the carbon fiber that was added. WIth that, the carbon and the liquid sheeting my wing will only flex if you jump on it.

Pic of wing before paint, and pic of it finished. Peeps on RCGroups make fun of me and kick sand in my face cause I sorta like those panel lines.

On topic I like this plane so much I ordered a F-100 last night.

nice looking F-86