Best 4s LiPo battery/ charger combo?

NeoCloneOne · Mar 31, 2018

Not sure if anyone posted this before, but I wanna find out which ones are the best for both racing & freestyle flying quads. I'm trying to find a good combination between batteries & chargers that will give longest flight times as well as long battery life and cost value. Ok, GO!

Fiddlebog · Mar 31, 2018

I like the Turnigy Accucel-60 (80w) charger. I’ve used it for a long time and recently bought a second to charge more batteries at the same time. It’s versatile, cheap, and effective. You’ll just have to figure out a power supply for it, but that’s not too hard.

For batteries I use the Turnigy multistar 4s 1400mAh gold spec batteries. Don’t get the silver spec ones, they don’t have enough power. I also use the CNHL 4s 1300mAh 100c batteries, but only for freestyle. They are too heavy for racing, and the power output isn’t really noticeable. At least compared to the Turnigy ones, even though the Turnigy batteries have a lower current output rating.

If you’re looking for good efficiency you should also do some research on props. Good props will make a big difference (in both efficiency and durability).

NeoCloneOne · Mar 31, 2018

Fiddlebog said:
I like the Turnigy Accucel-60 (80w) charger. I’ve used it for a long time and recently bought a second to charge more batteries at the same time. It’s versatile, cheap, and effective. You’ll just have to figure out a power supply for it, but that’s not too hard.

For batteries I use the Turnigy multistar 4s 1400mAh gold spec batteries. Don’t get the silver spec ones, they don’t have enough power. I also use the CNHL 4s 1300mAh 100c batteries, but only for freestyle. They are too heavy for racing, and the power output isn’t really noticeable. At least compared to the Turnigy ones, even though the Turnigy batteries have a lower current output rating.

If you’re looking for good efficiency you should also do some research on props. Good props will make a big difference (in both efficiency and durability).

Thanks for the input Fiddlebog. I'll research those batteries/ charger. I have a Turnigy compact 20A charger at the moment. Seems it doesn't have adjustment on current rate, so I think it might be overcharging the cells and damaging them. I was looking at maybe a Venom duo 40w charger or a Hitec X2 ac plus charger.
As far as batteries, how much do those 2 batteries run (cost wise), the Turnigy vs. the CNHL?

NeoCloneOne · Apr 1, 2018

Flora said:
here is a lipo battery testing , you may find you need, Tattu R-line 1300mAh 4S Battery Review With Walkera F210

Nice Flora & thanks! I was researching and saw that the tattu r-line batteries are among popular ones. The only thing is that the price is up there. Guess the real value is from what you intend to use it for. If for only fun (like what I do - freestyle flying & no racing), I don't think I need one that bad. But it's effeciency & effectiveness may get me to pick up a couple just to feel what it's like what the pros use I guess. For now, I will research and probably just pick up several of the cheaper generic brands. Just wanted to get other suggestions on them.

M3talrocksFPV · Apr 2, 2018

NeoCloneOne said:
Nice Flora & thanks! I was researching and saw that the tattu r-line batteries are among popular ones. The only thing is that the price is up there. Guess the real value is from what you intend to use it for. If for only fun (like what I do - freestyle flying & no racing), I don't think I need one that bad. But it's effeciency & effectiveness may get me to pick up a couple just to feel what it's like what the pros use I guess. For now, I will research and probably just pick up several of the cheaper generic brands. Just wanted to get other suggestions on them.

Arris 1500 mah 4s, I get about 10 minutes aggressive flight, and only like $20.

NeoCloneOne · Apr 2, 2018

M3talrocksFPV said:
Arris 1500 mah 4s, I get about 10 minutes aggressive flight, and only like $20.

Wow. 10 minutes?! That's awesome. I'll look into that.

NeoCloneOne · Apr 2, 2018

Flora said:
what the price range can you accept ?

I'm thinking around $20-27 range ones. The Arris 1500mah may be the choice. But how many cycles.do they last and does their power hold up consistency at full charge are the top questions I guess.

M3talrocksFPV · Apr 2, 2018

NeoCloneOne said:
I'm thinking around $20-27 range ones. The Arris 1500mah may be the choice. But how many cycles.do they last and does their power hold up consistency at full charge are the top questions I guess.

I've charged mine about 10 times so far, it's still relatively new, I'll create a raw video when I get a chance and really test it for you. Give you as accurate an answer as possible lol

NeoCloneOne · Apr 2, 2018

M3talrocksFPV said:
I've charged mine about 10 times so far, it's still relatively new, I'll create a raw video when I get a chance and really test it for you. Give you as accurate an answer as possible lol

I searched and can only find 50c rated ones at that price. Are there any with around 90c rating?

M3talrocksFPV · Apr 2, 2018

That is true, only 50c so the punch isn't as great but it's a good balance between longevity and price. I forgot about those 1550s just mentioned, those are pretty sweet

NeoCloneOne · Apr 2, 2018

Flora said:
$26 tattu 1550 4s Tattu 1550mAh 4S1P 14.8V 75C Lipo Battery Pack with XT60 plug
$22 tattu 1300 4s Tattu 1300mAh 4S 75C lipo battery pack with best price on GensTattu official online| genstattu.com

Now that's what I'm talking about!

M3talrocksFPV · Apr 2, 2018

NeoCloneOne said:
Now that's what I'm talking about!

Max burst 120c. I've never see those at that price, good lookin out flora

NeoCloneOne · Apr 2, 2018

I heard about Tattu brand batteries, and how consistent they stay at many cycles, and also keep their full charge tolerances, especially the R-line ones. Although they cost a little more, I guess it would be worth it if you're a serious racer. I'm not that crazy of an enthusiast, but I guess 75c is good enough for my needs. Thanks for the good input guys!

NeoCloneOne · Apr 2, 2018

M3talrocksFPV said:
Max burst 120c. I've never see those at that price, good lookin out flora

Yeah, think I'll be picking up about 8 of those 1550mah ones at that price! What a deal!!!

M3talrocksFPV · Apr 2, 2018

NeoCloneOne said:
Yeah, think I'll be picking up about 8 of those 1550mah ones at that price! What a deal!!!

so yea seems my 1500 got 6:54:11 total aggressive flight. it's def starting to sag though, so i would stay clear of that. but i swear it was at 10min when it was new. about 11 charges now (and crashes probably didn't help) it's a durable little thing but can only take so much.

NeoCloneOne · Apr 2, 2018

Yeah. Crashes (especially hard ones) can damage the battery. I think I damaged about 3 of my batteries so far in some high drops, and stupid miscalculations (but it's all part of the learning experience - LOL). But they were cheap batteries anyway, so not much sorrow. Also, I was using cheap chargers on them so that wasn't any help. I've learned a lot over the past several months on the care of LiPo batteries. Although they have about 4 times as much capacity than NiMH batteries, a lot more is involved in making sure you get long life out of them.

GT2Racer · Apr 7, 2018

M3talrocksFPV said:
Max burst 120c. I've never see those at that price, good lookin out flora

I’m new to Drones and have my first one on order. A GT2 Crusader which will be here this coming Wednesday. I’m super stoked to start learning. Got two buddies that are serious Drone pilots to help me.

So the 120C rating means??? I’ve got four Turnigy 1300 4S 65C battery’s onntheir way.

GT2Racer · Apr 7, 2018

NeoCloneOne said:
Now that's what I'm talking about!

Just ordered 3 of the tattu’s

Futuramille · Apr 7, 2018

C rating is possible discharge rate in amps. from what im seeing in bardwells new test, chances of actually getting 100C out of a battery is slim.
i can attest though to tattu rline, after over 200 cycles, though not as much punch out of the gate im still getting very similar flight times compared to a brand new battery. all i use is tattu and handle them with love ( :
as for a charger, i could use a refresh but my IMAX b6ac v2 and v1 still do the job everyday. there are better newer chargers out now , just get one with a proper power output to charge your batteries in parallel.
what would y'all think should i get as a replacement charger?

Futuramille · Apr 7, 2018

for the new guys the battery "love" part is ...
1. fly your battery voltage down the same everytime to every battery. on 4s i fly to 14.5 the battery rests quickly withough load to 11.2 ish. check all voltages before you start charging.
2. always give parallel charged batteries a chance to balance to each other (3-5 minutes) and avoid balancing batteries together that are more than .2 volts difference. (see point 1)
3. always balance charge
4. don't let a fully charged battery sit charged longer than 48 hours. discharge it
5. if not recharging right away, get the batterys balanced to each other and at storage voltage.
6. if you ever over discharge a battery, handle it buy itself and get it up to storage voltage asap preferably while its still a bit warm (active). im not positive on this one but it seems logical.
7. don't charge at more than 1A. some will argue on this but i have 850mah tattu 4s with over 300 cycles on them. six 850 mah 4s is 5100 total mah so they charge at 5.1A in parallel or .8 (i round down) per battery.

if you do this routine religiously... you'll have better longevity in your batteries and its also safety contious