For Consideration - EP or GP

I have been mulling this over for a little while. Pilot RC Extra 300 has two twin packs of Turnigy 5 cell lipos 30C. They have not been abused and they are puffing up, (not unusual for Turnigy) but still working and IR is generally low. I looked at quality packs from Gens Ace and similar and each one would be around £90, so in my book that's £360! They would take about 45 - 60mins min to charge as do my Turnigys. They will have a useful life time limit before replacing and probably a lot longer than HKing's efforts.

Now I look at, for instance dropping in an OS GT33 value about £384. Will last a very long time and fuel is cheap. Even allowing for the extras, fuel tank, lines, etc it is not a grand sum more and includes a lot more flights and runtime.

A quandary that only I can answer.....

Lipos for larger planes and EDFs have become an expensive item and have seen prices climb by 25% at least in the last year or so.

There's a third and much cheaper option...just keep using the batteries that you already have.

Recently I watched a video of a puffed LiPO being "rescued". I imagine that it would be prudent to wear brown corduroy trousers when attempting the following procedure. Strip the insulation over the terminals, de-solder the puffed cells. The remaining cells can be re-configured, or if you have more than one battery of the same spec. you just might have enough good cells to generate one replacement battery from a couple of duffers (puffers). The Australian gent in the video reckoned that his reconstructed battery was now six months old and still going strong. At around £90 a pop, must be worth a go.
If you have shaky hands......forget it! Might be worth watching some old episodes of Danger...UXB, just to get the feel of doing something really "on the edge". As for me, being a devout coward, I'd need a bench in the middle of an open field and a top spec BD suit, and that's just for starters.

Brian wrote: At around £90 a pop, must be worth a go.

I'm sure that you're in the minority with those thoughts.

On the subject of purchasing Lipo batteries it is worth noting that if ordering high capacity Lipos from the HK UK warehouse, you will only have the option of a £30 delivery.

However.... same batteries from the EU warehouse - £7 delivery (over certain order value : free)

Just dodged the £30 for the new packs for the T33. (New packs are great - ‘Zippy Compact’ and work particularly well when charged)

MikeSeale wrote:

Brian wrote: At around £90 a pop, must be worth a go.

I'm sure that you're in the minority with those thoughts.

:lol:

I had not noticed that hike in postage Dave. :whistle: That's ruddy Parcelforce - rip off merchants. They were fine with Lipos for years. I think Hermes are not to fussed though. I was looking at Zippys from EU only because they had some instock but I also wanted a pack of XT60 which they did not have so deleted basket. EU deliveries are only an extra day usually too. Got my XT60s from Andy W and a Falcon prop. Cost of phone and collect, fuel used is less than a 1st class tracked stamp. Trying to support local.