ESCs...for beginners - please keep it simple

[MattyB]

Posted by Romeo Whisky on 10/08/2020 16:44:01:

There is a lot of useful information for beginners with electric flight here ...

**LINK**

Not exactly up to date though is it - rather a lot of opinion seems to have leaked in, much of which seems to be based on historic lower performing packs...

"...Charging at too high a rate is a significant fire risk, so when charging, for safety reasons, the maximum charge rate should be 1C, regardless of the battery's C rating. Although some manufacturers claim their batteries can be charged faster than 1C, this will shorten the battery life and the risk of fire is unacceptably increased.

...It does mean that if you have several different sizes and capacities of batteries that you must double-check the charge rate setting on the charger before you connect the battery to be charged. For charging - 1C maximum!

...Most ordinary LiPo packs will specify a C rating of 20C to 30C and this is adequate for average sport flying. It is best to ignore the higher C rating, as this is only to be used for a short burst of a few seconds."

Whist charging at higher rates can shorten your pack life if taken to extremes there is no problem with using 2-3C if you need to - I never leave a battery unattended anyway, so the safety angle just doesn't ring true to me. And as for the recommendation to avoid higher C-ratings...

Edited By MattyB on 10/08/2020 17:07:31

[Richard Clark 2]

Ridiculously over-cautious seeing it was written in November 2018.

I now charge my high C rating cells (mostly  70C Thunder Power ones) at 4C. Thunder Power say 12C is ok. I tried it a couple of times and they stay  at  ambient temperature.

Edited By Richard Clark 2 on 11/08/2020 18:23:57