Hey all, I know you all have plenty of choices for battery packs these days, but I'd like to introduce you to our new pack supplier.
We have been selling the Gensace LiPo packs for a number of years, but we have always had some issues keeping popular sizes in stock, and or they would simply kill off a popular size. Especially the sizes that work well for our glider pilots. When it came time to order enough packs to launch the Carbon Falcon we discovered that Gensace killed off the packs we designed around, and we started our hunt for something similar. How hard could it be? Turned out to be harder than I thought. With quotes of 3 to 4 months to get inventory to our door!
We have also sold their super low C receiver packs. They are great! We will discuss low C ratings a bit later. We have never had a reported problem with a Dualsky pack or motor! The quality is built into everything they make.
I have wanted to carry more of their Eco and ULT (Ultra) packs but just needed the extra push. After talking with the Owner of Dualsky it was an easy decision to stock his packs. He can actually supply me faster and should keep packs in production and not randomly phase them out. We are very excited to share these packs with you.
Now that we have defined the C rating in the basic sense, perhaps a little more explanation should be added. Typically C ratings for packs are not accurate. Most any LiPo can be abused for a few cycles and look to be capable of delivering a higher C rating but after a few cycles the battery just will not be performing the same, and the capacity and voltage will start to drop off and every cycle will get worse, eventually leading to a worthless battery. What happened? Well, you bought a battery where the C rating was not accurate. (there can be other causes also, but this is the more common one.)
I think most in the hobby are guilty of grabbing the highest C rated cell they can afford thinking this is a sign of cell quality. The thought is to come in below the C rating and the pack should be working easier and in turn result in a longer life. It is a good thought, but has that panned out well for you? The changes made to a LiPo cell to deliver HIGHER amps is not an indication of quality, it is a different building method to make this possible, but like our models, nothing is free, high C cells simply have shorter life spans. You can't have a long life and a high C rating. You get one or the other.
A better practice would be to use a lower rated C battery when you can, and buy from quality manufacturers that do not over state the C rating. If you only expect to have a 20 amp max load, then target a pack that is designed to deliver a little over that amp load. This can result in a large cash savings over the years. The battery designed for 25 amps will cost a good bit less than the battery designed to deliver 100 amps, and it will probably last 2 to 4 times longer in the same application.
Sure, Id love to sell you a bunch of more expensive high C packs more often, but is that the best thing for you? No, it is not.
Sorry that was a bit long winded. But I think if you look at the new Dualsky packs that we are currently added to our site you will see we now offer there ranges of C ratings. Super low C for powering receivers and servos, Low C (ECO) for most normal flying applications and the high C (ULT) packs when all the amps are needed. And if you need really high amp delivery, the Dualsky ULT are hard to match, with honest C ratings over 150C for some sizes!
If you read all of this, thank you!
We have been selling the Gensace LiPo packs for a number of years, but we have always had some issues keeping popular sizes in stock, and or they would simply kill off a popular size. Especially the sizes that work well for our glider pilots. When it came time to order enough packs to launch the Carbon Falcon we discovered that Gensace killed off the packs we designed around, and we started our hunt for something similar. How hard could it be? Turned out to be harder than I thought. With quotes of 3 to 4 months to get inventory to our door!
What about Dualsky?
We have been selling Dualsky products for a number of years and I have always been impressed with their quality. They are mostly known for their motors, but they supply a rather wide range of products. You will find many of them here at Aloft. A while back we needed a good battery for our Slow Sticks, and we ended up with the Dualsky Eco 1300 packs. Even though these were the "cheap" packs from Dualsky, just handling them told a different story. These are really well built packs! And the little built in power gauge was a nice feature (on packs larger than 1299 mAh) just push a button and see what the charge state is. Pretty handy. We sold a lot of these packs for the Slow Sticks. Not a single issue with them!We have also sold their super low C receiver packs. They are great! We will discuss low C ratings a bit later. We have never had a reported problem with a Dualsky pack or motor! The quality is built into everything they make.
I have wanted to carry more of their Eco and ULT (Ultra) packs but just needed the extra push. After talking with the Owner of Dualsky it was an easy decision to stock his packs. He can actually supply me faster and should keep packs in production and not randomly phase them out. We are very excited to share these packs with you.
Let's discuss pack C ratings.
The C rating for a LiPo battery, quite simply, refers to the capacity of energy the battery can safely discharge, represented as a multiple of its overall capacity. A 25C 1000mAh pack will safely deliver 25 amps continuously (25 times 1000mAh (1Ah) equals 25 amps). A 100C pack of the same capacity will safely allow you to draw 100 amps from it.Now that we have defined the C rating in the basic sense, perhaps a little more explanation should be added. Typically C ratings for packs are not accurate. Most any LiPo can be abused for a few cycles and look to be capable of delivering a higher C rating but after a few cycles the battery just will not be performing the same, and the capacity and voltage will start to drop off and every cycle will get worse, eventually leading to a worthless battery. What happened? Well, you bought a battery where the C rating was not accurate. (there can be other causes also, but this is the more common one.)
I think most in the hobby are guilty of grabbing the highest C rated cell they can afford thinking this is a sign of cell quality. The thought is to come in below the C rating and the pack should be working easier and in turn result in a longer life. It is a good thought, but has that panned out well for you? The changes made to a LiPo cell to deliver HIGHER amps is not an indication of quality, it is a different building method to make this possible, but like our models, nothing is free, high C cells simply have shorter life spans. You can't have a long life and a high C rating. You get one or the other.
A better practice would be to use a lower rated C battery when you can, and buy from quality manufacturers that do not over state the C rating. If you only expect to have a 20 amp max load, then target a pack that is designed to deliver a little over that amp load. This can result in a large cash savings over the years. The battery designed for 25 amps will cost a good bit less than the battery designed to deliver 100 amps, and it will probably last 2 to 4 times longer in the same application.
Sure, Id love to sell you a bunch of more expensive high C packs more often, but is that the best thing for you? No, it is not.
Sorry that was a bit long winded. But I think if you look at the new Dualsky packs that we are currently added to our site you will see we now offer there ranges of C ratings. Super low C for powering receivers and servos, Low C (ECO) for most normal flying applications and the high C (ULT) packs when all the amps are needed. And if you need really high amp delivery, the Dualsky ULT are hard to match, with honest C ratings over 150C for some sizes!
What makes a good LiPo Manufacturer?
- Honest Numbers. People expect the performance to be there, and not just for a few cycles. They need to be able to deliver time and time again to rated power.
- Top grade cells only! No B grade or less regardless of C rating.
- Cell Matching - Without great care of matching the cells in a pack, #1 above will not be achieved for long. No one wants a mismatched cell.
- Quality of Assembly - You got to spend the time to build the packs correctly and solidly. You know a well made pack as soon as you handle it. Everything is aligned, all electrical connections are assembled for a long life in a hard environment and the pack presents perfectly and flat. No lumps or bumps or bulging.
- Let's not forget the all important connectors and wire. This is one area we have seen companies cut corners. Dualsky makes their own to control the quality, this is why their XT60 are blue.
If you read all of this, thank you!
