LiPo Battery, Charger and Connector Recommendations

PerfectFlite recommended that I use a 2S 7.4V 300mAh LiPo battery with the MiniTimer4 (which I already have) to airstart dual high power motors in a rocket which I built several years ago. Launched it once with just a J800 center motor. It's plumbed for the dual airstarts, and it's time that I give it a try.



I have ZERO experience with LiPo batteries, chargers and the connector I assume I need between the battery and the MiniTimer4. I've always been a 9V Duracell guy for my dual deploy altimeters. I did find this LiPo battery/ charger combo on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Venom-Fly-...113499&hash=item5d747abd2e:g:EvAAAOSwcUFZo393

Any recommendations? I also have NO idea what connector I'd need between the LiPo battery and the timer, or even where to buy the connector. Thanks!!

Mike Momenee
TRA#12430 L3

With some help from WarnerR & CrisErving they helped me center on lipos with the JST connector for the circuit hookup .

This allowed me to focus on one connector for my av bay sled circuits & to find a balanced charger that didn't need a extra board and plethora of connectors to get the job done .

CrisErving found a smart charger that connects through the lipos balance connector only .. which I have not seen before - but I don't know the model of it .

The connectors can be found on eBay - although I usually pay a little more and buy domestic . ie : https://www.ebay.com/itm/10pairs-Male-Female-2-pin-JST-Plug-Connectors-with-10CM-Wire-Cables-/263123632122?epid=943657988&hash=item3d4363fffa:g:-qQAAOSwVGhZg~Uw

Sample battery : https://hobbyking.com/en_us/rhino-610mah-2s-7-4v-20c-lipoly-pack.html

Kenny

The Turnigy P606 charger works great for rocketry batteries, it can handle up to three 2S batteries with similar mAH ratings at a time. About $35.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/pd606-charger-us-plug.html

jmmome, either of the chargers will work for you. While the Venom does come with a battery, you stated you already had one, so that might not be a factor. The Turnigy from Hobbyking, while about the same cost, does appear to be a bit better charger. The output is 50 watts on the Turnigy vs 20 watts on the Venom.

The Jst type connectors that KenRico pointed out on ebay should work fine. While they come as a set, and you will only need one half to connect to the timer, they are a nice little connector and come in handy when ever you need to have a low power, 2 wire connector. While most of the small Li-Po's come with that type of connector, not all do, and you did not state or show a picture of the battery you have.

One more tidbit of information. Jst is a manufacturer, not a connector. Jst(Japan Solderless Terminal Mfg.) manufactures hundreds of types of connectors. The the most common one used in hobby and RC, is the Jst-RCY. Over time people have come to just call it a Jst connector. The white balance connector on batteries is a Jst-xh. Most batteries and almost all chargers use this type of balance connector, but again not all do.

https://www.jst-mfg.com/index_e.php

I don't have a LiPo battery yet- just the PerfectFlite MiniTimer4. So a 2S 7.4V 300mAh LiPo battery recommendation would be appreciated too.

Mike Momenee
TRA#12430 L3

I use Turnigy nano-tech 2S 180mAh Lipo with a 25-40C discharge for my Minitimer4. PerfectFlight said that is the same he uses for testing the timer before shipping.
Hobbyking use to sell them so you may have to shop around. Have also used the Turnigy nano-tech 2S 300mAh Lipo.

cerving said:

The Turnigy P606 charger works great for rocketry batteries, it can handle up to three 2S batteries with similar mAH ratings at a time. About $35.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/pd606-charger-us-plug.html

Click to expand...

Not the one I use but if just going with lipos for the first time looks like a darn good choice to me! Only feature missing if a storage charge choice like the B6 has. The P606 tells more about each pack though. Kurt

Personally I use a IMAX B6 charger. They're still available from HobbyKing and cheaper than the Turning P606. That said it doesn't have the capability to charge more than one battery at the time.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/imax-b6-50w-5a-charger-discharger-1-6-cells-genuine.html

Kenny's recommendation for JSTs is a good one. I've even gone as far as to make some JST adapters so I can charge batteries with other format connectors (eg BRB batteries, Altus Metrum products, etc). I find using a dedicated charger much more efficient from a time perspective when compared to some of the USB based trickle chargers that Big Red Bee and Altus Metrum utilize.

I use both the iMax B6 and the Turnigy Accucell 6. I prefer the Turnigy as it has an internal fan to keep the internals cool. I use 800 mah Turnigy 2S batteries because I'm paranoid. More is better, right? I can leave a flight computer powered for a long time with that. And the 800mah batteries are just about the size of a 9v.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-accucel-6-80w-10a-balancer-charger-lihv-capable.html
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-500mah-2s-20c-lipo-pack.html
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-800mah-2s-20c-lipo-pack-parkzone-compatible-pkz1032.html

Tonimus said:

I use both the iMax B6 and the Turnigy Accucell 6. I prefer the Turnigy as it has an internal fan to keep the internals cool.

Click to expand...

In theory I hear you, in practice I've been using my IMAX B6 since April 2010 and haven't had a single heating issue with it. Granted we fly outside of fire ban season so maybe my ambient temperature is lower than yours when charging LiPos but I've honestly never even noticed the thing get warm.

plugger said:

In theory I hear you, in practice I've been using my IMAX B6 since April 2010 and haven't had a single heating issue with it. Granted we fly outside of fire ban season so maybe my ambient temperature is lower than yours when charging LiPos but I've honestly never even noticed the thing get warm.

Click to expand...

I use mine in my garage for all sorts of other charging. Small AGM batteries, larger lead-acid, batteries for power tools... It is probably 130º in a Phoenix garage at times.

venom makes a very good lipo, the charger is "ok" and like others said, there are some really good and affordable options out there for chargers.

if you think your going to get into other things using lipos then go ahead and get a more versatile charger, it will be money well spent. think of it like investing in a quality casing for your motors.

The venom charger you posted will limit you to a very specific and narrow band of lipos (2s-4s)and at a very limited charge rate (1c) with a max of 3amps (still not bad for a lipo/charger combo under $40....while the turnigy, imax and others can be had a very good price and will give you MUCH more flexibility down the road. The 1c charge rate will take you longer to re-charge your lipo as apposed to a 2c or 3c capable charger, this one appears to be set at a fixed rate so while that may be fine for a smaller lipo, when you get into larger lipo pacs it will be painfully slow trying to recharge (and with lipos you never want to set them up to charge then leave the area-you always want to be near while they are recharging just in case something goes wrong. while i have never personally had a bad experience its just good practice to keep from burning down your workshop/garage or house.....

I use a Lipo setup for my launch control (small form factor and packs alot of power) and im also into RC Airplanes which use a ton of lipos so as you can imagine i have a quality charger and can charge anything from 1s lipos all the way up to car batteries if i need to (but i have over $300 invested in my charging setup). Hobby King sells decent stuff and good prices, Tower Hobbies also, shop around and maybe look for something that will charge up to 6s lipos and maybe dual charge ports (should be able to find something less than $75. The Lipos themselves are not that expensive and i would recommend venom, pulse, or if you want to spend more money you can buy the eflite lipo packs but IMO they really dont offer that much more value.

hope this helps!

Thanks for all the feedback, guys!

FINALLY launching this Saturday at Midwest Blast in Three Oaks MI. Using a LiPo battery for the dual airstarts. Reconfigured the top portion of this 8 feet tall rocket to substitute a Mobius Actioncam housed in an Additive Aerospace camera shroud for the old-school Aiptek camcorder imbedded near the center of the upper body tube.

Mike Momenee
TRA #12430 L3