Kuya
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Has anybody has success with using rechargeable Lipos over a 12volt dry cell
GO BOX Launch controller with lipos
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USAFmissileer
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I use a 12 volt gel pack starter I picked up at Menards for about $50. Holds a charge a looooong time. Works great with my AeroTech Interlock launch controller. Always works!
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Other than 12V car batteries, for portable batteries thru the decades I've gone from dry cell AA's, to dry cell D's, Twin 6 volt Lantern batteries (12V), to eight 1.2V Nicads (9.6V), to 12V Gel Cells (4.5 AH).
Once I started using 2200 mAh 3 Cell (11.1V) LiPos for R/C electric planes, I switched to using those for launch batteries. They are GREAT. They will deliver a lot of current to the ignitor, and I have literally gone months between charges sometimes (Not so much by plan but forgetting to recharge them since they last so long).
I mean....if I ever switch from LiPo's to using some other battery for my system in the future, oh man what technology THAT future battery would likely have. Just like in the mid 1990's, it seemed like NiMH batteries were the BEST EVER since they had so much more capacity (3.5 to 4 times) for the same size/mass as Nicads.
The only sticky issue is the need for a proper charger, since a typical charger for NiCad's or NiMH's won't do. But that was not an issue for me since I had the charger anyway for the R/C planes.
Also, if I was doing a cluster.... I'd go with a 12V car battery. But I don't fly clusters very often, usually at a club launch using their system. The Lipo would probably be fine for a 2 to 3 motor cluster, but I'd rather use a 12V Car battery when at a launch that has one.
One thing I recommend is a red Lipo Guard bag (eBay, Amazon, ETC). It's fireproof, so if the battery ever caught fire, it would be contained inside the bag. But I have never had one catch fire. I like it mostly to distinguish where the battery is in my launch storage box, to physically protect the battery from damage, and most especially when laying the launch control out on the ground, the red bag is easily seen in the grass as something to not get stepped on.
Once I started using 2200 mAh 3 Cell (11.1V) LiPos for R/C electric planes, I switched to using those for launch batteries. They are GREAT. They will deliver a lot of current to the ignitor, and I have literally gone months between charges sometimes (Not so much by plan but forgetting to recharge them since they last so long).
I mean....if I ever switch from LiPo's to using some other battery for my system in the future, oh man what technology THAT future battery would likely have. Just like in the mid 1990's, it seemed like NiMH batteries were the BEST EVER since they had so much more capacity (3.5 to 4 times) for the same size/mass as Nicads.
The only sticky issue is the need for a proper charger, since a typical charger for NiCad's or NiMH's won't do. But that was not an issue for me since I had the charger anyway for the R/C planes.
Also, if I was doing a cluster.... I'd go with a 12V car battery. But I don't fly clusters very often, usually at a club launch using their system. The Lipo would probably be fine for a 2 to 3 motor cluster, but I'd rather use a 12V Car battery when at a launch that has one.
One thing I recommend is a red Lipo Guard bag (eBay, Amazon, ETC). It's fireproof, so if the battery ever caught fire, it would be contained inside the bag. But I have never had one catch fire. I like it mostly to distinguish where the battery is in my launch storage box, to physically protect the battery from damage, and most especially when laying the launch control out on the ground, the red bag is easily seen in the grass as something to not get stepped on.
I never cared for LiPo batteries. I've seen so many people have bad luck with them. One guy on a motorized bicycle site destroyed $500 worth of LiPo batteries because he didn't charge thee right I use a 12V sealed motorcycle battery. My entire launch control system is in a steel ammo box, including the controller, cable, and battery.
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