Russian T-90 battery options

[keilau]

Are you using your SkyRC iMax B6AC V2 connected to your home PC using the 'Charge Master' program? The maximum voltage shown for the Li-Ion 2S battery is 7.2 volts and can not be raised any higher than that. Does your charger show the same? I'm new to using this charger and it is not a off-brand model. Can you provide me with all the settings for the following: Charge, Discharge, Fast Charge, Balance and Storage including current ratings for each setting that you are using to maintain and extend the life of the batteries. If you wish to send me a private message - I'm good with that.

Most of the time, I just charge the single battery pack using the loaded program. Yes, I use the 'Charge Master' program when I have a bunch of packs or want to do some testing of a new brand. I have the B6 iMAX mini which has 20 preloaded, but editable, programs. Program #6, 7 and 8 are for Lithium Ion batteries.

I use an edited Program mostly for 2S1p or 2S2P balance charge. I changed the end voltage to 8.2 volts or 4.1V per cell. Program #6 and 8, the default end voltage is 4.2 volts per cell.

A typical balance charge process is like this: For this one, I started with a partially charged pack from storage.

If your battery charge end voltage is 7.2 volts for 2S Li-Ion packs and not editable, your charger is NOT working properly. Hope this helps.

[cmdrcody]

I have made a modification in the T90 tank battery compartment to give more room and make it easier to plug in & out my batteries that have the XT60 female connectors. I carefully installed a XT60 male screw-held connector into the left top rear to the compartment and used the same OEM wires that were on the OEM connector soldered into it. Since I replaced the blown OEM speaker with two smaller (and better) speakers to the rear of the chassis in front of the gear boxes, I had the extra room to make this modification.

[keilau]

We do not need a scientific experiment to know our battery. We all have smart charger that has enough features to simulate real world use to allow us to make the best out of what we have. The pack you referred me to uses 30C cells that allows quick charging. Starting from 6 volts, I can charge the 2S1P pack to 8.19 volt at 3A to 1700 mAh in 40 minutes before the charge current started to drop off. The discharge demonstration will take much longer at realistic HL tank usage current.

I ran the discharge test again and got the same result as yesterday. I set the discharge current to 0.7A to simulate the HL tank. 2.7 hours later, the discharge stop when the battery drops to 6.2 volts and the capacity reads 1811 mAh. It is safe to conclude that the Kluosi Uav Lithium-ion Battery pack had 50% bigger capacity than the latest HL 2S pack. I guess that the NCR18650GA was home grown 2200 mAh cells. Typically, imported NCR18650B from Japan or Taiwan was rated 3000 mAh.

I tested the latest HL pack that I received with my Sherman 2 months ago for reference. I set the discharge current to 0.7A to simulate the HL tank. 1.6 hours later, the discharge stop when the battery drops to 6.0 volts and the capacity reads 1188 mAh. All tests were done after the packs were freshly charged to 8.2 volts.

I am done with testing for now. You can digest my data and decide what battery pack is best deal for you.

[keilau]

[QUOTE=cmdrcody;n364263]

Here ya go:
And it did come with the manual and all the accessory battery connecting cables. Also ordered and received the battery temperature probe.
[UOTE]

You are ready to contact SkyRC. They are 13 hours ahead of you if you want to chat online. If you use email, it doesn't matter. Let us know how it goes.

I got the mini version instead because I like that it had a cooling fan for the discharge resistor. I built a 60 watts supply for it from an auto battery charger. It was a while ago, the charger came with only the Dean's plug. I built my own XT-60 and Tamiya plug adapters.
Amazon.com: SKYRC iMAX B6 Mini Professional Balance Charger / Discharger for RC Lipo Battery Charging : Toys & Games

[cmdrcody]

I use SkyRC program default settings and did not change anything.

If not defective, your SkyRC charger should default to 8.2 volts for 2S Li-Ion battery. Can you follow the SkyRC instructions for your charger? No need to make international calls. You can email or chat on line with SkyRC support if you have any questions after reading the instructions.

https://www.skyrc.com/Charger?from=nav

Can you show a picture of your SkyRC iMAX B6 charger? We can help you to determine if you had been sold a knock-off.

Here ya go:
And it did come with the manual and all the accessory battery connecting cables. Also ordered and received the battery temperature probe.

[keilau]

No, the charger is not defective and as I told you before I'm new to using these new tech balance charger/dischargers.
All I was asking is for the exact settings YOU are using.
And I'm not ready to make an international phone call for SkyRC technical support.

I use SkyRC program default settings and did not change anything.

If not defective, your SkyRC charger should default to 8.2 volts for 2S Li-Ion battery. Can you follow the SkyRC instructions for your charger? No need to make international calls. You can email or chat on line with SkyRC support if you have any questions after reading the instructions.

https://www.skyrc.com/Charger?from=nav

Can you show a picture of your SkyRC iMAX B6 charger? We can help you to determine if you had been sold a knock-off.

[cmdrcody]

Call SkyRC technical support. They are very good. If you cannot charge 2S Lithium Ion battery to higher than 7.2 volts, your charger is defective or the program messed up. Is your charger new enough to be returned?

The skyRC charger manuel is very good. All the questions you ask can be answered there. My off-brand B6 did not come with a manuel.

Conventional wisdom advises not to charge Lithium Ion battery over 4.2 volts per cell. I use only high end Li-Ion and find SkyRC's recommended 4.1 volts to be a prudent approach. I use EBL 18650 battery mostly because they are still reasonably priced (not cheap to be sure). I typically get more than 2800 mAh from them. The new 18650 pack using NCR18650GA cells from AliExpress seems to top off at 1800 mAh when charged to 4.1 volts per cell. If they do not fail prematurely, which I mean 500 charge cycles or more, they are very good deal considering the price. Most importantly, they can sustain a good constant current discharge for more than 2.5 hours.

No, the charger is not defective and as I told you before I'm new to using these new tech balance charger/dischargers.
All I was asking is for the exact settings YOU are using.
And I'm not ready to make an international phone call for SkyRC technical support.

[keilau]

Are you using your SkyRC iMax B6AC V2 connected to your home PC using the 'Charge Master' program? The maximum voltage shown for the Li-Ion 2S battery is 7.2 volts and can not be raised any higher than that. Does your charger show the same? I'm new to using this charger and it is not a off-brand model. Can you provide me with all the settings for the following: Charge, Discharge, Fast Charge, Balance and Storage including current ratings for each setting that you are using to maintain and extend the life of the batteries. If you wish to send me a private message - I'm good with that.

Call SkyRC technical support. They are very good. If you cannot charge 2S Lithium Ion battery to higher than 7.2 volts, your charger is defective or the program messed up. Is your charger new enough to be returned?

The skyRC charger manuel is very good. All the questions you ask can be answered there. My off-brand B6 did not come with a manuel.

Conventional wisdom advises not to charge Lithium Ion battery over 4.2 volts per cell. I use only high end Li-Ion and find SkyRC's recommended 4.1 volts to be a prudent approach. I use EBL 18650 battery mostly because they are still reasonably priced (not cheap to be sure). I typically get more than 2800 mAh from them. The new 18650 pack using NCR18650GA cells from AliExpress seems to top off at 1800 mAh when charged to 4.1 volts per cell. If they do not fail prematurely, which I mean 500 charge cycles or more, they are very good deal considering the price. Most importantly, they can sustain a good constant current discharge for more than 2.5 hours.

[cmdrcody]

No! You must match the chemistry of the battery to the charger setting. I have the SkyRC iMAX B6. I had an off-brand B6 before. The programming on the off-brand B6 was all messed up. The name brand B6 may cost a little more, but is assured to be working properly.

When the charge is full on the Li-Ion pack, I switch to measure mode. The individual Li-Ion cells are 4.10 and 4.09 volts respectively.

The SkyRC iMAX B6 also has fully functional programming mode, but the off-brand does not. Setting Li-Ion pack charge to 4.10 volts per cell is a good idea to get long battery life. So far, I use the default SkyRC program for all my charging.

Are you using your SkyRC iMax B6AC V2 connected to your home PC using the 'Charge Master' program? The maximum voltage shown for the Li-Ion 2S battery is 7.2 volts and can not be raised any higher than that. Does your charger show the same? I'm new to using this charger and it is not a off-brand model. Can you provide me with all the settings for the following: Charge, Discharge, Fast Charge, Balance and Storage including current ratings for each setting that you are using to maintain and extend the life of the batteries. If you wish to send me a private message - I'm good with that.

[keilau]

Are you using all the Li-Po settings on your smart charger since these batteries are Li-Ion 2S 7.4v 3500mAh? I know the settings on my iMax B6AC V2 only show Li-Ion batteries to show a full charge to 7.2 volts.

No! You must match the chemistry of the battery to the charger setting. I have the SkyRC iMAX B6. I had an off-brand B6 before. The programming on the off-brand B6 was all messed up. The name brand B6 may cost a little more, but is assured to be working properly.

When the charge is full on the Li-Ion pack, I switch to measure mode. The individual Li-Ion cells are 4.10 and 4.09 volts respectively.

The SkyRC iMAX B6 also has fully functional programming mode, but the off-brand does not. Setting Li-Ion pack charge to 4.10 volts per cell is a good idea to get long battery life. So far, I use the default SkyRC program for all my charging.

This is the top off picture after I received the pack.

[cmdrcody]

We do not need a scientific experiment to know our battery. We all have smart charger that has enough features to simulate real world use to allow us to make the best out of what we have. The pack you referred me to uses 30C cells that allows quick charging. Starting from 6 volts, I can charge the 2S1P pack to 8.19 volt at 3A to 1700 mAh in 40 minutes before the charge current started to drop off. The discharge demonstration will take much longer at realistic HL tank usage current.

Are you using all the Li-Po settings on your smart charger since these batteries are Li-Ion 2S 7.4v 3500mAh? I know the settings on my iMax B6AC V2 only show Li-Ion batteries to show a full charge to 7.2 volts.

[keilau]

Like I've said...I haven't done any scientific tests on them, but they have served my needs pretty well up to this point.

We do not need a scientific experiment to know our battery. We all have smart charger that has enough features to simulate real world use to allow us to make the best out of what we have. The pack you referred me to uses 30C cells that allows quick charging. Starting from 6 volts, I can charge the 2S1P pack to 8.19 volt at 3A to 1700 mAh in 40 minutes before the charge current started to drop off. The discharge demonstration will take much longer at realistic HL tank usage current.

[tank_me]

Like I've said...I haven't done any scientific tests on them, but they have served my needs pretty well up to this point.

[keilau]

I understand that MotionRC is currently sold out on all their Admirals packs. I posted another source which would take much longer to ship. Tank_me has verified that they use premium Li-Ion cells. If so, the 3500 mAh rating is real for their 2S pack.
Kluosi Uav Lithium-ion Battery 7.4 V / 8.4v3.5ah 2s1p Use Single Cell Ncr18650ga Combination Suitable For Different Drones - Battery Packs - AliExpress I have one of this pack on order. I will test and report back the result. (Don't hold your breath, the shipping is going to take a long time.)

Yeah, I looked at the ETA to arrive if I ordered one - mid February 2023!

I received the "Kluosi Uav Lithium-ion Battery (7.4 V / 8.4v3.5ah 2s1p)" on 12/16, or 3 weeks after I ordered. It is faster than their 2 months estimate. The 3 weeks time is typical of many sellers on AliExpress. It is quite acceptable. It is wrapped in a foam sheet and shipped in a small carton box so the packaging is very good. The battery pack looks the same as the HL pack with a XT-60 power connector and the XH balance charge plug. All these sound pretty good. But the main question is whether this the 3500 mAh battery that the seller promised.

Before I accepted the package, it has been sitting in the freezing temperatures of Chicago for 3 days. When I top off the battery charge as received, I found something unusual. The iMAX B6 charger was set at 8.2 volts cutoff. The battery dropped to 8,05 immediately when I stopped the charging. Is it the cold soak effect? I proceeded to the discharge process to find out the effective battery capacity.

I set the discharge current to 0.7A to simulate the HL tank. 2.7 hours later, the discharge stop when the battery drops to 6.2 volts and the capacity reads 1799 mAh. While it is not the 3500 mAh that the seller advertised, I am not disappointed. I saw the battery sustained more than 0.7A for 2.7 hours which means it will run a HL for at least that long. It is good to see that this battery never dropped below 0.7A all the way to the end. I am convinced that this battery pack uses premium cells. At under $10 per pack, it is the best deal to run HL T-90 and T-72 bar none.

I will let the battery sits overnight at indoor temperatures. When I test again tomorrow, I expect to see more consistent numbers tomorrow. Stay tuned.

I ordered 2 of the 2S2P 18650 packs that tank_me uses with modified HL chassis. At $16 per pack, it is much cheaper than I can buy premium cells. I hope to be able to reconfigure it to my DIY HL pack for most other HL tanks. I expect that I need to do only minor surgery to the 3-wire XH balance charge plug. If successful, I will post my process here.

[SoCalBobS]

I'd mentioned this in another thread, but if you're using an advanced charger, it may not recognize the low voltage level. I've had a couple HL batteries dead out of the box and put them on the USB charger for a day. They came back to life.

[cmdrcody]

Well, T-90 tank arrived today. Everything good - except the battery.
Tank came with Tamiya battery connectors and the battery was flat dead! 😠
Called Motion RC customer service and explained the situation with them. I expected XT60 battery connectors as was shown in the demo videos and was very disappointed that the battery was junk because it was well below the threshold voltage limit for a Li-ion to even take a charge.
So now the good news - They are going to send a new S2 7.4V 1800mAh Li-ion battery with the XT60 connector (female) and a XT60 (male) to Tamiya (male) adaptor connector to make it right. Was hoping they just had a XT60 (male) connector battery harness that I could swap out with the Tamiya battery harness to the controller board. But I'll just do with what I got for right now. 😒
I guess I'll just take my time and start putting all the appendant parts on while I'm waiting for the stuff to come in from Motion RC. 🤕

[keilau]

Yeah, I looked at the ETA to arrive if I ordered on - mid February 2023!

If you find other option, please, buy and test the battery pack. I will be very interested to know the result. If the AliExpress pack can match the MotionRC Admiral shorty pack in performance at 1/3 the cost, it may be worth the wait?

I do not understand the 2 months shipping time by the AliExpress seller. But the pack price is cheaper than I cam build DIY 2S 18650. Whatelse can I say! I ordered one of this pack due to tank_me's recommendation of this battery store. They have not shipped yet 2 weeks after I placed the order. I wonder what is tank_me's experience ordering from them?

[cmdrcody]

Kluosi Uav Lithium-ion Battery 7.4 V / 8.4v3.5ah 2s1p Use Single Cell Ncr18650ga Combination Suitable For Different Drones - Battery Packs - AliExpress I have one of this pack on order. I will test and report back the result. (Don't hold your breath, the shipping is going to take a long time.)
.

Yeah, I looked at the ETA to arrive if I ordered one - mid February 2023!

[keilau]

Have you read all the previous posts before you made your post?
The Russian T-90 & T-72 takes a battery half as long as all the other Heng Long RC tanks. That is why I would want to install a battery that has more mAh than the 1800mAh that comes with the tank. Especially if I want to install the all metal threads and wheels. Can only fit a 2S (two cell) battery.
Click on this and go to 11 minutes into the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_jTy1Yaj1A
Then you will see what I'm talking about.

Yes, I understand that the T-90 and T-72 only take 2S Li-Ion battery and NO 2S2P. The HL stock pack are actually 1100 mAh, NOT 1800 as HL stated. However, you can still get half an hour top speed continuous or longer in normal operation. You just need a good balance charger. You can get 3 times the run time using the Admirals 2S Li-Ion. Until you modify the chassis to accept bigger battery pack like tank_me does. It is as long a run time as you can get.

I understand that MotionRC is currently sold out on all their Admirals packs. I posted another source which would take much longer to ship. Tank_me has verified that they use premium Li-Ion cells. If so, the 3500 mAh rating is real for their 2S pack.
Kluosi Uav Lithium-ion Battery 7.4 V / 8.4v3.5ah 2s1p Use Single Cell Ncr18650ga Combination Suitable For Different Drones - Battery Packs - AliExpress I have one of this pack on order. I will test and report back the result. (Don't hold your breath, the shipping is going to take a long time.)

If you are electrically handy, you can build your own 2S pack using premium quality cells like I do. You do not need special equipment. But a good, high power soldering iron and a heat gun (for shrinking the wrap) are must.

My post you quoted is in response to statement that battery pack manufacturer's rating on the pack can be trusted. In my observation, it is a jungle out there.

[tank_me]

Personally when I still had the battery box intact in my T-72 I cut the top of it off and installed on of the 2S2P batteries I use in all my other tanks. You can see how the battery box was cut in the pic below.