RE: RE:
Hi everyone. Here is the "NEW" A123/M1 review I've been promising you, and for those of you that don't really want to read the entire review I've provided a summary. Summary: The new (green plastic sleeve) A123 cells available at www.battlepack.com/a123.asp are of a much higher quality build than the older (white cardboard sleeve) A123 cells that we're all used to getting. Their IRs all meet spec., as do their nominal and peak voltages; however, (here is the BIG bonus) out of over 2700 cells obtained and sold through battlepack.com, they have reported that NONE have been found to be substandard/defective vs. 4-5% of the old version A123 cells. These new cells also appear to be a little lighter (by about 2.5g/ea) than the old M1 cells, and also seem (in my opinion) to solder more easily than the old style cells. Am I happy with these new cells? You bet...and I'll be buying more of them. When I received the new cells from Battlepack.com, I opened the box and was surprised at the apparent quality of the cells. The lime-green plastic shrink wrap that covered the cells, as a replacement for the old familiar while cardboard sleeves, was flawless, professional, and made me immediately think that these cells where of a higher quality than the old ones. First up, I tested each cell for its shipped voltage level. ALL eight(8) cells were at exactly 3.31v! That in itself made me wonder if my volt meter was working correctly, so I tested each cell again using my iCharger 1010B+ with the same results - 3.31v!! The next thing I did was get setup for building my new 4s1p packs. Two 6" pieces of Deans 12 gauge wire (Black and Red), a female Deans connector, and three(3) shorter pieces of Deans wire for connecting the cells. All soldered onto the cells using Novak 3% silver solder. Soldering the negative pole of A123s has never been very difficult, as they seem to take the heat well...but, soldering the positive pole has always taken more effort than I would otherwise like. The positive pole really sucks up the heat from the iron, and I've always been concerned about damaging the cells due to too much heat transfer causing them to overheat. This issue seems to be solved (or at least much improved) with these new cells. The negative and positive poles soldered up easily using my 80 Watt soldering iron, and very little excess heat was transferred into the cells themselves. Once I'd finished installing the Deans leads, and connecting the 4 cells together in series, I installed a balance connector and then wrapped the new pack. I then repeated the process with the second pack. Next up was testing Internal Resistance (IR) of the cells, so I connected the packs to my charger and ran the test. The IRs of the eight(8) new cells were: 8, 8, 10, 10, 11, 10, 11, 11. What does that tell me? Well, compared to my old style cardboard sleeved cells that I bought (supposedly new) off of ebay, these cells have lower IR readings. My old cells ranged from 12 to 14. That said, from a functional perspective I don't expect that there is much difference that would be seen...So, for all intents and purposes, I consider my new cells to be of equal IRs to my old style cells. Next up was charging! I charge all my A123 cells to 3.65v (balanced) on my iCharger 1010B+. If a cell won't take a full charge, I write the max. voltage that it was able to charge to and put it aside (so I can later match it with other cells of the same max. voltage, and build a pack - at least that allows me to get some use out of them). These new cells were all at 3.31v to start with, so balancing them shouldn't be an issue at all, but for the first charge - what the heck. So, I hooked up my packs and charged them. All of my new celled charged up to 3.65v without any issues. How does that compare to my last eight(8) cells of the old cardboard sleeve variety that I bought off of ebay? Well, of those eight(8) cells, only 5 would charge to 3.65v; two(2) charged to 3.35v; and one(1) cell wouldn't take a charge at all. In short, these new cells appeared to be head-and-shoulders above my old cells. Now, having only a small number of old and new style cells, I decided to look into the rate of defective/substandard cells of both varieties. What I learned is that the old style cells (white cardboard sleeves) that we've been buying off of ebay or obtaining from DeWalt battery packs have a defect rate of about 4-5%. Further, these cells are the ones that A123 Systems has for R/C and tool uses. In contrast, the new (green plastic shrink wrap sleeved) cells are not designated for R/C and tool use. They have the exact same specs. as any A123/M1 cell out there; however, they undergo a more stringent quality control process. From what I've learned from Battlepack.com, they haven't found a single defective cell in all of the new cells they've obtained from A123 Systems...and they've sold over 2700 of these new cells. So, even if I argue that 1:3000 of these new cells will be defective, that still leaves a huge gap in quality between the "old" and "new" M1 cells. One last point I'd like to mention is their weight. I forgot about weighing the individual cells before I started building with them, because I just figured they'd be the typical 70g/ea. give or take a gram or two...BUT, when I weighed my two(2) new packs and compared their weights to my old packs, my new packs were a full 10g lighter! Could it be the difference between the cardboard sleeves vs. plastic shrink wrap, or is it that my soldering job has gotten THAT much better? Well, I don't think it's my soldering job. Cheers and happy flying.
Posted on: 5/21/2009 2:59 AM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8786682

"New" A123 cells (evaluation to follow)
Hi everyone, I've just received my new A123 cells from Steven at Robotic Power Solutions (http://www.battlepack.com/A123.asp). These are NOT the DeWalt cardboard wrapped cells that we are all used to. There cells are reported to be (and appear to be) of a higher quality build, and are tightly wrapped in a green plastic sleeve. In the near term I will be complaring the "old" cells (new cardbaord sleeved cells) with the "new" cells (new green plastic sleeved cells), so we will get an apples-to-apples comparison. These cells have the same specs. from A123 Systems as the "old" cells do; however, I'm hoping/expecting to find lower IR readings and lower substandard cell frequency (i.e., cells that can't be charged, cells that can't be charged to their full voltage of 3.6v, cells that have a complete internal circuit break, etc.) in these "new" cells. I will be reporting my personal findings as well as informing you of stats that I've been able to gather. **Disclaimer** My testing may be more limited than some of you, as I don't have an Eagle Tree setup on my heli or the like. That said, I will be reported ALL of my observable and measurable findings in an unbiased fashion. Again, I have no affiliation with Robotic Power Solutions. I'm just an end user, much like the rest of you...and, much the rest of you, I too have encountered ALL of the "defects" I've listed above in A123 cells that I've previously purchased - all of which have been the "old" cardboard sleeve type cells. If those of you equiped with Eagle Tree setups, or other measuring devices, would be interested in adding your measurable data of these "new" A123 cells to my posting, please feel free to do so.
Posted on: 5/14/2009 12:27 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8768415

RE: Blade CX-2
You can buy a CF tail boom from several places. Horizon Hobby sells the E-Flite version, and BoomTown sells their version of the same kinda thing. I've got the E-flite version and have had no issues with it. :) Take care.
Posted on: 7/23/2008 5:44 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7764260

RE: Blade CX-2
That's pretty cool looking bird! All you have to do now, to make it uniform, is swap out your Outer drive shaft and build/install a CF (Carbon Fibre) outer driver shaft and you'll have a "Blackbird"!! :) I built myself a CF Outer Drivershft a little while ago, and will never go back! Lighter than aluminum, stonger than steel, never warps or bends, and had taken full-speed crashes with not so much as a wobble! :) Gotta love CF! :)
Posted on: 7/15/2008 8:27 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7734995

RE: Blade CX2 blade upgrades??? Worth it or not???
Hi Soloboss, For now, I don't think I need any titanium parts (cool at that would be). I'll be happy to get some topnotch blades on my CX2, and then I'll take it one step at a time and find out where to stop as I go (I guess). At some point along with way, I'll likely stop putting money into my CX2 (like yourself) and start putting it toward the T-REX 450SE V2 that I eventually want to get.
Posted on: 6/1/2008 9:38 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7568478

RE: Blade CX2 blade upgrades??? Worth it or not???
Hi evdreamer, Thanks for the headsup on the superskids. I'll be ordering some stuff from BoomTownhobbies very soon.... I might just at them to my list. :)
Posted on: 6/1/2008 5:23 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7567488

RE: Blade CX-2
Hi Bronxsta79, Are you still running your CX2 on the stock e-flite lipo? If so, that may be part of the issue with you starting to turn 1/2 way through your fly time and not a setup issue. The CX2 will start to lose its proportional settings/setup as the battery weakens.....Answer: Upgrade your lipo to a good one I like the 850-900mah with a min. of 15C rating (the stock E-flite one is only about a 8-9C and in my experience is crap). You can get a MUCH better batter pack for 1/2 the price of the stock E-flite ones. MEGAPower, SMC, DN, and Kong Power are all good one to go with so far as I know I have yet to figure out if one is better than the others, but I'm working on it. :) Hope this helps.
Posted on: 6/1/2008 5:19 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7567472

RE: Blade CX2 blade upgrades??? Worth it or not???
Does your CX2 have a larger and/or different battery tray with its Etreme setup?
Posted on: 6/1/2008 1:09 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7566716

RE: Blade CX2 blade upgrades??? Worth it or not???
Thanks for the feedback. Just this past Friday I received a MegaPower 850mah 7.4V 15C lipo upgrade, and I'm open to other recommendation for "best battery" in the 2S (7.4V) size. I know of guys that have modded their CX2s to take 1000+mah 7.4V and 11.1V lipos, and I don't know if I'd go that far...but, I'm planning on getting a Kong Power 900mah 7.4V 15C pack and an SMC 800mah 7.4V 22C pack as well to see how they compare. I figure that between to the three upgrade battery packs, I'll get some good flying time and find out which battery pack I'd buy another of (if/when I need one). With regard to the upgrades, I'm just looking to get as much out of my CX2 as I can. The next heli I'm planning on buying is T-Rex 450SE V2. If I go beyond that, I don't know what I'll buy. For now though, I'm happy with learning on the CX2. I'm going to order a set of the Xtreme Blades and see what I make of them! Thanks again to all for the info. and insights. I want to have the most resiliant CX2 I can, with top notch performance (for a CX2 that is) so that I can learn and take it as far as it can go (performance wise) then later pass the heli off to my son so he can do the same...so the more indestructable the better. [:D] What are Super Skids, where to you get them, and what benefit to they give your CX2??? Are they the CX2 equal to Gorilla bars? Best Regards,
Posted on: 6/1/2008 1:04 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7566702

Blade CX2 blade upgrades??? Worth it or not???
Hi all, I've been doing some upgrades to my Blade CX2 (new AFC 180 BB motors, longer inner/outer drive shafts, and tailboom), and I've been looking at upgrading the rotors. I've purchased the Xtreme blade grips so I can install pretty much any of the upgrade blades out there too. Now.... From what I've read people really seem to like the Xtreme Products line of rotors (and other stuff too), but I've also found that AFC Systems have some so-called "indestructable" blades which look very similar to the Xtreme line blades.... Has tried both the Xtreme and AFC blades and found one to be better than the other with regard to lift/performance, stability, and durability... OR... am I just further ahead to stay away from the upgrades in general and stick with the stock blades??? What blades are best??? Any and all help in figuring this one out would be great! Thanks,
Posted on: 5/31/2008 11:11 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7565026

RE: Blade CX-2
Hi all, I've been dead and gone for a long time, but I'm back with a quick question for those who know regarding upgrade rotors. I've been looking at either trying the Xtreme (from XtremeProduction) rotor blades or the AFC System (so call "indestructable" blades) blades on my CX2. Has anyone tried both, and found one to be significantly better than the other? Is there a consensus on what blades offer the best performance with the CX2? Other than that, I think I'm good to go with my first Heli! [;)] Thanks for the info. and feedback. Best regards.....
Posted on: 5/30/2008 12:28 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7559592

RE: Large electric Helis...anyone!!! :)
that I know of are turbine powered). Thoughts? StoneGod
Posted on: 4/12/2006 12:24 AM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4154958

RE: Camera on a BCX-CP, is it possible?
I've seen some videos shot from a BCP toting a camera.... The only problem here is that I don't know what camera (or general setup) the owner of the BCP used. Sorry I can't be of any more help than to simply tell you that it can (and has) been done. StoneGod
Posted on: 4/12/2006 12:10 AM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4154910

RE: Camera on a BCX-CP, is it possible?
I've seen some videos shot from a BCP toting a camera.... The only problem here is that I don't know what camera (or general setup) the owner of the BCP used. Sorry I can be of any more help than to simply tell you that it can (and has) been done. StoneGod
Posted on: 4/12/2006 12:09 AM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4154904

RE: Large electric Helis...anyone!!! :)
, StoneGod Take care of you and yours.....
Posted on: 4/12/2006 12:04 AM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4154887

Large electric Helis...anyone!!! :)
Hi All, I'm trying to hunt down a few of the large size ( equal to .50 or larger) electric helis out there!! :) I only fly electric, and have little interest in going to Nitro or turbine at this point. The reason for this post is to get my hands on the makes/models of as many of the "high end" electric helis out there, you (this forum as a collective) will know far more than me poking around each manufacturer's sites trying to find what they offer..... So....without further adue; fire away....Give me everything you've got: Make, Model, Specs., Ratings, Reviews, personal experiences, etc., etc. and so on and so on and so foreth...... :) Take care of you and yours,
Posted on: 4/11/2006 4:49 PM by Author "StoneGod" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4152953