Who knows anything about sub $100 quad-copters? Battery question.

[quade 3]

Ended up with a XIN LIN X118 as a present.
http://www.gearbest.com/rc-quadcopters/pp_197105.html

Fun. Problem is batteries. Comes with one, lasts five minutes, takes over an hour to charge. Obvs, I need me some more.

3.7V 850mAh lipo battery, but with a connector I have no experience with.

Battery looks approximately like this;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-7V-720mah-LiPo-Battery-Syma-x5-x5c-x5c-1-x5a-x5sw-x5sc-X5SC-1-RC-Quadcopter/122110219016?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3Da8be97bfbc34466796d8a0a884dd63cc%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D171609065328

See attached for over views of battery.

Question: What the hell is that connector really called?

Question 2: Are all of these various batteries on eBay with this style of connector about the same (assuming same or lower mAh for approx dimensions)?

Question 3: I think I've seen this battery referred to as a "1s" battery, but I'm also seeing numbers for similar batteries saying things like 20c or 25c. Anyone have a secret decoder ring?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

Try THIS. It explains what the "s" and the "C" mean, along with other stuff.

I got into R/C helis a few years back for a bit. LiPo were just becoming reasonably common, and the advances since then are probably significant.

Beware of taking them too far down (discharge). It will kill them. Beware of charging them. They can start on fire (Think Samsung).

If billvon tells you anything about this that contradicts what I say, listen to him.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[quade 3]

Thanks.

The battery in question has a plug similar to the JST but smaller (I'm familiar with JSTs), but even as comprehensive as this guide is, it doesn't show it.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[BartsDaddy 4]

Well unfourtanatly some manufacturers use proprietary conectors. Not saying that is your issue but I have ran into that.
I have ordered the same brand model number battery pack and find a different conector. Just cause the manufacturer wants to charge you three or four times the price.
Good luck.

Handguns are only used to fight your way to a good rifle

[davenuk 7]

we bought an X5SC for the boy recently.

and after experiencing the same as yourself bought this - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162305679301?

improved things no end, you can easily get an hour out of it now, only snag is the batteries are a very snug fit so putting a parcel tape pull tab on it really helps.

[quade 3]

davenuk

we bought an X5SC for the boy recently.

and after experiencing the same as yourself bought this - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162305679301?

improved things no end, you can easily get an hour out of it now, only snag is the batteries are a very snug fit so putting a parcel tape pull tab on it really helps.

Awesomeness. I had seen similar, but was concerned about fit as well as weight.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kallend 1,621]

S stands for Series.

1S means one cell, voltage approx. 4.2V when fully charged, dropping to under 3.5V when discharged. It's bad for LiPos to be fully discharged.

2S has 2 cells in Series, 8.4V down to 7V

3S has 3 cells, etc.

The C value tells you how fast you can discharge it. So 20C means that you can discharge it in 1/20 hour (3 minutes) without damage at constant current. 40C would be 1/40 hour, etc.

The S values are accurate. The C values are always inflated by the manufacturers, sometimes grossly.

The picture of the connector is unclear. Suggest taking it to a good hobby shop where they probably have a good selection.

www.droneybee.com/best-lipo-battery-connectors/

I have a bunch of RC models and I standardized on EC connectors (they come in various sizes). If I get something with a different type I cut it off and solder on an EC.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[quade 3]

Good stuff. Thanks.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[TEB6363 0]

I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011SHYQLW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For my X5SC. The 700mAh still fits well and it is a little heavier than the stock (I think was 450 mAh) capacity. Plus, you can charge all 5 and yours at one time before you go out to fly..

Was a good setup with what I picked as the best reviews/brand.

Well, edited after I saw yours came with a larger batt (850 mAh) that is only providing 5-7 minutes of flight time.

So, looking for a match, I do like the Tenergy brand and the ability to multi-charge. You just have to search a few places to find batteries with matching plugs and good reviews.

Once the plane takes off, you're gonna have to land - Might as well jump out!!

[quade 3]

Thanks.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Russell_Jones 0]

It's worth noting that there are some connectors that are very similar that even mate together and allow charging but aren't actually the right pairing. There were loads of people in the PNW (and probably elsewhere too) who were using one of the most popular chargers for 1s batteries to charge one of the most popular microquad batteries and found that the batteries failed to connect after 5-10 cycles because the pins had been separated. It was ever so slightly harder to connect these wrong connectors but only just noticeable.