| INTRO TO
LIPO close look at the Orion LiPo capable Advantage Charger
SAY
HELLO TO LIPO
LiPo has many benefits over other battery
types, but a lot of dis-information and old wives tails surround
it to, so we aim to help you see through all the negative hype and
appreciate them for what they are, the future of R/C propulsion!
The latest Orion 4800 mAh Platinum Edition is a Kokam Lithium
Polymer with an excellent product reputation and company
creditability. It comes packaged in a custom hard case ready to
slot straight into almost any vehicle that will accept a NiMH
stick pack, as the dimensions were based around exactly the same
maximum package. Within performance parameters, the LiPo pack is
rated for 1000 cycles, but the R/C race scene is a harsh
environment for any power source and continued punishment will
shorten their life span slightly, but try monitoring a NiMH pack
over a period of time and see just how fast their best slips away
after a few race meetings.
Track
testing in various chassis and formulas all revealed a common
theme, run time, such extreme run time. The motors were just
whizzing away, enjoying the higher voltage hold up under load
whilst at the same time showing signs of relief, being spared the
high current draw offered by NiMH cells and as a result the
commutator stayed cleaner for longer. Where the LiPo really scored
was in a brushless set up which never try to pull the same current
as a brushed motor when exiting a slow corner hard on the loud
pedal. LiPo provide the higher wattage by offering a better
voltage hold up under load, which is exactly what a brushless set
up prefers. Volts equals revs!
OUT WITH SOME
QUALITY THUMBS
When we reviewed and tested the MR4-BX
Yokomo buggy, we ran the Orion LiPo for a session. Keith Robertson
ran at lap record pace, in high grip conditions, on the Baginton
full circuit, with a 9 double motor for over 10 minutes, and
pulled off just to be safe, not only mindful of the LiPo 6 v cut
off limit but because he was starting to really push and had no
spares for the buggy with a National meeting to attend that
weekend!!
When
competing on road the extreme run times came with higher top
speeds in a brushless equipped touring car. To see what a
top-level driver made of the latest technology we gave Olly
Jefferies a glimpse into the future. Our long term test Xray
T1FK05 was equipped with a Nosram Brushless and the Orion LiPo,
geared on 26/84 and equipped with the same Sorex tyres he set the
FTQ at the Bedworth BTCC round, on a warm dry day. The outright
speed put a smile across his face, wiping away the intense
concentration that normally glares from his racing glasses. A few
laps in and the pace was heating up, as the speed carried through
the final turn onto the straight built with confidence he
struggled to find enough turn-in at the end of the main straight.
The gathering crowd of onlookers gasped each and every time he
flashed past the rostrum, and Olly's neck was twisting to keep
track of the Xray as it flew by.
Displaying
plenty of punch available all the way past the 5- minute mark,
with no discernable fade the performance was consistent throughout
the session. Olly continued to run around Bedworth on lap record
pace for just over 12 minutes, again, pulling off before any sign
of fade, simply mindful of the 6 v cut off parameter. The grin
said it all, he'd enjoyed that immensely. So can you; the
technology is here and now.
PROS AND CONS
Olly's Dad, Adrian commentated that
because LiPo had not been BRCA approved yet, meant people were
buying them just to test with, running all day Saturday and in
free practice Sunday morning, saving their precious NiMH race
packs for the actual race, prolonging their life and improving
their performance by using them just once per weekend instead of
two or three times.
Another
benefit of running LiPo in testing is that come race day your car
feels slower and more predictable, your reflexes and focus was
that little bit higher on LiPo so your hand to eye coordination
had been further honed. The downside of running LiPo during
testing is that the queue at the rostrum steps gets longer and
longer, as the LiPo drivers stay out for 10 minutes at a time
instead of 5, usually pulling in for lack of rubber rather than
being limited for run time by cell capacity.
AN EASY
PADDOCK LIFE
Being able to return from marshalling,
plug the LiPo straight back into the charger and wander off is a
luxury never before experienced. No discharging to monitor, no
discharge balancing boards to fiddle with. Just bang it back on
charge and know that it will be ready for the next round, with no
re-peaking required at the last minute to ensure adequate punch
off the start line.
There is
no problem if the LiPo pack is ready half an hour before the next
run as LiPos can live on the shelf for a month and lose only 10%
of their capacity, so coming to full charge an hour or two early
for the next race has absolutely no effect on performance. In fact
once the current draw drops as the voltage reaches 8.4 v and
levels off, you are ready to race. The final half hour charging
top off, adds only 10% capacity and nothing to pack voltage, so
has little benefit on track as you are using only 50-60% of the
capacity in a 5 minute run anyway!!
A REAL HARD
CASE
Where the Orion pack scores in its user
friendly all encompassing hard case. Matching the maximum
dimensions of a NiMH pack exactly means the box slots straight
into almost any vehicle you care to name. We tried it in various
Tamiya, Xray and Yoko touring cars, off road in the B4 and T4 and
then the 4WD Yokomo buggy, not a problem.
Only vehicles with the saddle pack
arrangement fail to comply, the Predator X10 like some touring
cars, run a 3 and 3-cell saddle pack configuration across the
chassis so couldn't accommodate the straight pack but I have a
sneaky suspicion that as the market grows, LiPo packs will be
developed to suit these saddle pack chassis, they'd be crazy not
too!!
The down
side of a hard case is that you never get to see the technology
inside, and can't 'squidge' the packs occasionally to check for
puffing. The first sign of failure in a LiPo pack is a puffed foil
casing, at which point you should fully discharge and dispose of
the pack in line with current legislation. Failure to comply, and
continual charging and discharging could result in a complete
failure, heat and smoke would be the next sign of failure, but way
before that you'd notice a lack of performance, and the charger
would be showing some crazy figures on charge. If you fail to spot
any of the signs then you have only yourself to blame. You
wouldn't keep charging a NiMH pack that had a couple of cells with
split heat shrink, a high charging voltage, repeatedly false
peaked and had a weeping cell vent would you? Of course not, well
the same applies to LiPo, get to know and respect them and you'll
be just fine. Avoid shorting the connections or puncturing the
casing, never discharge below 6 v, and always store half charged
or more between race meetings. It's as simple as that. Look after
your LiPo and they will offer an amazing life cycle, performing
all the way through with amazing consistency. If you ever find the
performance lacking, check the voltage across each terminal and
the balance port, if it differs by 0.2 v between cells you will
probably get it back to full performance by balance charging the
pack with a three-lead adaptor on a balance charger like the
Scorpion, bringing the pack back to 100% capacity on both banks to
perfection, and returning the pack to its former glory.
ORION
ADVANTAGE, NOT JUST A PRETTY CASE
The latest generation of Orion Advantage
chargers have been updated with not only a groovy carbon look
casing, but also LiPo compatibility.
The main
advantage of this multi-talented charger is that it can still
charge your current NiMH, NiCad race cells, plus receiver packs
for your nitro vehicles and even your transmitter of course.
Among its
many features carried over from the previous edition, are
flexible, linear and step charging, and as a bonus the Advantage
charger also offers a manual lap counting function, so you can
keep a sneaky eye on the opposition without being so obvious as to
stand there with a stopwatch in your hand. Orion have also built
in a regulated power supply which can be used to power a comm
lathe or bed in new motor brushes after a skim and rebuild. To
help keep track of your race day there is also a digital clock
built in so you never have an excuse for not being ready for your
next heat or final. The Orion charger utilises the two power plugs
to charge the pack as a whole, which Orion assure us isn't a
problem as the pack supplies enough power and capacity to only
ever operate within 80% of its maximum capacity so the pack will
never be stretched to its extremities.
ON THE MONITOR
We monitored the Advantage charger over
time to see how it charges the LiPo pack, and were surprised to
see the selected 4.8 A charge rate, which is a pre-set 1C
determined by the capacity selected in the set up options, was
fluctuating rather than holding steady, and this is one
peculiarity of LiPo that might catch out new users, it prefers to
monitor the voltage of the pack and charge accordingly. You will
see the voltage rise over time, then as the pack nears capacity
the charge rate will gradually reduce while the voltage remains
steady. There is no peak voltage detect cut off, it simply
monitors the point at which no more current can flow within the
voltage parameters, dropping gradually from the initial 4.8 A
selected and getting down to 0.2 A as it reaches capacity. If you
refer to the charging charts you'll see that it takes only 50
minutes to put 4000 mAh in, but a further 30 minutes to achieve
the last 800 mAh as the charge rate automatically reduces to keep
the voltage constant, whereas the NiMH pack has a steady current
flow and the voltage rises constantly until the slightest dip is
detected which triggers the peak detect cut off.
THE FUTURE,
HERE TODAY
I'm sure once LiPo has been checked and
approved by the BRCA that the racing scene will change forever and
we'll finally start to see the brushless age come to realise its
full potential. Initially the prices may seem high, but when you
consider that you need only one LiPo pack to race all day, instead
of 6 or 7 NiMH packs, which to compete would have to be full team
spec matched and zapped packs around £60 each, you will realise
that LiPo offers a significant cost saving. When you also notice
that even the best NiMH packs diminish within three months of
regular use whereas some 6 months later the LiPo will still be
banging out the same discharge curve as new, you will realise that
your race performance has been enhanced by being more consistent
over time.
Try not to
be off put by horror stories from the flight boys, the early LiPo
technology was nowhere near as robust as today's top Kokam
technology, the charging systems weren't so dedicated and the
education of the users wasn't complete, they learnt the hard way
and we have benefited by their experiences. Along with comm.
lathes, brushes, dischargers and balance boards, the next thing to
be consigned to history is the chisel point 60 W soldering iron,
essential for assembling individual cell packs and tagging low
wind modified motors with high melting point solder. With the
brushless and LiPo age your pit box will be considerably smaller
and lighter, your racing faster and more consistent, the costs
lower, the cars lighter and the races longer. All we need is BRCA
approval to move out of the dark ages, the future is bright and
it's here today.
ADVANTAGE
CHARGER FEATURE LIST HIGHLIGHTS
Charge and Discharge 1-8 NiMH or NiCad
cells from 1-10 A with cycling option
Linear, Flex and Step charging
New LiPo charge function
Input and output short circuit protection
Motor run-in feature, can also power
commutator lathes
Manual lap counting function: Time
elapsed, average lap and number of laps
Indigo blue backlight 2 x 16 characters
display
Built in clock |
Advantage Orion, super flexible powerhouse
Included side mount keeps air circulating around cells
The future of electric power, Lithium Polymer from Kokam
Corally type tube connectors built in for maximum efficiency
LiPo pack is the same external dimensions as a large NiMH so fits
in the charger tray as well as most vehicles
Extra balance port isn't utilised by Advantage charger
Installed in my T1FK05, you can see how easy it fits in the
chassis
The warnings are there for all to read, understand fully to enjoy
in complete safety
Programmable welcome message
Power a comm. lathe or bed in a motor after skimming
Keep an eye on the opposition with the manual lap counter
Latest version incorporates the latest technology
Set a capacity cut off for extra safety
Charging NiMH sees steady current with a rising voltage with a
discernible peak to indicate a full charge
|
