FT tenet battery size

[MrRaginglizard]

Hello all. My sons and I are new to the hobby. We built the FT tenet tractor configuration and are having a blast with it thanks to the Aura board. I have two of the recommended batteries for it (3s 850 mah), and flight times are really short. I would love to get bigger batteries for it. I’m comfortable with enlarging battery bay for this. How much weight can this plane handle? I’m looking at 1300 mah or even the 1800. I do know that are flight speed will have to higher, but by how much? Would the ESC or motor overheat? Would flying four 850 mah batteries back to back be too much for the ESC or motor? Thank you for your time.

 

[mikeehuber]

Hello all. My sons and I are new to the hobby. We built the FT tenet tractor configuration and are having a blast with it thanks to the Aura board. I have two of the recommended batteries for it (3s 850 mah), and flight times are really short. I would love to get bigger batteries for it. I’m comfortable with enlarging battery bay for this. How much weight can this plane handle? I’m looking at 1300 mah or even the 1800. I do know that are flight speed will have to higher, but by how much? Would the ESC or motor overheat? Would flying four 850 mah batteries back to back be too much for the ESC or motor? Thank you for your time.

I have flown the 1300 on the Tenet. It is all about getting the CG just right. I fly the same esc but a more aggressive motor and bigger prop. Fly baby fly! ESC will be fine check the motor halfway through the first flight. Keep learning and flying, and soon you won't even need the Aura, embrace the twitchy tenet. Very forgiving plane for crashes especially with some Cross web strapping tape!!

 

[MrRaginglizard]

Great! Thank you! Yes, we folded our first wing during flight. So I used a couple of layers of white duck tape to reinforce the middle of the next wing. It is feels very strong now. I will get some 1300 batteries.

 

[MrRaginglizard]

It is durable! Crashed the Tenet into the corn today. Wind was pushing us and we couldn’t pull up in time. Hit the corn with a monsterous crash. I feared the worst. Yet when we finally found it, it was nearly unscathed. The was just one tiny bend at one wing corner.

 

[Mehvish99]

3S 850mAh is standard for FT Tenet. You can fit larger batteries with some modifications.

 

[quorneng]

Mr Raginglizard
As you managed to fold a wing flying with the 850mAh battery replacing it with a 1300mAh (50% heavier?) will test the strength of your improved 2nd wing quite a bit more.
Perhaps more importantly is that unless the battery is positioned exactly on the plane's balance point changing it for a significantly heavier one will effect how the plane balances. Better to move the battery rather add any further weight to achieve exactly the same balance point as before. The plane should then "feel" the same on the controls but will simply fly about 3% faster. You are more likely to notice this speed increase on landing.
Try to fly with even a slightly different balance point and the plane could become much more difficult to control.

I too was dissatisfied with the duration of one of my first electric planes.
Just how long a particular battery can fly a plane is very dependent on its aero dynamic efficiency and its total weight.
This home design plane built from thin 3mm foam board uses an 850mAh 3s but at 1000mm span and just 219g all up weight it is both bigger and considerably lighter than the Tenet.

Remarkably it can and has flown for a full hour at a much reduced throttle. In fact at full power it can climb vertically.
Just saying.

 

[bisco]

i don't mind landing and changing batteries every couple minutes