Recommended batteries for Flite Test power packs.

jross

Well-known member
I have A, B and C power packs. I've hunted around for recommended batteries but had no luck. The pack pages at the store site don't contain that information but I feel I've seen it somewhere. Am I missing something? I have no idea what I need. Planes are built or almost built. Receivers are arriving. I have a bunch of batteries a buddy left me. A newbie learning on the fly on my own for the most part. My buddy got me hooked and then moved to Cleveland chasing a woman. So he's lost in action, at the moment.
 

jross

Well-known member
800mah 2-3s for the a-pack, 1300 or 2200 3s for b-pack, 1300-2200 3-4s for c-pack. But really any size that’s light enough and has the right cell count will work.

Awesome. Thank you Paracodespoder.

Now to hunt through the batteries I have and see what I need, if anything. I know there are some 2200 3s and 4s packs. I have some UMX that need 1S I don't have so if I'm putting in a battery order, I might as well do it all together. Being in Canada complicates buying batteries and glue. Glue? Really? "It's dangerous, Mr. Ross. We can't let it across the border. You could stick yourself or your child to a table." Already done that. It healed. Not with a child of course though I've been tempted.

My buddy left me his full blown battery charger so I just need to RTFM on that.
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
I agree with @Paracodespoder, battery weight & cell count are critical. I would add C rating, can the battery safety supply the amps needed. If you pull too many amps you will puff you pack.

Example: A 2,200 mah, 25C pack can safely supply up to 55 amps (2.2 x 25).
 

FDS

Elite member
I found the batteries in the Flite Test store listing for the speed build kit to be a good starting point, particularly weights. Just whacking a bigger pack with more cells or capacity in without looking at the spec the plane is designed for is a recipe for a crash.
Obviously a bigger battery is more weight, and different designs that use the same power pack will have different wing loading.
I used the store recommendation to then buy from Hobbyking (no UK orEU FT store 🙁) which has worked well for the three planes I have so far. You can take the spec off there to your preferred supplier and get close from there.
 

d8veh

Elite member
Look at the build videos for each plane. They recommend the correct battery for each plane. The battery needs to match the plane as well as the power pack.
 
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jross

Well-known member
If you look at the online plans the first page has the recommended electronics for the plane, this includes type of battery.
Thanks, Big Sketchy. Can't believe I missed that. Found a couple of older plans that don't contain that information but for the most part, it's there. Gonna spend some time and create a simple list that includes that information. Perhaps motor, esc, prop etc also. Will attach it here when I get it done. I know that information is included in some of the build videos as d8veh mentioned but watching a long video waiting for the 30 seconds I want seems more complicated.
 

FDS

Elite member
They usually put the timings in the description box of the build video so you can swipe to the time code for the bit you need to see.
 

jross

Well-known member
Finding inconsistencies between the video and plan recommendations for some planes. The Tiny Trainer plans say 500-1000 mAH 3s while the video (1:16:30) says 500 mAH 2s. Guessing either will work but for newbies, it's a bit confusing. Hate to burn something up with a stupid mistake, which I'm more likely to do as a newbie. I finally have everything I need to build the trainer and a few other planes. I'd laugh if I smacked into my house and wrecked stuff, but I'd cry if I smoked it doing something stupid with electronics.
 

buzzbomb

I know nothing!
I hit the FT store page for the TT. I clicked on "details" for the battery, and got this:

Tattu 3s LiPo Battery 75C (11.1V/850mAh)w/XT-30 Connector

Is that what you're looking for?
 

FDS

Elite member
Finding inconsistencies between the video and plan recommendations for some planes. The Tiny Trainer plans say 500-1000 mAH 3s while the video (1:16:30) says 500 mAH 2s. Guessing either will work but for newbies, it's a bit confusing. Hate to burn something up with a stupid mistake, which I'm more likely to do as a newbie. I finally have everything I need to build the trainer and a few other planes. I'd laugh if I smacked into my house and wrecked stuff, but I'd cry if I smoked it doing something stupid with electronics.

I went with a 500mah 2s and a 2300kv motor with a 6x4 prop. That set up has been good for me.
As long as your ESC is a 2-3s and big enough to take the motor load with a 20% head room on top, you won’t damage the electronics. I would stay small, I found it harder to fly with a heavier pack. 6 mins feels long enough when you need all your concentration to fly.
The difference in batteries-
2s is lighter, it spins the prop slower, so the plane hasn’t got as much top speed (good for learning) but if you have a lower KV motor and your build was heavy then it may be more sluggish.
3s is faster, pack is heavier due to the extra cell. If you are heavier on the throttle stuff happens fast! If you have a lower KV motor then it might be better to start with a 3s and set the throttle so you can’t get full power.
I learned that this build wants to be as light as possible, especially at the front.
 

jross

Well-known member
Was really bummed last night. Tiny Trainer is all ready to go. Looked at the batch of batteries my buddy left me and found all the appropriate batteries had JST connectors. The FT power pack A has XT30 connectors. If they were my batteries and I had spare XT30 connectors, I'd replace the JST ends with XT30s. Now I'm going to have to order an adaptor or buy the parts to build one. At some point I imagine I'll have everything figured out but waiting a month for orders to arrive means I'm not flying until the middle of January. Really took the wind out of my sails. Planned my day today so I had the afternoon off to fly. Guess I'll be finishing the Explorer and building some other planes while I wait for these bits. The learning curve is steep when you're learning on your own.
 

jross

Well-known member
And just figured out the male/female thing with XT connectors. What I thought was a female is actually a male. Turns out it's not the housing that's named, it's the physical connectors inside the housing. Glad I figured that out before I ordered. Could have caused a meltdown.
 

jross

Well-known member
Problem solved. Going to build the motorized Simple Soarer and finish my Explorer. The B and C packs have XT60 connectors as do any of the larger batteries I inherited. Just have to wait for the XT30 - JST adaptors I ordered to fly the TT . So while I didn't fly today, all is not lost. When everything is finally sorted out, I'll have a fleet of planes to fly and crash.
 

FDS

Elite member
I just fit all my packs and ESC’s with the same connectors, if you swap lipo connectors only do one lead at a time and heat shrink it before you cut the next one.
 

jross

Well-known member
Roger that. Watched a video of a young guy replacing a battery connector. Think he did everything you could do wrong. Lots of sparks. Warm packs. Scary. The batteries I inherited are XT60 if larger and JST if smaller. Getting adaptors is probably easier than replacing all the connectors of the smaller 2S. Looks like there are 20+ of those.
 

FDS

Elite member
Yeah, it’s boring to do. I have made adaptors for some things, I never buy them. Just double check your polarities. If you have that many packs if they are only going on one or two ESC’s then just swap the ESC plug. Line of least resistance is my favourite.
It amazes me what makes it onto YouTube or the web in general as “advice.”
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
Adapters will work, I find life is just easier if all my plugs are the same. I made the switch to XT60 several years ago and do not miss looking for an adapter.