Simple scout battery questions and more

[TenienteDan]

Hey guys,

I just finished my first simple scout and I am wondering what batteries can I use.
I have been flying another light weight foam plane I found in YouTube and I have 4x 800mAh 3S 40C Gens Ace (Slow flyer, 10 minutes flights), I will probably use them to maiden the Scout, but I need to put some extra weigh on the plane to balace it properly.

So I am considering buying at least 2 bigger battery packs that take advantage of the Scout characteristics and fits better the plane. But thinking in the future, I will build a warplane next for sure (Mustang or P-40) so, if I buy some new batteries now, I would like them to be usable in the Scout and in the Warplanes.

My best option ATM are these Goldbat 1500mAh ($52 CAD two of them):
So my questions:

• Do you think those Goldbat batteries will be enough for the warplanes?
• It is worth trying to mod the Scout to fit a 2200mAh or a 1800mAh of 4 inches long.
• Is it 100C too much? (my ESC is 30A)

Bonus question:
I painted my previous foam plane (it's Elmers foam, easier to find here in Canada) with spray paint. The paper of the foam got too moist wrinkling a bit in some parts, is there any trick to prevent that? Any product that I should use to treat the foam before painting?

Extra bonus.
Here is a picture of the scout I made and my previous and first RC plane ever.
I made a few mods to the scout, made the wing detachable (thanks to this friend!), put the servos outside and didn't cut the bottom part of the nose, so I have more room for a bigger battery.

 

[flyingkelpie]

Yeah, I think putting that in a warbird will be alright as long as your not looking for something to big. For the second Q its really up to you. If you want longer flight time then sure. Third question. I think you should right because amps depends on what size motor your motor is. Correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

 

[Ketchup]

Yeah, I think putting that in a warbird will be alright as long as your not looking for something to big. For the second Q its really up to you. If you want longer flight time then sure. Third question. I think you should right because amps depends on what size motor your motor is. Correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

Yep, I agree with this. I wanted to add a little more though. The amount of power drawn from the battery doesn't have much (if anything) to do with C rating. The C rating is only how much power you can safely draw from the battery. You can draw less than that, and most of the time you will draw less power. To calculate the max discharge rate of the battery, you just multiply the capacity of the battery in amps by the C rating. For example, a 2200 mah battery with a 100C discharge rate would have a max amp draw rating of 220 amps. The battery is 2.2 amps multiplied by 100, which is 220. So back to what I was going to say earlier. The battery doesn't determine how much power goes to the motor, that is determined mostly by your motor/prop combo. Usually about 3 different things will affect amp draw (there is more but I think that these are the biggest ones). Size of the motor, prop diameter, and prop pitch. As long as the motor and prop that you choose doesn't exceed the max amp draw of the power system (motor, battery, and ESC), you should be good to go.

 

[Bricks]

Painting foam board biggest trick is use very very light coats and let each one dry.

 

[TenienteDan]

Thanks for the tips gentelman.
I´ll probably go and buy those 100c 1,500mAh and hope to be able to use them in this scout and a future Mustang or P40.

I´ll be more patient next time I paint the plane!

 

[flyingkelpie]

Hope it works well!

 

[TenienteDan]

Hope it works well!

Thank you!

As long as they provide more than 10-12 minutes on the warbirds I'm totally fine!
It's really a bummer becuse those 2200mAh are the same price lol.

If the forecast stays the same, I'll probably maiden the Scout this Sunday, but with my old 800mAh batteries... I wonder how long will they keep the bird flying.

 

[The Hangar]

Hey guys,

I just finished my first simple scout and I am wondering what batteries can I use.
I have been flying another light weight foam plane I found in YouTube and I have 4x 800mAh 3S 40C Gens Ace (Slow flyer, 10 minutes flights), I will probably use them to maiden the Scout, but I need to put some extra weigh on the plane to balace it properly.

So I am considering buying at least 2 bigger battery packs that take advantage of the Scout characteristics and fits better the plane. But thinking in the future, I will build a warplane next for sure (Mustang or P-40) so, if I buy some new batteries now, I would like them to be usable in the Scout and in the Warplanes.

My best option ATM are these Goldbat 1500mAh ($52 CAD two of them):
So my questions:

• Do you think those Goldbat batteries will be enough for the warplanes?
• It is worth trying to mod the Scout to fit a 2200mAh or a 1800mAh of 4 inches long.
• Is it 100C too much? (my ESC is 30A)

Bonus question:
I painted my previous foam plane (it's Elmers foam, easier to find here in Canada) with spray paint. The paper of the foam got too moist wrinkling a bit in some parts, is there any trick to prevent that? Any product that I should use to treat the foam before painting?

Extra bonus.
Here is a picture of the scout I made and my previous and first RC plane ever.
I made a few mods to the scout, made the wing detachable (thanks to this friend!), put the servos outside and didn't cut the bottom part of the nose, so I have more room for a bigger battery.

View attachment 185173 View attachment 185174 View attachment 185175

You'll be fine flying the FT warbirds with a 1500 mah pack. I've used 1000mah and 1500 packs in my scout, and I believe I've used both in my spitfire as well.

 

[TenienteDan]

You'll be fine flying the FT warbirds with a 1500 mah pack. I've used 1000mah and 1500 packs in my scout, and I believe I've used both in my spitfire as well.

Perfect! Thanks a lot, that was the answer I was looking for, somebody that tried already with packs like that.

 

[The Hangar]

Perfect! Thanks a lot, that was the answer I was looking for, somebody that tried already with packs like that.

No problem!

 

[Winglet]

I use 1300 3 cell packs in my Scouts. Not a lot of room in that nose. Measure before ordering.

 

[TenienteDan]

I use 1300 3 cell packs in my Scouts. Not a lot of room in that nose. Measure before ordering.

Thanks for the heads up. They will fit well as my current 800mAh packs have the same size.
I have been flying already with the 800mAh packs (with additional 75g weight on the power pod to balance properly lol) and they grant around 7-8 minutes leaving the voltage around 3.7v.

So hopefully with these 1,500mAh I will be able to fly at least 12 minutes.

I was just worried if they will last long enough mounted on the warplanes.

 

[The Hangar]

Thanks for the heads up. They will fit well as my current 800mAh packs have the same size.
I have been flying already with the 800mAh packs (with additional 75g weight on the power pod to balance properly lol) and they grant around 7-8 minutes leaving the voltage around 3.7v.

So hopefully with these 1,500mAh I will be able to fly at least 12 minutes.

I was just worried if they will last long enough mounted on the warplanes.

Depending on how heavy on the throttle you are you should be able to get similar flight times.