Text and photos by Tom Hintz
Posted – 1-18-2014
When I made the jump from my Align 450 to the Align 550E Pro I also needed to jump up from my 3S, 11.1V comfort zone to the 22.2V 6S packs. When I first looked at the prices for 6S packs I nearly gave up on the bigger helicopter idea. Fortunately I turned to my on line parts savior, Amainhobbies.com and found their house brand Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs that were selling for $78.95 ea. (12-1-2013) I ordered a couple to try them out in my new Align 550E and have been gradually filling in my 6S battery supply with the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs ever since.
I was a little concerned that the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs might not fit some helicopters I might get but their 46 x 153 x 56mm dimensions seem to work fine, even with the internal battery bay on the Blade 550X. Their all up weight of just 750g does not seem to compromise flight performance at all.
One of the things I liked about the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs is that they came with the Deans Ultra plugs on them. I use the Deans plugs in all of my RC aircraft because they are easier for me to work with despite having arthritis in both thumbs. Even with radically reduced grip strength I can work with the Deans plugs all day at the field.
Of course the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs have the large balancing connector as well and that is the source of the only (mild) dislike I have about these packs. The balancing connector is rather short and makes plugging several of the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs into my balance board a bit of a trick. I was able to relieve that “stretch” buy purchasing extensions for the balance plugs on the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs.
The Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs have a maximum continuous discharge rate of 30C (150A) and their literature puts the maximum charge rate at 2C (10 amps). I pretty much stick to the 10 amp-per-pack rule and have yet to notice any heating of the packs during charging.
Actual flight performance has been great and I notice no loss of power near the end of a 5-minute flight. I stick very close to the 5 minute limit and consistently show 35 to 38% capacity remaining after the flight. My helicopter skills are growing so I am far from 5-minutes of hovering these days. I am in the big air category now with lots of loops, rolls and Immelmann turns. Recently I have added forward and backward flips and some inverted flight as well. The big thing is that I am no longer a rookie on the collective stick and do not go through the majority of the flight with nearly all of the collective in use. My point is that my flight times are getting way more representative of what many of you can expect from a similar length flight.
As with charging I am seeing very little heat in the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs after a fight. They are usually a bit warm but never what I would consider hot or nearly hot. Even when I was in my “full collective” mode the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs did get warmer than they do now but not by much.
I have been flying six of the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs now for a few months, getting out twice per week and flying each pack two or three times usually and so far the packs keep on keeping on. None of them have fallen below 98% in a fully charged state so capacity loss over time is not yet an issue.
My biggest problem right now is that I am going to get an Align Trex 700 before long and the Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs are showing out of stock as of this morning. Bummer!
Click Here to visit the amainhobbies.com Eco Power 6S, 22.2V LiPo Packs page.
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