Hextronic batteries a lot cheaper but perform as well as FP, TP etc?

[talcum]

well after 30+ cycles on the 2.2A 3S its still going strong. occasional bloats which go away after the batt cools and is slow charged at 0.5A - 1.0A. i highly do NOT recommend using these batts in BURST mode unless absolutely necessary (preference for higher capacity over higer discharge rate).

2 batts died on me early but UH has already sent me replacements after showing them the photos of the dead batts and sending them in. the defective batts died while still operating in the CONTINUOUS mode, to which UH honoured for replacement.

for the price what more can you ask for. very good power output, slightly heavier than the competition batts, easy to re-condition and re-use, good (but occasionally slow) return policy,...

im thinking its a no brainer here.

rest of you guys on hxt .. add on how many cycles you have had and your comments/gripes/bitches/etc.

info is for everyone to read and decide whether they want to pursue more expensive and reliable batts or go the cheaper alternative for the same amount of power but a slight decrease in relaibility (ie higher failure rate).

im kinda sold on it .. in fact once my warranty TPs come back ill be putting them up for sale.

[johndyl]

looks like a buy;)

[Art2]

Just ordered 2 HXT 3S 1300 lipos for my King 2, can't help it, the price is way too good to ignore

[protyne]

Art2, keep us informed of how the smaller cap HXT work...

I got 4 x HXT 2200mah. 2 pieces into their 20+ cycle and 2 pieces into their 10+cycle.

Used them at the average of 15A-20A with occasional burst to 39A. All packs still taut and not bloating.

Personally find it more powerful than my other batts. And most significant is it comes down just feeling a little warm, unlike my other batts which feels hot after going through the same pattern in flight.

May differ in application so please try yourself and don't follow reviews blindly

[msc]

I got 2pcs of 2S 2.2Ah, 2pcs of 2S 1.7Ah, 1pc of 4S 2.2Ah.
The 4S was for Dennis.

Just started using, all seemed to be working fine. The best thing is I got back the postage cost and another about 9% off, when I collected at their warehouse.

Hopefully, this might signal the rest of the 'Branded' battery suppliers to consider revising their prices???

[HotDogBun]

Have 2 of the 2.2A myself, used them about 15 cycles each so far and going as good as the other brand of higher end lipos I have.
For that price, its less than half the price of the reputable lipo, I'm very very satisfied with the quality.... my $0.02 worth.

[lampard]

for this batt, it is the one that "almost explode". it is easily puncture unlike any other batt and despite that, it is a good batt. enough to do some 3D flying

[talcum]

for this batt, it is the one that "almost explode". it is easily puncture unlike any other batt and despite that, it is a good batt. enough to do some 3D flying

hi lampard,
care to elaborate on "almost explode"??

i'm the guinea pig from PFW on HXT 3S 2.2A batts. to date only 2 have died on me and it was a batch defect. UH are replacing those batts. otherwise my current HXT batts are well past 30 cycles almost into the 40s and are still going strong.

these batts are more sensitive than TP/FP batts. i baby them after ever charge and discharge to monitor their capability and to try to sense when the batts will fail. 2 more are showing slight signs of deterioration however when conditioned well they still perform. what more can i ask.

point to note is that even after 4m 30s of hardcore flying (i believe the others at PFW can support my claim that my plane and batts are tested to the max on almost every flight) these batts are having an average of 3.6-3.8v per cell unloaded (and cooled) after landing. (coincidentally good for storage).

to me this is a no brainer decision. if you can look after your batts.. then you dont need to purchase TP/FP batts. if you cant be bothered or dont want to accept any risk of failure (which of course this batt has a higher failure rate) then go for TP/FP or the other more expensive brands.

hope this helps.

btw having a multimeter on your side to constantly monitor the batts is an absolute must.

[Art2]

hi lampard,
care to elaborate on "almost explode"??

i'm the guinea pig from PFW on HXT 3S 2.2A batts. to date only 2 have died on me and it was a batch defect. UH are replacing those batts. otherwise my current HXT batts are well past 30 cycles almost into the 40s and are still going strong.

these batts are more sensitive than TP/FP batts. i baby them after ever charge and discharge to monitor their capability and to try to sense when the batts will fail. 2 more are showing slight signs of deterioration however when conditioned well they still perform. what more can i ask.

point to note is that even after 4m 30s of hardcore flying (i believe the others at PFW can support my claim that my plane and batts are tested to the max on almost every flight) these batts are having an average of 3.6-3.8v per cell unloaded (and cooled) after landing. (coincidentally good for storage).

to me this is a no brainer decision. if you can look after your batts.. then you dont need to purchase TP/FP batts. if you cant be bothered or dont want to accept any risk of failure (which of course this batt has a higher failure rate) then go for TP/FP or the other more expensive brands.

hope this helps.

btw having a multimeter on your side to constantly monitor the batts is an absolute must.

Hi talcum, care to share on how to monitor these batts. My HXT 1300 3S are being shipped out today. I'm still learning hovering and foward flight thou

[Art2]

Art2, keep us informed of how the smaller cap HXT work...

I got 4 x HXT 2200mah. 2 pieces into their 20+ cycle and 2 pieces into their 10+cycle.

Used them at the average of 15A-20A with occasional burst to 39A. All packs still taut and not bloating.

Personally find it more powerful than my other batts. And most significant is it comes down just feeling a little warm, unlike my other batts which feels hot after going through the same pattern in flight.

May differ in application so please try yourself and don't follow reviews blindly

Sure bro, I'm not a pro in flying, just started like 2-3 months ago, so dun really know how to test these batts to see their capabilities But I'll feedback base on my personal experience. My batts are being shipped out today, prob by end of the week I'll recieve it.

[lampard]

i dont know how when my friend was about to slide the batt inside the batt holder of his belt-cp(heli), the thing suddenly releases smoke. havent even connect to the electronics... before that, he tried the batt for the first flight and the batt was cool but his electronics was warm despite going through extreme flying.. but after few minutes, the electyrnics cooled down but the batt become hot. after letting it cool and using the multimeter, we were ready for the next flight(2nd flight) and when he wanted to place the batt on the batt holder, the just releases smoke which we believed it got punctured. so i think this batt is a good batt but must handle with care thats all.

[talcum]

Hi talcum, care to share on how to monitor these batts. My HXT 1300 3S are being shipped out today. I'm still learning hovering and foward flight thou

hi dood,

im no pro here either but if you read all the resources on LiPo batt maintenance you will find a few key things

1.) dont charge over 4.2v per cell
2.) dont over discharge below 3.0v per cell
3.) typically the voltage holding capability of the batt drops significantly after about 80% of the capacity of the batt is used.
4.) keep the batts cool to the max extent possible

and the list goes on and on.. so in summary ... these batts are quite sensitive. you dont look after them right dont expect to perform.

how i baby the 2.2A hxts.

1.) i check the batts with the MM once they arrive so see if its balanced right and in good storage voltage.
2.) i slow charge the batts 0.5A till a min of 4.15v per cell (+/- 0.02v)
3.) slow discharge the batt (UH website is max 10C) at or below 10C with wattmeter for about 1700mAh... approx 80%
4.) let the batt cool until room temp and use MM to check if the batt discharged balanced
5.) 0.5A charge to full cap.. about 4 hours give or take a bit. (btw im using the HXT chargers which seem to work well with the batts and only costs like USD$25 .. another no brainer .. btw its almost exactly the same as the Tahmazo chargers sold locally but like $20 cheaper)
6.) Repeat 1-6 for 3-4 cycles. if you are ground running the batt try to give it some cooling airflow.
7.) for normal flying i will charge at 1.0A. if i need it pronto i will charge at 1.5 or 2.0A however i will fly less aggressive and/or fly a shorter duration.
8.) i take note of the imbalances in the batts before and after flights and accord special attention to the problematic batts
9.) HXT batts will inevitably bloat. do not worry. if the cells are balanced then slow charging at 0.5A - 1.0A will decrease the bloat. many of us have experienced this.. and the batts work perfectly fine when pushed.

i have one current batt almost hitting 40 cycles and its starting to show signs of a dying cell. balanced charged will have all the cells to within 0.02v of each other .. typically about 4.13-4.17v however discharged one of the cells is about 0.15v lower then the others. i fly this batt as per norm like the other batts for the first 2 mins then i gradually change the type of flying to commensurate the capability of the batt. its still doing what i need it to do.

at approx $50 per 2.2A 3S .. if i can hit 50 cycles .. its good enough for me ill dispose the batt. thats about $1/flight. whats great is that for the same amount of capital i can have 2 flights within the same amount of time cause i have 2 cheaper (but well performing) batts as opposed to 1 expensive (yet highly reliable) batt.

so i could choose 4 TP/FP 2.2A 3S or i could choose 8 HXT 2.2A 3S .. and maybe have 2 with problems .. still have 6 functional batts.. while waiting for the 2 replacements... hhhrrrrrmmm 6 batts .. 2 extra flights per session. guess who will be improving faster

it is a pain to constantly check on the batts .. but hey thats why they are cheaper. oh btw.. i do NOT recommend using these batts above their 20C rating .. cause it seems that it cant really handle that portion well either. WOT on the ground on my plane is 42-48A.. should be within limits of 44A in the air. in any case the batt is supposedly capable of handling 32C burst.

hope it helps. ask the other PFW'ers how they are using their HXT batts to get additional feedback.

[Art2]

hi dood,

im no pro here either but if you read all the resources on LiPo batt maintenance you will find a few key things

1.) dont charge over 4.2v per cell
2.) dont over discharge below 3.0v per cell
3.) typically the voltage holding capability of the batt drops significantly after about 80% of the capacity of the batt is used.
4.) keep the batts cool to the max extent possible

and the list goes on and on.. so in summary ... these batts are quite sensitive. you dont look after them right dont expect to perform.

how i baby the 2.2A hxts.

1.) i check the batts with the MM once they arrive so see if its balanced right and in good storage voltage.
2.) i slow charge the batts 0.5A till a min of 4.15v per cell (+/- 0.02v)
3.) slow discharge the batt (UH website is max 10C) at or below 10C with wattmeter for about 1700mAh... approx 80%
4.) let the batt cool until room temp and use MM to check if the batt discharged balanced
5.) 0.5A charge to full cap.. about 4 hours give or take a bit. (btw im using the HXT chargers which seem to work well with the batts and only costs like USD$25 .. another no brainer .. btw its almost exactly the same as the Tahmazo chargers sold locally but like $20 cheaper)
6.) Repeat 1-6 for 3-4 cycles. if you are ground running the batt try to give it some cooling airflow.
7.) for normal flying i will charge at 1.0A. if i need it pronto i will charge at 1.5 or 2.0A however i will fly less aggressive and/or fly a shorter duration.
8.) i take note of the imbalances in the batts before and after flights and accord special attention to the problematic batts
9.) HXT batts will inevitably bloat. do not worry. if the cells are balanced then slow charging at 0.5A - 1.0A will decrease the bloat. many of us have experienced this.. and the batts work perfectly fine when pushed.

i have one current batt almost hitting 40 cycles and its starting to show signs of a dying cell. balanced charged will have all the cells to within 0.02v of each other .. typically about 4.13-4.17v however discharged one of the cells is about 0.15v lower then the others. i fly this batt as per norm like the other batts for the first 2 mins then i gradually change the type of flying to commensurate the capability of the batt. its still doing what i need it to do.

at approx $50 per 2.2A 3S .. if i can hit 50 cycles .. its good enough for me ill dispose the batt. thats about $1/flight. whats great is that for the same amount of capital i can have 2 flights within the same amount of time cause i have 2 cheaper (but well performing) batts as opposed to 1 expensive (yet highly reliable) batt.

so i could choose 4 TP/FP 2.2A 3S or i could choose 8 HXT 2.2A 3S .. and maybe have 2 with problems .. still have 6 functional batts.. while waiting for the 2 replacements... hhhrrrrrmmm 6 batts .. 2 extra flights per session. guess who will be improving faster

it is a pain to constantly check on the batts .. but hey thats why they are cheaper. oh btw.. i do NOT recommend using these batts above their 20C rating .. cause it seems that it cant really handle that portion well either. WOT on the ground on my plane is 42-48A.. should be within limits of 44A in the air. in any case the batt is supposedly capable of handling 32C burst.

hope it helps. ask the other PFW'ers how they are using their HXT batts to get additional feedback.

Great info thanks

[johndyl]

seems like pretty gd stuff.. ordering some too

[protyne]

i dont know how when my friend was about to slide the batt inside the batt holder of his belt-cp(heli), the thing suddenly releases smoke. havent even connect to the electronics... before that, he tried the batt for the first flight and the batt was cool but his electronics was warm despite going through extreme flying.. but after few minutes, the electyrnics cooled down but the batt become hot. after letting it cool and using the multimeter, we were ready for the next flight(2nd flight) and when he wanted to place the batt on the batt holder, the just releases smoke which we believed it got punctured. so i think this batt is a good batt but must handle with care thats all.

Ah! Lampard so your friend might have punctured the cell while trying to fit the batt into the batt bay holder of his heli ?