Solo 210 battery for Electric Start

[mjmac]

Evening all,

i have a solo 210 which has the starter and wiring for electric start but no battery - could anyone point my in the direction as to what battery I should / could use?

Thanks,

mjmac

[weesplat]

Hi depends on the size of the hole it has to fit into. Adventure for example had a battery pack shaped to fit the recess in the fibreglass body. Generally 12-14volts highest ah that will fit and if it is recharged in flight then No lipo's or other type that requires special chargers. I've seen everything from a power tool power pack strapped on with cable ties to tiny lipo's,s in a very neat steel electrics compartment but with no in flight charging. 

 

[mjmac]

Hi thanks for the reply.

it will be housed in a plate fabricated to the cage - so it doesn't necessarily have to fit to an exact size.

My main question was with the size of battery I should use. Do you recommend and suppliers / models that I could get in the UK?

[PatPux]

I would think this would do you, but must not be charged in flight as it requires a special charger, but then again if your motor starts easily it wont need charging that often. If you want go for voltage just below 12V go for the 3S

http://www.buildyourowndrone.co.uk/4s-lipo-battery-3300-mah-35c.html

[mjmac]

Thanks for the reply.

Sorry but I am not electrically biased - I am mechanical. When you say it must not be charged in flight what do you mean? Would the type of battery that you have recommended require recharging? Wouldn't I unhook this from the paramotor and charge it separately? Basically, could I buy this battery and use it like a standard AA (i.e. whenit has ran out It would need replacing?

Any further help would be much appreciated!

[PatPux]

1 hour ago, mjmac said:

Thanks for the reply.

Sorry but I am not electrically biased - I am mechanical. When you say it must not be charged in flight what do you mean? Would the type of battery that you have recommended require recharging? Wouldn't I unhook this from the paramotor and charge it separately? Basically, could I buy this battery and use it like a standard AA (i.e. whenit has ran out It would need replacing?

Any further help would be much appreciated!

It is a Lipo battery and requires a carefully regulated charge regime which is delivered by a dedicated charger which you would hook up to on the ground  as and when the battery needs charging, which, as I said will not be very often, but at a guess no more often than once every 5 flights (cue a barage of replies saying it'll be even less than that!)

Number of charge cycles will be in the hundreds, so it isnt a disposable battery but will have a finite life.

The benefit of Lipo is high power density to weight ratio, giving a light weight and relatively small form factor, with  a capability to deliver very high current required for starting.

Not to alarm you, but so as not to be accused of missing relevant information: Lipo batteries can explode if shorted out or mis treated in charging- they are the ones that grounded the Dreamliner. However if treated as directed they are perfectly safe. For extra peace of mind you could put it in a Lipo Bag http://www.buildyourowndrone.co.uk/lipo-battery-charge-bag.html.

If youre not keen on Lipo look for a suitable Lead acid gel battery, but youll be accepting a hefty weight gain for a similar output.

[mjmac]

Great - thanks for all this information it has really helped.

[Casper]

Having an Adventure F3 solo 210 with e-start I say this:

I use 12v YG4A-BS batteries. It is a sealed lead-acid battery (also called gel and VRLA battery).
It have the same format as a YTR4A-BS battery, but much safer for paramotor since it is pre-sealed, so you don't have to fill it with acid when you buy it and it won't leak if it is tilted like the YTR4A-BS can do if you are unlucky.
This 12v battery have high cranking amps for easy start , and you can do a lot of engine starts and stops like when you tune the carburetor, and still have plenty of power left for flying.
http://www.mvh-shop.de/GEL-Batterie-Poweroad-YTR4A-BS-25AH
It's also cheap, but weights a bit extra, however very reliable, works well when it's cold.

I charge my battery with a CTEK MXS 5.0 12v charger (charges 12v batteries from 1.2Ah up to 110Ah and will never cook them). But only if needed, the battery charges well when I fly. 
http://www.ctek.com/se/en/chargers/MXS 5.0