MultiStar 6S/5200 mAh on sale from US warehouse

motomech

10 MW
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
3,713
Location
Yuma and Punta Cana Baja Mexico
$39.95
This is a nice useful sized sm. brick for $10 off the reg. price.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/multistar-high-capacity-6s-5200mah-multi-rotor-lipo-pack.html
 
Just to point out what can be done w/ these, 4) can be configured 2) in parallel, then one of those prs is placed in series w/ the other paralleled pr. This is a 2S/2P configuration that results in a 44 Volt pack w/ 10,400 mAh capacity.
4) together is a very small pack, 7" X 7" 7" and weighs 7 lb.s.
All for $160 plus approx. $20 US shipping.
The MultiStar is a low-volatile, easy to handle chemistry that is good for constant discharge rates of 25 to 40 Amps( depending on pack size) w/ little sag.
When I see folks spending so much time testing used round cells and then building the pack w/ a BMS, I just wonder why?
 
I agree, these packs are becoming so good and economical, I'm not sure why more people aren't using them. Maybe for cars, hard cased cylindrical and prismatic cells might be better for impact resistance and thermal dissipation, but for eBikes and stationary packs, I'm hard pushed to see why people still prefer cylindrical cells.

Now, if only the 20/16Ah packs would go on sale, I'd build myself a proper sized off grid house pack.
 
just bit the bullet on 6 4s 10ah packs! 24s and 10ah wooooooot!

I've been using LiFePO4 for years and love that they don't sag at all. But I'm done with the weight.

Multistars will be here tomorrow.

Got 2 meanwells @ 54v and 320 watts coming too. POT adjustable.

Yes..... its about time!
 
Sunder said:
I agree, these packs are becoming so good and economical, I'm not sure why more people aren't using them. Maybe for cars, hard cased cylindrical and prismatic cells might be better for impact resistance and thermal dissipation, but for eBikes and stationary packs, I'm hard pushed to see why people still prefer cylindrical cells.

I'd say the main issue is still QC (or lack thereof). If RC Lipo cells (and packs made from them) were as consistent in quality as the name-brand 18650/etc cells, they could be trusted as much as those are.

ATM, however, it's still kind of a crapshoot--most times they're ok, but now and then a cell or batch of cells or packs is made wrong and are sold anyway (either they aren't tested or are passed along anyway; it's not clear which).

It's also true of no-name cylindricals (which have other problems RC LiPo doesn't, including some recycled garbage being resold as "new" cells), and is one that is growing not because the cells are getting worse but because they're being used more and more in commercial products (ebike packs, etc) and sold more and more directly to consumers (vapers, flashlighters, and pack-builders).
 
RC lipo packs (multistar etc) may not be the same quality level as brand name 18650s, but they do have the advantage of being available preassembled into "bricks" of say 6s, x 10,16, or 20 Ah which can be easily linked with a premade harness into larger packs.
18650s generally result in dozens of cells being assembled by enthusiastic amatures into complex packs employing hundreds of untested connections and wiring runs, wrapped in Duct tape etc .
Whilst the cells are reliable, the quality, and often design, of the pack construction is highly variable
 
Hillhater said:
18650s generally result in dozens of cells being assembled by enthusiastic amatures into complex packs employing hundreds of untested connections and wiring runs, wrapped in Duct tape etc .
Whilst the cells are reliable, the quality, and often design, of the pack construction is highly variable
And sometimes the cells themselves are of questionable origin, making the problems even worse.
 
I have purchased over 40 Ah's of MultiStar and I have had zero dud cells, In fact, To date, I'm not aware of any reports here of MultiStars arrivring w/ a bad cell. In the unlike event one or more bricks arrive w/ a bad cell, Hobby King WILL warranty them;
Ive got plenty of refunds by registering my packs for warranty and supplying them the information as soon as I discover it....-icecube57
The MultiStars are clearly an improved product that is actually less costly, despite inflation, than the Zippy; 25C's and Turnigy 20C's that were the defacto LiPoly's a couple of years ago.
Members here who use the MultiStar include wineboyrider, fletcher, Ianhill, sunder, neptronix, dand214, wesnewell, bionocdan, miuan and the common theme in their comments is the consistency of the cells.
The 10C Multistars are set up for the very important Quadcopter market and are apparently higher quality cells than the 20C RC packs. I've had really solid performance from my Multistars at 2.5C-Alan B
Users only need to be reasonable w/ their system discharge C-rates.
Im running 66v 32AH on a Mxus 4T. They are running great. Never need balancing. Always within 0.01v of each other. Excellent performance. I havent did any capacity loss checks lately.. mainly cause Im not pushing them to empty every time because its a huge pack. I charge mine when I need it. Leave it discharged until the next ride. I store them in a cool area. the 16AH are 2p. meaning two cells are in parallel so they have a lower IR and can put out more power with less voltage sag. These are ok to 4-5C I haven test the 20AH but the reports are they are 1p. Normally larger AH cells have a lower IR too but I tested the 10AH cells which are 1P and they were only good to 2.5C so I transfer those same specs to the 20AH. So i suspect the 20Ah are only good for 2.5C as well. -icecube57

I think it's time for folks to stop judging the MultiStars based on their experiences of the "ghosts of LiPoly past".
 
motomech said:
I think it's time for folks to stop judging the MultiStars based on their experiences of the "ghosts of LiPoly past".
For my part, I'm discussing all the RC LiPo in general, not any particular brand (none is mentioned in my post). It was in reply to Sunder's question that implied commercial use of RC LiPo in manufactured products (vs DIY stuff by hobbyists).
 
I just got my MULTISTARS in today! wooooooooot!

4S 10AH X6 units! I bulk charged them in Series and watched at the cell level for Runaways. NO Runaways!
Bulk charged to 4.0-4.05v (ish) then topped them off with my BC168 which charges through the JST connectors.

Nice to watch them charge and absorb energy evenly. So in the some previous posts here, the even IR has been mentioned.

So far so good..... now I must capacity test them. Good to know that these are spec'd for Multi Rotor use and apparent better
quality control.

I'm so happy I made the move to MultiStars.

I've been using LiFePO4's for years! These are less than half the weight and size of my LiFePO4's. :)
 
4s 10ah MultiStars On Sale at the US Warehouse! for about $40.00 each!
 
I bought a bunch of the 4s 10ah multi's. They are my go to battery.
I do like the weight and size of these, and have been using lipo since I got into ev's. I do have issues with Lipo and don't really agree they are better or worse than 18650. I have one fat bike with 18650's and I find I ride that bike much more often than the others, not because its the best bike, but because of the batteries. I can fully charge the bike and then ride it weeks later, also can ride it when about empty and not worry about killing cells. Charging consists of putting in the plug.
Lipo on the other hand needs to be charged the day of use and charged to storage afterwards. Most times, I just want to head out on a ride and don't want to wait an hour or two for batteries. I also have pulled too many amps and killed a few cells, the C rating isn't really that great. Hence why I am buying more. Plus it really gets to be a pain to have to daisy chain them and take on and off the bike. If you can afford it, I'd get a dolphin battery and be done with it. Problem is you are talking $500 vs $120 for a 48v battery. You can afford to buy a few extra sets. Plus you don't have to worry about your garage blowing up with 18650.
 
I said they are lighter, smaller and less costly than round cells, I, for one, never said they are better.
It is well documented here that Multistars should be used in a lower-discharge system and if you can get a higher discharge rate from a "Dolphin" battery, I can only say that you must not be carrying much capacity. Part of the beauty of the Multistars is that since they are smaller and lighter, more capacity can be carried for a given space.
I wonder if you have optimized the charging procedure for LiPoly I am on record stating that they should be bulk charged and that the pack should not be constantly "broken down" to charge. And If it takes "one to two hours" for you to go from 3.90V/cell to 4.10V/cell, I can only surmise that you are still using a low-powered RC "toy" charger. I can take my 20,000 mAh pack to top Voltage in 20 minutes using a Mean Well HLG power supply.
I''m not sure it's fair to criticise the Multistars without detailing how you are using and charging them
And please It's tedious to read "blowing up" comments without any relevant examples. There isn't one report of Multistars catching on fire here, let alone "blowing up. More garages are burnt down w/ a gallon of gas than LiPoly.
 
I'm loving my Multistars 4s 10ah packs 6 in series 24s 100.8v max.... only charge to 4.1v per cell for 98.4v total.

I'm using two MeanWells in series set to 97.2v for a cell level charge of 4.05v..... then I top it off with my BC168
through the jst connectors to 4.1v.

I'm very impressed with them. My CA is set to 30amps Max.... I've pull 3.5C on bursts.... I have my CA set to 10amps now
and my bursts are 1.75C and still able to go 30mph if needed. 1200 watts off the line is fine.... I've done over 4KW off the line...
I really have no need for that anymore. I enjoyed that during my testing period of using High Voltage. I'm super efficient using only
19 w/h per mile or less. very happy that I can easily go 30miles using 60% of my 888w/h's.
 
Also to note:

My 4s 10ah Multistars in a 24s configuration during BULK charge with my MeanWell Chargers........
All the cells come up very even..... to within 100th of a volt.

I'm very happy of this...... my LiFePO4's never did this....... i'd have to watch them very closely for runaway cells.
 
I said they are lighter, smaller and less costly than round cells, I, for one, never said they are better.
It is well documented here that Multistars should be used in a lower-discharge system and if you can get a higher discharge rate from a "Dolphin" battery, I can only say that you must not be carrying much capacity. Part of the beauty of the Multistars is that since they are smaller and lighter, more capacity can be carried for a given space.
I wonder if you have optimized the charging procedure for LiPoly I am on record stating that they should be bulk charged and that the pack should not be constantly "broken down" to charge. And If it takes "one to two hours" for you to go from 3.90V/cell to 4.10V/cell, I can only surmise that you are still using a low-powered RC "toy" charger. I can take my 20,000 mAh pack to top Voltage in 20 minutes using a Mean Well HLG power supply.
I''m not sure it's fair to criticise the Multistars without detailing how you are using and charging them
And please It's tedious to read "blowing up" comments without any relevant examples. There isn't one report of Multistars catching on fire here, let alone "blowing up. More garages are burnt down w/ a gallon of gas than LiPoly.

I'm charging 4 of the Multi 4s 10ah batteries at 1c, like you should. Higher charge rates aren't the best for the batteries and I've tried to stick to that. A few years ago, I would have agreed with you, but the cost of round cells has almost reached parity with the lipo packs. I bought a bunch of the 4s 10ah batteries for $25, now they are around $40 on sale. Even doing a 48v 10ah pack you are talking around $140 with shipping. Add your $100 Meanwell charger, 3 - $30 battery medics and the total is $330. I can buy a 48v 13 Ah LG pack for the same price including the charger shipped. Yes, lipo is lighter and smaller, but a pound or two doesn't matter much on an ebike with 3kw. Right now prices are comparable.
Lastly, you get a bike like this using lipo:
P1010883.jpg


Instead of this:
EU-US-No-taxes-New-style-down-tube-dolphin-lithium-battery-48v-12ah-electric-bike-battery.jpg


Its nice to have choices though. If Lipo fits your needs then go for it.
 
The Mean Well and Battery Medics are a "one time" expenditure.

Lastly, you get a bike like this using lipo:
P1010883.jpg

Only if you don't finish the job. On that bike, a center frame bag could have been used;

View attachment 1

12,000 mAh of LiPoly is ionstalled on this bike;

100_0107.JPG
 
Sounds more like a user issue than a pouch vs cylinder issue. You can get good and bad cells for both formats and you can get tidy and untidy in both formats, and you can get power density vs energy density in both.

It just so happens that Multistars are cheap, have a low power density and high energy density, good cycle life and a proven safety record. That combination is perfect for eBikes, and lower powered eMotorcycles. I'm sure you can find cylindricals better in some aspect, just as I can hold up Trustfire "12Ah" 18650s that terminally sag on 0.5A. That's not the point is it?

Pick fior purpose and you don't have to get hung up about which is better, or defend your choice.
 
These are an amazing deal from the hobbyking AU warehouse right now, for those of us who live down under. just 38$ AUD/ 28$ USD.
 
Bought 16 of these for a new build and have been using them for about 9 months. I run 3 groups of 4 batteries for 75v and 20.8 AH. I have been really impressed with their reliability. I have 30 cycles on them and the only issue is one weak cell in one battery. I charge to 4.1v and draw down to 3.5v. What kind of range? At 15mph 65 miles, at 20mph 45 miles and at 25 mph 35 miles. In my opinion, they are a great low cost solution for ebike fun. Might have to add to the stack at these prices.
 
Please guys, do not forget icecubes work in testing a bunch of different lipo's including the Multistar.

I would definately go back to lipo, you cant go wrong with 44V 10Ah for $180usd inc s/h. That is $18/ah where any commercial pack is $50usd/Ah. Just need to be careful like any chem battery.

Some 100% musts for me include
Correct LVC cutoff
Cell monitoring
ammo can storage, with smoke alarm feet away
quality balance charger like icharger - worth it to spend the money on it for sure

I do hope the prices on the Multistars go down even more.
 
These are still on sale from the Global warehouse and today there is free shipping if you order at least $150 of stuff.
 
Back
Top