Review - 5S 20C 5000mah - Blue Lipo from HobbyPartz

Hello all,

As I posted elsewhere.. I decided to test out free Ground shipping from HobbyPartz while also testing out their 5S 20C 5000mah packs (which are supposedly from the same manufacturer as the Turnigy and / or Zippy Flightmax).

I've been hawking the UPS tracking number for this ground shippment since I placed the order, the package was expected today but I didn't hear the UPS man... lucky me they delivered it to the front door

I have checked them all and they are within spec, though I should mention (before you see the video) the are WARM right of the box (well it is 85 degrees F here in the Philly Burbs).

Here are the unboxing photos and a video examination (low quality until YouTube catches up)

The box arrived unopened and undamaged {and redacted sorry}


Packaging seems to be okay from the top perspective, bubble wrap..


Okay well only a single layer of bubble, but each individual pack is also bubble and anti-static wrapped


Here are the 3 5S packs removed from the packaging....


again...


Single layer of bubble and much was popped, I would like to see a bit more packaging used here


And yes a full video {too long, a bit of profanity at the EnJlirsh translation of the Warning Sheet}
[youtube]Th08NWsFpqM[/youtube]

I will update this post when I have charged and discharged these packs, ensuring 15-20C and no oddities or explosions {oh that would be a nice video and I have 2 of the new mini cams from turnigy}

Hope it helps!
-Mike

** edit - Sorry the video is mostly upside down, I hadn't realized while shooting and will post a new video on the next scheduled arrival from HobbyPartz shot the right way
** edit - I was right in the video, these are nearly 1/3" narrower than the 5S from HobbyKing! I haven't weighed them yet but I compared them to 5S and 6S hobbyking packs, they are just slimmer - guess soon enough we will know if they are 20C and 5000mah capacity.

* - reserved

First impressions - not as high of quality nor C rating discharge as the Hobby King 20C.

Pack doesn't get warm at 4C but... I've used approx 3.6 AH @ 22A (stock controller for testing first) - the battery voltage was sagging down around 54.x volts, somthing I never see so early on a Turnigy Lipo pack... not that I ever pull a full 5 AH from those, but 4.5 - 4.8 before cutout and the meter still shows = > 55v with a 22A load.

I assume this means lower capacity (explains the physical size difference also).

I will finish this pack to 3.3v or so - first cell cutout and update with the total AH / wh provided.

At first glance though, these run lower pack voltage under just a 4C load of 22A... They will work but are not as high quality as the Turnigy 20C or Zippy Flightmax 20C... A few days will tell if they will last as a power source for an eBike - they are more expensive and seem initially less capable but... they are (were) available.

Comments, feedback and questions welcome... got a test you want me to make on these, post it (no I won't deliberately short or destroy the pack)

-Mike

Thanks for the review.

Interesting they caution against 140F temps.

I had a cell up beyond 600F for 15minutes trying to make it go off, and it just slightly discolored before I got tired of waiting.

Then I hit it with an oxy-acetylene cutting torch, and it handled it about as well as anything, even managed to stay intact enough to stop the tounge of flame from licking through it for a few minutes, which is better than the nomex fire resistant materials I tested handled the cutting torch. lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKYE7vpyUI0


Those seams on those cells, and the small wires seems a bit different than HK cells.

If you can measure the exact amount of voltage drop under a given current load, and then give us the pack number of cells in S and P, I can estimate the Ri of the cells.

During the cell testing on HK packs, one of the cells I peeled apart from a pack clearly labled 5Ah, had a mfg's barcode and lot number sticker on the cell that said 5400mAh, so it's possible these cells are just true 5Ah rather than doing the 0.5-1Ah under-rating cell capacity that we often measure when discharging HK packs.

The appearent low C-rate may be a safety concern. The gen1 and gen2 LiPo formulas were generally topping out around 20c discharge, and were much less stable than the current 3rd gen formula that is both lower resistance and in testing, way more stable than the earlier formulas.

I can test them up to 10A at a cell level (once I open one) and yea I can do 1 - 4C testing on pack level at this point with a 5S which should be enough to calculate the IR - then again I can just measure it on the iCharger tommorow = )_

5400mah that are rejects right? Still > 5100+ on delivery... You may be right that these are actual 20C, I will check the IR and post the specs of AH consumed @ 4C before 3.3 or so... I don't want to take fresh packs lower than that until they cycle a few times.

Have you seen the hype about some Hong Kong brand lipo - supposedly you can twist them up and they don't explode or sustain damage? I was checking for other reviews on Youtube for the Blue Lipo but came across the maleable things instead, I can post the link if you want... Man you could just force them into frame tubes and they would conform... Would be great for dealing with UN Testing.

Either way... just a few short minutes (about 20) using the Blue Lipo so far and I have a new respect for the quality and stiffness of the Turnigy LiPo (and Zippy Flight Max) - I actually saw some 30C/60C 4500mah packs today at the LHS for 275.00 and nearly threw up a little bit.

-Mike

Sounds pretty promising, to me. As soon as they get their hipment in, I'm going to try some 6s-5000 packs. I have both 20C Zippy and 20C Turnigy-based packs, so I want to do a direct comparison. Even if they aren't quite as strong, so what, they are still going to be stronger then, well everything else.

-- Gary

If a guy is planning to carry 15 ah of these anyway, to have range, they sound like they would be fine. You'd never notice the sag if you are using them at 2c-4c anyway. For those using a 12s pack, carrying two more won't be such a big deal to keep the capacity high.

But for the hot rodders, racers, and other speed demons, waiting a bit longer to get the turnigy 30c seems smart to me. That way you can still confidently play with higher voltages with less than 3-4 packs paralelled. 10 ah pack, used at 4c, =40 amps so you might want to actually use em at 8-10 c with some controllers.

Yes,

I agree in a 2P-4P Pack they would be fine... 80A Draw they wouldn't blink at or even perhaps 100A burst.

Just guess I am now spoiled with the HK Lipo - they are a bit nicer than advertised (when available).

They are in fact a tad smaller in profile as I mentioned and I do like the translucent (more blue tinted but clear) shrink - makes inspection of the cells spot on and I think it may even look neater.

I have still yet to weigh them, in fact I will be heading out to test the 3.3v LVC trip (with a spare fresh pack so I'm not stranded) in a few minutes... That will give me the 3-4C discharge rate which is about what a 1P pack would see on a stock controller.. 1.5 - 3C on a 2P.

These things are fine, don't get me wrong... the balance leads are also of a higher gauge - 24 I believe and not silicone.

There are tons of tidbits which could be issues, if they survive and improve in the next 10 cycles or so... I will be happy, though I do wonder what the possibilty of decreased cycle life may be...

-Mike

keefer,

any updates on those Blue Lipos from Hobby Partz. I am thinking of buying 4-6 of them.

Solrac