Hillhater
100 TW
But the op wanted to adjust the lipo charge voltage,...which he is saying is possible,..4.18 - 4.30v !
So where is the problem ??
So where is the problem ??
Multistar High Capacity 6S 16000mAh
- Thread starter Emoto
- Start date
mkp007
100 mW
I would like an update on how these batteries are holding up after 50+ cycles. Anyone?
The link below shows a teardown of a smaller Multistar battery. You can see the cells are flat and rectangular similar to cell phone batteries. Any thoughts on how these cells compare to 18650 in terms of durability and endurance? I have been interested in the 10A 3.5Ah Panasonic GA cells. But this 16Ah multistar has caught my attention especially at the current price. If I'm looking to pull 50A from this 16Ah multistar, can I expect a cool long lasting battery with little voltage drop?
http://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/how-i-made-my-lipo-packs-slimmer/1415/73
Here are other posts related to this subject:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=62932
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32980
https://endless-sphere.com/forums//viewtopic.php?f=14&t=61672&p=1145215#p1164745
FYI: I have no expierence with HK yet but from the reviews they seem to be a mess. My guess is there return/warranty rate is like 30%. Mostly UK buyers complain due to unexpected duty fees. Anyone in the US have additional fees they weren't expecting? Do these batteries ship from China? I haven't read too many bad things about the multistar as long as you keep it well within 10C.
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.hobbyking.com
The link below shows a teardown of a smaller Multistar battery. You can see the cells are flat and rectangular similar to cell phone batteries. Any thoughts on how these cells compare to 18650 in terms of durability and endurance? I have been interested in the 10A 3.5Ah Panasonic GA cells. But this 16Ah multistar has caught my attention especially at the current price. If I'm looking to pull 50A from this 16Ah multistar, can I expect a cool long lasting battery with little voltage drop?
http://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/how-i-made-my-lipo-packs-slimmer/1415/73
Here are other posts related to this subject:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=62932
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32980
https://endless-sphere.com/forums//viewtopic.php?f=14&t=61672&p=1145215#p1164745
FYI: I have no expierence with HK yet but from the reviews they seem to be a mess. My guess is there return/warranty rate is like 30%. Mostly UK buyers complain due to unexpected duty fees. Anyone in the US have additional fees they weren't expecting? Do these batteries ship from China? I haven't read too many bad things about the multistar as long as you keep it well within 10C.
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.hobbyking.com
motomech
10 MW
So are you in Europe(profile please)?
If not, why are you wasting your time w/ that sketchy site over there. It seems to me that many of the reviews are from a core of haters that have some sort of vendetta against HK.
Perhaps the LiPoly Gods have been smiling on me, but I have been regularly buying LiPoly from HK since early '11 and have never had a bad cell, let alone a bad brick. First Zippy Flightmax, then Turnigy 20 and 25C and now Multistar.
There are no duties accessed for US end-users and HK maintains two warehouses INSIDE the US. I usually receive my
orders within a week. I do my homework and never have to ask HK a tech. question, so I can't comment on how knowledgeable their sales staff are, bit at least they are there.
So is HK perfect? No, they are often out of stock of items and their website is somewhat obtuse, made even more so by the recent site revamp. But w/ that revamp, came an across the board reduction of battery prices to the tune of 10 to 20%.
Bottom line, there is nobody that can compare to HK's variety of products and low prices. Or to put it more succinctly, there is no one else, period.
As to whether or not Multistar will meet your performance requirements, I would suggest you research the posts of icecube57, who has done documented dis-charge testing.
And bare in mind, Multistar trades dis-charge capacity for lighter weight and smaller form factor. Great for us low-power users, maybe not so much for you.
mkp007
100 mW
motomech said:
I'm in California (profile updated :wink: ). Is European HK site different? I only ask because you said "that sketchy site over there". It does seem that there are a bunch of haters. I know that Traxxas hates them as they filed a lawsuit over connectors.
I spoke with HK's CS and they said this battery will come from their Hong Kong warehouse. Customs duties will apply. Here is the transcript:
motomech
10 MW
36 units 
What are you building?
I have never heard of a "tax" imposed by US Customs and think the sales person is incorrect.
Either way, let is know how the transaction works out.
What are you building?
I have never heard of a "tax" imposed by US Customs and think the sales person is incorrect.
Either way, let is know how the transaction works out.
Daim11
100 mW
I've made a few purchases from the UK, Canada Ect. They all say the same thing, you may be charged tax by your Customs and I have never been charged tax by our customs. I am also on the West Coast USA.
mkp007
100 mW
Daim11 said:
I just bought 10 units so we'll see. I plan on testing each one individually to see if there are any duds. From what I've read I'm optimistic. At 3C, there was no reduction in capacity compared to 1C. ref: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=61672&start=175#p997783. I bought the iCharger 308Duo so that I can charge and balance four of the 4S batteries at the same time. It connects to logview for data capture. http://www.icharger.co.nz/manuals/308DUO.pdf.
I'm wondering now what the best way is to wire these together in series and parallel. Let's take a 4Sx4P array of the 4S 16Ah packs. Should I wire 4 packs in series and then connect 4 of these groups in parallel?
FYI: I started a new thread to discuss RC LiPo vs 18650 Cell packs here: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=84949
Sunder
10 MW
mkp007 said:
Goodluck. I bought 10 units.
1 was 15700 - discharge cut off due to one cell hitting 2.99v when the other 3 were still over 3.30
1 was 16700 (Not sure if this was an anomaly, as I charged and discharged this on a warmer day than the rest 34*C day vs mid to low 20s)
8 were between 16035 and 16350 - Most cut off when the first cell hit 2.99, with the other cells around 3.15-3.20v. Given the steepness of the curves there, I would say that the cells overall were VERY well matched.
I only needed 9 packs, so I excluded the one with the weak cell, and am in the process of making a 36S pack that
Hillhater
100 TW
Sunder, you should try a warranty replacement for that out of balance pack.
HK are usually fairly good at dud replacements...and they are relatively local to us.
HK are usually fairly good at dud replacements...and they are relatively local to us.
Sunder
10 MW
To be honest, for $50USD, couldn't be bothered. It's seriously only 2% out of spec. I'm pretty sure I can find a use for it anyway.
mkp007
100 mW
Thinking of ways to charge and balance four 4S packs at once. I just purchased the 308Duo charger http://www.icharger.co.nz/manuals/308DUO.pdf and it can charge and balance two 8S packs. So I just need some adapter cables like shown below. Does anyone see a problem with doing this?
edit: I ended up returning the 308Duo buying the 4010Duo because it has more power output and I got it for a great price from powerhobby.com ($273 w/ shipping and 10%off coupon).
edit: I ended up returning the 308Duo buying the 4010Duo because it has more power output and I got it for a great price from powerhobby.com ($273 w/ shipping and 10%off coupon).
these got knocked down to £8 recently. Just got mine. I wonder if 10c really means 3c max, will these saying 2c be more like 1c lol?
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/multistar-high-capacity-lightweight-8s-12000mah-2c-multi-rotor-lipo-pack.html
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/multistar-high-capacity-lightweight-8s-12000mah-2c-multi-rotor-lipo-pack.html
Sunder
10 MW
£8? Why don't they just give them away. That's insane.
From the reviews I read, the 10C is genuine for about 30 cycles. That's about all serious drone enthusiasts expect out of a pack.
The 16A packs apparently are a little better, as they are made from 2 x 8ah cells, rather than one large cell. This is even considering drawing 160a rather than 120a.
From the reviews I read, the 10C is genuine for about 30 cycles. That's about all serious drone enthusiasts expect out of a pack.
The 16A packs apparently are a little better, as they are made from 2 x 8ah cells, rather than one large cell. This is even considering drawing 160a rather than 120a.
Hillhater
100 TW
bionicdan said:these got knocked down to £8 recently. Just got mine. I wonder if 10c really means 3c max, will these saying 2c be more like 1c lol?
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/multistar-high-capacity-lightweight-8s-12000mah-2c-multi-rotor-lipo-pack.html
I have used those before. They perform like a similar capacity laptop 18650 pack would,...noticable sag at 2-3C discharge.
...but a damm sight cheaper, as well as simpler to assemble and install !
Multistars never lasted for me, out of my 12 packs I bought I have 5 left, I ran them at bursts of 10-15 C 
they did maybe 30 cycles they were fun though 14kw bursts sure do light up ya day I should have gone nano tech at the time, 3-4 c is their real safe output level. 18650 these days and they are getting better by the day.
they did maybe 30 cycles they were fun though 14kw bursts sure do light up ya day I should have gone nano tech at the time, 3-4 c is their real safe output level. 18650 these days and they are getting better by the day.kingjamez
100 W
These packs appear to be on sale right now for $72.00. https://hobbyking.com/en_us/multistar-high-capacity-6s-16000mah-multi-rotor-lipo-pack.html
-Jim
-Jim
mkp007
100 mW
I received my 10 packs 4S 16Ah multistar batteries about a week ago and have been anxious to put them to a storage charge level. They all came in at about 15.0V with each cell at 3.75V. Almost every pack had each cell withing 2mV! Out of 10 packs, none were duds. Pretty happy about that. Also, I incurred no additional shipping fees and shipping was quite fast considering they shipped from China.
Also, I have my 4010 Duo charger up and running. I liked this charger because I can balance charge 4 packs at once. Doing so requires putting two in series for each channel. The charger has two channels of 10S capabilities. I will only use 8S per channel during balancing. I'm balance my first two packs to 3.85V as I type this. I did have a newbie moment though and I'm writing this to hopefully help others who want to series charge for balancing purposes. The below four graphics should help. The first is how the two 4S batteries are connected in series. The next is how you connect it to the charger to minimize spark issues (per Junsi). The 3rd image shows the packs connected to the charger and being charged to storage voltage. The 4th shows the series balance board. It is important to realize that the two boards the charger comes with puts the batteries in series. When you hook the battery terminals in series, you have to get the polarity correct with the balance lines or else you will fry something. I screwed this up a first. I even checked the voltage and it showed 30V and then I put the connector together!! So dumb. destroyed the XT90 connector. Luckily it didn't do much else. The balance board also got fried but that was an easy fix. Anyways, check before you connect if you are unsure. It is so easy to screw this type of connection up. I need to figure out a way to mark the connectors and balance board to make it easier to not screw up.
iCharger 4010 Duo Support Page: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=23706547&postcount=1
good review: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1793798-iCharger-4010Duo-Review
The manual: http://www.icharger.co.nz/manuals/4010DUO.pdf
Also, I have my 4010 Duo charger up and running. I liked this charger because I can balance charge 4 packs at once. Doing so requires putting two in series for each channel. The charger has two channels of 10S capabilities. I will only use 8S per channel during balancing. I'm balance my first two packs to 3.85V as I type this. I did have a newbie moment though and I'm writing this to hopefully help others who want to series charge for balancing purposes. The below four graphics should help. The first is how the two 4S batteries are connected in series. The next is how you connect it to the charger to minimize spark issues (per Junsi). The 3rd image shows the packs connected to the charger and being charged to storage voltage. The 4th shows the series balance board. It is important to realize that the two boards the charger comes with puts the batteries in series. When you hook the battery terminals in series, you have to get the polarity correct with the balance lines or else you will fry something. I screwed this up a first. I even checked the voltage and it showed 30V and then I put the connector together!! So dumb. destroyed the XT90 connector. Luckily it didn't do much else. The balance board also got fried but that was an easy fix. Anyways, check before you connect if you are unsure. It is so easy to screw this type of connection up. I need to figure out a way to mark the connectors and balance board to make it easier to not screw up.
iCharger 4010 Duo Support Page: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=23706547&postcount=1
good review: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1793798-iCharger-4010Duo-Review
The manual: http://www.icharger.co.nz/manuals/4010DUO.pdf
motomech
10 MW
Actually, the diagrams are not exactly correct, but the pic.s are.
It helps to remember that electricity "flows" backwards, neg. to pos. Therefore, the #1 balance lead is the first neg. associated w/ the the first cell that receives the neg. main lead and everything follows from that.
I don't want to make this more confusing, so I will just say that noobies to this should use a balance adapter board that will do what one is trying to accomplish w/out to many adapter leads, like the one that came w/ this nice Duo charger.
Also, when connecting everything up the first time, touch the connectors together gently before pushing them together.
If you don't mind, what is your final pack configuration and use? It may be useful for you to think about a bulk charger in addition to the balance charger.
It helps to remember that electricity "flows" backwards, neg. to pos. Therefore, the #1 balance lead is the first neg. associated w/ the the first cell that receives the neg. main lead and everything follows from that.
I don't want to make this more confusing, so I will just say that noobies to this should use a balance adapter board that will do what one is trying to accomplish w/out to many adapter leads, like the one that came w/ this nice Duo charger.
Also, when connecting everything up the first time, touch the connectors together gently before pushing them together.
If you don't mind, what is your final pack configuration and use? It may be useful for you to think about a bulk charger in addition to the balance charger.
mkp007
100 mW
motomech said:
Ok, so in the charger, when it refers to "cell 1" it is specifically looking at the far right cell? Below is a revised illustration. Do you agree with it? (I updated the previous post images to avoid confusion)
Use a multi-meter and check the voltage between contacts prior to touching them if you are not sure. If there is a voltage there then something is not correct. Plug the balance leads to the balance board first, and then check the voltage between contacts of the battery plugs. But what motomech said is correct, "the #1 balance lead is the first neg. associated w/ the the first cell that receives the neg. main lead and everything follows from that", if you get this correct you will be fine.motomech said:
I do plan to bulk charge in parallel. The pack will be either 20Sx3P or 20Sx4P so there are 15-20 of these 4S packs. I'm in the process of designing the harness and I'm not sure the what the best approach is. My current plan is to make sub-packs of parallel packs and then connect these in series. So in the case of 20Sx4P, there will be 4 packs bundled together and wired in parallel. There would be 5 of these sub-packs that would be connected in series.motomech said:
