Flat A123 Cells- When?

[Arct1k]

They come as flat packs but are round cells...

http://rclipos.com/AR18650-2S2P.htm

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6563

[auto2]

ok im behind the times here. charge at 5C? 3C? so a 5s 3700 pack u charge at 25 amps?? so a charge takes how long then? not 5 times as fast

[suicideneil]

No, you just cant count

3700mah = 3.7amps x 5 = 18.5amps = a 5C charge rate will be 18.5amps = yes, 5 times faster than a normal 1c charge rate = about 12minutes instead of 1 hour = needs a charger that can do 342 watts.

Not sure there is any beans to spill, they are out. RCLipos has them in stock:

http://www.rclipos.com/AR18650-2S2P.htm

I've got these two with this slick little charger called the Nanophosphate Mini.

I just got them a few days ago and I'll be testing them out this weekend. I'll post up more news once I've run them. About the only initial comments I'd make are that I can't believe how light they are (185g) and that you can charge them in 20 mins (albeit at 8amps...) we shall see...

[stum]

Sorry until they can pack 4400/4600 into the same space they are just worthless to me. Think about it, you need to have nearly 2x as much weight in your truck for the same run time as a lipo.. that is just unreasonable... the only thing a 1p a123 pack is good for would be a 5minute heat with a short warm up :P You couldn't even finish a short 'club' main with a 1p pack unless you were running ungodly voltage (12s or 13s).

[Arct1k]

not true I finished the last 6mins of the rcm bash with 6s1p after one pack fell off my G3R (at lutachs feet)

[Finnster]

Yeah that's not quite accurate. I ran last years bash on 10s1p and only used up 1600mah. The power was still too much with the 2Y so I later detuned it to 9s, and think I could have gone down from there. Besides its not just weight you are looking at with the A123s, its many other adv and tradeoffs as well. Granted with the newest 30C/5C charge lipos they don't quite have the edge they did, but they are still really good cells for certain apps, and are excellent bashing packs due to their abuse tolerance and durability.

[tc3_racer_001]

umm, they dont get dented? thats one thing im still waiting on for lipos. the ability to get dented and be fine.. not talking about extra cases here, the outside layer would be the -ve ideally...?

[BrianG]

That's a pipe dream I think. Denting ANY type of battery is not good. Usually, cells are made up of conductive plates with the cell make-up in between. Dent it enough and the plates touch, which shorts out the cell. I assume you mean being able to dent them badly and not puff/flame?

[BL_RV0]

What are the dimensions of a 2300mah a123 cell?

[stum]

Originally Posted by tc3_racer_001

umm, they dont get dented? thats one thing im still waiting on for lipos. the ability to get dented and be fine.. not talking about extra cases here, the outside layer would be the -ve ideally...?

They have had hard cased lipo's out for over a year.. just a FYI on that.. LOL thats not an extra case you need to wrap the cells together when in series.. doesn't matter the type a123 or lipo, you wrap in shrink or in a hard case. You want protection buy hard case, if you are smart enough to have a decent battery tray with good hold downs... it doesnt really matter which you go with.

[DLS II]

25.85mm dia x 65.15 tall. Wt is 70 grams. Don

[BL_RV0]

Thanks Don.

[hyperasus]

Holly crap. I am definitely going to buy some of these for my E-Revo. No cuttoff and no swelled packs sounds awesome to me. Don't get me wrong I will still keep my Lipos, but sometimes it feels like if I even look at my Lipo packs wrong they swell up on me.

[tc3_racer_001]

even still hard cased lipos aint exactly ideal... IMHO. id prefer a soft case over a hard cased any day. why, the same reason i have a lipo sack not being used. id rather see that the pack is swelling when somethings wrong and stop it quickly than have it flame up on me... with a hard case it is the same idea. i have no idea if the cells are puffing or not. i just hope they arent!!!
anyway.... a123 seem more durable thats for sure.