RC Airplane World Forum

Could anyone suggest a suitable field battery ie.Car,Leisure,and what amps.
Colin

Hi Colin - what's it going to power?

Hi Pete.I want one to charge li-po batteries,I have been told all kinds of batteries are suitable from car batteries,leisure batteries,to power packs but i dont want to recharge off my own car battery because i have been told by a car mechanic it can damage the alternator.
Colin.

Not sure what to suggest really Colin - for the few times I've used a 12v field charger I've done it from my car cigarette lighter.
I haven't heard of alternator problems because of running a field charger from the car battery, and as yet I haven't heard of anyone flattening their car battery within the space of a normal flying session, through charging their li-po packs.

But suitable batteries can range from a motorcycle battery (15Ah or so) to a heavy duty leisure battery (100+Ah). Needless to say, the higher the Amp Hour rating of the battery the more li-po charges you'll get between having to recharge the battery

Hopefully someone with more field-charging experience might be able to offer a more useful reply

shimsham and Pete,

Using the so called cigar lighter car connection is the same as if the field charger is connected directly to the battery under the hood. The circuit is going through the fuse panel and from there directly to the battery.

It is done all the time by dozens of fellows at the flying field.
It certainly does not damage any other part of the vehicle electrical system like the alternator or any other electrical component.

Of course anyone is free to use a separate field battery.
Preferably a lead-acid that keeps up its voltage while discharging a high amperage and as Pete said, the higher the Ah (Ampere hour) of the battery the less often it will need recharging.

Many manufacturers make "field chargers" for connection to the vehicle battery.

The field charger has to be the proper charger for the type of battery being charged.

Cheers,

KILOP

Added note _ _ _ _

I find it interesting that "shimsham" is apparently a dancing style developed by "Dean Collins".

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