WOW!! big batteries. That is a lot of weight. Those are some DJI flight times, 35 minutes. It's an impressive flight time. I am also surprised at the "exponential drop off" at lower voltage. Thanks you for the review. Very informative for those who fly 7" and 8" quads.
The thing is... i have both quads... chimera 7 and the 7 pro... and my old chimera 7 ever gets the higher flight times... i did not test with 2x 4000mah Li ion (because i dont have 2 of them) But if i test with my 6000mah Li ion, my old chimera 7 gets about 40 minutes out of it... the chimera 7 pro. about 1/3 less flight time. Maybe i should order 2 of these Full Send li ions... and compare the 2 quads with it^^ but i think my old chimera 7 gets over 50 minutes out of the 2 full sends :) I dont know... im not realy happy with the "pro" one, i like the old one still moore!
Thanks for the update! I build my own Chimera 7 (non PRO) and got very good flight times. But you have to choose the right Motor. The T-Motor F90 got better power to weight ratio over the Xing 2806.5. Flight times without a GoPro 6S 3300mAh LIPO = 12-15 minutes -> Setup for FUN 6S 4000mAh DIY LiIon (INR21700-P42A) = 20-24 minutes -> pedal to the metall will overheat the cells 4S2P 6000mAh DIY LiIon (US18650VTC6) = 40-45 minutes -> pedal to the metall will overheat the cells Maybe my next pack will be a 4S2P with INR21700-P42A cells. Weight arount 600g for 8000mAh. Maybe more flight time possible...
I went to 8" it is slightly less efficient at same speed. But higher speed seems to even out or get better. But now carrying two 6s 4000mah li-ion with hero9 it flies easier. But didn't get to compare flight time with heavier battery on both 7" & 8" thinking when weight gets up 8" wins efficiency Also manufacturer spec sheets list 4.2v for the batteries. I just assumed 4.1v was old batteries & chargers play it safe 🤷🏻♂️
I tried 7.5 and 8 - with 8" I got 10min with Li-ion 2500mah, 300g + GoPro10 light. With 7.5 + GoPro10 + 5000mah Lipo only 7 minutes. I will be staying with 8"
Nice packs, it does seem that they do pack a really big amount of energy, and the flight times with them are really something, the most I've flown in one pack was just 10 minutes with my crux 3! Nice video and keep up the good work! 💪
- as a COMPLETE newbie (Old Man version even!) this may be a blasphemous suggestion… but have you considered VTOL as an option… there are some interesting options coming out… but most of them have visibly inefficient designs…. (For example: most designs have 1 to 4! Dead props when converted to winged flight…. ALL props used should be used in both modes of flight to improve efficiency…. You could do it!) 🤩
Pretty impressive packs, Albert! 😮 Fantastic flying and review! About Li-ion batteries... Theoretically you can deal with them like you do with Lipos. Including the storage charge, it should be 3.7v, not 3.45v... (Which is really weird, I've never seen anyone do this way.) BUT... You're not wrong charging up to 4.1v. Because most of these cells only charge up to 4.1... Something. 4.13, 4.17... There are some that go up to 4.22v! But it's really difficult to find one like that. Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
You can charge them on "Lipo Setting" on your charger and take them up to 4.2v/cell. if you use the "Lion Setting" on chargers it will only go to 4.1v/cell - that was the threshold for older Lions. These new cells can be treated like Lipos, but can be discharged a lot further before the cells are cooked.
Hey Albert. Good video as always. I build my own 18650 6s packs and with 1 2600mah I’m getting about 17min avg. so now you’ve got me thinking about switching to 21700 now 😊🤙
that's seriously insane, it means an average of 138mAh drawn every minute... I flew 4S with 1700kv motors and it goes up to 260mAh per minute >< can't wait to build my own 7inch 6S
@@flaviotaneli9138 yeah it’s seriously efficient. I based a lot of the build on FalconRads 7” build and used 18650 batteries he recommended. But he’s also moved to 21700s and getting great flight times. So my next move to to build a 21700 6s liion pack and try out the hq 7.5” bi-blade props to see if I get even more flight time. Of course 17mins is nothing compared to Scott Tomlinsons 55min 4s liion build 🤯.
@@jsnlmb42 I have no interest in flying more than 15min and also I don't wanna have a 2kg quad with 6S2P 🤣 I'll try Lipos 6S 2200mAh for now, some reported 11min+ of flight time with these and you still keep the benefit of the Lipo power in case you need an emergency full send to avoid a tree 😂 then probably a 6S 3000 or 4000mAh but not bigger
Hi, I've just got my Chimera7 Pro V2 and these batteries. And I'm afraid to lose the batteries midflight (haven't tried it yet though). Are you using the two on-frame battery straps only (one strap per battery) or you somehow attach them in some other ways which are more secure?
Hi, iFlight say they have an optimised factory dump available that will make the C7 pro more efficient and longer flight time than the standard. Have you installed the latest dump and if so did you notice any longer cruising flight time performance?
Mine was from about a month ago. They release updates from time to time but no revision history available so it's impossible to know what's different. I don't have any plans to re-test each new firmware dump.
Thanks for the update. Very much appreciated. Just got a question about the parallel batteries, is there any circuit board or module that can stop the batteries charging each other? Also is it safe to make Lipo in parallel with li-ion (same voltage)?
I wouldn't mix chemistries even with the same voltage. I've never tried that and I don't think it's even safe to test it unless you do it in a place where you're OK with the battery packs starting a massive fire.
To further add to this thread. It is not recommended nor is it safe. The chemical make up of batteries differ from battery to battery, (hence that name) this in turn has an effect on the charging rate. Batteries among manufacturers differ slightly in their chemical make up, so while you may be able to get away with charging different types of batteries on a charger with two separate channels (like having two independent chargers) it is not recommended nor is it safe to charge different (chemical battery types) batteries on the same balance charging board. Losing your drone to a tree, mountain, or some body of water is bad but losing your home to a Lipo fire is worse.
@@pandrews01 Thanks for the feedback. How about in-flight charging? With a proper circuit board, it seems reasonable to think of a Li-ion battery charging a Lipo while flying; A nice concept that no one have really given it a chance.
Hey thank you so much for this video I've been waiting many weeks after receiving my chimera 7 pro for someone to make a good video on what battery to use for long range. 50 percent say li-ion and the other 50 percent say lipo. Li-ion get complicated bc people recommend making h Custom pack which I have no knowledge of making myself also seems a bit skatchy so I just went to amazon an bought the 6s 5000 drone amps recommend it flew but not for long to I guess li-ion is the way to go
Hi, thanks as always for your comprehensive reviews and tutorials!!! May I ask you if a Crocodile 75 v2 can fit a 6S 10000 mAh 9A Lion Battery Pack or is the original Fullsend 8000mah iflight better?
With 35 minutes of flight time it should be pretty easy to run our of radio range. So I'm wondering whether it makes sense to use ELRS 915MHz or ELRS 2.4GHz is enough since it's impossible to lose RC link before losing video link. What do you think?
This is a loaded question. There are so many different scenarios here that it's not possible to answer this question properly. FYI, people have gone over 30km on ELRS 2.4ghz. That was on a plane with clear line of sight. I've seen range on 900mhz as low as 10 feet. It just depends on the situation... Need a lot more information for this question.
@@AlbertKimTV I'm interested in long range (5-10 km) proximity flying (1-2 metres) above glaciers in the Arctic. By the way, I'm curious whether it's possible to use Nitecore NL1835LTHP cold resistant Li-Ion 18650 as cells in a custom made battery for Chimera 7 Pro? What do you think?
Depends on the manufacturer of the battery. Some are OK at 4.2, some lower voltage. You have to contact the battery maker for specifications. These packs from iFlight can charge to 4.2v
Another great video. I build my own Li-Ion packs and the spec sheets that come with the batteries state that 4.2 Volts is the max and 2.5 Volts is the minimum. I charge to 4.2V on the Lipo setting on my charger and plan to be on the ground at 2.7V. The volts drop off rather quickly once you go blow 3.0. Longest flight to date Floss 7 inch 5S 5000mah Li-Ion 40 min 20.1 miles flown. Been out 7 miles analog.
4.2v per cell for these packs. Normal Lipo mode. If you want to be conservative and use the 4.1v setting, that is OK too but not necessary for these packs.
@@AlbertKimTV I ask you because when I was going to charge them in li ion mode and I wanted to select the voltage, 22.2 did not appear, but 21.7 and in lipo mode the voltage was 22.2
I believe I was able to achieve 27-28mins on my chimera 7 with custom molicel packs. The original chimera 7 didn’t like all that weight and it sucked during flight loaded down lol
I like to build li-ion packs with VTC6s, although per-cell and pre-made prices are similar. Samsung 40T looks to be $4-7 per cell so it might be worth investing in a spot welder :o
very informative video. With my charger, I can set 4.15v in liion mode, which works perfectly fine. I did charge it a few times in Lipomode to 4.2v, but I feel I did mess up my battery a bit with it ^^
@@AlbertKimTV probably but I will stick to the 4.15v for now, since I get plenty of flight time anyways and don't fell the few extra mAh makes a big difference👍🏽
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WOW!! big batteries. That is a lot of weight. Those are some DJI flight times, 35 minutes. It's an impressive flight time. I am also surprised at the "exponential drop off" at lower voltage. Thanks you for the review. Very informative for those who fly 7" and 8" quads.
There are some crazy people out there who can fly for more than 30 minutes in one sitting. That's nuts!
😎
30 min go quickly on mountain surfing, and multiple climb/dive loops :)
The thing is... i have both quads... chimera 7 and the 7 pro... and my old chimera 7 ever gets the higher flight times... i did not test with 2x 4000mah Li ion (because i dont have 2 of them) But if i test with my 6000mah Li ion, my old chimera 7 gets about 40 minutes out of it... the chimera 7 pro. about 1/3 less flight time. Maybe i should order 2 of these Full Send li ions... and compare the 2 quads with it^^ but i think my old chimera 7 gets over 50 minutes out of the 2 full sends :) I dont know... im not realy happy with the "pro" one, i like the old one still moore!
Thanks for the update! I build my own Chimera 7 (non PRO) and got very good flight times. But you have to choose the right Motor. The T-Motor F90 got better power to weight ratio over the Xing 2806.5.
Flight times without a GoPro
6S 3300mAh LIPO = 12-15 minutes -> Setup for FUN
6S 4000mAh DIY LiIon (INR21700-P42A) = 20-24 minutes -> pedal to the metall will overheat the cells
4S2P 6000mAh DIY LiIon (US18650VTC6) = 40-45 minutes -> pedal to the metall will overheat the cells
Maybe my next pack will be a 4S2P with INR21700-P42A cells. Weight arount 600g for 8000mAh. Maybe more flight time possible...
I went to 8" it is slightly less efficient at same speed. But higher speed seems to even out or get better. But now carrying two 6s 4000mah li-ion with hero9 it flies easier. But didn't get to compare flight time with heavier battery on both 7" & 8" thinking when weight gets up 8" wins efficiency
Also manufacturer spec sheets list 4.2v for the batteries. I just assumed 4.1v was old batteries & chargers play it safe 🤷🏻♂️
I tried 7.5 and 8 - with 8" I got 10min with Li-ion 2500mah, 300g + GoPro10 light. With 7.5 + GoPro10 + 5000mah Lipo only 7 minutes. I will be staying with 8"
Very interesting and informative video.
Well done explanation of safely using Li-ion packs. Happy cruising Albert. 🤓
Nice Job! Flight time is with gopro or I suspect without gopro? With Hero 10(without battery) with one Fullsendi get 15 min (end voltage 2.8)
Nice packs, it does seem that they do pack a really big amount of energy, and the flight times with them are really something, the most I've flown in one pack was just 10 minutes with my crux 3! Nice video and keep up the good work! 💪
😎
I'm currently building an endurance quad aiming for over 1 hour of flight time in HD ;)
- as a COMPLETE newbie (Old Man version even!) this may be a blasphemous suggestion… but have you considered VTOL as an option… there are some interesting options coming out… but most of them have visibly inefficient designs…. (For example: most designs have 1 to 4! Dead props when converted to winged flight…. ALL props used should be used in both modes of flight to improve efficiency…. You could do it!)
🤩
Pretty impressive packs, Albert! 😮
Fantastic flying and review!
About Li-ion batteries... Theoretically you can deal with them like you do with Lipos. Including the storage charge, it should be 3.7v, not 3.45v... (Which is really weird, I've never seen anyone do this way.)
BUT... You're not wrong charging up to 4.1v. Because most of these cells only charge up to 4.1... Something. 4.13, 4.17... There are some that go up to 4.22v! But it's really difficult to find one like that.
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
You can charge them on "Lipo Setting" on your charger and take them up to 4.2v/cell. if you use the "Lion Setting" on chargers it will only go to 4.1v/cell - that was the threshold for older Lions. These new cells can be treated like Lipos, but can be discharged a lot further before the cells are cooked.
@@AcruxFPV Exactly. I took lots of them out of discarded notebook batteries. 😬
Hey Albert. Good video as always.
I build my own 18650 6s packs and with 1 2600mah I’m getting about 17min avg. so now you’ve got me thinking about switching to 21700 now 😊🤙
21700 is the way to go these days. Much better energy density and amp draw ability.
that's seriously insane, it means an average of 138mAh drawn every minute... I flew 4S with 1700kv motors and it goes up to 260mAh per minute >< can't wait to build my own 7inch 6S
@@flaviotaneli9138 yeah it’s seriously efficient. I based a lot of the build on FalconRads 7” build and used 18650 batteries he recommended. But he’s also moved to 21700s and getting great flight times. So my next move to to build a 21700 6s liion pack and try out the hq 7.5” bi-blade props to see if I get even more flight time.
Of course 17mins is nothing compared to Scott Tomlinsons 55min 4s liion build 🤯.
@@jsnlmb42 I have no interest in flying more than 15min and also I don't wanna have a 2kg quad with 6S2P 🤣 I'll try Lipos 6S 2200mAh for now, some reported 11min+ of flight time with these and you still keep the benefit of the Lipo power in case you need an emergency full send to avoid a tree 😂 then probably a 6S 3000 or 4000mAh but not bigger
@@flaviotaneli144 ok well have fun with that 🤙
Albert,
Those are huge packs. Nice review.
😁
Mabel these at 8000mah are good for field charging
Hi, I've just got my Chimera7 Pro V2 and these batteries. And I'm afraid to lose the batteries midflight (haven't tried it yet though). Are you using the two on-frame battery straps only (one strap per battery) or you somehow attach them in some other ways which are more secure?
One strap per battery
Hi, iFlight say they have an optimised factory dump available that will make the C7 pro more efficient and longer flight time than the standard. Have you installed the latest dump and if so did you notice any longer cruising flight time performance?
Mine was from about a month ago. They release updates from time to time but no revision history available so it's impossible to know what's different. I don't have any plans to re-test each new firmware dump.
Thanks for the update. Very much appreciated. Just got a question about the parallel batteries, is there any circuit board or module that can stop the batteries charging each other? Also is it safe to make Lipo in parallel with li-ion (same voltage)?
@@inakidb Thanks, I have heard of diodes, but have you seen anyone trying this before?
@@Adam_Carbone I do hope someone makes one :) I'll search around to see what I can find. Thanks a lot.
I wouldn't mix chemistries even with the same voltage. I've never tried that and I don't think it's even safe to test it unless you do it in a place where you're OK with the battery packs starting a massive fire.
To further add to this thread. It is not recommended nor is it safe. The chemical make up of batteries differ from battery to battery, (hence that name) this in turn has an effect on the charging rate. Batteries among manufacturers differ slightly in their chemical make up, so while you may be able to get away with charging different types of batteries on a charger with two separate channels (like having two independent chargers) it is not recommended nor is it safe to charge different (chemical battery types) batteries on the same balance charging board. Losing your drone to a tree, mountain, or some body of water is bad but losing your home to a Lipo fire is worse.
@@pandrews01 Thanks for the feedback. How about in-flight charging? With a proper circuit board, it seems reasonable to think of a Li-ion battery charging a Lipo while flying; A nice concept that no one have really given it a chance.
Hey thank you so much for this video I've been waiting many weeks after receiving my chimera 7 pro for someone to make a good video on what battery to use for long range. 50 percent say li-ion and the other 50 percent say lipo. Li-ion get complicated bc people recommend making h
Custom pack which I have no knowledge of making myself also seems a bit skatchy so I just went to amazon an bought the 6s 5000 drone amps recommend it flew but not for long to I guess li-ion is the way to go
Hi, thanks as always for your comprehensive reviews and tutorials!!! May I ask you if a Crocodile 75 v2 can fit a 6S 10000 mAh 9A Lion Battery Pack or is the original Fullsend 8000mah iflight better?
What are the dimensions?
It’s the new Geprc Crocodile 75 v2 and the Lu-ion is 44 x 150 x 66 (880gr) 22,6V
With 35 minutes of flight time it should be pretty easy to run our of radio range. So I'm wondering whether it makes sense to use ELRS 915MHz or ELRS 2.4GHz is enough since it's impossible to lose RC link before losing video link. What do you think?
This is a loaded question. There are so many different scenarios here that it's not possible to answer this question properly. FYI, people have gone over 30km on ELRS 2.4ghz. That was on a plane with clear line of sight. I've seen range on 900mhz as low as 10 feet. It just depends on the situation... Need a lot more information for this question.
@@AlbertKimTV I'm interested in long range (5-10 km) proximity flying (1-2 metres) above glaciers in the Arctic. By the way, I'm curious whether it's possible to use Nitecore NL1835LTHP cold resistant Li-Ion 18650 as cells in a custom made battery for Chimera 7 Pro? What do you think?
Do I charge a lion the same as a lipo battery? Set my charger to 4.0 and all will be good? I’m new to fpv so don’t know.
Depends on the manufacturer of the battery. Some are OK at 4.2, some lower voltage. You have to contact the battery maker for specifications. These packs from iFlight can charge to 4.2v
charging using lipo setting?
Another great video. I build my own Li-Ion packs and the spec sheets that come with the batteries state that 4.2 Volts is the max and 2.5 Volts is the minimum. I charge to 4.2V on the Lipo setting on my charger and plan to be on the ground at 2.7V. The volts drop off rather quickly once you go blow 3.0. Longest flight to date Floss 7 inch 5S 5000mah Li-Ion 40 min 20.1 miles flown. Been out 7 miles analog.
😎
When are you going to charge those batteries specifically, in what mode do you put your charger?
4.2v per cell for these packs. Normal Lipo mode. If you want to be conservative and use the 4.1v setting, that is OK too but not necessary for these packs.
@@AlbertKimTV I ask you because when I was going to charge them in li ion mode and I wanted to select the voltage, 22.2 did not appear, but 21.7 and in lipo mode the voltage was 22.2
I believe I was able to achieve 27-28mins on my chimera 7 with custom molicel packs. The original chimera 7 didn’t like all that weight and it sucked during flight loaded down lol
Imagine all that weight at the end of the battery when you have no power left! 😲
i make my 6s pack with the Molicel 21700 P42A 4200mAh 45A discharge and I get almost 30mins of flight time
6s1p or 6s2p pack?
@@AlbertKimTV 6S1P
Hi albert,possible to do with 2 li-ion one 5000mah and the other 4000 mah?
It might be possible but definitely not safe.
Great vidéo ! What is the take off weight with all of this !?
I mentioned it in the video. I think it was about 1.8kg. You can watch the video again in case my memory is no good.
What ND filters will fit my GoPro if I am using a protective GoPro mount like that red one you have mounted on your Chimera in the background here…?
Depends on which GoPro you have but the stick on kind are the only ones you can use. See this video... ua-cam.com/video/04muSdZ5YvU/v-deo.html
I like to build li-ion packs with VTC6s, although per-cell and pre-made prices are similar. Samsung 40T looks to be $4-7 per cell so it might be worth investing in a spot welder :o
very informative video.
With my charger, I can set 4.15v in liion mode, which works perfectly fine. I did charge it a few times in Lipomode to 4.2v, but I feel I did mess up my battery a bit with it ^^
4.2v is perfectly fine if you have high quality cells. 4.1v is a legacy thing back in the day when Li-ION cells were pretty bad.
@@AlbertKimTV probably but I will stick to the 4.15v for now, since I get plenty of flight time anyways and don't fell the few extra mAh makes a big difference👍🏽
There are people on facbook who said they got over an hour on these packs.
really?