The Lipo Battery Truth, SMC Packs Testing at the Top of the Market for Your RC Model
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
- Batteries and Transmitters are two of the most controversial topics. Like Ford or Chevy people feel very strongly about their connections to a brand and sometimes don't or won't accept the data that should or could make them see it differently. In this video we breakdown some real testing and point out some of the most eye opening topics to help use make a better battery buying decisions.
Super big thanks to Joe and Jim and all the other member of the Rc Group thread that contributed to such a great collection of data.
See the thread here:
www.rcgroups.c...
Old links may not work as the charts are updated regularly. See this link
www.rcgroups.c...
Old Bubble Chart 1:
static.rcgroup...
Old Bubble Chart 2:
static.rcgroup...
Results Chart:
static.rcgroup...
Internal Resistance Meter:
www.smc-racing...
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Facebook Official Page: / officialjustplanecrazy
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Great information in this one. Took years for me to collect, understand and use what you have done here with one video. Bravo!! If smc packs were hard to get like forever, what’s it going to be like now😜
I think we will still be ok.
I got my hands on a pair of SMC 4500 6S packs last week and am very impressed after flight tests in a heli and edf. C rating tested with ESR meter showed higher than the other 20 or so packs I have in my collection.
That’s great news
THANK YOU. Finally a comprehensive review backed up by data! It's painful having to sift through all the reviews that present feelings/opinions as facts.
Feelings...... it’s all about.....feelings! You’re spot on. Thanks for watching
I have 2 SMC cells I bought I believe around 2014. Still use them! Still balances perfectly, capacity is 95%+ and no puffing.
World class packs
Great video! I did a dive based on this thread a few months ago and came to the same conclusions as you did - that SMC packs are absolutely something to consider based on their real performance data. Like you, I got 70c RT batteries. I bought them because they seemed popular and I had not been flying for 7 years. They worked reasonably well in my FreeWing Mig-29, but I was surprised by the high internal resistance (10-12mohm) as measured from my Powerlab 8. That was an immediate red flag. The best advice you gave is "show me the data". I'm an electrical engineer and have been doing electric flight since 2001 when everyone still flew NiCads. The data in this thread is a gold mine and should inform your decisions. Once I did the deep dive, I regretted my initial purchase decision. I'll keep flying them, but my next set of 6S5000s will probably be something different - like the SMCs. FYI, all the discussion about connectors made me laugh - in a good way. You are spot on. The battery C ratings so overblow what is practical given the leads and connectors on these cells.
Cool video. I have been complaining about battery C ratings for years ! People say oh you need a 50c battery for xyz plane. No you need a battery than can actually put out 20c. A true 20c covers what 95% of the pilots will ever need.
Statement is very true
Good stuff and made easy for the masses to understand. Joe is "The Man" for battery info for sure! Thanks Brandon for the honest info.
Thanks for the compliment and watching.
Thanks for the video, I use lipos for very fast ebikes, last purchase was 15x turnigy 6000mah 4s 75c graphen, I was disappointed with the voltage under load… even though it’s 3P, now I know why! Was almost 2k with shipping and everything, I also made custom batteries holder, lots of time wasted because next batteries won’t be these lies!
At least, now I know! I will try to look and find the best SMC batteries for my next ebike project, and I think I will have way more fun driving!
Big thanks for some clarification and pointing me in the direction of Joe.
Thanks for watching
I buy batteries based on the color of the heat shrink.
I appreciate your information. I just bought 2 6500 smc packs, so I picked the right company. I run boats only & it's good to hear all the positive reports . Thanks again.
Thanks for watching🤪😜😝
Thank you for all the great info in this video. I have used LiPo batteries for years, but I learned LOTS of new things during this video. I have used lots of different battery brands, but when I was into racing RC cars, I mostly used SMC batteries to build acks, and they were always top notch quality. I couldn't get the bubble chart links to work, do you have any updated links for them? Keep up the great videos!!!
thank you sir for this video as I go deeper into the rabbit hole that is RC.
valid points about the excellence of smc lipos but then again, hrb is a budget lipo so yes same same and yet same different.
Can you do an updated video, specifically about how to use these packs, and long term review? The 2 things I’m worried about, is other videos I’ve seen about low cycle life not SMCs but lihv in general. The other thing being Esc low voltage cutoff, where the Esc thinks lihv packs have and extra cell because of the higher voltage, and cutoff the voltage prematurely. So could you do a video of long term use, and programming ESCs to use the lihv packs
So keep in mind these are lipo and not lihv.
@@JustPlaneCrazy thank you, I just looked again and saw they have standard Lipo flight pack, they just weren’t under the flight pack tab, thanks again.
My batteries started lasting much longer when I started parallel charging them at 1.5C at the field, flying them until they run down to 3.7 volts/cell, and leaving them at that voltage until the next trip to the field. If you're not going to use them within a week, put them at the storage charge of 3.85 volts/cell and keep them in a safe, cool place..
The links to the results and bubble sheets do not work, do you have a different link? Perhaps a PDF
I updated the link to the thread just now. They update their spreadsheets regularly so old links may not work. The Smc 6200 40c is currently getting amazing test results. In my second battery vid I see comparable results amongst battery manufactures.
Thanks for sharing your expertise. Just back into the hobby on 10/20 . I am wanting to learn more all the time. Thank you
Thanks for watching!!🤪😜🤪😜
Evrything has gotten more advanced sense i had one when i was 17
Are you done to make me spend money 🤣?
Thank you for school me up on those.
Great informations and was very clear. Much appreciated on this one. Very much Brenden.
Thanks for watching!
Nice man, all we run is smc 9700s they are beast !
I was really listening and picked up some great info I actually wasn't aware of despite being in this hobby for more than 30 years, but I mistakenly assumed this was an impartial and unbiased report on the various packs on the market, far from it this is actually just a very clever advert for SMC, (the logo in the top corner should have given it away, what can I say I trust people) as passionate as you are paid to be for SMC, there are equally if not more passionate marketers of each of the brands on your table, every one of them making valid points about the pros of their products. I was happy not to have this interrupted by adverts but then I realized this is one long advert
Unfortunately most of that is inaccurate as I am a hobbyist who just likes making vids. Not paid by them or sponsored. When it comes down to electrical engineers who do testing I have nothing to to with that data either. I am sharing good info and data to help prevent people from wasting 600 on packs that are substandard as I did. And as you did state I don’t even monetize my channel. Maybe one day but for now, I eat that major cost of doing any of this. Not sure how many other people you stated above would make harnesses for next to nothing for people, send military members free gyros, help program radios for other fans as I have or spend every week of their life flying with other friends new and old at different fields. Most just unbox new products and state buy this because I have it and it’s new. As I said, I am a true hobbyist.
@@JustPlaneCrazy I respect and identify with that, thank you for responding, I am also happy to be corrected but know that my opinion was formed by a very clear perception of bias and given the highly competitive nature of the industry such as it is today, it's hard to know who to trust or to know if anyone can be trusted. Yes, I would have preferred no perception of bias at all but that did not detract from the very useful and relevant information you provided nor from the quality way in which it was presented. As I indicated I have been in this hobby for a long time and although electrics appeared relatively recently I felt like I had at the very least a firm grasp of the fundamentals but some of your info in this vid show that I, like so many other life long hobbyists can still learn a lot about electrics in particular.
Seemed like a good video until the very second it started and you had SMC in the top right corner and they are sponsoring this of course you're going to give it the best review LOL without the sponsor would have gave you a 5 out of 5
I am not giving it anything. Check out the data on the spreadsheets done by someone other than me. I gave you battery info. That’s good and pertains to every battery. All testing is done by a retired engineer, there are some batteries that are better than Smc.
And for what it’s worth I just dropped another 250 bucks for 2 more of his batteries for my CARF.
@@JustPlaneCrazy what are a few batteries that are better than SMC batteries
Doing a bunch of test Right now and honestly I haven’t found any better. Now with that said there are packs performing the same for less money but they are bigger and heavier. So Smc shines when it come down to weight vs power.
Bias
Bias right up until almost everyone flying EDFs I know is now using these packs. They can feel and see the difference. Numbers are numbers
i make 1850 A burst with my 4s 9000 mAh Vant battery, and 3s gives 1250A burst....good video thanks
Thank you for the video I am new to the Lipo world this is much-needed info!
Glad u liked it. Thanks for watching. Share share share and don’t forget to check out the official just plane crazy Facebook page and Instagram.
Interested in seeing some follow up on your flights with the SMC packs. Did you notice any difference? Really looking for results in an EDF versus, say, the Roaringtops. I would love to see how these perform in your F-14 with the 2100kvs. If they really put out 3-5% more power, that’s another 105-175g (~1/4- 1/3lb) of thrust for each motor totaling another 1/2 - 2/3lb of thrust total! I’m trying to squeeze every drop of thrust out of my F-14 with the same setup as well as ditching excess weight wherever possible.
I am with you and I will. I am currently waiting for the Smc 5400 to come back into stock. I went to test the 3600s this weekend in the viper and an aileron servo failure pre wanted that. I can tell you the ones in the CARF 8100 20c smc displayed a 6 volt drop leas under load as compared to HRB 50c packs
@@JustPlaneCrazy that’s crazy. I’m even thinking the ultimate thrust to weight pack for the tomcat may be the SMC 4000 60C batteries (581g) saving even more weight. I flew my Tomcat the other day with some new Zeee 4000 60C packs at 597g each and the increase in vertical performance was very noticeable over my 5000 45C roaringtops that are 738g each. I also switched out the stock wheels for the 90mm F-18 foam wheels and that saved another 45g of dead weight. I’ve got a few more easy weight reducing ideas for the tomcat as well. I think with the right batteries, the 2100kv motors, and a few weight loss ideas we could get this thing to 1:1 thrust to weight or over.
Right!!! So sick
Sounds like you have a beef with rich at rcinformer, but I agree with you, put them on a esr meter and then fly them. The truth comes out when you need it, a crap battery will give up when you need that go around, a good battery will never let you down if you need one more try and the difference between landing but sweating and grabbing a trash bag to pick up the pieces. I run cheaper packs on my prop planes that are fun and efficient, but the EDF jets need to have it right. I, just like most gas or nitro fliers, you need to know how much fuel you need to run every minute, you have a time limit per an ounce, you always land at a certain time... regardless of how much throttle you used.
I try not to have beefs with anyone. I guess it is what it is. I started doing a lot of batt testing. If you haven’t seen those yet check them out. I started using Smc packs and they have been the best yet. Test data supported it.
Great video TY I just bought 2s smc for drag racing
Love my Smcs. Still continue to wow people at the field when they swap mine out for theirs. Thanks for watching🤪😜😝
Looks like smc’s haven’t made it over the pond yet to the Uk so will be looking at the data to get some new lipos for my mig 29, I know you were running the 5200 Zeee’s in yours Brendan, will look them up in this data in a mo. It is shameful the lies we’ve been told about the Lipo ratings of these batteries I’m surprised they haven’t been deemed of breaking advertising standards rules really.
Thanks for the info. I’m a big fan of data. I’m just getting into the hobby and have yet to buy a second battery pack. I’m gonna double think. This time with data 😅
Enjoy.
Loads of great info. Waiting on a 6s Arrma Infraction and building an 8s Arrma Limitless with the goal of 120mph+ and climbing from there. SMC was what I had initially thought I would buy, and this all but confirms it. Great video!
A lot of the info you said was in the description below. Wasn't.
I have noted In The description that the website changes info charts rapidly. So old bubble charts from almost a year are no longer there when this vid was made. There is a link to this years charting of batteries. Manufactures change batteries regularly so old charts don’t do anyone any good. There is tons of info through that link listed
Good day to you...thanks fornyhe content. A quick question please. How can I purchase smc batteries when i am unable to see any contact information whatsoever on their website, no email no phone. That is troubling for me. Is there somewhere I can purchase them other than from them directly?
They are an amazing reputable company. I never noticed that before but couldn’t find the info either. No worries. Reach out to them at orders@smc-racing.com
Tell them I sent you
Great info man. I do not own an smc. Beacuse I have a C meter, I have found some lipos suit me well enough. I run voltage sensors (at the balance lead) and have alarms (3.5 and 3.6v under load) set that tell me if the pack is up for my particular plane. If I'm getting alarms on the take off roll, then I know the pack aint good for the bird. On the back half of the flight, I know the pack is weaker so full throttle doesnt bother me.. I just keep out of full power. I know you wanted to keep it simple but you did touch on the fact that it depends on what your flying, which is so true. My logic is why fly (risk) a prize smc in a Cessna 150.. I rather risk it in something that can use the full C. That way, when there is a crash, I'm not hurt... as much.
Thanks for watching. Once armed with good info, like you we can all make better choices for sure.
Which C meter you have sir?
@FratDede the one available from www.SMC-Racing.com link is in the description
Very informative, thank you.
Thanks for watching. Share share please
I don’t fly planes man I just like rock crawlers. I use 3s 5200 mah , I usually charge at 3 but I’m gonna start charging at 1 thanks for the info buddy. I guess I should stop leaving my battery fully charged for a whole week as well.
Def some advice worth following
Hi, have you ever flown that Freewing Mig with those 8100's?
No. I wouldn’t go any bigger than 5300. I am waiting for those smc 5300 to come in
Thank You
I've read a lot of reviews saying that the smc batteries puff easy. My brother had a set of smc extreme v2 8000mah 120c, they didn't last long, maybe 2 months? So even tho they may tell the truth on the labels, if they're not reliable/last, then it's a waste of money also. I'm not trying to talk bad about smc, just saying what I've read and what I have seen.
Appreciate your feedback but I own about 15 Smc packs now and have used them in everything from EDFs to my 12 s CARF that pulls 120 amps. I have flown packs very hard and very easy. To date each pack has to have 50 flights in them and no puffing. Storage charging, balance charging and care have everything to do with what a battery does long term. I can’t speak to how anyone else takes card of those but I don’t buy anything but Smc batteries anymore. All my testing plus independent testing show how good they are vs competition. I also did a later vid with field testing. Check it out. That includes temp testing. It’s pretty eye opening. Appreciate your comments and you watching
How did you calculate the internal resistance?
Using the ESR meter in the video and the description
I just bought a SMC 6300mah 6s lipo with 135c rating. I’m wondering how many amps should I charge it with? I have a 14amp reedy dual charger
6.3a max 1c is always best with a lipo
I tried roaring top because of a CZcamsr saying they were great. 4s 2200 in EDF and it doesn’t perform as well as my beat up turnigy. Another roaring top 5s has a bad cell after a couple flights in a b25. I’ve had great luck with turnigy and China hobby line.
Everyone likes there choice of pack for what fits them. All the testing I have done points to SMC out performing the comp. No pack is perfect for everyone. They are now my go to packs for sure e
Great video and explanation!
Thanks for watching 😜🤪😜🤪
Outstanding Video.
Thank you and thanks for watching
Great video. I’ve always asked people that think that they need a 70C or 100C packs in an EDF, “So what’s your ESC rated to? How about your connectors?” They usually look at me funny not realizing that the math doesn’t add up.
A lot of great info here. Like you said a lot of us have been taken by false battery claims. Time to spread some knowledge.
I’m confused… are these batteries lipos or something else??
Lipo
SMC is the absolute best you can get.
Ordered 2 smc 5200mah Dvs for my 3s 70mph car. Ordered a venom 3s as well will compare. If smc are what they are talked about to be ill sell my 3 traxxas batteries for 200 and buy 6 smcs lol
I have loved every pack so far. Got a couple where the leads were a bit shorter but otherwise they have been awesome 😎 thanks for watching
Thank you
My 6S SMC's arrive tomorrow!
What size and for what
@@JustPlaneCrazy True Spec Extreme Graphene V2 Flight 22.2V-6200mAh-40C for my Mig 29.
Joe Giamona " Jetman Joe MCSGUY" lives about 30miles from my place and is a friend of a close friend of mine. He's a robotics engineer and knows his sh#*&. He's also got some incredible EDF's that he pushes to the max.
He's the one that told me about the SMC packs when I asked him if he had any tested Roaring Top 6200 he wanted to sell. I usually buy his tested packs when he's done with them at a discount.
Awesome video as always Brendon and probably the best you have produced by far.
Wow. Really cool connections. I am humbled as well by the compliment. Ty
@@JustPlaneCrazy Trust Joe. He has been doing this for some time.
I am finding out for sure Joe, Jim and Danny as well as many other contributors have a ton of insight and knowledge. Great stuff
So, then what's up with my SMC 9000mah 120c batteries? Honest rating? 1000 amps?
That would be interesting to test for sure. At the very least I am sure they offer the lowest in class IR for that size. Yeah. Interesting question
@@JustPlaneCrazy I looked at them last night. They're actually 9700 lol. They are huge and great batteries. Best batteries for xmaxx right now, imo. Like you were trying to explain, tho, C ratings over 30 come out with math that seems crazy. 14v at 1000 amps is super deadly. haha. And, like you also brought up, i use xt90 connectors. 90amps rated, but work fine on any batteries i've put them on. (i'll be upgrading plugs if i go to a 1/5 scale esc)
nobody ever mentions that 60C discharge is 1 minute.
Great video thank you!
The links dont work. Can you reupload?
Go to www.Smc-racing.com I am sure his products have changed since that vid
@@JustPlaneCrazy was wondering about some of the other manufacturers too.
The Video doesn't address the fact that your charger has a lot to do with how well your batteries perform. The cheaper older styles take forever to balance a pack are more likely to also not charge it properly and keep the cells at different voltages because you can't wait two hours to balance a pack. I like the Icharger 4010 but it cost alot more $$$ -it just perfectly charges my batteries. Also using cheap ESC's that have alot of resistence will overheat a battery and cause puffing and wear them out. For general Airplane ESC's I like Hobbywing Skywalker series - good cost to performance.
Good points
I have 2 of the same battery and there 7.4v 1600mah 30c now if i run them on a 550 motor with a Y connector woud it cause damage
It depends if your running parallel or in series and what the motor is rated for
@@JustPlaneCrazy it a 550 brushed hobby grade
Yeah I can’t honestly tell u with that application. How you wire makes all the difference in voltage. You need to see what that motor can handle
@@JustPlaneCrazy ok thanks
Is that a night visionarie i see on the wall, i love that plane just had to order one piece by piece to build, since they stopped making it.
It for sure is. Love the night radian and the night visionaire. Nothing beats attending Funflys and flying all day. Hangout at night and do a campfire, eat bs, and go back flying. Thanks for watching
@@JustPlaneCrazy that’s cool man, night radian looks insane with all the pattern options it has, I get cars pulling over on the side of the road to watch it.
I put my radian on a switch so I can change patterns during flight. Sooo cool
@@JustPlaneCrazy get the heck outta here i came across a video of how to do that to the radian, and i went to find it again and couldn’t find it anywhere. That is the biggest pain having to land and then cycle thru the sequence. What switch or kind of switch would i need to be able to do that?
Don’t forget to share away and get people to subscribe. -- here u go
www.ebay.com/itm/FREE-SHIPPING-Night-Radian-Glider-Remote-LED-Light-Controller-/153296751062?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
I cant where to get SMC batts
Www.Smc-racing.com
No gens ace basher is the best lol
That’s 😁
Coast to coast rc sell sms 4s 120c 8000mha graphene extreme packs with deans plugs so it is bs.
Smc been junk for me☹️
Why?
@@JustPlaneCrazy This is the last as long as my old venoms maybe it’s the way I stored them who knows
@@JustPlaneCrazy Maybe it’s because they say made in China
Honestly they have tested better than anything else I own. I use them in my CARF and wouldn’t choose any other pack. Independent tests have proven them to be some of the best as well.
How about ovonic what u think r there lying to us as well
Sure looks like a sales pitch for SMC!!
but on another note you should not use the average current draw as a measurement to determine runtime you must know what the actual normalized current draw will be inflight.
as you know when you're flying you're never drawing 0 amps or Max Amps on a continuous basis, so average can't be used.
EdFs are perfect example that is your almost always above above 75% throttle! so you must know the intended purpose and what you're flying throttle management entails each individual flies completely different.
Inflight data logging is very beneficial for figure out props impellers airspeed voltages RPM and amps but most don't have those assets!
so ground amperage checks and some basic math will get you in the ballpark to knowing your run time along with keeping in mind you're flying style and throttle management.. .
Lipos are dumb....Unless they are Spektrum Smart technology! The Best lipos money can buy.
Like I said. I am sharing hard proven scientific facts. What people do with the info is up to them
@@JustPlaneCrazy yes I know I had to be funny...I just looked at the chart and saw where they actually ranked. I'm already too invested into this Spektrum Smart Empire.
And they may work fine with no reason to change. People choose many thing for different reasons. And it doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong. I respect yours and others decisions for sure.
Good video. Very informative. Dude looks like a white Carlos Mencia. Hahaha.
Lol. Thanks maybe I think 🤔
@@JustPlaneCrazy It was certain faces you made. lmao
Did I just spend 18 minutes of my life for you not to even test the packs?… I’ve been using smc packs for almost 30 years now, they’ve always been good but they’ve never been the best. They’re cheap though.