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Powering the Epic MX or Dragon with LIPO 4S

vincent kardasik

vincent kardasik

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Hi,

As I'm still looking for an efficient and compact way to power my Red Epic cameras in my water housing I was wondering if some of you could share your experience when working with LIPO batteries?

A friend of mine managed to get his Epic MX running for one hour with a simple LIPO which is much better than a RedVolt and really close to the Endura 7s performance.

Any advices about that power option?

Thanks in advance.
 
I read some thread here and on RC forum before posting my question but I'm still confused.
Are LIPO 4s risky? I mean is there a chance they burn in my housing?
What would be the running time for the biggest ones such as 7000 mha?
I would really appreciate your advices.
 
So here we go:
for example a battery like this one: http://www.stefansliposhop.de/lipos...LS-APL-10000mAh-4S1P-14-8V-25C-40C::1094.html

The EPIC / Scarlet need up to 60 W of Power

4S = 4x 3.7 V = 14.8 V
P=UxI
I= P/U = 60 W / 14.8 V = 4 A

Battery wit 10.000 mAh on 4 S will last about (if the 60 W are right)

10.000 / 4.000 mA = 2.5 h

Yes LiPo battery are dangerous, but if you know how to use them, you are fine.
I always store my LiPos in this kind of fire proof case: http://www.amazon.com/SentrySafe-H2...qid=1413793673&sr=8-5&keywords=fire+proof+box
 
Michael Kromschroeder said:
So here we go:
for example a battery like this one: http://www.stefansliposhop.de/lipos...LS-APL-10000mAh-4S1P-14-8V-25C-40C::1094.html

The EPIC / Scarlet need up to 60 W of Power

4S = 4x 3.7 V = 14.8 V
P=UxI
I= P/U = 60 W / 14.8 V = 4 A

Battery wit 10.000 mAh on 4 S will last about (if the 60 W are right)

10.000 / 4.000 mA = 2.5 h

Yes LiPo battery are dangerous, but if you know how to use them, you are fine.
I always store my LiPos in this kind of fire proof case: http://www.amazon.com/SentrySafe-H2...qid=1413793673&sr=8-5&keywords=fire+proof+box
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for your reply Michael, sorry if my question looks stupid but I'm total newbie with these things.
 
Also, look out for the C number, i.e. the highest discharge number. It is a good idea to have a lower draw than what the LiPo can deliver, that way it will not warm up as much.

There are some good primers on LiPos on RC fora.
 
Martin Weiss said:
Also, look out for the C number, i.e. the highest discharge number. It is a good idea to have a lower draw than what the LiPo can deliver, that way it will not warm up as much.

There are some good primers on LiPos on RC fora.
Click to expand...

Thanks Martin, good to know.
 
I understand the risk caused by these batteries while charging, etc... but I wonder if the fact I plan to use them in my water housing where it gets hot and can be subject to some heavy shakes can create more problems?
I don't even want to imagine the result if a fire start inside the housing for example.
 
These should work: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Turnigy-Nan...Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4629b8ee9f

And I think the risk of having it catch fire inside of the housing is not to large. housings biggest risk is normally that water comes in. I think the chance of the lipo going bad is far smaller. But yes as stated here, make sure they are not swollen / properly charged / properly stored i.e when not used you need to put them on the charger and set the charger to "charge for storage" I think that means drain or fill the battery to half full. Empty batteries dies and fully charged lipos have a risk of exploding/catch fire.

If I made a housing, No matter what battery I would choose to use I would for sure put a temp alarm inside the housing and possibly a separate one directly on the battery. Does not cost much and would let you know in time if you where running the batteries to hot.
 
As others have mentioned, any 4S battery will do. The C rating is more important for the speed in which it will charge as the draw of the Epic is minimal compared to a RC Heli or Multirotor. I use a 2200mah 4S 25C battery on our Movi and it lasts about 25 minutes powering the camera, movi and paralinx. If you're looking for an hour of run time, I would go with something at least 6000mah, maybe even 8000mah if you can afford the weight/size. Lipos are a great option overall, I have 20+ batteries for our movi setup and can easily run a full day if we charge at lunch. And the lipos are inexpensive, around $15/each for the 2200mah I use.
 
Safin Saliman said:
Is there any risk a Lipo battery will damage the Epic? Anyone heard of a Lipos shorting out the camera?
Click to expand...

I have never heard of this. I've had Lipos go bad, but they always just drop their voltage, never had any voltage spikes. You could put a voltage regulator inline to eliminate the possibility easily enough.
 
Philip Lima said:
I have never heard of this. I've had Lipos go bad, but they always just drop their voltage, never had any voltage spikes. You could put a voltage regulator inline to eliminate the possibility easily enough.
Click to expand...

Thanks for both of your post Philip, really instructive.
What kind or type of voltage regulator would you recomend?
 
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