Lipo questions

[auzzie]

After horrible luck with the stock style batteries, ranging from new batteries not holding a charge to not charging at all, I have given into lipos. Seems like all of the 'pro' level airsofters have them.  But before I go buy some, I have some questions: 

1. Charger wise. I need a special type of balancer charger to make sure lipos are being charged correctly. Does anyone have any good suggestions on one? 

2. C or capacity. There's 15C, 20 C to 40 C and so many in between.  Which one is the best for airsoft? Higher the number, longer it will last correct? 

3. Mah. Saw some batteries on Evike with 1800 mah for my AKs. Is that enough for a full day of gaming? 

Basically at the end of the day, I'm looking for some batteries that will keep me playing the whole day without needing to re charge every 2 to 3 hours of gaming. 

[Zzan]

1. Yes you need a charger capable of charging Lipo batteries preferably with a balance function to extend the life of your batteries. I will update with some links in a few.
Thunder AC6 Smart Charger
IMAX B6 - This is very similar to the one I use.
You can find these on ebay and overseas hobby shops for very good prices if you don't mind waiting for the shipping.

2. C is the maximum safe discharge rate of the battery. 15C means that the battery can safely discharge 15x the rating of the battery without damaging the battery so in the case of a 1800 you can safely discharge at the rate of 27 amps continuous discharge. Lipo C Ratings explained.  This is NOT capacity, the mAh rating is capacity.  This is simply a continuous discharge multiplier.

3. 1800 mah should be enough for a full day of gaming (1800 mAh means that you can discharge 1 amp or 1000 milliamps per hour for 18 hours, the higher the mAh of the battery the longer it lasts and generally the larger it is.) Of course this depends on how much you shoot and whether or not you prefer semi or run around on full auto all the time. I use 1800mah 7.4 turnigy lipo's from HobbyKing and have no issues with them lasting me a full day, again this is highly dependent on how much you shoot. I always carry a backup just in case but have never had to use it so far.
Check out batteries from here. They are cheaper and if you order from one of the US warehouses you will have them in 3 days or less.
The ones I use are:

1300mAh 2s 7.4v

1800mAh 2S 7.4v

2000mAh 2S 7.4v

Another nice thing LiPos have over other batteries is they have their FULL power right until they die.  On the plus side all your shots will be consistent right up until the battery dies, on the down side you have very little to no warning before the battery stops working.

You should also get a lipo tester to make sure you don't over discharge them.  Find me at the next event and I will give you one (I have a couple) basically it is a little chip you stick into the balance charging lead and it will give you green or red lights to let you know if the battery is too low and should be charged before using any more.

[Gunny87]

I made the switch over to LiPos a couple years ago and I'll never go back. I have three G&P 11.1v (two 20C, one 15C) 1,000mAh buffer tube lipos and I have three 7.4v (two G&P 1,000mAh and one Tenergy 1,600mAh).

They are great because I can go 2-4 months without charging them before they get to a state where they need to be charged. But I do use a voltage tester and check them monthly if I'm going that long between games.

I can go a full day of playing airsoft on just one 1,000mAh buffer tube lipo. But the reason why I have so many is that I can use them across an entire weekend like Blacksheep and LC OPS. Only my G&P Defender can handle the 11.1s so I use the 7.4s for the rest of my AEGs.

They are a lot more compact, so they also fit in practically every compartment where there's ample length. The only case where you really get screwed is if the battery compartment can only fit a small size (8.4V) battery.

Unless your AEGs are upgraded and can handle 11.1s, I would suggest using like a 20C 7.4v liPo. My G&P Defender that has a fully upgraded Lonex gearbox with upgraded wiring lasted two years before I received some carbon build up on the trigger contacts and had to clean them. It was actually a broken trigger spring that broke on me after two years of heavy use. And in the case if you're using an 11.1v LiPo, a really good mosfet like a BTC Spectre will really help in that regard.