schmacka

I recently acquired a Top Flite Gold Edition Cessna 182. The plane has a 5065 450kv motor and uses a 6S 5000ma Battery.
What is the c-rating for the batteries? I am curious what I need to do to fly the plane. How long are flight times with an electric motor?

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Flight time depends on prop selection and motor efficiency and mah capacity of the pack. I'd start with a 3 or 4 minute timer and charge after and see how much you're putting back in. If its less than 70 percent of the capacity then increase the timer in 30 second increments, if its more then reduce the timer. That plane you won't be flying around flat out throttle so probably 5 or 6 minutes. You don't want to discharge your pack below 20% of the capacity and ideally 30%.

A C rating is how many (in theory) amps the battery can discharge w/o burning up or causing damage. 30C is probably fine for that. The higher the C rating more current you can discharge without damage, 100c is typical for EDF jets that pull a lot of current.

So you have a 6S 5000 that is rated 30c (5000x30c /1000) gives you a discharge rating of 150 amps continuous.

A few notes on C ratings. More doesn't always = better. A 100c pack will be heavier (and pricier) than a 30c pack so if you don't need a high C rating use a lower rated pack, it will be both lighter and less expensive.
C ratings are often based on marketing more than tasting, take them with a grain of salt. A 30 and 50c pack from the same manufacturer will probably perform better on the higher rated pack. Manufacturer to manufacturer is anyones guess there is no testing standard by which all batteries are rated. A 30C battery from one company might perform better, run cooler and sustain discharge better than a 100c pack from another mfg.