3 cell vs 4 cell lipo batteries.
differences/similarities.
flight time/more power.
12.6v(11.1) vs 16.8(14.8) - this gives more power. be careful, not all motors are designed to handle 4s. Be careful with propellers you use, more cells gives to motor more Kv.
I am using 4s with my Roxxy 2827-34.
It feels like +50% more power. Flight time is up 1/3.
I am using 4S all the time, now.
Very important: use more stable props that the EPP. I use APC 10x4.7!
They work very well.
Like Schumixmd said,
3 cell 11.1 volts fully charged 12.6 volts
4 cell 14.8 volts fully charged 16.8 volts
4 cell batteries will generally (but not always) have more milliamps. There is a higher voltage which gives more power or should I say a higher initial discharge rate/voltage meaning better throttle response.
4 cell batteries are much heavier & bigger than 3 cell batteries of equal milliamps. They take a little longer to charge and they cost more.
4 cell batteries will burn up motors/ESC's not rated for 14.8volts
What you thinking about using a 4S battery on? and what are you trying to accomplish?
they take the same time to charge, however matters what charger are you using
I do charge my batteries at 2C rating, which means that 1 battery will be charged in 30mins, but my charger a limited to 10A, so I can charge maximum 5000mAh battery at 2C.
I don't like to use 4S batteries, and will not use them until I will feel I need more voltage for motors.
4s got one more big advantage:
Because of U = R * I:
If U=volt gets bigger and R stays the same, I=amp gets smaller which means you get longer flight time because the motors need less mAh now.
If you are limited with the prop diameter then it is a good idea to switch from 3s to 4s to increase power and flight time.
yep, ohm's law but in this case is missinterpreted.
If you calculate I then I=V/R; As soon as V increase and R remains the same - I also increase. Increasing voltage only leads to increasing the power, having Watts = I * V, but will not decrease the consumption (assuming you are flying full throttle all the way from takeoff to landing and there aren't any other changes (smaller prop, bigger motor, etc))