SA80 L85 A2..which battery is best

[Mentalmonk3y]

Hi folks.

Apologies if this is a repeat. Searched the site but found nothing relating to my gun in question.

So. I want to buy some LiPo batteries because my NiMhs just don't cut it. So question is, are 11v batteries to powerful for a ics electric gun? Would they cause excess stress on the motor and parts? What size would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for help.

 

[RR01]

If the gun isn't upgraded then probably yes, 11.1V is too strong.  Also 3 Lipo cells will take up much more room than 2.  Suggest you measure the space you have where the battery fits and look online to see what is available to fit in the space.  Componentshop do various sizes of Lipo airsoft batteries and you should find something to suit on their site.  I managed to squeeze a twin pack 2600mAh 7.4V in the handguard on mine, but had to dremel out the inside to make space.  A squarer shape might fit in the front of the receiver better and be totally hidden from view.

 

[Mentalmonk3y]

If the gun isn't upgraded then probably yes, 11.1V is too strong.  Also 3 Lipo cells will take up much more room than 2.  Suggest you measure the space you have where the battery fits and look online to see what is available to fit in the space.  Componentshop do various sizes of Lipo airsoft batteries and you should find something to suit on their site.  I managed to squeeze a twin pack 2600mAh 7.4V in the handguard on mine, but had to dremel out the inside to make space.  A squarer shape might fit in the front of the receiver better and be totally hidden from view.

Thanks mate. I went for 7.4v 1400mAh in the end. The 2600mAh were too large for the space and don't fancy doing any DIY to the handguard.

 

[Mentalmonk3y]

Out of curiosity. When would you use 11.1v batteries? Only on upgraded internals? Is it not something a stock gun would handle?

 

[Hangtight]

Out of curiosity. When would you use 11.1v batteries? Only on upgraded internals? Is it not something a stock gun would handle?

There are stock guns that are not only set up for 11.1v, but don't actually work without that voltage (G&G ETU guns for example).

The problem with just fitting a high voltage battery to any old gun is not that it needs 'upgraded' internals, but that it needs to be capable of supporting the rate of fire that can be generated. If you try and spin the internals of any  AEG faster than the piston can complete it's forward travel you get pre engagement and smashed components. Even if a gun is locked to semi auto then the inertia of the spinning lumps of metal can be enough that it'll keep going for another whole cycle and actually fire two rounds rather than one.

 

[Airsoft-Ed]

The ICS L85s are actually built like tanks on the inside, the internals are super solid and I personally tested a totally stock gearbox and motor with an M150 spring and it managed to pull it. 
Semi lock up was definitely on the cards and the rof on auto was slower than your nan on the stairs, but the point is, the gearbox is built better than most.

However, I would at least experiment with pistons as you're probably going to strip a few running at 11.1V, once you find one that lasts I think you'll be fine though. 

The ICS L85s have a quite complex trigger mechanism that has quite a bit of extra connections to account for the receiver split when you take it apart, which can drain batteries more than most and kill trigger response a fair bit, so running 11.1V LiPos ought to account for that. If possible though I'd advise fitting a MOSFET just to route around the trigger contacts entirely. Ought to avoid the contacts oxidising that way too, as you might run into issues with the current arcing otherwise. Test it and see. 

Personally I used to use 9.9V LiFes though, bit more grunt than the 7.4 LiPos but they fit the same space. Only real drawback is that they're only 1000mah max if you want to still fit them in the RIS, which means you'll probably need 4 if you want to use auto much throughout the day.

Personally I always ran with real caps and rarely if ever used auto at all, I could just about make 1000mah last me a day, but auto seriously drains it at a much higher rate than semi so just be wary if you buy any. Get at least 3 if you use high caps.