BT2.0 was such an improvement over PH2.0 that it has be very successful. But XT30 doesn’t have the same problems, so It’s hard to imaging BT3.0 being successful. It’s almost like the marketing department for betafpv is misreading the market.

@galardo3303

4 ай бұрын

I got bt3.0 connector for my eflite fixed wing mig and pitts. Works like a charm. The original Spektrum connector is hard to come by and batteries with that connector pre installed are stupid expensive.

@scottmilano2940

4 ай бұрын

@@galardo3303 Is it the small Pitts with the 14” wingspan? That does look like fun. XT30 may have been a better choice, but certainly there’s nothing wrong with the BT3.0.

@themocaw

4 ай бұрын

Main advantage would be not having a balance lead to be chopped up.

@scottmilano2940

4 ай бұрын

@@themocaw BT2.0 added flight time, almost doubling it in some cases. A rubber band solves the balance lead issue.

@michaelraiman573

4 ай бұрын

Initially I was intrigued by the concept. Then I went to the betafpv website that is selling a 2 pack 450 2s for 19.90! Compaired to a GNB 450 from pyrodrone for 7.99 each. While it is a cleaner looking setup without the extra cable, there isn’t significant weight difference between the two

I love the idea of Bt3.0 and had been thinking of ways to simplify 2s and 3s for awhile now. I wish this could be done with ALL lipo flight batteries, but more specifically 3s. For Toothpicks and whatnot. It's the combination of weight and simplicity imo. Having an unwieldly battery lead with an Xt30 on a little 2s pack is just not necessary, when the balance cables are plenty big enough to supply a micro with enough current. I wish this had been done years ago, so it was more normalized. But better late than never! Thank you for the Toothstor review Nick!!

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

I wonder if betafpv will release a new elrs module with a bt3.0 power connector? Seems like if they want to go BT3.0 they have to push it to all their products in hopes it become very popular. Could be risky as it could fragment part of their potential market as well. I don't know what will come of it but comments here are overall surprisingly positive.

I was thinking: no xt30? Just then you started the bt3.0 rant. Immediately remembered why I subscribed. Solid dude!

@drelephanttube

25 күн бұрын

You don't need the xt30 to charge, it charges through the balance lead.

Great review. I've seen this before, It seems like a great charger. Your opinions regarding industry products (innovative or not) is greatly appreciated.

Yes the BT3.0 might only be a little lighter than XT30, but you're also losing the balance connector as well. And on a 2S you're not gonna need the full 30A-Continuous/65A-Peak of the XT30. The problem I have is the BetaFPV proprietary licensing on the connector.

@TenSecondRuntime

4 ай бұрын

Forgive my ignorance but is the bt3. 0 not just a differently shaped balance plug?

@WingDingMcKing

4 ай бұрын

@@TenSecondRuntimethe pins are larger, I believe it's rated for higher current than the JST balence plug

The problem is the annoyance of the balance lead. Sure you can tuck it in but it's one more thing to flop around and useless weight. BT3 looks cleaner and just makes more sense, fewer live wires flying around (balance leads can sometimes rip + short in a crash) and also seems like a more liquid-resistant connector. 2g weight savings is also nice.

Lighter weight and convenience. Tiny Whoop sells a 2S with BT3.0 and folded Z technology. It’s a very light 450mah 2S battery that is very convincing to charge with the ToothStor. A negative of the BT3.0 connector is that it won’t handle as much current as the XT30.

I actually love the BT3.0 as I always imagined such a connector! I love the 1s builds cause it's just 1 connector and easy. the 2s batteries with these silly balance leads that can get chopped up and damaged were annoying. With BT3.0 it's just like having a 1s battery with just one connector to charge and to fly. plus less weight loosing the balance lead. I think everyone needs to use these.. Reading the comments now I see a lot of others say the same :D I immediately got them as I saw it come out some months ago and its been great for me!

Hi Nick, Great video and review of the Vifly Toothstar charger. Perfect time for a review of a charger, mine just stopped working. Thanks for the video and information about this charger.

@joerocket1977

4 ай бұрын

Not interested in another proprietary battery connector.

Love these chargers. Nice to see you can charge batteries with different mah at the same time. Still rocking my V1. 2s is kind of nice, BT3, eh Everything I have is XT30 and there's no reason to change. Thanks for the video. Cheers!

I'm with you 100%, we don't need a BT3.0.

Hello Nick, I think we should support innovation. The advantages of a battery with BT3.0 over regular lipo with balance lead and xt30 are Reduced weight which also includes the weight of the balance lead and connector and another is that the balance lead itself is removed so no more dangling balance lead hassle. I also agree that betafpv made the BT2.0 proprietary hardware but still GNB came up with the GNB27 which is just as good and another A30 connector with also connects with the BT2.0. I’m sure we all would have been stuck with the NBD gold plated PH2.0s with sloppy flights for a lot longer if betafpv wouldn’t have made the BT2.0. Any kind of innovation must be appreciated.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

I don't full agree that "Any" innovation "must be appreciated". Changing our whoop battery connections was needed to deliver the increased performance as brushless motors became standard and HD video systems came about. For a good long time we flew whoops on ph1.25, then ph2.0, both known to be a power delivery limiter and reliability issues. BT2.0/GNB27/A30 were all problem solvers. BT3.0 doesn't seem to be solving a known problem, it does have a convenience factor for those that don't have an investment in the xt30 connection, I don't see more than a 2gram weight savings at an additional monetary cost of each build/quad. I don't foresee the uptake of BT3.0 that we have seen with BT2.0. I worry that new people entering the hobby with a BT3.0 quad are stuck spending more money on batteries etc to fly anything not Betafpv.

@132blondi

4 ай бұрын

Hi Nick, I respectfully disagree with you. The fact that you lose the balance lead and you do everything with one connector is a significant improvement, that alone makes it a worthy innovation. You don't have to manage that loose balance lead anymore. In addition, the few grams lost in the process are always welcome for the flight performance.

This video made my day! I didn't realize I can charge my goggle batteries on this thing. I went BT 3.0 because I'm new, a weight weenie, and didn't have any XT30 stuff.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

So you already have quad/s with Bt3.0?

@TenSecondRuntime

4 ай бұрын

​@@NickBurnsFPVSorta, I watched "Somebody's " baby turtle video and just had to build one off my x12. I've only been whoopin so far. It'll be my first 2s+ build. I put 6000kv 1103's on the 45mm and it was very apparent I had the wrong kv. 1003 10,000kv's will be here tomorrow. Tinywhoop 300mah's for now. My bigger less used 1's will get converted to 2s bt3.0 in a few weeks after my next TW order.

The appeal of BT3.0 is not needing the charging wires AND the XT30. So its easier and lighter. And honestly i didnt know you could charge without plugging in the XT30 as well. This news is def gonna affect my next upgrades!

@user-cr3lr6ym6b

4 ай бұрын

Make sens

I feel the exact same way nick 😁 it's so crazy because I was just using my whoopstor and thinking I would love to have one of these to charge 2s it's way easier to just plug one of these up instead of getting out the big charger everytime. you can keep these right inside your lipo or field bag....betafpv needs to stop already with the connectors 😂✌🏼

When will it stop? Will there be BT4.0 for 3S batteries next? There is a reason that lipos have 2 separate wires, right? Or why didn't they do this from the start so we don't have to dink around with it now? I am sticking with xt30.

Looks like the BT3 might eliminate the need for a heavy balance lead & plug?? Idk for sure, just guessing based on the 3 pins.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

It would eliminate the external balance wiring.

I get that we don't want a battle of proprietary connectors going on, its a very annoying thing to deal with. I remember what happened with BT2.0 and the other weird GNB(?) connector. But on the other hand its so weird to have balance leads in a 2 cell battery, when all it really needs is a single extra wire. The XT30 is complete overkill for these small 2S quads and a connector to fix the extra balance lead thing is welcome in my view. Annoying that it has to be a proprietary connector again, but maybe another open connector will show up to fill this niche too and then I'll be happy.

1:16 Channels aren't independent so have to be performing the same function. 3:36 Addition information (they are doing different thing) I'm just highlighting this because it was confusing for a second. The function they are performing is the same. They are storage charging. But in the act of storage charging some batteries need to be brought down while others need to be brought up. So still the same function but the charger is doing different thing to achieve that function.

Sick!

I love my Whoopstor V3. I can totally see one of these for charging my 2S batteries. My surprise is: My Hota D6 seems to (ideally) want both the balance lead and the XT30/XT60 connected during work. I guess that connector isn't really necessary for charging/discharging? Or perhaps it makes less difference with 2S?

Cool! Nice if it did 1s as well! Still I'm in the market to level up to 2s so its on the list cheers nick:)

I agree, wedont need another connector immam retired, going to convert my batters and drones to one kind of connector, which one do you prefer?

I thought BT 3.0 eliminated the XT30 connector and additional balance leads. It's more than just a weight comparison of the connector itself. BT 3.0 seems like it would make sense on a 2S whoops like mobula 8 or meteor 85.

100% sure with a standard deviation of Abt 1 that this was commissioned by betafpv to create a bt3 charger. I'm avoiding it like I did bt2... But saying that I just put a30 on my 65s. 75s still use gnb27 for now.

Yah. I don't think XT30's going anywhere. I'm with Burnsie - BT3.0's a gimmick.

I received mine on Friday and I did some balance wires to charge them in parallel so now I could charge eight 1S batteries. And I just order a second one

Good review

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

Thank you

I wouldn't buy betafpv batteries accept as a beginner being able to buy everything in one place to save on shipping and convenience in that way they are good plus the new lava are decent but bt3 I would personally not buy cause I'm fine with xt30 but I do like less cable/wire so if small batteries are became folded cell little plug in sticks sure but would prefer if they did the with something like A30 or whatever. Hope you are well Thanks for always covering everything. Would love to have you on for a chat about micros if you where down for that let me know good times and I'll make it work!

Agree

100% agree. Why does the BT 2 even exist? I fitted a Mob 6 with BT 2, only to still plug the battery in wrong. Yeah, the BT 2 did not solve one of the problems it was ment to solve. At least GMB27 fixed it.

I haven’t seen BT3.0 in person but it seems smaller and lighter than an XT30. I’d be interested to see if performance is changed.

On betafpv’s website, only showing 450mah batteries with their new connector. If you want any other size (such as 550, 650, 750 and 1000), it seems that they are unavailable. It is a narrow use case for me. I don’t know if the balance port wire is large enough, but how about powering the 2s quad through the balance lead, then we don’t need xt30 or BT3.0.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

We might be able to get away with that on a 2s battery but as we move up to 3s and 4s the small AWG wire wouldn't be able to carry enough current to deliver the batteries performance capability. Then we have the quad side wiring mess or a special connector to blend the voltage side.

Teardown please! I'd really love to see which ICs they're using, and are they actually balance charge those cells

I don't need a balance lead with BT3.0. That's the main draw to me (unless I mis-understood it)

@herpiegerbstick6808

4 ай бұрын

The balance lead is essentially the connector on the BT3.0, what you're losing is the xt30, wiring and weight.

I totally agree with you Nick, it make no sense, xt30 still works great

Fantastic review, Nick! 😃 Absolutely agree about the new connector. That's kinda stupid... Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

The BT3.0 is BetaFPV hoping lightning strikes twice, especially since GNB released the A30 which is probably cutting into the licensing money BetaFPV was getting from the BT2.0.

I'm not a fan of now needing to get a new type of conector/battery. But i will say that on a my 2s that huge balance lead hanging off on the side with my tattus is annoying! Im always scared its just flopping around and will get chopped.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

I put the balance lead between the wires of the primary connector. Tattu has the plastic encasement. I remove those, but that is a choice I make.

Thanks for the video Nick,I hear some confused about charging xt30 over balance lead, I thought you could only charge upto 0.2amps through balance lead, you seems to be able to charge more on this video, i bought this but when i read max charge on balance lead was .2 i canceled my order, what is max charge with balance lead with this charger Nick? thanks in advance if I re buy i will buy with your link if you have one

@chrisbee5481

4 ай бұрын

It uses the two outer pins to charge to normal 7.2V total. The third middle pin is the balance pin between cell 1 and 2. Only if it's unbalanced, will it balance charge via the middle pin. Yeah, the balance lead wires are mostle awg 22 and can only handle little amps, but more than enough for this charger. Dong forget tinywhoops use awg 22 wires as power plug wires and burst up to 20A wie these small cables. You can push the wires and connectors really hard for short time. For example I push xt30 with 16AWG to 100A on 6S. It hasnt melted so far. Lots of air flow at 200 kph 😅

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

The limiter will likely be the balance connector and the quality of the metal. This are traditionally crimped on which isn't as capable as soldering. The next limiter will be the size or AWG of the wires used on the balance led. We can look up the AWG current specs, I am not sure the current limit of the crimped on pins. I didn't fully charge the 3000mah battery, the 550s in the video didn't seem to take much longer, if at all, compared to my traditional chargers.

Robot Lady: *Nick Angry*

Does the connector save more than 5% AUW? 2%? 1%? Proprietary is annoying but we have seen the entire whoop scene strive to save every 0.5 gram they can. Im not so worried about the exact mass saved, but the relative percentage. Let's measure and compare. If BT3.0 saves the same % as would be desirable on a 1s whoop, then it is not totally superfluous. Let's not ride the fence and say it is important here but not over there.

i´m a bit confused. Is this thing charging the xt30s over the balance lead?

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

The xt30s aren't connected. This charges the batteries over the balance led only.

It's lighter and more compact than XT30 - better suited to 2s micros. Isn't that enough to justify the new connector? 2 - 5g (I assume) to be saved? I still like BT2.0 & think it is an excellent connector, so I assume BT3.0 is a logical progression from there. I understand you don't like the new standard and what that means for compatibility, but progress, right?

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

Not until proven high quality batteries at various sizes are widely available. In the short run this is likely to be very niche.

The concept behind BT 3.0 is to have a battery with no additional balance lead, which is great, but being proprietary/licensed along with the limitation to two cell only is a recipe for failure. I wouldn't worry about BT 3.0 becoming mainstream because it lacks versatility for both those reasons. It will remain available for as long as BetaFPV pushes it on their BNF's and people who aren't capable of soldering buy batteries to keep those quads flying. But I honestly don't see it bring taken up by hobbyists or 3rd parties. ViFly was very wise to have those JST balance leads in there...

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

My primary concern is new people getting started on BT3.0 and not understanding its a limited use connector or locked into an ecosystem.

TinyWhoop HQ semi-claims they developed or co-developed the BT3.0 connector for weight savings mostly. They claim their 2s BT3.0 packs are the lightest available by a large margin. I dunno.

Another homerun from Vifly! I have always want this exact thing for storage charging larger 3s, 4s, and 6s batteries after a day of flying. It would be so simple to just plug in a balance lead and not need to touch the charger to initiate a storage charge cycle. Thanks for the review! 😁

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

You may know this, but thought I should ensure...this is 2s only

I think BT3.0 is about simplycity, just 1 connector from the battery, no need seperate balance port. and save weight also

I agree, there's no need for BT3.0. and I don't understand it. I won't be changing

@NickBurnsFPV

3 ай бұрын

Some have commented they like the weight savings and lack of balance lead cleaning up the overall battery. While all true it will be interesting to see how the market does or does not take up BT3.0

@frankwarner7279

3 ай бұрын

I did watch Heads review, The new TW battery’s are lighter for sure.

@NickBurnsFPV

3 ай бұрын

@@frankwarner7279 Yes, I did message Heads privately. Kind of an odd comparison because CHNL batteries are likely the heaviest on the market. This is due to under rating the capacity. A CHNL 450mah is closer to 500mah or more. So they weight difference will be well different when comparing other 450mah batteries.

I agree BT3.0 seems gimmicky, but I like it better than plugging in two 2S PH2.0 batteries :) But companies, PUH-LEESE just use standard battery connectors. I would NEVER recommend the Defender 16 because of that custom battery.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

This is true. I think emax is pretty much the only company I can think of still doing 2 ph.2.0 connectors on a single drone.

For new people coming into the hobby. It seems like it could be a safer and easier way to learn the in's and out's of charging. And no worrying about cutting your battery wires.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

Those same new people might buy a non betafpv quad and realize none of the their BT3.0 work on anything else. .....could be a major negative moment.

@timechaser4313

4 ай бұрын

I see your point.

I'll never buy a single bt3.0 connector. The xt30 connector is perfectly fine.

Yeah, it would have been so much better to provide the toothstor with xt30 + JST instead, and then simply provide JST -> BT3.0 adapters for people with those quads. FAR more people are going to be using XT30, like easily 95% of the market. But hey, as long as it charges quickly enough with JST, I'll sure use it.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

Bigger batteries like the 3000mah I have in the video take a long time to charge...I think it was either 90minutes or more...didn't time it.

@BigDan1190

4 ай бұрын

@@NickBurnsFPV yeah I can imagine that being the case, it's 0.5c at best. It's not the intended use case though, I can't blame them too much for that. Do you find it still charges 450s/550s in a decent time frame? Mine won't arrive until the end of the week, I'm excited to test!

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

@@BigDan1190 yes, while I didn't time it and I primarily used the usb c input it didn't stand out as it took any longer than my much larger chargers. I do tend to charge at a 1c pace.

I've been in the RC hobby since the 80s. Battery connector incompatibility is the most annoying thing in this hobby. Screw beta 3.whatever.

A separate plug for 2s is just dumb. Worse then that really because some new pilots will get into the hobby and spend money on this gear only to find they are locked in. Then I could see some of those pilots not venturing out and exploring other products because of the additional money needed and the perception that they hobby has tricked them and will do it again. Not every pilot spends their time online learning all the ins and outs of this hobby. Some just want to fly and when something breaks, do just enough research to get their rig up and going again. Imagine investing a bunch of money in batteries/chargers etc only to find your gear doesn't work with some new similar sized drone you stumble across, while not being deep into this hobby. I could see that shutting down curiosity.

I for one welcome our new BT3.0 overlords. Balance leads are annoying

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

Maybe I have been around too long and am not annoyed by the balance lead

@athenovae

25 күн бұрын

@@NickBurnsFPVwait, so the BT3.0 is not only smaller but effectively eliminates a whole balance plug? You’re saving ~3 grams there and not to mention the air resistance with it. That might add a minute to 2S flights

@NickBurnsFPV

25 күн бұрын

@@athenovae yes the balance lead is removed on bt3.0. I am cautious about these as betafpv connectors are private and not shared across the battery manufacturers and betafpv batteries have a history of being lower end performers.

Me too... why bt3.0? they are becoming apple...lol

@AymericPachod

4 ай бұрын

Except that them they are creative and are actually solving issues, compared to apple

I'm a little disappointed that you've made up your mind without trying the BT3.0 batteries. I have a toothstore and I was looking to you as one of the biggest proponents of 2S whoops/toothpicks to run a sane test of them. I'll simply echo what others have said, I find the form factor rather appealing, essentially 2S stick batteries with no cable. Also you save weight by not having the additional balance connector lead on the battery, it replaces both the XT30 and the JST. Again, disappointed that you've not even tried it before broadcasting your knee-jerk reaction.

@toomuchcoffeefpv

4 ай бұрын

You're missing the point, BT3.0 is more of money grab than an attempt to improve upon whoop performance.

@WingDingMcKing

4 ай бұрын

​@@toomuchcoffeefpv and you're missing the point that it does indeed seem offer a benefit to the end user, provided the performance matches the on paper spec. The only difference between an innovation and a money grab is whether it improves upon the preceding solution, and it seems as though it may well do so.

@toomuchcoffeefpv

4 ай бұрын

@@WingDingMcKing your opinion on whether BT3.0 is an improvement is just that, an opinion. The community, including Nick, finds XT30 to be more than sufficient.

@NickBurnsFPV

4 ай бұрын

I may not have fully expressed my thoughts. I am not against BT3.0 in all capacities. I worry this is a solution looking for a problem.We can view it as a more convenient battery connection for those that prefer a single connection. Those knowingly making that choice is just that a choice, 100% for that choice. I worry this could lead to additional expenditures, especially for those entering the hobby. New entrant buys a drone or RTF kit and BT3.0 is in use...they then proceed to enjoy FPV then buy another quad, receive the new purchase to find they have no batteries that will connect to the quad. They have a forced choice,to buy compatible batteries, or change the connector. This has a solid potential to this individual leaving FPV frustrated. I am all for choice, but not at the detriment of others joining FPV.

@WingDingMcKing

4 ай бұрын

​@@NickBurnsFPVI'd argue that, to a point, you could make the same argument about ph2.0 vs bt2.0/A30, especially since a lot of entry level micros come with ph2.0. It can be confusing to new pilots when they see reviews touting the better experience bt2.0 gives and they end up - as I recently did - biting the bullet and swapping their whole set of LiPos and pigtails and chargers and tester over to the new better connector. But bt2.0 has it's benefits, so people sing it's praises. For me, if bt3.0 can make charging a 2S lipo just as foolproof as charging a 1S lipo, that's all the benefit I need. From what I can see it looks less fiddly than using the balance connector with the toothstore, which is already a HUGE convenience and simplicity boost over parallel charging boards. The only question to me remains that of performance, which I look to critics and reviewer's like yourself to test. If the performance is comparable on 2S to the XT30, while providing a convenient form factor that is impossible with the XT30, BetaFPV has earned my purchase.