Hi Tom,
Thank you for being one of the pioneers of ECL. We have all benefited from forward thinking guys like you!
You asked several questions:
1. RE: battery capacity, charge rates, use %, etc. Others have given you all the info. you need. :-)
2. RE: your main question: Is having more chargers more cost effective (in $ and time) than additional batteries? ....... Short Ans.: YES!!!!!
Longer Ans: Like you suggested, the math points clearly to more chargers. Like others here, I use the TP-1010C (
http://thunderpowerrc.com/html/cba-chargers.html ). But I also have several other chargers. Three chargers can keep you flying all day. I highly recommend one super charger and two inexpensive Multiplex $75 chargers (
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/multicharger_lipo_ni_charger_2475_prd1.htm ), or equivalent inexpensive charger.
To address your situation, whatever chargers you have now will do just fine. Like others have said, you can charge to 90% at the field then you can use a balancer at home when you have more time to fully charge and balance your packs. I think that each additional charger is worth 2+ additional battries.
For those who do not already own a charger, there are several new charger/balancer/power supply combo chargers on the market now.
(
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXVZA8&P=7 )
With additional chargers (I still always use a separate balancer for every charge on my batteries over 4S/2100mAh, but not always on my smaller batteries at the field). But with three chargers and 4 batteries I can fly all day while still doing a complete 1 hour balanced charge.
3. RE: geared motors. YES, there are big efficiency gains with geared drives for our models. We have tried them in our 40 pound IMAC planes (4 geared Hacker motors running inside a geared ring, and also belt drives). They worked, but they were more trouble than they were worth. Now we have gone to LARGE outrunners that are quieter, trouble free, and very powerful. Even the full scale elec. planes have given up on geared electric power trains and have gone to large outrunners. The lower noise (motor RPM) is enough to go away from geared setups.
With this said, I admire those who are willing to put the time and energy into experimenting on our behalf. There are gains with gears, but the problems seem to overwhelm these gains...... for now? ;-)
Again, thank you for all your pioneering work. We all stand on your shoulders and that has allowed us to be able see into the future of ECL.
Regards,