Battery choice !?!

[Rookie]

Ive just came back to RC, The only battery's were 7.2v NiCads, now its Lipo & nimh ??????????? i dont have a clue what to get.

My Cat2000 has a Team Infinity 13 tripple motor & the Cougar has a an old LRP blue Brush motor.

Any help much appreciated guys. My heads bungled with batterys

[harry697]

Lipo is definately the future of r/c batteries.If I were starting all over again right now,I would definately go that route.You can get a nice 2S battery,lipo compatible charger,and balancer for not much over $100.

I still have alot of faith in good quality matched nimh packs too.In 2008 I raced with Ener-G 4600 nimh packs.They were every bit as good as the SMC lipos I ran in 2009.Only drawback was a bit of extra weight.Then again,most people I know and myself included run some sort of lead weights in our cars because lipos often make the car too light.

[Rookie]

Thanks Harry, i think LiPo looks like the way to go but its too much change for me to take in, i think im gonna Run NiMh 1st then progress to LiPo.
ive studied it for a day now & think this is the best way to go.

What NiMh batterys would you guys recommend ?? im looking for max run time not racing. Cars im running are cougar 2000 & Cat 2000 with brush motors.

Any input Appreciated.

[Brandon G]

Just go ahead and go lipo now. You will eventually if you stay with the hobby. The Orion Lipo rocket packs are a good buy. Plus the Lipo chargers are not that expensive either. The Onyx is a good low cost charger.

[harry697]

Just go ahead and go lipo now. You will eventually if you stay with the hobby. The Orion Lipo rocket packs are a good buy. Plus the Lipo chargers are not that expensive either. The Onyx is a good low cost charger.

+1.Just remember that you will need a balancer for the Onyx230.I use that charger and a Common Sense Balance Pro.It's a stand alone balancer that will do up to 6S and displays individual cell voltages continuosly throughout the balance and/or charge cycle.It also acts as a cell monitor,meaning you can check your batteries' cell voltages at any point to see exactly how much charge they have.

http://www.commonsenserc.com/product_info.php?cPath=88&products_id=549&osCsid=msf7n0to5nd6p7c8q1r1l74em4

For an extra $6 you can also get the adaptor for 3.5mm pin spacing.This will ensure that it will work with pretty much any type of balance plug.

http://www.commonsenserc.com/product_info.php?products_id=213



If you insist on nimh,I highly recommend Ener-G 4600 cells.The Platinum cells from Pro-Match to be exact.These are what I used before switching to lipo and they far exceeded any other nimh packs I've ever used.You will still want to use a good charger with an adjustable peak sensitivity feature.Pro-Match recommends 4mv/per cell.A balancing tray is also a must if you want the pack to perform at it's best and have a long overall life.Novak Smart Trays cab be found on ebay for around $40.But since good nimh packs require a good charger and tray,you might as well just go lipo.Gonna be about the same either way when it's all said and done.

http://promatchracing.com/proddetail.php?prod=4606-PL

[Rookie]

Thanks alot for the info !!! Correct me if im wrong but if i go LiPo that means i have to get a brushless motor ?? & a new ESC ??

[Lowgear]

I'm sticking with the tried and true NiMH until something like A123 cells become standard. I haven't wanted to deal with LiPos as I haven't even driven an R/C in....... Nevermind, i'm going to hear it now as it is.

[harry697]

Thanks alot for the info !!! Correct me if im wrong but if i go LiPo that means i have to get a brushless motor ?? & a new ESC ??

No.You can run lipo pretty much anywhere you would use a nicad or nimh.Only thing you really need to have is a low voltage cut-off or alarm.Many brushed esc's don't have that feature,but you can use an aftermarket unit such as the Novak Smart Stop.


http://www.teamnovak.com/products/lipo_cutoff_module/index.html

[Rookie]

awsome cheers harry !! its been hard to take in soooo much info, my head is bungled with the advances in the hobbie since the early 90's lol. Its great getting direction.

[harry697]

awsome cheers harry !! its been hard to take in soooo much info, my head is bungled with the advances in the hobbie since the early 90's lol. Its great getting direction.

Glad I can help. The whole lipo thing really isn't much different than what the racers have been doing with nimh packs for years.I had to buy an expensive charger and balancing tray for my old race packs.Still doing the same thing with lipos,just with different accessories.

[Brandon G]

I have found that my purchase of a balancer was a waste of money. I always buy reputable cells (Orion, Maxamps, Epic) and the need for balancing so far has not been necessary. I have been running a 3200 Peak (Orion/Kokam) for about a year and a half now and it is still running strong.

A low voltage cutoff device is not really necessary either. Just stop running the car as soon as you notice it slowing down indicating the battery is depleted. Bring it in and charge it.

Tried and true Nimh? I have seen so many Nimh packs explode while charging..... Yet to see a Lipo go into meltdown (knock on wood)

[Rookie]

aww Brandon youve just threw me into confusion again :p

[harry697]

I have found that my purchase of a balancer was a waste of money. I always buy reputable cells (Orion, Maxamps, Epic) and the need for balancing so far has not been necessary. I have been running a 3200 Peak (Orion/Kokam) for about a year and a half now and it is still running strong.

A low voltage cutoff device is not really necessary either. Just stop running the car as soon as you notice it slowing down indicating the battery is depleted. Bring it in and charge it.

Tried and true Nimh? I have seen so many Nimh packs explode while charging..... Yet to see a Lipo go into meltdown (knock on wood)

Not saying you are wrong,but that is probably not the kind of advice to give someone that has no experience with lipos.I run SMC lipos and they rarely get out of balance at all.In fact the manual states that they only need to be balanced once a year or something along those lines.Most lipos hold a balance very well.Problem is,what if something happens and it does go out of balance?That's when the bad things that we've all heard about lipos happens.Same goes for LVC.You can take your chances and wait til you notice the vehicle slow down before stopping,but running a lipo cell too low will definately damage the pack.Usually they don't blow up from overdischarging,but they will lose capacity over time.

[junkman]

I have been lipo only for around 2 years or so, and once you make the switch I promise you won't want anything but. A cheap lipo will outperform some of the best matched nimh packs. I don't know how keen you are from buying products from china, but hobbycity.com has the cheapest lipo packs and chargers you can buy. You can pick up a 2s hardcase pack for about $25, and a charger that will balance as it charges, as well as charge about any type battery you want to hook up to it for $35. Shipping will hit you for probably $20 but I am sure you will find some other things you want while you browse around. I run their packs in high current 1/8 monster trucks, and 1/10 offroad and couldn't be happier. The only downfall is they don't like the cold, you need to get them up to 80-90 degrees before you run them to mantain good capacity.
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8357
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7028

[jwscab]

lipos are no joke. we like to call them packs of C4, hahhah.

use a dedicated lipo charger that does a balanced charge. this balances them practically every time they are recharged. checking the match is only necessary after dozens of runs, and usually, the charger will balk if one of the cells is out of range. I have a very inexpensive, but nice charger, you can get cheaply, the thunder AC6, compatible with all battery chemistries. If you order hobby city batterys, get a lipo alarm from them as well. The Novak one is like 8 times the price.