RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

So I went into a local shop today and tell the guy there I want a bigger battery so I can run longer and go faster. I tell him I have a pretty stock vintage RC10 with a NiMH 1800 mAh battery. He says without going LiPo, to get this 8.4V battery that is a 7 cell 4500 mAh. Perfect. He says the only thing is, I should get one with the Traxxas connector as he has heard of people with the standard Tamiya type connector having meltdowns.

I did what he told me and replaced my connectors...including an adaptor so I can still use my charger. But isn't the Tamiya type connector pretty standard / universal? Did I just screw myself and should I go back to the white Tamiya connectors or not bother?

tamiya connectors are garbage. always have been, always will be.

I used Tamiya connectors for many many many years as a kid before I got serious into racing. No "meltdown" to speak of.

But when I look at the websites for things like batteries, they refer to the Tamiya connectors as 'standard', so I figured they should be okay, right?

I will admit...the Traxxas style connector is MUCH nicer. Gold plated metal, firm connection. I guess I just don't like getting scammed but it sounds like he was telling me a partial truth in that the Traxxas style connector is much more robust, right?

Personally, Deans are my favorite. http://www.wsdeans.com/products/plugs/index.html

Tamiya connectors are fine for low current, 7.2v bashing; their contacts are just cheap plated metal that has a high resistance. Resistance = power loss and heat. So, they have been known to meltdown from time to time. I switched to sermos/powerpole when I started racing in 1988. To this day, every motor, battery and ESC I own has them on.

Performance-wise, you can't go wrong by going to a higher quality connector.

I have had Tamiya melt togethers. Those things suck. I miss the days of jiggleing them to get a good connections.

CamplinP wrote:I have had Tamiya melt togethers. Those things suck. I miss the days of jiggleing them to get a good connections.

Ahh yes...or having one where the connector ends didn't quite center in the holes or had the edges bent, and twisting the connector this way 'n' that to get it to finally connect firmly.

I went with Deans myself.

That was with the "assemble yourself" style. Those were a joke, indeed.

For once, proper advice coming out of an LHS

Cool, I feel better now about the advice! He also recommended a Mamba max pro combo for when I switch to LiPo (which I had decided on anyways) and a Spektrum DX C ( I think) for a new radio and receiver. He saud it has a 5 model memory so it was a great value vs the older Spektrum.

Can't argue with the ESC/Motor combo. That is what I use and it is great.

Lonestar wrote:For once, proper advice coming out of an LHS

That is odd these days. Here they would have said junk everything and buy all new Traxass.

The Traxxass wall at my LHS is probably 15 by 30 feet. The Team Associated 'board' is about 3 by 2 feet...

Mindwarp wrote:The Traxxass wall at my LHS is probably 15 by 30 feet. The Team Associated 'board' is about 3 by 2 feet...

Is that because Traxxas is easier to start with than Associated because they have so many RTR models, and because of easy to sell features like waterproof electronics?