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lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 7:16 am
by urpaldan
hey guys. just recieved my first lipo pack this morning. its a turnigy 5.0 5000mah hardcase 2s 7.4. now i have some dumb questions to ask. how do i connect it to my novak esc which has deans connectors? also how long and should i charge it and at what rate? it came with no instructions so abit of guidance would be much appreciated. really dont want to burn my house down!
thanks

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:08 am
by Lonestar
urpaldan wrote:hey guys. just recieved my first lipo pack this morning. its a turnigy 5.0 5000mah hardcase 2s 7.4. now i have some dumb questions to ask. how do i connect it to my novak esc which has deans connectors? also how long and should i charge it and at what rate? it came with no instructions so abit of guidance would be much appreciated. really dont want to burn my house down!
thanks
http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-lipo-batteries.html

this will answer 99% of your questions.

The rest is: you need to solder a female connector to your pack to be able to connect it to your speedo that has a male plug ;)

Paul

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:10 am
by THEYTOOKMYTHUMB
Here's some good info on charging. Don't forget that you need a charger made for LIPO batteries. A regular NiCad or NIMH charger will not work. You will also need to by the corresponding Dean's plug and solder it on. I would definitely do some research before you mess with it much. They are very safe in my opinion, but you need to do a bit of research just to be safe.

http://www.maxamps.com/lipo-care.php

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:50 am
by urpaldan
ok thats great folks! this is my charger:

http://www.swindonairsoft.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=TENERGYB6

i think its the right one for the job.

let me know if its not suitable. as i said dumb, questions!

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 9:28 am
by THEYTOOKMYTHUMB
urpaldan wrote:let me know if its not suitable. as i said dumb, questions!
That will work fine. New technology is great, but it sucks having to learn about it. :lol:

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 9:54 am
by urpaldan
New technology is great, but it sucks having to learn about it.
Very true! cant wait to get this pack charged up. looks like il be doing some soldering tonight. thanks again

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 11:16 am
by Momo5
Just wait until you use them for the first time. For the longest time I used brushless stuff with some nickel metal hydride batteries, but in the last year I switched to lipos and theyre freakin incredible!

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 11:44 am
by Coelacanth
Once my vintage-shaped LiPo stick packs arrive, I'll be taking my first dive into the LiPool too. Been reading the manual of my iMax B6AC charger to make sure I know how to charge the batteries safely--that charger has a built-in balancer, so I don't think I'll need to buy one, will I?

And as far as LiPo cut-off goes for ESCs...how does that work, anyway? As soon as the LiPo reaches a certain voltage limit, the car just shuts off?

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:03 pm
by THEYTOOKMYTHUMB
Coelacanth wrote:Once my vintage-shaped LiPo stick packs arrive, I'll be taking my first dive into the LiPool too. Been reading the manual of my iMax B6AC charger to make sure I know how to charge the batteries safely--that charger has a built-in balancer, so I don't think I'll need to buy one, will I?

And as far as LiPo cut-off goes for ESCs...how does that work, anyway? As soon as the LiPo reaches a certain voltage limit, the car just shuts off?
As long as the balancer accepts the same plug you're fine. If not, the cards are really cheap($6-7). The balance taps are all proprietary which kinda sucks. It would be nice if they were universal. As far as the cut-off I'm not really sure. I've never run them down that far since they seem to last forever. I usually get bored before it gets to that point. My E-Savage is the only vehicle I run that long(because it's just too fun!)and it doesn't have lipo cut-off so I just stop when I notice diminishing performance. I would think they just drop voltage to the point that you have control, but obviously know they're done.

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:25 pm
by soniccj5
My two buggies with LiPo cut offs will stop for a couple seconds. You can still move the servo, but the motor will shutoff. During pratice you will notice come people stop on the track and then go get their vehicle because the cut off kicked in.


When I first started getting back into racing in 2009 I bought 2 3800mHa NiMH batteries. They were good for what I was doing, but then I decided to upgrade to LiPo late 2010 and have not looked back since. You will be very happy.


Most batteries have the max current you can charge them at on the label. I would guess your battery could be charged at 5amps, but verify with the manufacturer first.

ED

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 12:39 pm
by THEYTOOKMYTHUMB
Now that I'm looking at that it appears to be 11.1 volts. If that's the case, what are you putting it in? Just curious as it will be LOADS of power. Too much for most 1/10th scale applications. Don't get me wrong, it will work, but probably be hard to control. They're fun, but you may want to take plenty of spare parts... :mrgreen:

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 1:54 pm
by bigdavevw
Hey Dan, i have the same battery pack, seems good to me so far, not had a chance to thrash the car yet tho. I bought an Accucell charger off ebay uk (i,m from Scotland too) and itseems really good quality, you will prob have to solder on some new connectors on the charger to make it connect.

Dave 8)

Re: lipo question

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 11:18 pm
by klavy69
thats just a 2 cell but it will feel like dropping a big block in a pinto for what its worth. Had one of these til someone walked off with it at the LHS one night :| . Was very happy with it and you will be too.
urpaldan wrote: as i said dumb, questions!
NOT dumb questions...burn your house down without asking these questions would be the dumb part. Only thing I would add without going back and reading the links posted above is just don't charge your battery unattended as in put it on to charge and go out and change the oil in your car or mow the grass type thing. These will burn hot enuf to get a fire going quick but more than often what you hear or see is intentional mistreatment of batteries to get them to light up. Have fun.
Todd

Re: lipo question

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:14 am
by RC104ever
Just curious - anyone else using the Turnigy Lipos? They are just as cheap as the Gens Ace / Sky Lipos on Hobbypartz but they have more selection.

Was also wondering if anyone was running an 11.1V 3s in their RC10 and how the fitment is.

Re: lipo question

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:36 am
by THEYTOOKMYTHUMB
You would just need to get a low capacity 3s to get it to fit. A thick one like a 5000mah would require modification. They get very squirrelly on 3cells though.