Battery and Charger Advice?

[BodiBuilt]

I figured I would post this thread here in opposed to the Electronics forum since the application is specific to the SCX10 and AE-2 ESC.

I've read through all the stickied threads a couple times along with a few other related threads as well... but I am having information overload issues!


I've been in and out of the RC hobby for over 25 years, but I have never made the switch over to Li-Po, and I think I would like to finally give them a try.


My budget is flexible. I dont think I need the highest end stuff, but I dont want to buy crap either...


This will be going into a new SCX10 Wrangler Rubicon RTR with stock 27T motor and AE-2 ESC (for now)... unless I can be convinced I should upgrade these stock components right away, or until they blow (whichever comes first?)


From what I understand, the AE-2 is rated to handle a 2S Li-Po, although I have stumbled across a quite a few threads claiming sucessful use of a 3S with this ESC. I dont think I need any more than the 2S for my intended use and skill level. I am interested in good power, but even more interested in extended battery life (run time between charges).


With that in mind, I still have some confusion regarding selecting the proper mah and "C" rating. Before all the reading, I would have assumed the higher mah and C rating the better, but after some research it would appear that is a great misconception (regarding scaler/crawler use specifically) What spec's do I need to look for to best suit my intended purpose?


Can you suggest a specific battery size/brand/part #/ including best place to purchase, and also a decent charger for me to consider? Best "value vs. quality" if you will... to help me get started in the right direction.


Thanks in advance, your advice is appreciated!

[Perkolator]

if you want 2s LiPo, there are lots of options out there. personally, i was recommended to use hard-case LiPo over the soft version. seems like a safe bet to me, especially if you're gonna be bashing or going through water/mud. Deans connectors on speed control will be an excellent upgrade as well since they're more user friendly, and lots of LiPo's already have them.

as for extended battery life - the higher mAh rating is what you need to look at, but remember the higher you go the heavier the battery. I run 5000mAh and can get several hours of runtime depending on how I drive it. Lowest runtime I ever get is around shy of 1hr, up to maybe 4hrs. the C-rating on the battery can get confusing, but think of it as how much current you can draw from your battery at a time, aka: burst rate -- the higher the rating, the better. I just run 20c, middle of the road.

I's say you're good to go with a RTR version and upgrade as needed or as things break. I've ditched the 27t, but still use the AE-2, and my batteries are Dynamite Speedpack Silver in the 2s/5000mAh/20c flavor. They run around $50/ea and so far I have been happy. I use a Duratrax - Onyx 235 charger as it was highly recommended to me since it has a huge range of charging/battery options, as well as capability to run off car battery when out in the field.

[RcKirb]

Originally Posted by Perkolator

if you want 2s LiPo, there are lots of options out there. personally, i was recommended to use hard-case LiPo over the soft version. seems like a safe bet to me, especially if you're gonna be bashing or going through water/mud. Deans connectors on speed control will be an excellent upgrade as well since they're more user friendly, and lots of LiPo's already have them.

as for extended battery life - the higher mAh rating is what you need to look at, but remember the higher you go the heavier the battery. I run 5000mAh and can get several hours of runtime depending on how I drive it. Lowest runtime I ever get is around shy of 1hr, up to maybe 4hrs. the C-rating on the battery can get confusing, but think of it as how much current you can draw from your battery at a time, aka: burst rate -- the higher the rating, the better. I just run 20c, middle of the road.

I's say you're good to go with a RTR version and upgrade as needed or as things break. I've ditched the 27t, but still use the AE-2, and my batteries are Dynamite Speedpack Silver in the 2s/5000mAh/20c flavor. They run around $50/ea and so far I have been happy. I use a Duratrax - Onyx 235 charger as it was highly recommended to me since it has a huge range of charging/battery options, as well as capability to run off car battery when out in the field.

X2 on all of what Perkolator said ..i highly recommend and second the motion on the onyx charger as its not overly expensive and wont break the bank ..does everything you would ever need ..as for you electronics you will be fine with the stock AE2 esc for awhile and will upgrade probly only when you decide too...also in the specs it says the AE2 are only rated for 2s but however I myself and others in our local club run the Ae2 on 3s with an external BEC installed and have had no issues, I run a Novak Goat 3s now and am running 3s 6000mah 40c discharge batteries in mine..mind you the goat is different than an ae2..if your only going to run with 2s i would recommend nothing less than 5000mah and go for 20-40c discharge wont be a problem at all...also go for deans ends too as stated before , hope some of this rambling helps haha

[BodiBuilt]

Thanks for the replies guys.

2 vote's for the Onyx charger... sounds good to me.

Any reason I should NOT buy Onyx Li-Po batteries from the same place I get the charger?