A123 battery packs...

[megacabcummins]

So who on here runs A123 batteries? I have some CKRC 1500mah lipos and they seem to only last 20 minutes at best anymore, I maybe have 20-25 cycles on them. So I am looking at other batteries including A123's, even thought about buying a bulk of virgin cells and making my own packs. Anyways just wanted to hear from people who are using them.

[engineerjoe]

i run A123's in just about every RC i own and like them for the durability and quick charge times. From a 4s1p 1100mah setup in my comp rig to a 5s4p setup in my electric hydroplane boat. I think I can run for ~20 mins with my 55T motor.

You will not get any better run time out of them than a comparable Lipo. They are 25C rated but only come in 1100 mah or 2300 mah capacity (the 2300's are too big for crawlers, IMO.)

I noticed my run times diminished greatly when my motor needed to have the comm turned/new brushes. Find a friend with a motor lathe and try that first.

[big_boss]

Hi there
I run a 3 cell pack of A123 2300 mah on my AX10 Artr. This is my first 2.2 crawler but I have had been crawling with supers for 6 years.
The pack just fits between the servo and front right tire/wheel (I'm using CKRC's axle mounted battery/servo mounthttp://www.ckrccrawlers.com/shop/ind...oducts_id=1037). This gives me 9.9v, better than a 2 cell lipo but not as good as a 3 cell lipo, run time should be 30-35 min with a 55t( I have yet to try this motor). with the 110t motor I got nearer to one hour of slow technical crawling but I wasn't beating on the stock truck on it's first time out, that said I still managed to break the stock drive shafts which are next to useless.
Still waiting on the MIP's & dig and the Fxr 55t combo to arrive.Maybe tomorrow I go for a crawl with the traxxas driveshafts & an old Integy 55t motor from my super.

[megacabcummins]

Originally Posted by engineerjoe

i run A123's in just about every RC i own and like them for the durability and quick charge times. From a 4s1p 1100mah setup in my comp rig to a 5s4p setup in my electric hydroplane boat. I think I can run for ~20 mins with my 55T motor.

You will not get any better run time out of them than a comparable Lipo. They are 25C rated but only come in 1100 mah or 2300 mah capacity (the 2300's are too big for crawlers, IMO.)

I noticed my run times diminished greatly when my motor needed to have the comm turned/new brushes. Find a friend with a motor lathe and try that first.

I ran bushless up unitl last weekend... switch to a Tekin 35T and run times were about the same. I'll see if I can dig up some of the 1100mah cells... thank you

[megacabcummins]

Originally Posted by big_boss

Hi there
I run a 3 cell pack of A123 2300 mah on my AX10 Artr.

Cool... so the only difference you notice is faster charge times? That would be great, two packs would last me through a comp and running around after...

[robchas]

i ordered some and got them in the other day...a 3 cell pack...they were huge!! i'm limited on space and could not get them to fit the front axle and go under the body....my body is as low as i can get it on the chassis...i was going to have to mod something and really didn't want to..everything is working well like it is...i sent them back and got ckrc 3 cell lipos...love them...love the wheel speed...the size of them and fitting it to my rig was my only problem...besides that it would have been nice to be charged and ready to go in 15 min....

[megacabcummins]

Dude you're in granite falls?

[talon02]

Be warned, if there isn't a weak link in your drivetrain, these batteries deliver a brutal amount of current. I run a homebrew 4s 2300 A123 and just melted a battery bar from being bound up. I am also eating axle housings at an alarming rate. The wheel speed is sweet but not worth the broken parts, 3s A123 is a bit slow for me so I'm going back to 3s LiPo.

[cyberdog]

I use 6s1p2300mah in my monster and the pack has some real power. I use cells from dewalt packs and used the batterytabs that was on the cells. After a few mins of running the tape around my pack started melting because the tabs where so thin and got hot Have now replaced them for much beefier tabs and will also be using 6s2p soon for even more power

Love A123 !!

[big_boss]

Originally Posted by msps003

Cool... so the only difference you notice is faster charge times? That would be great, two packs would last me through a comp and running around after...

Yes they are a revelation, IMO, with fast charge times & incredible discharge ratings they are very powerful & could do some serious damage to your rig (like others have mentioned on this thread) especially if you have an HH 7t or even a 10t motor in there and give some beans...

They are quite large however, thats is their down side, maybe the only down side.

I charge them at 2c only, as I'm in no hurry to get em' charged.
if you can find the space for them on your rig & you need that kind of power (in the first place) from your cells, fine. otherwise I'd go the Lipo route. Speaking for myself, the FXR & 55t motor I plan on putting in my AX10 would do just fine on some 3s Lipo 1500mah, If I had some, I had these (A123's) & I used them.
Hope this helps.

[mattnin]

I use two 1100mah A123 cells in my brushless crawler, so only 6.6V. I made a pack from some VPX cells from wal-mart. They work good, I don't even feel I need a 3S1P setup because I get excellent wheelspeed and torque with just 2S. Problem is runtime however, I can make it through two courses but then for the last course I need another pack.