Battery - Charger (Q's)

[rc dreemer]

all,
i am wanting to switch to lipo in my scx10. i currently have a CommonSense (ACDC-6) charger. i am looking at a Racers Edge 5000MAH 20C 7.4V LIPO W/DEANS PLUG for a battery, i believe it is a 2s (2cell ?). my questions are:

1) is the battery compatable with the charger? the description for batt. indicates "ONLY USE A CHARGER SPECIFICALLY FOR Li-Poly cells!!!

2) i have a traxxas xl-5 w/ lvd compatablility.

3) the charger indicates that it "accepts" lipo batteries up to "6s"

in general i would like suggestions on batteries, i am looking for around a run time of atleast an hour...... scaler (bashing) type of driving, not too much "Crawling"

any help/guidance would be much appreciated...

thanks!!

[Docwolf]

The higher the MAH, the more run time
The higher the Voltage (more cells) , the more power (torque/speed)
the higher the C rating (20c, 25c so on) the more "punch" you will have when you pin the throttle. (this is a percentage of the MAH, so 20% {i think})
Hard pack is a must for crawling (really an thing on wheels)
and your charger needs to be able to balance (there are either ports on the side of a additional card that attaches to the charger that allows for balancing, called a balance port)
A lipo bag is highly recommended for charging, Lipos can and do cook off

Now, with that said, i am still new to lipo, so my recommendations may not be perfect, but they are a good start.

2s, 20c, 3000 MAH (minimum, more is always better in my book LOL, but remember the higher the MAH, the more punch. More punch, the more amps. Too many amps and you could fry a ESC), hard pack

I use the ECO6 charger, 17 bucks from Hobby king, nice unit and dirt cheap. I hear a lot of people are using the IMAX units now and like them.

anyone have more input, jump in, I can always use more info myself LOL.

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by Docwolf

The higher the MAH, the more run time
The higher the Voltage (more cells) , the more power (torque/speed)
the higher the C rating (20c, 25c so on) the more "punch" you will have when you pin the throttle. (this is a percentage of the MAH, so 20% {i think})
Hard pack is a must for crawling (really any thing on wheels)
and your charger needs to be able to balance (there are either ports on the side of a additional card that attaches to the charger that allows for balancing, called a balance port)
A lipo bag is highly recommended for charging, Lipos can and do cook off

Now, with that said, i am still new to lipo, so my recommendations may not be perfect, but they are a good start.

2s, 20c, 3000 MAH (minimum, more is always better in my book LOL, but remember the higher the MAH, the more punch. More punch, the more amps. Too many amps and you could fry a ESC), hard pack

I use the ECO6 charger, 17 bucks from Hobby king, nice unit and dirt cheap. I hear a lot of people are using the IMAX units now and like them.

anyone have more input, jump in, I can always use more info myself LOL.

In general I agree.....BUT.......

-"C" rating is not really a percentage, it's a voltage & capacity (mah) rating. Low mah NEEDS a large "C", high capacity (mah) can get away with a lower "C".

-"Punch" is a combination of mah & "C", raise either, punch goes up.

-Almost NOBODY runs a hardcase LiPO in crawling. Other RC electric racing may REQUIRE it due to speed. A hard impact at speed may damage a LiPO causing a fire. Crawling usually does not need this.

The ESC will only use what it needs....it CAN NOT be overdriven by a "great battery pack".

When pricing chargers, keep in mind the input voltage/type. A "really cheap" charger may be "DC volts" only, thus you either need to charge off your vehicle....or.....buy a DC power supply. This can raise costs. Also see if a balance post/card is included, that may be an additional cost.

Part of why I "spent a little more" for a Venom ProCharger......it's AC/DC powered, has multiple pack connectors as well as a balance port. I need to buy NOTHING else.

[stanmondz]

charlie covered it.just want to add a little to "punch"

punch is mah times "C rating divided by 1000. that will tell you what kind of amps the pack can deliver
example
racers edge pack your looking at
5000X20=10,000= 10,000/1000 = 100 amp discharge

a 3000mah 20C pack is 3000X20=60,000/1000=60 amp discharge. if you step the "c" rating up to 35c you get the discharge rate back up to 105 amps

[rc dreemer]

"" it's AC/DC powered, has multiple pack connectors.... "" my charger indicates the same information. So my concern is whether this type of charger is able to charge "our typical" type of lipo batteries?? i was concerned because the battery description indicates to use only a "lipo - only battery charger" for charging purposes?
the traxxas xl-5 w/ lvd indicates that it can use upto a 2c lipo.

i feel that as long as i buy a 2c lipo then the ESC will exccept it? and like indicated my charger will do both nickel & lipo type batteries so i beleive i am "safe" there??

thanks!!

[Trubble]

Originally Posted by rc dreemer

the traxxas xl-5 w/ lvd indicates that it can use upto a 2c lipo.

i feel that as long as i buy a 2c lipo then the ESC will exccept it?

You can run LiPo in any ESC that uses a battery. In ESCs that aren't "LiPo compatible" they just have no low voltage cutoff, so you have to make sure you stop running before you damage your LiPo.

Make sure you know how to turn your Low Voltage Cutoff on and off, as your ESC will run just fine with it turned off and offer zero protection for your LiPo.

And you can run NiMh/NiCad with the LVC turned on, but since those types' voltages tend to sag under load, your rig will just shut off quite a bit earlier than you would normally stop running if you didn't have an LVC. Won't harm the batteries, just makes your run times shorter is all.

Originally Posted by rc dreemer

So my concern is whether this type of charger is able to charge "our typical" type of lipo batteries.......... i was concerned because the battery description indicates to use only a "lipo - only battery charger" for charging purposes.......... my charger will do both nickel & lipo type batteries so i beleive i am "safe" there

You're reading far too much into this and taking things far too literally and have now confused yourself.
Racer's Edge website says "only use a LiPo compatible charger" and you've read into it "use a LiPo only charger". Not the same.

Since you already have a LiPo capable charger, you'll be fine. Just remember to make sure when you charge, your charger is set for a LiPo profile, and on the correct cell count, and you should have no problem.

And, as a matter of course, I always preach using a LiPo sack while charging. Valuehobby has about the cheapest ones I've seen. Take care.

[Docwolf]

I disagree on the hard pack, i would never run a soft pack crawling either and everyone i run with runs hard for their main batteries. A few guys have some cheap low MAh packs, but those are generally in side some kind of box to protect them. damage can occur at any speed, why chance it. I got both of my 6000MAH packs for 60 bucks shipped, it may cost a little more, but for me the insurance is worth it.

[motomoto]

Awesome info here guys. Thanks!

[benoj]

Originally Posted by Docwolf

I disagree on the hard pack, i would never run a soft pack crawling either and everyone i run with runs hard for their main batteries. A few guys have some cheap low MAh packs, but those are generally in side some kind of box to protect them. damage can occur at any speed, why chance it. I got both of my 6000MAH packs for 60 bucks shipped, it may cost a little more, but for me the insurance is worth it.

On this subject I agree with Charlie. If you can find me a hard case 800mah 3s I would gladly use it but I only use hardcased packs on my go fasts as they are the only ones able to fit a full sized pack in them. All my scalers run a pack from 1300-2200 mah depending on room and a hardcased plainly won't fit. Now on to comp crawlers their battery locations typically only have room for up to 1500 mah like an xr10 or losi cc and there is no practical way to fit a hardcased lipo with out raising the cog a ton. I'm sure if there were more variety of hardcased lipos in the lower mah range they would be used in crawling more


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[Docwolf]

Originally Posted by benoj

On this subject I agree with Charlie. If you can find me a hard case 800mah 3s I would gladly use it but I only use hardcased packs on my go fasts as they are the only ones able to fit a full sized pack in them. All my scalers run a pack from 1300-2200 mah depending on room and a hardcased plainly won't fit. Now on to comp crawlers their battery locations typically only have room for up to 1500 mah like an xr10 or losi cc and there is no practical way to fit a hardcased lipo with out raising the cog a ton. I'm sure if there were more variety of hardcased lipos in the lower mah range they would be used in crawling more


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I see your point here, i did have to design my chassis around my pack, but i set out with key points in mind too. I dunno, i just feel safer with a hardpack....

[Fink]

Everything is pretty much covered here...but I'll give my $.02.

From a safety standpoint, just don't leave the LiPo unattended while charging, keep an eye on temps (just feel it), use a LiPo charging sack, be sure to keep the cells balanced and be cognizant of what the battery is on while charging (no carpet, cloth, etc.). Great thing about most LiPo chargers is they do all the thinking for you and really won't let you screw up too bad. I have the Thunder AC680. Comes with a balance plug, checks the battery to make sure it's actually what I say it is (2S, 3S, etc...) and keeps an eye on voltages for me. I just choose the mode and the charge rate and I'm off and running. Remember not to charge at a higher rate than what the battery manufacturer recommends - they all publish this information.

Everything else is just a matter of what kind of battery you want for what you do and what fits into your budget. I run all Gens Ace LiPos. Some hardcase, some not. Gens Ace are just my choice because of their availability and price. There are many other quality batteries out there and the majority of the arguments you hear about brand supremacy are full of conjecture.

Just remember to have fun - that's what this hobby is all about!

Fink

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by Docwolf

I disagree on the hard pack, I would never run a soft pack crawling either and everyone I run with runs hard for their main batteries. A few guys have some cheap low Mah packs, but those are generally in side some kind of box to protect them. Damage can occur at any speed, why chance it? I got both of my 6000MAH packs for 60 bucks shipped, it may cost a little more, but for me the insurance is worth it.

Originally Posted by benoj

On this subject I agree with Charlie. If you can find me a hard case 800mah 3S I would gladly use it but I only use hardcased packs on my go fasts as they are the only ones able to fit a full sized pack in them. All my scalers run a pack from 1300-2200 mah depending on room and a hardcased plainly won't fit. Now on to comp crawlers their battery locations typically only have room for up to 1500 mah like an XR-10 or Losi cc and there is no practical way to fit a hardcased LiPO with out raising the CoG a ton. I'm sure if there were more variety of hardcased LiPO's in the lower mah range they would be used in crawling more


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Originally Posted by Docwolf

I see your point here, I did have to design my chassis around my pack, but I set out with key points in mind too. I dunno, I just feel safer with a hardpack....

With the lower speeds of crawlers, I have no issues running a "soft case" LiPO pack.
But, I sorta cringe when I see soft case packs sitting on top of an axle, even at low speeds.

Part of this is because I spend WAYYYYY TOO MUCH TIME upside down, thus my concern..... :banghead:

In "go fasts", it is usually a RULES THING that you MUST run hardcase packs. I can understand that due to the G loads when you hit an UNMOVABLE OBJECT at high speed.

I'm not saying what to run, I'm saying what I run in each case & why.

You can make your own choice.

[rc dreemer]

Trubble:
" You're reading far too much into this and taking things far too literally and have now confused yourself.
Racer's Edge website says "only use a LiPo compatible charger" and you've read into it "use a LiPo only charger".
Not the same. Since you already have a LiPo capable charger, you'll be fine. Just remember to make sure when you charge,
your charger is set for a LiPo profile, and on the correct cell count, and you should have no problem.
And, as a matter of course, I always preach using a LiPo sack while charging. "
thank you for the insight that is exactly what i was wanting to know. thanks again!

fink:
" From a safety standpoint, just don't leave the LiPo unattended while charging, keep an eye on temps (just feel it),
use a LiPo charging sack, be sure to keep the cells balanced and be cognizant of what the battery is on while charging
(no carpet, cloth, etc.). Great thing about most LiPo chargers is they do all the thinking for you and really won't
let you screw up too bad. I have the Thunder AC680. Comes with a balance plug, checks the battery to make sure it's
actually what I say it is (2S, 3S, etc...) and keeps an eye on voltages for me. I just choose the mode and the
charge rate and I'm off and running. Remember not to charge at a higher rate than what the battery manufacturer
recommends - they all publish this information.
Everything else is just a matter of what kind of battery you want for what you do and what fits into your budget.
I run all Gens Ace LiPos. Some hardcase, some not. Gens Ace are just my choice because of their availability and price.
There are many other quality batteries out there and the majority of the arguments you hear about brand supremacy are
full of conjecture. "
very helpful & appreciated, everything is in my garage & should be pretty safe... related to hazards!
"Just remember to have fun - that's what this hobby is all about!"

now your talking'!!!
thanks!!