NiMH batteries?

[soilwork]

Just curious if I'm the only one still living in the stone age that still uses NiMH battery packs? I don't feel a need to make the switch over to lipo if all I'm running are scale trucks and crawlers! On top of that, I live alone and don't want to worry about my apartment being burned down while I'm at work all night...piece of mind I guess!

Sent from my LG-LS777 using Tapatalk

[allanon1965]

I went all Lipo a couple years ago. I dont worry about fires as mine are kept in a metal ammo box at home and only charged when I am in the garage with them working on my crawlers. Nimh batteries didnt give me the performance I wanted, the run times I wanted and the storage quality I wanted so I switched and will never go back to Nimh batteries.

I can get 3 hours run time on any one of my crawlers easily..all my ESC's have low voltage cut offs for Lipo. The Lipo keeps the performance level up longer than the Nimh batteries do. The Lipos just plain work better for me. Lipos are not a problem if they are reasonably taken care of.

[Perkul8r]

I still have some Nimh batteries for my kids rc's, but I personally made the switch over to lipos a while ago. Honestly, if you take care of lipos while using and charging there isn't usually any issues. And there are ways to store them so if something where to happen it would be contained. I have lipos that I got used with trucks so no idea how old they are, and I just keep an eye on them.

If I dont use my lipos for a while, I just make sure to throw them on the charger and do a storage charge on them to make sure they are good.

I was worried about switching to lipos as I heard just as many horror stories but once I switched I wont go back. Nimh packs can explode too. And some videos I have seen, they are worse than lipos when they go.

[soilwork]

Originally Posted by Perkul8r

I still have some Nimh batteries for my kids rc's, but I personally made the switch over to lipos a while ago. Honestly, if you take care of lipos while using and charging there isn't usually any issues. And there are ways to store them so if something where to happen it would be contained. I have lipos that I got used with trucks so no idea how old they are, and I just keep an eye on them.

If I dont use my lipos for a while, I just make sure to throw them on the charger and do a storage charge on them to make sure they are good.

I was worried about switching to lipos as I heard just as many horror stories but once I switched I wont go back. Nimh packs can explode too. And some videos I have seen, they are worse than lipos when they go.

I know! I had a NiMH explode on me! I heard something starting to sizzle on my work bench and noticed it was my NiMH receiver pack! I took it outside and it sounded like a bomb going off! I do want to swith over to lipo because I want to get back into the faster bashing type vehicles!

Sent from my LG-LS777 using Tapatalk

[allanon1965]

you will gain performance in your crawlers as well... more wheel speed when you need it..

[soilwork]

Any recommendations for battery and charger combo for first time user of lipo? Been reading up on it and there is a lot to soak in!

Sent from my LG-LS777 using Tapatalk

[allanon1965]

batteries I get from valuehobby.com they have good prices and the gforce Lipos have been great for me. the charger I have is a thunder ace seen here...it has a discharge feature as well as a storage mode feature.

Thunder AC6 Smart LiPo Balance Charger/Discharger w/ AC Adapter for 1-6 Lipo/ 1-15 Nimh + USB to PC Software

Lipos here...

3S LiPO - 11.1V - Batteries - Power | Value Hobby

[soilwork]

Originally Posted by allanon1965

batteries I get from valuehobby.com they have good prices and the gforce Lipos have been great for me. the charger I have is a thunder ace seen here...it has a discharge feature as well as a storage mode feature.

Thunder AC6 Smart LiPo Balance Charger/Discharger w/ AC Adapter for 1-6 Lipo/ 1-15 Nimh + USB to PC Software

Lipos here...

3S LiPO - 11.1V - Batteries - Power | Value Hobby

Thanks! Think I'm gonna go with a hardcase SMC or Orion shorty pack! They always made good packs!

Sent from my LG-LS777 using Tapatalk

[Hydrocarbon92]

SMC and Gens Ace are two that I really recommend. They are the few I've seen that meet or exceed the listed C ratings, although not a necessity for lower power crawlers.

Another thing about NiMH is they do not like fast charges, that will reduce the numbers of usable cycles (full charge/discharge) to well below a LiPo. Most modern LiPo's can take a lot of charging amps w/o harm. They are no more dangerous unless you puff them up from constant or severe over-discharge - you have a better chance of dying in a fiery car wreck than having a LiPo catch fire.

[Greatscott]

Meh.... I figure if NiMH keeps the grin on your face, stick with it.

I used NiMH for years, then slowly started to make the migration over to Lipo. I got tired of changing chemistry in charger and ESCs, so I went 100% to lipo to uncomplicated my batteries. Other that puffed packs, I have not had any issues with my lipos. But, I treat them like a kindergarten class when charging, I never leave them alone and rarely turn my back on them. I also keep a set of welder's gloves next to my charging station just in case, luckily I have never had to use them.

[Hydrocarbon92]

I'm not saying trash a good NiMH, but it's worth it to upgrade when you need to replace. A good LiPo charger will charge both very well. Only reason I have puffed packs is I got a cheap lot of used Turnigy's and ran them like a raped ape in a high-amp boat.

Most big heli/quad guys take great care of their batteries, and there are some that have logged 1000+ cycles w/o issues. The trick is they don't run them to 0% nor do they pull 100A from a 50A battery over-rated to 100A.