battery run times?

[mental_raycer]

ok guys, i havent got a crawler yet, but im looking at an axial ax10 rtr, what betteries have been used with no mods to the car and how long run times do you get with them, any help is appreciated

thanks, chris

[bluto]

theres two ways you can go with this. lipo or old skool.

lipo is expensive, lighter, more power, and longer run times.

NiMh or NiCd batteries are cheeper, heavier, and you dont need a special charger to charge them.

with a 55 turn motor and a 3000 mah Nimh battery, the runtime is about 30-45 minutes depending on how heavy of a finger you have.

same motor and a 3000 mah lipo battery, the runtime is 35 minutes to an hour, agian depending on how fast you drive.

keep in mind that you have to buy a lipo charger, power supply, and a lipo bag. You can buy a whole lot more NiMh batterys and a charger for same price. It basically ballances out, depending on how you look at it.

[resetpunk]

Originally Posted by bluto

with a 55 turn motor and a 3000 mah Nimh battery, the runtime is about 30-45 minutes depending on how heavy of a finger you have.

with my novak 55 turn 93/15 orion 3000mah battery i can get on average about 45mins but if im crawling the whole time then i can get like 1 hour to 1 hour 30mins..but like he said depends on your throttle finger

[mental_raycer]

that last post wasnt very clear, what times would i be looking at approx, for 7.2v 4600mAh NiMH on the 27t rtr with 14 tooth pinion?????????

[bluto]

do you have the stuff yet and installed. if so just charge it up and drive.
bring a stop watch.

that 27t motor wont get you near what you need in the tourqe department, i would change it for 45 to 55 turns. this also would prolong your battery runtimes.

[ROLANDROCKSHOP]

i run a venom 1250 mah lipo 2c $35 at hobbytown
w/55t mtr ,87 spur& 11 pinion
and get 45 min - 1hr runtime

batteries are like anything else
how much $ ya got to play with.

my charger, which can charge anything even a car battery.
hyperion 606i $130 and it balances the cells in the pack so
each cell is at peak.
in My opinion go with lipo,it gives full power until its dead.
unlike nimh,nicd, which trickle off.

[Pete from Houston]

Originally Posted by rubiredunlmtd

in My opinion go with lipo,it gives full power until its dead.
unlike nimh,nicd, which trickle off.

but LiPo's can be dangerous if you don't get the correct charger...I've never seen a NiCd or NiMh burst into fla,es while charging. Also, using a regular ESC can ruin a LiPo.

[ROLANDROCKSHOP]

in the hands of an idiot anything can be dangerous.

yes lipos can burst into flames,when not taken care of.
dont overcharge,and get a lipo sack or keep em out in the garage.

bottom line." take care of it,and it will take care of you"

[ZIP]

I run two batteries, a 4600nmh in the upper tray and a 3600nmh in the rear axle tray. Works great and has an incredible run time. I use a Piranha peak charger and it also does a great job.

[resetpunk]

Originally Posted by Pete from Houston

I've never seen a NiCd or NiMh burst into fla,es while charging.

http://www.microtforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3338

its not really flames but it bursted alright

[ZIP]

Well I was out at Prairie City raceway in Folsom, CA and the gal that runs the place pointed out a guy that was looking for a fire extinguisher because two weeks earlier he was out there and his lipo pack DID catch fire and burned up his buggy.... with flames. :-P He was recharging the battery in the buggy when it caught fire.

[crazy_kanaka]

Mental_Raycer,
Don't let these guys scare you off of lipo batteries. If you're responsible and charge them correctly they are very safe. However, there are a few things/upgrades that will be necessary to making your set up lipo safe. You'll have to change out the original esc on the RTR Axial because it doesn't have a lipo cutoff circuit. Another option is to add on a lipo cutoff circuit to the stock esc and you'll be fine. But even then you are still limited to the amount of voltage that the stock esc can handle, whether it be a 2 or 3 cell battery. Also, you will need a special charger that is capable of charging and balancing lipo cells. It's also wise to have a safe place to perform your charging, ie a lipo bag.

With that said, I don't use lipos. My main reason for it is because it's a large investment to make the switch, especially if you're doing it properly. But I suppose that if you'll have to buy everything new anyway that it could be just slightly more. I use 2/3A cell saddle packs. If you build them your self you can make 4 8cell packs for around $65. If you buy them pre-built then they run around $23-$25. And the only mod you have to make would be getting these. With a 8 cell saddle pack, and a 55 turn motor, and 13t pinion I'm getting about a 30 min run time.

If you want to stick with the normal stick pack running sub C cells at 4600 mAh, then you'll be getting some really long run times. The best way I've seen these mounted on an axial is the way Zip's picture shows.

Good luck

[breitenbach14]

yea on my well used venom 3000 mah i get about an hour and when i mean well used i mean around 500+ charges on it 55t 86/14 i dont have a trigger happy finger also:-(

[BJoe]

I just picked up a built kit AX10 second hand two weeks ago and have since put an Integy 55t motor, Front axle battery mount, and a Hobbyzone 1000mAh 8.4v pack for their Supercub and get better than 30 minutes out of it!

[Mudinyai]

I run a Maxamps 2100 mah 2s lipo, 55t integy, novak rooster crawler, tq3 radio with a 2215 receiver, Hitec 225 dig servo and a Hitec 5955tg steering servo. I average an hour and a half.

[ADDICT]

TT 1010 baby pushing 1345mah-11.1v w/8T 32P and a HH C7TP I can get through a whole comp with lots to spare. Even using the 85mg through the day. Just to give you a est.
Its always good to up you volts and just gear down a bit. You will get better performance out of anything you hit 3C's with. Run times will ALL be determined on how you drive. If your really worried about it spend the extra $20 buck and grap another pack of nimh or go crazy and pick up 4-5 3c's good luck

[twors]

Originally Posted by Pete from Houston

but LiPo's can be dangerous if you don't get the correct charger...I've never seen a NiCd or NiMh burst into fla,es while charging. Also, using a regular ESC can ruin a LiPo.

Yeah, I've never seen a NiMh pack catch fire either but I have seen them explode......IB4200 cell

[zuluslave]

Well , I've a RTR as well . Mine , with a 3300 NImh , normal stick pack , and using 14 pinion , can run over 1 hour . Perhaps one hour and a half . It's difficult be wary of time when you're crawling !!

I'm very newbie , my Ax 10 only counts 4 days of use ( rugged use , anyway ) , but I think running time was increased , after change the stock pinion (20 t ) , for the 14 t ...

[Reflection]

Originally Posted by bluto

that 27t motor wont get you near what you need in the tourqe department, i would change it for 45 to 55 turns. this also would prolong your battery runtimes.

Bah,that ain't completely true. A 27t will crawl just fine. I've wound 20t's,25t's,30t's and they have all done fine. Higher turn motors need to be geared up,lower turn motors need to be geared down. That 55t won't push any more power than a 27t motor.

If you do run a 55t motor,you gotta volt up to a 3 cell to get any performance out of it. Heck,even a 35t on a 3 cell needs to be geared up a little.

[flakkie]

Originally Posted by twors

Yeah, I've never seen a NiMh pack catch fire either but I have seen them explode......IB4200 cell

What is the deal with IB cells? A guy at a dirt oval track I race at had one of his IB packs for his Slider vent like crazy for no apparent reason and later that night had another IB Slider pack literally explode while on the charger. The aftermath looked like the picture you posted. I was given some IB 4200 packs from my girlfriend's father and the other day one of them started to vent while on the charger. I'm kind of scared to run them now. Other then that, they seem to work fine.

I guess this is more of a warning then anything else. No matter what kind of battery you are using, treat it with respect and care. These are not toys and can do some serious damage!