benefits of a lipo

[booher26]

I have read many posts and get mixed results. other then weight and size what are the benefits of running the lipo setup. i just purchased an ax10 scorpion on thursday, upgrades include goat3s brushless set up going to 4 link front and rear with vanquish hurst dig getting deliverd on friday. right now with the 5000mah normal battery i get about 1.5hrs of run time all the threads i read state that the lipo's are luck to get 30 min. and take longer to charge. are there any there benefits then size and mounting location options to make me spend more then i already have... Thank you for your time

[jcnalley]

Originally Posted by booher26

I have read many posts and get mixed results. other then weight and size what are the benefits of running the lipo setup. i just purchased an ax10 scorpion on thursday, upgrades include goat3s brushless set up going to 4 link front and rear with vanquish hurst dig getting deliverd on friday. right now with the 5000mah normal battery i get about 1.5hrs of run time all the threads i read state that the lipo's are luck to get 30 min. and take longer to charge. are there any there benefits then size and mounting location options to make me spend more then i already have... Thank you for your time

I get more than 30 minutes of runtime on my Berg with a 1500mah 3s. Lipo advantage is more than size. You will have better power through out the life of the battery. With a Ni-Cad or Nimh battery, as soon as you start using it they will start to lose power. The power curve is a downhill slope. With a Lipo you have the same power from the start of the pack until you hit the low voltage cut off.

[Scattman]

Originally Posted by booher26

I have read many posts and get mixed results. other then weight and size what are the benefits of running the lipo setup. i just purchased an ax10 scorpion on thursday, upgrades include goat3s brushless set up going to 4 link front and rear with vanquish hurst dig getting deliverd on friday. right now with the 5000mah normal battery i get about 1.5hrs of run time all the threads i read state that the lipo's are luck to get 30 min. and take longer to charge. are there any there benefits then size and mounting location options to make me spend more then i already have... Thank you for your time

What are you comparing? Your 5000 nimh aginst a small lipo pack? Of course it would have more runtime.

If you compare your 5000 nimh against a 5000 lipo pack then they are comparable as far as runtime. Lipo has the advantages already stated though. Almost endless size selection with lipo makes getting the most out of your space possible.

If you are serious about making a competitive rig you will have to settle for less runtime. There is a reason damn near everyone runs lipo.

[gottorque]

initially, the cost of switching to lipo is pretty expensive, especially the charger. My LHS said that you might as well save up and get a nice one from the start and it will save you money in the long run. I almost went with a Duratrax Onyx 230 and a blinky balancer. but again the guys at my lhs said that that is not the way to go and they recommended the Hyperion ES60606i AC/DC charger to me and that is the way i went. simplest( and most advanced) charger ive ever used but man is it awesome.
The charge times really vary on their charge rates and capacities. It also depends on the current voltage its at. If you hit LVC it might take a while but if your charging it from store mode( 2s's store at 7.4 to 7.6 volts) it takes around 20 min for me to charge my 1300 mAh and 1.3 amps. It'll last a long time though

[team sidewinder]

I would like to know about the weight difference between a lipo and a nimh. My 6cell 4500 nimh seems so heavy and the batt. mount on a LNC is high which makes the truck pretty top heavy. Would a lipo reduce that high weight ? Thanks

[Scattman]

Originally Posted by team sidewinder

I would like to know about the weight difference between a lipo and a nimh. My 6cell 4500 nimh seems so heavy and the batt. mount on a LNC is high which makes the truck pretty top heavy. Would a lipo reduce that high weight ? Thanks

Well, as stated here a lipo is lighter way lighter than a comparable nimh so the short answer would be yes.

[booher26]

Thank you for the reply i didnt realise i was comparing apples to oranges and will be converting to lipo by this weekend

[booher26]

next question then would be how do i determine if i should run the 7.4v or the 11.1v ???

[gottorque]

Originally Posted by booher26

next question then would be how do i determine if i should run the 7.4v or the 11.1v ???

It really kinda depends. However in your case, it sounds like you are going to comp it, then i would go 3S(11.1) for the needed punch in compitition or you can use 2s(7.4v) for messing around. It wont have as much punch as the 3s but works just fine

[92LILREDYJ]

Go with the 3s, your already setup for it, and once you use them you will never use a 2s pack again. I would get around a 1300mah pack its small and will fit on your front axle... they last me about 45min, charge in 60min at 2amps, So with 3 packs you can run all day.

[booher26]

Thank you for the speedy responses and for helping me make the decision to go lipo this hobby is getting expensive lol, ill post some pics soon for only having it 4 days, it already has these mods goat 3s brushless setup, losi aluminum shocks 4 link front and rear proline weighted bead locks front and rear hot body rover white dots. Hi-tech 333in oz steering servo. Kcrc high steer knuckles .aluminum servo and now i ordered the ckrc front axle 4link battery plate is now on order. Now how to decide on a radio…

[squatch71]

Originally Posted by booher26

I have read many posts and get mixed results. other then weight and size what are the benefits of running the lipo setup. i just purchased an ax10 scorpion on thursday, upgrades include goat3s brushless set up going to 4 link front and rear with vanquish hurst dig getting deliverd on friday. right now with the 5000mah normal battery i get about 1.5hrs of run time all the threads i read state that the lipo's are luck to get 30 min. and take longer to charge. are there any there benefits then size and mounting location options to make me spend more then i already have... Thank you for your time

the group we run with have different mAh's of batteries...from 6 cell and 7 cell 3300mAh to 7 cell 5000 mAh. I am the only one running lipo..2s 2800mAh...and we run for 3 hours straight some times...

I will never go back to nimh...lipos run smoother, and more effecient...and they are more compact and lighter.

[wanantrdsc]

I use a Hi-Energy 6-cell 7.2v NiMH pack in my Wheely king. I have run it for about an hour and fifteen, to an hour and twenty minutes consistently, and constantly. I dont know how long it will run exactly, cause, I have never run it down. I get bored, and switch vehicles.

[booher26]

So I bought li-power 11.1v. 1320mah. X2. As far as charger goes I bought the venom pro charger. Opinion's on this purchase

[JeepinOR]

I can't comment on that charger, but want to simply suggest that you make sure you carefully follow proper directions and precautions for charging Lipo batteries. Lipo batteries are safe when handled correctly but they are less forgiving than Nimh when something goes wrong.

But with that, welcome to Lipo - you're gonna like it.

[BladeMech]

Originally Posted by 92LILREDYJ

Go with the 3s, your already setup for it, and once you use them you will never use a 2s pack again. I would get around a 1300mah pack its small and will fit on your front axle... they last me about 45min, charge in 60min at 2amps, So with 3 packs you can run all day.

I don't wanna step on toes but, lipo's should only be charges at 1c I thought. So a 1300mah pack should be charged @ 1.3 amps. I am probably just being anal but I have had a lipo fire in my house and it scared the bejesus outta me.

[JeepinOR]

Originally Posted by BladeMech

I don't wanna step on toes but, lipo's should only be charges at 1c I thought. So a 1300mah pack should be charged @ 1.3 amps. I am probably just being anal but I have had a lipo fire in my house and it scared the bejesus outta me.

That's an important point to bring up. Charging at "1C" is the Rule of Thumb but there are more and more Lipos out there that are being advertised/rated as having a higher charge rate. So while these can be charged faster it doesn't help to extend their life; 1C still seems to be the preferred rate, in general.

Hope you took care of the fire before it took care of your house.