Eric Tyrrell

Is your Mini-T brushless?

Junebug

No it's not.

Eric Tyrrell

If it were me I'd go with one of these here. Maxamps can cost more but they have great service and warranty. Make sure you select the right plug for your Micro-T and the correct balancing tap for your charger(which you'll need). For the charger I'd go with this one, although there's a few out there that are very good. I use the Electrifly Triton EQ. The great thing about these chargers is they just plug into the wall (no external power supply required) and they can charge just about any type battery out there. That and of course they're balancing and peak chargers.

Junebug

Ok I hate to keep bothering you but what if I didn't want to spend that much money right away what would you suggest? I want to make sure I'm going to stick with R/C Cars first.

Eric Tyrrell

In that case I'd make it simple and go with the Losi Battery and Charger combo. It'll be a lot better than the stock AA batteries and recharges in two hours. Then if you're still into RCs, I'd first buy a high quality balancing peak charger like the ones I mentioned. Then I'd buy whatever high quality batteries you need, also like the one I mentioned.

Eric Tyrrell

Also, your local hobby shop may have this in stock, so I'd check. Since it's a Losi product it's fairly common. Again, when you're ready to step up to the next level, invest in high quality components (charger, battery). You get what you pay for, and you pay for what you get.

Junebug

So go with the 1100mAh 7.2V NiMH battery with the charger?

Eric Tyrrell

Yeah it's cheap but will still be waaaay better than the stock AAs. If you stick with RCs then you can invest in an even better but much more pricey charger and battery.

Eric Tyrrell

btw Some of my posts contain links. Don't know if you noticed.

Junebug

Yes I did thank you sir.

Junebug

If I get the Ni-MH battery should I invest in the Mini Peak AC Wall Charger that Losi makes? It said it will cut the charging time to 60 minutes or less and it's $19.99.

Eric Tyrrell

If you're going to spend a little more money then you might as well go with the Team Losi LOSB9630 7.4v 1650mAh 20C Lipo Battery Pack & Charger

It'll be even faster than the NiMH, and recharge in an hour. I know that because the battery capacity is 1650mAh and the stated charge rate is 1.6 Amp, so approx. 1 hour.

Be careful though, you're more likely to break things with more power.

Junebug

What does the 20C mean?

Eric Tyrrell

C in general means Capacity. In this case the 20C is the max discharge rate which means 20 x 1650(capacity) = 33,000 mA. That means this battery can handle a max constant load of 33 Amps. You'll often see charge rates of 1C (normal charge) to 5C (fast charge) for LiPos. In the case of 1C this means you can charge a 1650 mAh battery at 1.65 Amps and it will take 1 hour. If you were to charge it at 5C then it'd be 8.25 Amps for 1/5 an hour. LiFe batteries often have charge rates up to 15C so for a 2000 mAh hour you could charge it at 30 Amps for 4 minutes (1/15 hour) and it'd be done. Anyways, basically C ratings are used to specify charge and discharge rates.

Eric Tyrrell

Also, the discharge rate is only important to consider when you have a motor which may possibly pull more Amps than your battery can supply. With a stock setup, it won't even be close to being an issue. That charge rate is what's more interesting for most people.