I should check into these soft rear tires from Pit Shimizu. Thanks for the info, and congrats on the V2 parts!!

I expect to have my first ever Lipo batteries today.

I test ran the new charger last night using my old NiCd's and made a few profiles to learn how to use it. Will go further tonight and charge the new Lipo's for the very first time.

Oh, I hadn't considered grooved tires - went straight to slicks. That simplifies things a whole bunch. Thx.

What thickness of insert do you suggest? I'm seeing anything from 4.5 to 5.5mm.

I ran Lipo's for the first time. Nice power.

Besides the slight bulge on the side of the car which I evened out, no issue.

Btw, after the drive, how do you guys keep the battery stored?
I bought fire bags but is it necessary to place them in that all the time?

Btw, I got the Peak 4200mah round housing ones eR1c recommended.

After discharging to about 3.8V per cell, I put them in old ceramic baking/casserole dishes. These are often available on the cheap at garage sales (and are much cheaper than LiPo bags purchased new).

Yes, always store your lipo's in fire bags, never leave them in the car. When those things burn, they burn hot and fast. Better safe than sorry.
E

-Nice, I hope you like it.

-----
So, I ordered the parts to convert my M05 to M05V2. Cost me $35 for everything (chassis, motor mount, and heat sink). I am running Spec R arms front and back so those should work for the V2 conversion.

I am going to run my M05 setup at the next race one last time, ...unless I can nab one of the top 2 positions will most likely convert next month.

That's a great idea, howardcano! Thanks. I was thinking maybe a deep pot or something I don't use too.

Thanks for the info, EricF.

What are common triggers for Lipo fires?


eR1c, thanks again for the recommendation. I like the batteries.
I trimmed the M05's battery holder end piece to allow room for the balance wire, then put a 1mm spacer on the other side of the battery holder to push-out the end piece out a little bit to allow a tad more room for the battery.

When I run my old NiCd's, I use my non-trimmed battery holder end piece (I have spares) and a little pad I made to keep the sport pack from sliding.

Sounds exciting on the V2 conversion! I noticed when I built the V2, it came with the plastic motor mount that I didn't use. Perhaps for me I could just get the chassis and run without the heatsink.

I have the timer set on my 4PKS-R to chime after 15min of run time to cool down the Mabuchi.

From the ones that I've seen, it has been from over charging. For whatever reason the charger did not shut off.

Thanks, I will make sure not to do this.

For anyone wanting to read about Lipo care, I found the below link:
http://www.rogershobbycenter.com/lipoguide/

I found out that these are alkaline based and reacts to water and oxygen.
So any water, drinks, any liquids that might get on the batteries while on the work bench are potential fire risk. Another fun fact is that you can toss these in the trash after discharging them and giving them a salt bath.

No need to recycle them at BestBuys or what not.

I also learned to keep them at storage voltage while not in use... one of them are fully charged right now awaiting my return.

Honestly speaking, my old 2000mAh side by side NiCd's are easier to take care..

I saw two lipo fires at our 2014 club events. Not sure what caused both, but both were runing/competing at the time of fire. I suspect a short or some kind of ESC malfunction that let the battery go amuck? In both cases the fire was a nasty one, ...its a constant flame that just keeps going. The fire actually seems endless. We keep sand buckets for such case and had to put the entire car under a bucket of sand to keep the fire contained. Several hours later we removed the sand to find a melted mess of what was once a nice on-road TC car.

I did not know you could put them in the trash when spent. I did know about the salt solution to deactivate them, but good to know about being able to throw them away.

Sakadachi,
I recommend this for your battery holder,
http://www.tqrcracing.com/shop/produ....asp?p_id=3469

-this one is for the M05, but I believe it also fits the M05V2, ..yet you can verify by looking for parts for your M05V2 and see if this comes up.

I use this as it saves a ton of weight and is much easier to use than the stock setup. I just use a strip of tape on each end to secure my battery. ...for racing this works well, yet if your just parking lot bashing then it may not be convenient to carry tape w/ you?

-thanks Sakadachi! I am excited to work on the conversion too.

Lipos are easy to take care of. Generally, after a race, mine are down to about 7.9v. As I'm packing up for the day, I discharge them to 7.6-7.8v. The charger does the work. Next time you race, be sure to balance charge, at least for the first heat. Simple.

Store them in a lipo bag/ammo box/casserole dish/asbestos underpants and you're good.

The lipo fires I've seen have generally been from batteries being overcharged/pushed too hard, or from over-discharging. Seen a few that seemed random, but there's always a reason. Lipos are as safe as anything else. Just use common sense.

Disposal is easy. Discharge as much as possible, cut off the leads, chuck them into a container with salt water for a few weeks. Do this outdoors! I use an old plastic coffee can with a loose fitting lid - gasses need to escape. After that, they're inert and non-toxic.

I really love what's happened in the past 5 or 6 years with lipos, brushless motors and such. This hobby has gotten WAY easier.

Ran my M05 Pro 2 last weekend at TCS. Love minis now. My old M03 was so sensitive. What was weird the 05 felt like a small TC. Running a HW Juststock ESC and Xerun 21.5. Nice combo but not as fast as those who advance their timing. Overall very satisfied. Only hop ups were front knuckles, rear uprights and TRF shocks. Followed all settings as per kit.