bvoltz

iTrader: (44)

Good idea, I did not think of that one... I was going to try to bend the end to a 90, but previous ends I have had just break...

Since we are on the subject... One idea for future designs, is to mount the two plugs to the outside of the battery... I have attached a picture for illustration proposes.

Rick Hohwart

If they could be done any other way, we would do it. The problem is with the constraints of the Lipo design. The circuit board that allows both terminals to be located on one end is something we designed. Otherwise, the terminals would be on opposite ends. Normally this would not be a problem, but it would have meant the pack would have to be quite a bit longer than it is now.

Since we are trying to make this pack legal for competition, we feel the number on priority is to make it the same overall size as a sub-c pack.

The configuration you have shown would be impossible based on the current size of the battery.

bvoltz

iTrader: (44)

No problem, was just an idea, but I see it is not doable...

Thanks....

or8ital

iTrader: (38)

I used a couple of these packs for an enduro. The first time we used the fully charged packs they worked great. However if we took the packs off early (like around 3700 mah added) they only lasted about 5-7 min (as opposed to 19 min for a fully charged pack). They also seemed to dump hard after a hit. Is this normal? We used 4 packs between the 2 of us and all 4 packs did it.

Rick Hohwart

Fully charged will always give more run time, but hard to say what you should get with partially charged packs.

I have raced MANY enduros, and one thing you will experience once you have done a few is that run time will decrease as the race rolls on. The batteries may not change over the course of the race, but motors and other chassis parts wear, ESCs heat up, and your overall package loses efficiency.

You could have experienced some of this along with running reduced battery capacity. Less run time is the result.

I have never experienced the hard dumping. But I have with NiMH. if you are close to the end your run, a hit (or start from stopped) can cause very high ampdraw that will kill the battery.

It is not so important now because NiMH batteries are so good, but in the past a crash or two could easily lead to dumping before the race ends. And a crash in the last minute of the race was the last thing you wanted to do.

To me, nothing sounds abnormal.

MrBlack

i am assuming you are usig a proper balancer? if so you set it to the same you would as if you where charging it.

If you are trying to balance it manually (i.e. charging one side at a time) we do not recommend this as it can cause more harm then good if not done properly. Also we have yet to see a single Orion li-po pack go out of balance so I would ask why you feel the need to balance your pack? Have you checked it has it shown signs of balance issues?

Balancing it does give any performance advantage unless the pack has gone out of balance from abuse or neglect in the first place.

We have run batteries weekly for over a year and have not yet seen a need for balancing.

*Note I can only speak of our Orion/Kokam Lipo's not for other brands.

azmio

Mr Black,

I read somewhere stating that the platinum lipo may need balancing only after 30 runs. Whether it needs one or does not need one, I am not an expert to determine that.

Since the port is available there, I dont see any harm to balance it. After I charge them individually, I tend to agree with you that it does not make any different. Each balancing requires almost the same amount of energy to reach the peak.

TEAM-AE-4-EVER

Rick - Congrats on your move to The A-TEAM! You will be a great addition to both the On-Road and Off-Road squads... and not to mention helping out with the testing and development of the new AE belted Touring Car!


I am considering buying a few Li-po packs and the Advantage charger... but was wondering if or when you guys might release a saddle pack version that would fit most 4wd Off-Road kits now... especially my BJ4-WE!


THANKS!

Rick Hohwart

We are looking into it. But the reality is that the saddle market is relatively small and includes mostly racing type cars. Once we can see that LiPo legality is inevitable, we will proceed with something.

duneland

I would like to add my request for a saddle version! Some observations; Most tracks in my area allow LiPo (at least in mod classes), Lipo is perfectly suited to larger on-road tracks where nitro 1/10 & 1/8 cars are run (my tc is a 'saddle pack' car & has been collecting dust for years. Wouldn't mind putting a Quark esc & 4t bl motor in it!)

YR4Dude

iTrader: (44)

Quick question just to confirm.

I've read that the platnum Lipo is very efficient such that it has:

Low IR
High voltage
Develops little heat when used.

So given the last fact, does that mean it can be charged immediately after being used without the need for cooling like NiMh?

Also, I had heard it mentioned that in regards to its performance (volts), it doesn't matter whether it is fully charged or partially charged. Is this true?

Lastly, Mr Black mentioned on the KO race thread that one Platnum is equivalent to three good NiMh packs. If I had one Platnum and the Orion charger would I be able to last the whole race weekend on it? Also would I always be ready to run between practice sessions (5min.) and heats at almost anytime in the event so long as I keep the battery charging while it is idle on my pit table?

Thanks.

Rick Hohwart

You can, and should, charge (to at least 25%) your battery right after it comes off the track.

Fully charged or partially charged can make some difference but it is very small; especially when compared to NiMH. Charging the pack an hour, day, or week before use makes no difference.

You should be able to do the whole event on one pack. If you race modifed, you will be more pressed for time than if you race mini. But even so, the battery should reach at least 80% capacity which will give you more than enough capacity for even a modified heat.

MrBlack

Yes this is correct.

A lipo battery will hold it voltage for much much longer then a traditional Ni-MH cell so if you had it charged at 90% you would not notice any power difference then being charged at 100%. We always recommend runing the battery after fully charged to allow maximum runtime and the longest lifespan

One Platinum can be run without any wait between charging so a user can use one battery to run all day with charging between runs. For most racers atleast three pack of a Ni-MH battery would be required to race per day.

The capacity of a 4800 Lipo is equivilent in runtime to about a 6600mAh Ni-MH if one existed and in some applications will give almost twice the over all run time over a standard 4300 without the drop off in performance.

We have had many customers call us who run 2WD buggies and will run 3-4 5min. runs before recharging. For touring and Mod motors this is obviuosely different and it veries by application. However on average the a Li-Po battery will give 30-40% more runtime then it's equivilent Ni-MH.

I personally have run a Touring Car with a 23T motor for over 30 min. with a 4800 Lipo before any power loss was noticed.

YR4Dude

iTrader: (44)

Thanks guys.

That is absolutely amazing. An entire "Big Race" weekend on only one charger and and one battery pack without any loss in power. Thats is definitely technology working to improve this sport. I look forward to the release of the competition version when it comes out next month.

padailey

iTrader: (11)

I am about to dive into the lipo world after doing a lot of reading. I have not been following this thread from the beginning but have recently read the whole thing. My main question is the about low voltage cutoffs. I think the main thought here is they are not needed because you will feel it in plenty of time. Although I believe you I'm still a little concerned because of not having a lipo before and don't want to ruin it. Can anyone tell me approximately where the voltage is when the power begins to drop off? If it starts to drop off at 3.3 per cell for example I could see where the LVC isn't really necessary. Sorry if this has been answered before but the 30 pages of posts are kinda a blur.