Junebug

I'm looking at batteries for my Mini-T and I'm just wondering what mAh means. For example a battery I'm looking at is a 7.2V 1100mAh NiMH battery.

DettaSCT

mah = battery capacity = run time

Junebug

Ok I seen some batteries with a higher mAh and I guess that means the higher the mAh the longer the run time right?

Eric Tyrrell

mAh is an acronym for milliamp hour. If your RC pulls a constant 1100 mA (full throttle for example) then your battery would die in 1 hour. A 2200 mAh battery would therefor last twice as long, or 2 hours. These are just examples though since I do not know what average current your RC pulls. This is also highly dependent on how you drive. Generally, the more mAh, the longer the battery will last.

Same answer as rcuniverse

Junebug

Thank you very much! What does EP or IB mean? For example EP1500mAh or IB1600mAh.

Eric Tyrrell

EP stands for East Power or Enrich Power, IB is Intellect. Two different manufacturers. People seem to prefer EP cells. Maybe someone else can expand on this.

Junebug

It's just who made the battery pack?

Eric Tyrrell

It's who manufactured the individual cells inside the pack. Not who packaged and branded it.

Junebug

Also can someone give me the pros and cons of Ni-CD, Ni-MH, and Li-Po battery packs and which one do you think I should go with for my Mini-T.

Junebug

Oh ok so who made each individual battery inside the pack right?

Eric Tyrrell

Right, for example seen here. NiCD is a Nickel Cadmium chemistry battery which was once very popular but has since been largely replaced by NiMH, or Nickel Metal Hydride. NiMH has a higher energy density than NiCD, and most of the negatives to NiMH compared to NiCD have been worked out by now through years of research and development. Lithium batteries generally come in three chemistries: Li-Ion (Lithium Ion), LiPo (Lithium Polymer), and LiFe (Lithium Iron Phosphate). LiPo is currently the most popular in RC due to the higher energy density vs Li-Ion. Lithium based batteries all have near zero internal resistance so they hold their voltage under load very well giving the best "punch". This also makes them more dangerous in the case of a short circuit since a tremendous amount of energy will be unleashed. Lithium batteries also have a higher voltage per cell than NiCD or NiMH. NiCD and NiMH are 1.2 volts per cell (6 cell battery is 7.2 volts), LiPo is 3.7v/cell, and LiFe is 3.3v/cell. LiFe typically has a slightly less energy density than LiPo which translates into either a slightly heavier battery or less capacity. If extra capacity, less weight, or higher voltage is truly needed then I think the decision is obvious. However, in many cases the extra energy density only results in wasted power due to traction loss, or money due to broken parts. If the energy density of LiFe fits your needs then you also get all the inherent advantages of LiFe. Those advantages are: Higher charge rate, higher discharge rate, more charge-discharge cycles, lower or no low voltage cutoff, and a more stable chemistry. You have to choose which of the characteristics are right for your application. I have no experience with the Mini-Ts so someone else might be able to give you a more specific answer.

Junebug

Which is the best battery regardless of the application? I'm just curious.

Eric Tyrrell

In general though LiPo has the highest energy density. A higher energy density mean you can either have the same energy with less weight compared to a battery of a lesser energy density like NiCD or more power with the same weight. However, each application has it's own needs and a battery type appropriate for those needs. I'll try to answer your question but first there's some things to check. Do you already have a charger? If so, what kind? Do you absolutely want the fastest speed possible? Or do you want the longest run time possible (still fast)? Or do you want the fastest charging battery? And lastly, how much are you willing to spend?

btw personally, my favorite is LiFe.

Junebug

I do not have a charger. I would like the longest run time possible and a battery that will give me decent speed. I would also like the battery to charge pretty fast.

Junebug

Horizon Hobby has a good article on their website I thought. It's called Understanding RC Batteries.