cheaper batteries...will I regret it?
 

shoot...can't post URL's yet.

4 pcs RC NiMH 7.2V 4500 mAh 10C Rechargeable Battery Packs

from 3epower.com

Manufacturer: Dahann
SKU: dh-4xrc7.2v4500


Would I regret these? Compared to Venom 3000mAh? They'd be about the same price shipped, but I'd get a little more run time with a slash running in the grass with them.

I have not personally used those batteries, but I bet you will regret it. For running in grass you use alot of current from a battery, and I dont think 10C Nimh can take it very long. I have used several cheap no name batteries, some I had good luck and some I trashed within a few runs.

For a cheap pack these have treated me well. They have the same 10C rating, but I have used these pretty hard with no failures.
http://www.batteryspace.com/nimhbatt...2amprated.aspx

Oi!

Some of the LiPo's on that site are quite afordable. I'll have to look into what's required to run LiPo's and maybe get a Onyx 230 instead of a 240. (or some other LiPo Charger.

If thats the case you should look at hobbycity.com
they have great lipos at even better prices. Find the Accucel-6 charger and you will get the best deal in the hobby right now.

These are cheap Chinese generic cells. If they are fresh, they'll do ok, if they've been around for too long stiing on the shelf, they will disappoint and not be worth even the cheap price you paid.

I bought 2 pr of tenergy 4200mah 7 cell pacs for my Emaxx. They would only charge to 3500 when I got them. I tried everything, charged them at 400ma for a long slow charge, I cycled them, I tried zapping them, nothing worked. The charge they took just kept going down. The last time I charged them, they would only take a little more than 2100mah.

Talking to tenergy's customer service was a waste of time and a joke. No help at all.

For cheap lipos you're way better off with zippys, turnigys or flightmaxxs from HobbyCity. These are proven and you will get you money's worth from them.

For Nimh I got some POwerizer 3300s a long time ago, they didnt have tons of punch, but they had advertised mah for many cycles. So good I went back and got the 4200s, they performed as expected with decent punch and 4-4.3K mah.
Im not sure if these Powerizer cells are re-labeled Tenergy, but they do look similar. Anyways Lipo is the way to go, and Hobbycity has the best deals.

WOW....

rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209187

Apart from needing to switch the ESC and getting a cut-off....That's kinda scarry...I think I'll stick with NiMH for a bit.

That was written in 2003, we have a much better understading of how to properly handle Lipo batteries now. Its a good idea to read the whole thing though.

Many people get the wrong impression that Lipo is a fragile stick of dynamite waiting for you to make one little mistake and blow up half the neighborhood.

Todays chargers are very good at monitoring the packs and not allowing any problems to ever get close to happening. A protective sack that will contain the fire is another way to insure safety. The cases in which lipos would burst into flames would blow up a Nimh like a shotgun shell, I have seen it first hand.

If you get a lipo cutoff then you will not need a new ESC. The reason for getting a new ESC is because it would have a cutoff built in.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...AT7+&search=Go

Not a bad price or battery.

Ok, I'll look into LiPo...and maybe an Onyx 230.

Is there a good charger that will do two batteries at a time?

How long does a 230 take to charge a 2 cell LiPo?

Looking at hobycity...

ZIPPY Flightmax 5000mAh 2S1P 20C $29 or
Turnigy 5000mAh 2S 20C Lipo Pack $20

That seems to be a great price.

How long would a slash run in grass with that battery?

Didn't I read that the LiPo's discharge slower so that they last longer than a 5000 mAh NiMH?

Get one of these Hobby King Battery Monitor 2S $3.50


Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 5A Balancer/Charger $35 (two would be cheaper than an Onyx 240 that I was looking at for NiMH) I'll be getting two chargers if there's not a good LiPo Dual, as I'll also be getting two trucks so I can race with my kid in the corn field or track that my wife might help me make.

How do I connect a LiPo to the Traxxas plug?
EC3 Male - Traxxas Female or male...not sure ?


THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP.

Oh, and where can I get one of the fire proof bags. I can charge in the garage, but in MI it gets really cold. Not sure if that would work well or not. But our house has foam filled walls, if it ever catches on fire (even with the updated technology) our house would go up in black smoke before we could dial 911.

you can find good and no too expensive cells. it depends what your looking for. cheapbatterypacks.com is great for custom packs if your not planning on running them all the time. if your going to be out every weekend with these batteries. you dont want to go cheap. you will regret it. but if you dont mind getting new packs every 3 months. its a great deal.

There is a dual charger on the Hobbycity site, but it charges at 2amps max, so it would take about 3 hours to charge 2 5000mah packs. Hyperion makes another that could do 2 packs much faster, but it will cost you.
Most decent chargers like the Accucel-6 or Onyx 230 can charge any 2s lipo in just over an hour. Depending on the specific battery and charger maybe faster.
Lipo has a lower internal resistance than NImh, and lighter weight for the same capacity. For a given capacity a lipo will generally last 20% longer than NImh of the same capacity. I would guess a 5000mah lipo should run at least 20 minutes in a Slash off road.
Not many companies sell Lipos with Traxxas connectors, and the ones that do charge alot for their packs. Get packs with Deans plugs and you can use a small adapter to plug right in to your ESC.

Here is a sack, but you may be able to find them cheaper on ebay.
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=4364

Here is an adapter you would need to hook up to your Trx plug.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Female-Traxxas-t...item439a088212

I forgot Hobbycity stopped using Deans plugs on their packs. In that case your best bet it to replace the factory connectors with Trx plugs.

My Slash running Intellect 2S 5000mah lipoos gets 20-30min runtimes depending on how hard I am with throttle. And I run in my big back yard on teh grass. That works the motor a little harder so it makes motor run hotter than it would on street or a track.

Get a military 50cal ammo can and use as a lipo bunker. Store the in the lipo sack, in the can. The can will contain anything that could happen. Lipo today is on at least the 3rd generation media formulation and its much safer and less fir eprone than the 1st gen stuff was.

[QUOTE=Duster_360;6489909]My Slash running Intellect 2S 5000mah lipoos gets 20-30min runtimes depending on how hard I am with throttle. And I run in my big back yard on teh grass. That works the motor a little harder so it makes motor run hotter than it would on street or a track.
QUOTE]


SWEET, that's just what I'll probably be doing. That information was just was I was about to ask. How long does it take you to charge the 5000mAh LiPo's? If it takes about an hour...I could get 4 Turnigy 5000mAh 2S 20C's and we could run as long as the motors were cool.

For your slash, did you get the hardpack or softpack?

It also appears that I can get a 2s -> 4s balance cable and a y cable for the batteries and chage two at the same time with one charger. That would save me about $50. Now if only the charger was in stock. Or would that be much more dangerous. Save $50 but burn my house down?


OH!! Does the Turnigy Accucel-6 run only off DC? Or does it come with an AC plug? That would add some expense.