NiMH or LiPo?
 

Hey All,

Getting back into RC with an RC18T2.

Wondering if I should run NiMH or LiPo?

Is LiPo really prone to failure? What's this safety equipment stuff I hear of?

The plan is to run a Novak 13.5 and Mongoose ESC combo. My goal is long run time over top end speed.

What would be a good set of batteries NiMH or LiPo to look at?

Thanks,

Jake

Lipo is no different than NiMh when it comnes to safety. You treat either badly and bad things can happen with either. Most probs with lipos occur when improperly charged - charged using wrong mode (something other than lipo mode, like NiMh mode) or charged at too high to a rate. Improper handling can also cause lipo probs - dropping or poking one, but the most common is damage from a hard crash.

Treat lipo properly and you'll likely never have a prob. You do have to have a lipo capable charger though and that can be a drawback.

As far as run time, I was running 18th scales when I switched and I got more than a 30% increase in run time. Went from 11 - 13 mins to 20+min. The performance with lipo is better as well, there's no comparison and there's no discharging like with NiMh, or waiting til they are cool enough to recharge or only charging a few times a day. Lipo - its charge and go, literally.

Thanks Dan!

I do appreciate your help.

So to be 'safe' never overcharge, never use any other setting other than LiPo, and never discharge them too far.

As far as safety gear...what is needed? A battery bag for charging?

In regards to MAH, what can I use for MAH with the motor ESC combo on this rig?

Back in my hay day I used to run NiCD 1200&1400 packs for races and 1600s for bashing around.

What do LiPo battery do in MAH?

Good day!

If you can do it, go lipo and you will never regret it. Here is some good reading on lipo bateries.

http://www.maxamps.com/lipo-care.php

for a 1/18th scale the mAH ratings will be around 1500-2000. anything more and the packs will not be small enough to fit the car.

A LiPo charging bag is not expensive and is a necessary precaution especially if you ever plan on leaving the battery to charge/discharge for any amount of time... The money is well worth not burning down your house...

Your novak combo should be a good set but if you want long run time maybe look into the 18.5T motor which has less power and will probably extend run time even more...

I have an RC18B/T2 setup as an onroad "R" version that I run with a Reedy brushless 5500kV and 1800mAH LiPo and runtime is ridiculous in the 40 min-1 hr range depending on how hard I push it... I'm usually turning my throttle max down to 25-30% since at 100% it's waaaaay too fast for my driveway... ;)

Do you have any equipments currently? If yes, are they LiPo compatible? The NiMH battery for 1/18th scale are available in various capacity, MAH. I think you can find some 1600mah NiMH packs for around $20. NIMH is heavier, so it will reduce run time a bit and lower voltage than LiPO will cost you some mph on top speed.

Go lipo if you can. THey are more efficient (don't waste much energy as heat), have better voltage, and are easy to manage.
The previous concerns about cells catching fire etc were almost solely attributed to people NOT FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS! They are a lot less work than NiMh at the end of the day.
In my opinion of course :)