Royalty1

Hey!
I'm fairly new to the RC hobby and haven't had any experience with lipo batteries. I am looking to get some lipo batteries and a good multi-functional charger for under $200 ($150 If possible).

So here's my questions:

-what charger would U guys reccomend? (I would like to charge 2 batts at a time but the main thing is having a quality charge/balance. it would be a plus if it had a storage function)

-what is the best mah/cell-count/c-rate combination? (I have 2 traxxas rustlers, one with the stock vxl setup, and one with a duratrax element setup)

-are the Turnigy Nano-Tech batteries good quality?

like I said, I'm new to lipos and don't want to spend a ton of money and find out its not what I wanted.

any and all advice appreciated!

huzzler

iTrader: (1)

Nano-techs are great batteries I have many myself and all work great. With the vehicles you are running anything over 30c and you should be fine but higher is always better. Same goes with MaH higher the better just depends on what you can afford. I would recommend at least 5000 just for run time. As for chargers if you want to charge two at a time the chargers get a little pricey and most likely you will need power supply. You would probably be better of buying two chargers that come with power supplies allready. If you order from Hobbyking for the nanos look at the chargers they got and pick one or two that fits your budget. All chargers pretty much have the same functions and features. I have three different chargers and three different brands and they all have same functions.

tc3team

+1 on the turnigy, good value

RCaddict0

iTrader: (85)

Batteries n chargers... Valuehobby, Hobbyking andbhobbypartz. All decent lipos n chargers.

Royalty1

I am unsure about which I should get out of 2s or 3s lipos, I think I know what I should get as far as MAH and C ratings but not which cell count. Like I said in my first post I'll be running them with a vxl system and a duratrax element system. I'm not really a racer (there's not a track near enough for me to be [that I know of]) so I'm not looking for speed neccesarily, just good response on the throttle (wheelies are cool) and longer runtimes is basically what I'm looking for from the lipos.

all advice appreciated!

jon c

iTrader: (11)

2s should work in both trucks. As for the vxl system you might be able to run 3s(11.1volts). Not sure never had one, Im sure somebody on here knows for sure. 3s on the vxl ===WHEELIES!

huzzler

iTrader: (1)

If you are just bashing around I would have to say go with 2s. Although you could go with the 3s and turn power down and your run times will be longer. When you start running 3s though you will have to worry about motor temp but it is more efficiant on esc. Both of those escs can handle up to 3s.

RCDAD34

What about the onyx 245 charger with built in power supply?
Charges two batteries at once with profiles, etc.
Also are you bashing or racing? Local shop by me only allows 2S for indoor racing.

huzzler

iTrader: (1)

He allready said he is not a racer.

Royalty1

Thanks for all the replies so far guys!

So let me get this straight, I can run 2s and not have to worry about anything but if I go 3s I'll need a motor temp monitor or something to make sure it doesn't overheat?

Also, will a 5000mah 2s lipo be better than my current 3300mah 7-cell nimh? because the nimh is 8.4v but the 2s is 7.4v. Can someone explain this to me?

jon c

iTrader: (11)

my 2s come off charger at 8.4, the 5000mah is how long it will run for. trust me I am not the best guy to explain this and im sure somebody else will chime in. As for motor temp my 4x4 comes off the track after 5minute race warm not hot by anymeans. a lot will depend on how your drive it, ie, wide open through the grass or trying again and again and again to climb that hill across the street. You can also adjust motor temps by gearing, and if your drive train has a lot of resistance or dirt or mud the motor will have to work harder to do what you want=more heat. maybe check some of the other forums on hear to learn more about lipo charging, low voltage cut off and storage charge.

huzzler

iTrader: (1)

Read this here.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209187

espcarino

iTrader: (2)

I am buying and bought quite some stuff from Hobbypartz. As I am in California shipping is very fast as well.

I have this charger http://www.hobbypartz.com/75p-t6-multi-charger.html

I can as well recommend their Gens Ace batteries. I am using them in my plans and just bought some for my car as well.
http://www.hobbypartz.com/geaceroap1.html

Other might say they are too cheap, but I am not racing and I do not like to pay $80 or more for a battery