OK, I admit I am still a bit of a n00b in some areas of r/c racing (even after more than several years of on and off participation), particularly in the battery area, but...
I'm sorry, in the interest of safety, we/ROAR should have kept tighter restricitons on the batteries "approved" for racing. Saying a battery cell has to be rated at 1.2V but allowing it to exceed the 1.2v (up to 1.4 or higher now) is rediculous and completely negates the original rule. Again, I am no expert on batteries, but even I can tell the current Ni-MH cells look like a Pepsi can that was just run through an electric paint mixer for a few hours. The design of the casing of the cell just doesn't seem to match up to the volt and capacity they are seemingly stuffing into them these days. I swear these 4200's, 4500's, and 4600's all
LOOK like 3300 cell casings that are stuffed beyond intended capacity.
I think its great that ROAR is stepping up and putting requirements/restrictions on the newer technology (Li-Po) batteries and are making efforts to keep things safe at the races, mainly the pit areas. However, we shouldn't need to go to the extreme of: charging sacks, bunkers, ammo boxes, etc. etc. In addition to safety; cost and simplicity/convenience should be on the agenda list as well. Additional $10 here and there for accessories just to charge a little battery for our toy cars adds up, and for the average hobby racer (which this entire r/c racing world is built on and counts on to survive) it can make the difference of staying in it or finding something else to spend their money on... especially now when gas prices have everyone pinching pennies.
The safety precautions are great, and its nice to know its on the mind of ROAR. However, I think the same ideas about their maximum voltage checks and impact tests they applied to the Li-Po should not only be applied to Ni-MH cells before approval, but I also think they need to be re-evaluated on the Li-Po...
Do we really need 8.4v? What was wrong with the original 7.2v? Sounds like a good way to help slow the cars down which the majority seem to think we need to do anyway. I think keeping tighter control and specs on what batteries are allowed is a great way to make things a little more safe again.
In my opinion if ROAR does have a well thought out set of minimums for approval, and does a good job of enforcing it, then down the road the charging sacks won't be needed/used anyway.
Just my 2 cents.... spend it wisely
