4wd electric

Old 03-12-2007, 10:25 AM
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For 1 I just make sure that I'm gonna be around the garage when I'm charging the pack. Also I keep a fire extinguisher handy. I keep the pack on the cement floor away from flammables.. Thats about it... I cant stress enough to keep an eye on the process!!
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Old 03-12-2007, 11:06 AM
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So how well does this work out when you are at the track?

I was thinking of picking up one of those cheap grills, so if a fire does happen, its in something that can contain it.

About how long does it take to charge when you are recharging it after a heat? Assuming a 6 minute heat?
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Old 03-12-2007, 10:41 PM
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My brothers lipo's seem to take FOREVER to charge. I'm just gonna stick with my regular Nimh batteries for now. The owner of the track I go to was talking about lipo's and his insurance and was saying something about how they didn't like the idea of people running them there. As of now, that is all my brother has, but he mainly uses them running around on the street doing high speed runs.
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Old 03-12-2007, 11:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Alltapdout
I was told that there was @ least 500 before me. Thats what the hobby shop owner has told me! We are both waiting for them now.

If you want a kit, you can find them. Stormer has them in stock as of a few days ago, as well as several other shops, if you search them out. ApexSpeed is correct, we're waiting on a few things right now, but I wont commit to a date, as we have had trouble in the past predicting when things will arrive.
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Old 03-13-2007, 04:58 AM
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I charge and store my lipos in a pyrex dish. Just place a 1/2 full ziplock back of sand on it. That way if there was a problem the bag melts and sand pours on the batteries. Simple and it works. I also store my battereis on this same plate on a grill at the house. You can cook on it for hours so a battery issues should be no problem.
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Old 03-13-2007, 06:22 AM
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Unfortunitly there isn't enough people around my area to start a 4wd class. So to answer the question about charging @ the track...I just don't have to charge it there. I charge the pack @ home under close supervision and just take it to the track.. The beauty is that the pack lasts so long I can run multiple heats without recharging, I also have multiple sport packs that I start off with after a fresh charge...Then when people think they've seen what the car can do..I BLOW THERE MINDS with LIPO POWER!!! If a class starts up I may have to concider alternative methods.. Till then.. I just charge @ home.
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Old 03-13-2007, 06:46 AM
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How many amps do you charge your lipo at? Would you be able to charge at 6 amps? 6 amps doesn't seem like it would take a long time.
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Old 03-13-2007, 08:35 AM
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I am very curious about this as well. if I can just swing 1 battery, I would be very willing to do lipo, but need to make sure the recharge isn't taking forever. If its about the same as a standard pack, thats a different story.
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Old 03-13-2007, 07:00 PM
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I was told that the rate of charge depends upon your capacity. And Lipo's you can charge @ 1C. Which means that a 3000mah battery can be charged at 3 amps. so you can supposedly charge a 8000mah @ 8 amps...My charger does not do that and I would not recommend it! The charger that I use just monitors the pack and adjusts the amp rate and voltage automaticly. But I believe that my pack charges @ 2.5-3.0 amps. The pack charges very fast. BUT, alot of the time I just slow charge my battery @ 1 amp just to be sure its not going to overheat and burn up. I contacted maxamps and they ensured me that trickle charging your battery does not damage it and is a good way to besure that all cells are charged evenly. Its also the way to revive a lipo battery that has been drained down below the 3 volt per cell limit!!! opps. I think that NiMH can be charged with more current. So they would charge faster than a lipo battery of the same capacity.
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Old 03-13-2007, 08:04 PM
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Not sure about your LiPo but my TrakPower is rated at 2c - which is almost 10amps charge rate.
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Old 03-13-2007, 09:08 PM
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Wow, you can charge a lipo at 10amps? When can you tell if your lipo is approaching its limit? Does lipo chargers know when the limit is?

I have a Duratrax ICE, and I've just bought it recently. Got tons of features and I only know how to charge and discharge. :lol

If I charge a maxamps 4400 battery saddlepack at 10amps and it was already full, will it explode?
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Old 03-13-2007, 09:21 PM
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This is the main reason why I don't mess with lipo's. Too many precautions you have to take. I don't leave me nimh's charging unattended, but at least I don't have to put bags of sand on top of them and charge them outside in a grill.
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Old 03-14-2007, 04:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Brushless Corey
This is the main reason why I don't mess with lipo's. Too many precautions you have to take. I don't leave me nimh's charging unattended, but at least I don't have to put bags of sand on top of them and charge them outside in a grill.

NiMh cells are not 'the safe option' - you need to take just as much care.

http://www.oople.com/rc/photos/durha...s/durham04.jpg



aggdaddy - if you are using a LiPo charger - then no. Because the lipo is full, so it wont charge. The lipo charger stops when the pack reaches the correct voltage. The cells are rated at these charge rates by the manufacturers (not the pack builders)
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Old 03-14-2007, 05:11 AM
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Brushless Correy,

If anyone charges any battery unattended they are making a mistake. Only reason I charge my lipo under the sand is to have peace of mind. If something was to happen it would be contained. Sand and Pyrex were cheap and all that was around when I started. Lipo Sack takes no more time than pulling a battery out and placing it in a pouch. You can even just use a cinder block. I charged my NIMH in a container also. I have seen cells pop. Been using a lipo for over 1 year. No issues. I assume you wear a seatbelt in a car. That precaution is too much?

I spend less time on my lipo than I ever did NIMH. Discharger, Charge, Timing the Charge to have it peak before race, Cycling batteries if not racing, Replacing them every 2 to 6 months. My lipo - Charge in container, Put in car, run, Charge in container, put in car run. Oh yea did I mention I can run for 30 mins straight when practicing? And 1 battery can be used as many times as I want in one day assuming it is being used correctly.


As far as charging lipos in general. To get the longest life from a lipo you want to charge at 1c. Some manufacturers can do more than this. Hyperion is one. But when you charge at a more than 1 c then the lifecycle of the battery is lower. I currently charge my 8000 mah battery at 8 amps. Still takes an hour from low charge to full charge. I also never completely charge or discharge my batteries. Some manufactureres say that most of the damage happens in the last 10% of charging or the last part of discharge.
With 8000 mah I can run 5 min practice, 2 heats, 1- 7 min main on 2 vehicles.
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Old 03-14-2007, 05:57 AM
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That is correct 1c is the way to go.. See, my MRC charger only charges @ a maximum of 5 amps.. So It also depends what charger you are using. There is no way I can charge a pack at 8 amps. I'm not sure what the duratrax ice can charge at.
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