Just been given this to fix... gonna need some help tho!!!

[Greywolf74]

While i mostly agree with this, i would go a slightly different route. Look for a Redcat Racing rebranded HobbyWing ESC. They are listed on eBay as the WP 10BL60-RTR ($45 or less) and WP 10BL120-RTR (around $58).

Not sure I understand this suggestion as the ESCs are cheaper than that on HW's website. $39/$47 respectively. Am I missing something here?

View attachment 135333
@Greywolf74 i have the correct charger that came with the car, basically have everything it came with here. The battery voltages are;
Red/black 8.36v
Blue/Black 4.16v
I guess that’s a problem?
Also the battery is in a plastic bonded case, it MAY be very very slightly pushed out at the centre but that could be how it came for all I know as it’s so slight I could be just imagining it! Is it worth popping open? Or is that a bit dodgy lol

8.36 is the voltage of both cells together. Maybe I couldnt see the orders of the wires correctly. a 2S lipo has a max voltage of 4.2volts/cell or 8.4V for a 2S pack. So that lipo is pretty much fully charged. If you play around with your multimeter on the balance plug 2 of the readings will be 4.x V/C and one is going to be both cells together which is the 8.x V/C. You dont want to discharge lipos down past 3.2V/C. ESCs will have whats called an LVC (low voltage cut off) you can set to make the car stop running when the bettery reaches a certain level of discharge so you know its time to charge the battery. This keeps the lipo from getting damaged.

In order to tell if theres any slight puffing lay the lipo on a flat surface and see if its flat or if it can rock side to side. If it can rock side to side its puffed and should be safely disposed of.

I get the feeling this may not be worth the money it will take to fix it, if it needs new battery, esc and receiver especially when I’m trying to sort the two nitro cars I have already haha starting to see how this hobby gets expensive lol

It is a cheap RC and will cost a minimum of the ESC and receiver to get running. That being said the state of the motor and the servo are still unknown also unless you have a servo tester? Motor is probably fine but if Bigman was right about the motor being hard on ESCs then Id get the 120A ESC. Its only a few bucks more.

Up to you whether you want to put the money in to fixing it or not. Its true that its a cheap RC but in teh overall scheme of things it wont be that much to get it up and running again and it will at least have a better ESC in it. Even if you bought a HW ESC and motor combo, receiver, and a cheap servo in it you'll liekly be less than $125USD in it and it will technically be better than it was when it was new. At least from an electronics stand point. Could be a good learning experience but then again you might just want to put that money toward a proper hobby grade rig too. That is totally up to you mate!

I would not count the cost of a new lipo battery toward what it will cost to repair this rig as the lipos can be used in any RC and, to me at least, is a cost in and of itself. At least if you plan on owning more electric in the future.

 

[Stigtheone]

Not sure I understand this suggestion as the ESCs are cheaper than that on HW's website. $39/$47 respectively. Am I missing something here?


8.36 is the voltage of both cells together. Maybe I couldnt see the orders of the wires correctly. a 2S lipo has a max voltage of 4.2volts/cell or 8.4V for a 2S pack. So that lipo is pretty much fully charged. If you play around with your multimeter on the balance plug 2 of the readings will be 4.x V/C and one is going to be both cells together which is the 8.x V/C. You dont want to discharge lipos down past 3.2V/C. ESCs will have whats called an LVC (low voltage cut off) you can set to make the car stop running when the bettery reaches a certain level of discharge so you know its time to charge the battery. This keeps the lipo from getting damaged.

In order to tell if theres any slight puffing lay the lipo on a flat surface and see if its flat or if it can rock side to side. If it can rock side to side its puffed and should be safely disposed of.

It is a cheap RC and will cost a minimum of the ESC and receiver to get running. That being said the state of the motor and the servo are still unknown also unless you have a servo tester? Motor is probably fine but if Bigman was right about the motor being hard on ESCs then Id get the 120A ESC. Its only a few bucks more.

Up to you whether you want to put the money in to fixing it or not. Its true that its a cheap RC but in teh overall scheme of things it wont be that much to get it up and running again and it will at least have a better ESC in it. Even if you bought a HW ESC and motor combo, receiver, and a cheap servo in it you'll liekly be less than $125USD in it and it will technically be better than it was when it was new. At least from an electronics stand point. Could be a good learning experience but then again you might just want to put that money toward a proper hobby grade rig too. That is totally up to you mate!

I would not count the cost of a new lipo battery toward what it will cost to repair this rig as the lipos can be used in any RC and, to me at least, is a cost in and of itself. At least if you plan on owning more electric in the future.

I checked the battery as you said, red/black and blue/black and it’s wired up as shown in the pic. The battery does have a very slight bulge doing the test you mentioned on a flat surface so I take it that should be disposed of? Should I risk opening it to check the actual cells?
Tbh I’m not sure if I’d ever buy an electric RC mainly as my knowledge is so poor on them!
Could maybe find a second hand battery and would maybe go as far as to buy the esc and receiver...
Does it sound like the esc has broken down and fried the wire or would it have come the opposite way and burned from the receiver? I opened the back of the esc and although the whole wire from the plug to the esc is burned, inside the esc after the runner seal, the black wire is fine and not burned neither does anything inside the esc look burned?

 

[WickedFog]

Grey makes some good points. If you upgrade to a better ESC and buy the receiver you will have a better RC than what it was new. Regardless if the car is worth it or not, the electronics could be transferred to another rig, like a new kit later on. You retain the value of the electronic parts you buy, even if the car gets destroyed, because the electronics can be transplanted into something else.

As for the diff grease, yeah, that is some nasty Chinese grease, likely drained out of some week old eggrolls My suggestion would be to tear it all down and rebuild the parts with better grease. At lease it looks like it has a decent diff in there

Oh, I forgot to mention, in the original post, the pic shows the battery plugged in. When done running an RC car, always unplug the battery. Never leave it stored plugged in.

 

[Stigtheone]

@Greywolf74 just checked the battery again and I did red/black 8.35v, blue/black 4.18v and red/blue 4.17v

 

[WickedFog]

@Greywolf74 just checked the battery again and I did red/black 8.35v, blue/black 4.18v and red/blue 4.17v

So your battery is sitting and nearly fully charged. LiPo's are not meant to be stored in a charged state. It is best to store them at 3.8v per cell. When I finish running my cars the first thing I do is remove the battery from the car and run a storage charge on them with the charger, which takes the battery charge up or down to 3.8v/cell.

Storing them fully charged can cause them to swell as the battery will degrade when sitting in a charged state.

 

[pug]

@Greywolf74 just checked the battery again and I did red/black 8.35v, blue/black 4.18v and red/blue 4.17v

Can you please give us some more pictures of the battery so we can see if it’s puffed.

 

[Stigtheone]

So your battery is sitting and nearly fully charged. LiPo's are not meant to be stored in a charged state. It is best to store them at 3.8v per cell. When I finish running my cars the first thing I do is remove the battery from the car and run a storage charge on them with the charger, which takes the battery charge up or down to 3.8v/cell.

Storing them fully charged can cause them to swell as the battery will degrade when sitting in a charged state.

I get what you’re saying about buying the parts to transplant I’m just not sure I’d end up with another electric one yet-looking at the price of them new they’re around £200 on eBay still so may be worth spending it anyway.
So what do I do with the battery then bud, how can I drop the voltage when I can’t run the car?

Can you please give us some more pictures of the battery so we can see if it’s puffed.

It’s not really visibly puffed out, but if I put it on my bench and press one side you can see the slight bulging by the gap on the opposite side to where I push

 

[pug]

I get what you’re saying about buying the parts to transplant I’m just not sure I’d end up with another electric one yet-looking at the price of them new they’re around £200 on eBay still so may be worth spending it anyway.
So what do I do with the battery then bud, how can I drop the voltage when I can’t run the car?

It’s not really visibly puffed out, but if I put it on my bench and press one side you can see the slight bulging by the gap on the opposite side to where I push

It looks slightly puffed, it’s not safe to use anymore, you need to discharge it and dispose of it. What charger do you currently own if you do own one? You need a charger that can discharge the lipo to 0v.

 

[Stigtheone]

It looks slightly puffed, it’s not safe to use anymore, you need to discharge it and dispose of it. What charger do you currently own if you do own one? You need a charger that can discharge the lipo to 0v.

This is the charger I have for it bud, don’t think it has a discharge option but we have specialist battery disposal points all over the uk so maybe they can handle it

 

[pug]

This is the charger I have for it bud, don’t think it has a discharge option but we have specialist battery disposal points all over the uk so maybe they can handle it

Well you need to make sure the battery is at the lowest voltage possible before disposing of it. You can make a setup using an incandescent 12 volt light bulb and leads to the battery. This will discharge it to the lowest voltage possible. Make sure to watch the battery and keep it in a fireproof location such as a grill or ceramic flower pot outside.

 

[WickedFog]

Batteries will all start to puff over time, even ones you properly care for. They will all degrade. Caring for them properly only slows this process down. Just because a battery is slightly puffed doesn't mean it is going to spontaneously combust sitting or even while charging/discharging. It just means the chances of it doing so are greater. The best way to know if your LiPo is ready to be disposed of is by checking its internal resistance (IR). When buying a charger, you need one that can do this. Some can, and some can't. Stay away from those that can't.

@Stigtheone - that charger is going to ruin more LiPo's and cost you more in the long run than it would to buy a quality charger. I use a Hota D6 Pro, but there are others out there that are capable of checking the IR of your batteries. Hitek makes some, ISDT are some of the more high end ones, but are more in the experienced hobbyist realm as they require a DC power supply. Hobbymate makes some good chargers as well. You will likely want a charger with a built in, or supplied AC power supply.

Here is a pretty good read about LiPos
https://oscarliang.com/when-retire-lipo-battery/

I understand getting into electric RC may seem a bit daunting. But once you have a good charger, it is all downhill from there

 

[Stigtheone]

Well you need to make sure the battery is at the lowest voltage possible before disposing of it. You can make a setup using an incandescent 12 volt light bulb and leads to the battery. This will discharge it to the lowest voltage possible. Make sure to watch the battery and keep it in a fireproof location such as a grill or ceramic flower pot outside.

How would I connect that to the 3 wires bud? Red+blue for positive and black for negative?

Batteries will all start to puff over time, even ones you properly care for. They will all degrade. Caring for them properly only slows this process down. Just because a battery is slightly puffed doesn't mean it is going to spontaneously combust sitting or even while charging/discharging. It just means the chances of it doing so are greater. The best way to know if your LiPo is ready to be disposed of is by checking its internal resistance (IR). When buying a charger, you need one that can do this. Some can, and some can't. Stay away from those that can't.

@Stigtheone - that charger is going to ruin more LiPo's and cost you more in the long run than it would to buy a quality charger. I use a Hota D6 Pro, but there are others out there that are capable of checking the IR of your batteries. Hitek makes some, ISDT are some of the more high end ones, but are more in the experienced hobbyist realm as they require a DC power supply. Hobbymate makes some good chargers as well. You will likely want a charger with a built in, or supplied AC power supply.

Here is a pretty good read about LiPos
https://oscarliang.com/when-retire-lipo-battery/

I understand getting into electric RC may seem a bit daunting. But once you have a good charger, it is all downhill from there

So what’s the recommendation for a good and cost effective battery and charger set up bud? And is it worth risking trying the esc again with a new receiver or is that going to want replacing?
And if I replace the receiver I can keep the controller I already have here? So then I’d need the charger/battery and esc?

 

[WickedFog]

Oh, and sorry, I forgot to address your question about discharging the LiPo down to 3.8v/cell. You can do this with a good charger. You can also do it with an automotive lightbulb as tntpoof mentioned in another thread here (can't remember which thread, sorry). You can use anything that will run on the voltage your battery supplies actually, but just make sure you keep an eye on the voltage that it doesn't drop below 3.2v/cell or so. Stop at 3.8v.

How would I connect that to the 3 wires bud? Red+blue for positive and black for negative?

So what’s the recommendation for a good and cost effective battery and charger set up bud? And is it worth risking trying the esc again with a new receiver or is that going to want replacing?
And if I replace the receiver I can keep the controller I already have here? So then I’d need the charger/battery and esc?

Without knowing what caused the initial meltdown, I would probably replace the ESC just to be safe. And yes, if you can get a replacement Rx, you should be able to bind it to that Tx. It should show that process in the manual.

The Hota charger I linked is about the cheapest I would go personally. There are probably cheaper ones out there that will read IR, but I haven't looked into any. Maybe others here will have some ideas.

For cheap batteries, Zee and Hoovoo seem to be recommended a lot here. The higher the C rating on a battery, the higher grade the polymer is in the battery, meaning higher quality cells.

I'd stick with a 2S LiPo at least 5000mAh and at least 60c for that rig. 100c is better of course. You just have to make sure the dimensions fit in your rig after that.

 

[pug]

Oh, and sorry, I forgot to address your question about discharging the LiPo down to 3.8v/cell. You can do this with a good charger. You can also do it with an automotive lightbulb as tntpoof mentioned in another thread here (can't remember which thread, sorry). You can use anything that will run on the voltage your battery supplies actually, but just make sure you keep an eye on the voltage that it doesn't drop below 3.2v/cell or so. Stop at 3.8v.

Without knowing what caused the initial meltdown, I would probably replace the ESC just to be safe. And yes, if you can get a replacement Rx, you should be able to bind it to that Tx. It should show that process in the manual.

The Hota charger I linked is about the cheapest I would go personally. There are probably cheaper ones out there that will read IR, but I haven't looked into any. Maybe others here will have some ideas.

For cheap batteries, Zee and Hoovoo seem to be recommended a lot here. The higher the C rating on a battery, the higher grade the polymer is in the battery, meaning higher quality cells.

I'd stick with a 2S LiPo at least 5000mAh and at least 60c for that rig. 100c is better of course. You just have to make sure the dimensions fit in your rig after that.

I got a Hoovo 2s lipo and it still works good a year later.

 

[WickedFog]

I got a Hoovo 2s lipo and it still works good a year later.

That is what I am ordering for the USA-1 if it ever comes out. Figured I'd give them a try.

 

[Stigtheone]

Oh, and sorry, I forgot to address your question about discharging the LiPo down to 3.8v/cell. You can do this with a good charger. You can also do it with an automotive lightbulb as tntpoof mentioned in another thread here (can't remember which thread, sorry). You can use anything that will run on the voltage your battery supplies actually, but just make sure you keep an eye on the voltage that it doesn't drop below 3.2v/cell or so. Stop at 3.8v.

Without knowing what caused the initial meltdown, I would probably replace the ESC just to be safe. And yes, if you can get a replacement Rx, you should be able to bind it to that Tx. It should show that process in the manual.

The Hota charger I linked is about the cheapest I would go personally. There are probably cheaper ones out there that will read IR, but I haven't looked into any. Maybe others here will have some ideas.

For cheap batteries, Zee and Hoovoo seem to be recommended a lot here. The higher the C rating on a battery, the higher grade the polymer is in the battery, meaning higher quality cells.

I'd stick with a 2S LiPo at least 5000mAh and at least 60c for that rig. 100c is better of course. You just have to make sure the dimensions fit in your rig after that.

Thanks for the recommendation and info I’ll go check out some prices now- makes sense this battery is dead as it says 20c on it! Also, what I meant about discharging was how do I use the three wires to discharge the battery evenly, do I do one cell at a time or use two bulbs (one for each cell)?
This is available at my local shop, 40c but different balance wiring?
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...-only/lipo/voltz-3200-hard-case-lipo-carnage/
How about this one bud, more mAh but looks the same wiring set up
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...shop-only/lipo/voltz-5000-mah-7-4v-lipo-pack/
This charger does charge and discharge what do you think bud?
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...owerpal-mini-ac-6a-60w-balance-charger-disch/
And how do I tell which esc will work for this RC, there’s a few in the local shop;
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/?s=Esc

 

[pug]

Thanks for the recommendation and info I’ll go check out some prices now- makes sense this battery is dead as it says 20c on it! Also, what I meant about discharging was how do I use the three wires to discharge the battery evenly, do I do one cell at a time or use two bulbs (one for each cell)?
This is available at my local shop, 40c but different balance wiring?
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...-only/lipo/voltz-3200-hard-case-lipo-carnage/
How about this one bud, more mAh but looks the same wiring set up
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...shop-only/lipo/voltz-5000-mah-7-4v-lipo-pack/
This charger does charge and discharge what do you think bud?
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...owerpal-mini-ac-6a-60w-balance-charger-disch/
And how do I tell which esc will work for this RC, there’s a few in the local shop;
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/?s=Esc

As long as it’s a 2s 7.4v lipo, it will be fine.

 

[Stigtheone]

As long as it’s a 2s 7.4v lipo, it will be fine.

Tbh bud it doesn’t say if either of those I linked are 2s or not I’ll have to ring the shop in the morning
Found this HobbyKing esc which looks to be the same rating as the one on the car, but less than half the price
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbyki...uLeu33VNZysxjVc2BoCLN4QAvD_BwE&___store=en_us

 

[WickedFog]

Thanks for the recommendation and info I’ll go check out some prices now- makes sense this battery is dead as it says 20c on it! Also, what I meant about discharging was how do I use the three wires to discharge the battery evenly, do I do one cell at a time or use two bulbs (one for each cell)?
This is available at my local shop, 40c but different balance wiring?
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...-only/lipo/voltz-3200-hard-case-lipo-carnage/
How about this one bud, more mAh but looks the same wiring set up
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...shop-only/lipo/voltz-5000-mah-7-4v-lipo-pack/
This charger does charge and discharge what do you think bud?
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/...owerpal-mini-ac-6a-60w-balance-charger-disch/
And how do I tell which esc will work for this RC, there’s a few in the local shop;
https://northeastmodelcentre.co.uk/?s=Esc

That charger likely isn't going to disply your battery's internal resistance. Without that, there really is no way to know when your battery is going bad other than it puffing.

Yes, it will charge and discharge much better than what you have currently, and it should have a storage charge mode to safely store your LiPos, but it is an entry lever charger. I have never heard of that brand, but tbh, anything below $50 is going to be as good as the next sub $50 charger for the most part.

I understand if funds are an issue, so get what you can afford, or save up for a better one like I shared above. Having a local hobby shop that can offer support is a plus man. If the people there seem helpful, let them help you out. If not, buy online. It looks to me their selection is very limited though man. And the fact that there is little to no information on the product pages means I definitely wouldn't shop online there.

Tbh bud it doesn’t say if either of those I linked are 2s or not I’ll have to ring the shop in the morning

Those batteries you listed both say 2S on them. 7.4V 40C 2S...

The higher the mAh, the longer the run time.

 

[Stigtheone]

That charger likely isn't going to disply your battery's internal resistance. Without that, there really is no way to know when your battery is going bad other than it puffing.

Yes, it will charge and discharge much better than what you have currently, and it should have a storage charge mode to safely store your LiPos, but it is an entry lever charger. I have never heard of that brand, but tbh, anything below $50 is going to be as good as the next sub $50 charger for the most part.

I understand if funds are an issue, so get what you can afford, or save up for a better one like I shared above. Having a local hobby shop that can offer support is a plus man. If the people there seem helpful, let them help you out. If not, buy online. It looks to me their selection is very limited though man. And the fact that there is little to no information on the product pages means I definitely wouldn't shop online there.

Those batteries you listed both say 2S on them. 7.4V 40C 2S...

View attachment 135346

The higher the mAh, the longer the run time.

Aaaah I didn’t check the image tbh I was looking at the description!! Sorry bud!
Do you think that hobbyking esc is gonna be good enough matey?
Tbh I’ll be spending a bit over £100 on this going off the parts I’ve seen so far wicked mate, so yeah I’ll be taking budget into account for this. Not to mention buying bits for the Nitro cars I’ve got too... Maybe if I get more knowledgable in the electric side of things then I would step up and get some better equipment, but my first interest is nitro (as a mechanic I love the little engine shop and the smell/noise they make) so I’m not sure where this will take me yet tbh!!!