Battery Recommendation - Non-Racing

[lamelogin]

I think I got the wrong battery, this thing seems like it's 5 times to small. I think it will work temporarly just to try things out after a new build, but I may want something larger? (currently: 2200mah, 50C 7.4V 16.28Wh). What is the "size" I should be searching for? Is there a name/type? Like "AA" battery?

My Experience: complete newbie
Car: RC10B74.1
Purpose: farting around at home (not racing)
ESC: EZRun Max10 G2 (80A)
Motor: Hobbywing 3652SD (3300kV)
Connection: XT60

 

[tntpoof]

motor?

Id go with a SMC.. hard pack..2 cell

https://www.smc-racing.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=67_97&product_id=721

 

[DavidB1126]

CHNL Racing
5200mah 120C 2s LiHV
You have a race buggy and not using race grade stuff, it might not work properly.
You need a hard case shorty pack. Most people use race packs with 5 mm bullet plugs. Either normal shorty or LCG shorty packs.
Other brands like Maclan, ProTek, SMC. All are good.
The pack you have right now has external wires. There is no space to route them. They might get ripped up my the center driveshaft and or center clipper. 2200mah is not enough. 5200 is a good starting point. Some use around 4600 batteries. I'd get the highest C pack out there. 120C is the norm.

.

motor?

Id go with a SMC.. hard pack..2 cell

https://www.smc-racing.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=67_97&product_id=721

That is a stick pack. Will not fit into a modern buggy battery tray

Well, you could make something something not race grade work, but it might not like fit properly, and you need to route your wires differently as you don't want them to get ripped up.
This might be the best bet? https://www.amainhobbies.com/reedy-...-30c-lipo-battery-7.4v-3000mah-asc758/p945353
Offroad racing, you need a battery pack that can atleast last 10 minutes. Most races are 5 minutes, or 6-8 minutes, so you need that time plus some check in time before a race so the battery can last and not be dead.
Example:

 

[bill_delong]

+1 to David's advice, any 2S Shorty pack will do though industry standard are 5000mAh and larger

I would consider this pack here to get the most bang for the buck:
https://www.amazon.com/HOOVO-6000mAh-High-Voltage-Connector-Vehicles/dp/B07V4D4ZQT

 

[tudordewolf]

+1 to David's advice, any 2S Shorty pack will do though industry standard are 5000mAh and larger

I would consider this pack here to get the most bang for the buck:
https://www.amazon.com/HOOVO-6000mAh-High-Voltage-Connector-Vehicles/dp/B07V4D4ZQT

View attachment 180965

I'd like to touch on another battery trend I've noticed. The 3S Zee in OP's post, if they're these from Zeee's official site, weight only 137g. A 3S Spektrum 22200mah weighs 170g, almost an ounce more.

That Hoovo has a marked weight of 211g. A 6000mah 2S hardcase lipo from a reputable battery manufacturer like Turnigy weights 340g, over 50% more! Does Hoovo possess special battery chemistry that packs twice as much power into every gram of lithium? No! It is simply impossible for the Hoovo to be a 6000mah battery, and what's even crazier, they are priced the same.

The truth is that Zeee, Ovonic, Hoovo, etc, are all pretty bad value in terms of what you're actually getting per dollar spent. This isn't some elitist opinion that you should only run $100+ SMC's, I'm saying you're literally paying more for less, buying those garbage brands rather than something honest in its labelling like Turnigy.

Also, Turnigy doesn't inflate their C ratings. They have 20C, 25C, and 30C batteries available in their "normal" line-up, and I'd sooner take a 20C Turnigy over a 50C Hoovo because Turnigy's number actually has some bearing on reality and will deliver more power.

Even more telling, that 3S Zee pack has almost the same weight and dimensions as an 1800mah pack from various other manufacturers, and this trend emerges with many of their other cells. I remember that in @Greywolf74's testing, some of those brands would underperform on their advertised capacity by up to 80% or more. And if the budget-brand batteries lied about their capacity, then their C-rating situation is even worse, because they're claiming 50C x 2200mah out of an 1800mah cell that would struggle to deliver half that. An 1800mah battery will work in the place of a 2200mah one, so the deception goes by unnoticed for most users. It won't run for as long, it'll puff sooner because they're over-stressing it, and the user will think, "eh, cheap batteries do that" and buy another, but in doing so they're supporting the bad practices that lead to this situation.

Lithium battery capacity isn't subjective. When a manufacturer wraps a cell, they know how many mah it should be able to deliver, and how much current its rated for. Somewhere in the management of those budget brands is a conscious decision to lie on the label, and that practice should not be rewarded with our business.

Hobbyking is reputable, they don't carry batteries with falsely-labelled capacities, and their prices are often lower than what's available on Amazon or eBay, so that's where I get mine. I recently got 3x 2200mah 3S's and a 500mah 2S for $40 shipped.

Edit: I'll add that although they are similarly cheap and marketed as a budget-brand, NHX-branded packs have always delivered on-label capacities for me.

 

[WickedFog]

I'd like to touch on another battery trend I've noticed. The 3S Zee in OP's post, if they're these from Zeee's official site, weight only 137g. A 3S Spektrum 22200mah weighs 170g, almost an ounce more.

That Hoovo has a marked weight of 211g. A 6000mah 2S hardcase lipo from a reputable battery manufacturer like Turnigy weights 340g, over 50% more! Does Hoovo possess special battery chemistry that packs twice as much power into every gram of lithium? No! It is simply impossible for the Hoovo to be a 6000mah battery, and what's even crazier, they are priced the same.

The truth is that Zeee, Ovonic, Hoovo, etc, are all pretty bad value in terms of what you're actually getting per dollar spent. This isn't some elitist opinion that you should only run $100+ SMC's, I'm saying you're literally paying more for less, buying those garbage brands rather than something honest in its labelling like Turnigy.

Also, Turnigy doesn't inflate their C ratings. They have 20C, 25C, and 30C batteries available in their "normal" line-up, and I'd sooner take a 20C Turnigy over a 50C Hoovo because Turnigy's number actually has some bearing on reality and will deliver more power.

Even more telling, that 3S Zee pack has almost the same weight and dimensions as an 1800mah pack from various other manufacturers, and this trend emerges with many of their other cells. I remember that in @Greywolf74's testing, some of those brands would underperform on their advertised capacity by up to 80% or more. And if the budget-brand batteries lied about their capacity, then their C-rating situation is even worse, because they're claiming 50C x 2200mah out of an 1800mah cell that would struggle to deliver half that. An 1800mah battery will work in the place of a 2200mah one, so the deception goes by unnoticed for most users. It won't run for as long, it'll puff sooner because they're over-stressing it, and the user will think, "eh, cheap batteries do that" and buy another, but in doing so they're supporting the bad practices that lead to this situation.

Lithium battery capacity isn't subjective. When a manufacturer wraps a cell, they know how many mah it should be able to deliver, and how much current its rated for. Somewhere in the management of those budget brands is a conscious decision to lie on the label, and that practice should not be rewarded with our business.

Hobbyking is reputable, they don't carry batteries with falsely-labelled capacities, and their prices are often lower than what's available on Amazon or eBay, so that's where I get mine. I recently got 3x 2200mah 3S's and a 500mah 2S for $40 shipped.

Edit: I'll add that although they are similarly cheap and marketed as a budget-brand, NHX-branded packs have always delivered on-label capacities for me.

I just want to add that higher quality batteries tend to use higher quality cells, and heavier gauge plates, making them heavier batteries. So batteries with the same mAh can weigh differently by large margins.

In @Greywolf74's battery testing, he even made mention to me one time that the heavier batteries tended to turn out better numbers if I remember correctly.

 

[bill_delong]

Battery performance is moot for bashers and mod racers... I would only invest in higher quality brands for stock racing where low IR is key, the only brand of battery I trust for stock racing is Trinity White Carbon.

There are only 2-3 battery manufactures in China that distribute their cells to everyone else who then selects various grades of components to assemble their packs. The higher the quality of components will offer lower IR typically at the expense of more weight due to thicker materials used.

Here's an example of a battery repair I once made on a pack that used paper thin foil to assemble their pack!

• How to repair LiPo pack