Chargers and batteries. ( Newb questions)

[Caleb90]

Looking at getting back into rc cars. Completely new to these new lipo batteries. What batteries and chargers should i look for and where? Also are the new chargers all fast chargers? Thanks

 

[WickedFog]

Looking at getting back into rc cars. Completely new to these new lipo batteries. What batteries and chargers should i look for and where? Also are the new chargers all fast chargers? Thanks

Hobby grade chargers are as fast as you want them to be, depending on how many amps you charge at. I charge all mine at 1C, because as nything higher than that can damage the batteries in some cases. 1C means s 5000 mAh batter is charged at 5A. A 3500 mAh battery would be charged at 3.5A.

For a Charger, I use this one...
https://www.racedayquads.com/produc...c-battery-charger?_pos=1&_sid=a097eb20b&_ss=r

For LiPo's, there was a test thread here that had info showing Liperior, CNHL, and Zippy were all pretty good batteries. Some of the more well known brands, and almost all of the ones available on Amazon didn't fare so well.

 

[pug]

I use the Hitec RDX1 Pro and it works great! I use CNHL LiPos. This is a great source of information.

 

[WVNed]

Batteries come in many sizes now. It is best to look at chargers after you have narrowed down what kind of RC you want to run. That will determine what size of batteries and charger you need.
A charger may charge a small battery quickly but take all day for a larger one. It eventually come down to what you want to spend vs how long you want to wait.
Then you also have to consider if you will go larger later.
A small crawler battery as opposed to a 6s or 8s cell for a 1/8th scale are 2 very different charging needs.

 

[Caleb90]

Batteries come in many sizes now. It is best to look at chargers after you have narrowed down what kind of RC you want to run. That will determine what size of batteries and charger you need.
A charger may charge a small battery quickly but take all day for a larger one. It eventually come down to what you want to spend vs how long you want to wait.
Then you also have to consider if you will go larger later.
A small crawler battery as opposed to a 6s or 8s cell for a 1/8th scale are 2 very different charging needs.

Looking at the granite 3s , rival mt10 or a traxxas stampede.

 

[tntpoof]

chargers now adays have the same options as older chargers you cab adjust the amperage from nearly nothing to the chargers max..be carful when using max setting batteries we each have our favorites that's a hit n miss thing..I like smc never had a issue with 1 chargers cn go from cheap usb chargers not my recommendations to chargers that need a power supply to run and 1s that plug into the wall(not a fan on these. Read up on a charger you might like that is best..
Electric RC info, how-tos and such - TJinTech (tjinguytech.com)
chargers on the other hand you can go with a Icharger or something similar (more for racers than bashers ,,the toolkit charger is a good charger like the M6 or M8 at 1/4 the price with a few more options.. and just because a manufacturer says 3 cell dont mean the rc will handle a 3 cell it will cause failure

 

[Sebkauff]

Looking at the granite 3s , rival mt10 or a traxxas stampede.

Another thing you'll have to look at with batteries would be different connectors, which probably goes without saying but it's something to look out for

 

[Doom!]

A little bit of info for you to help you understand Lipo batteries, chargers and how to care for them.

 

[WVNed]

I use a Dynamite Passport 100w charger. It runs on AC and has a slightly better charge rate on DC but that requires a separate power supply.
It will do 2 batteries at once and has modes for quick, balance and storage charging. There are faster and slower chargers than mine but I am happy with it charging 3s and 4s 5000mAh batteries.

 

[pug]

Looking at the granite 3s , rival mt10 or a traxxas stampede.

The MT10 might be the best design, but it‘s definitely lacking in the electronics department. The Granite 3s is a great truck, it’s super strong out of the box. Traxxas RCs definitely need some upgrades out of the box.

 

[Caleb90]

All this lipo battery stuff makes me want to look at nitro power again.. even though my last one i had sucked

 

[pug]

All this lipo battery stuff makes me want to look at nitro power again.. even though my last one i had sucked

Electric is much easier than nitro, LiPos are a lot less scary than they seem.

 

[Doom!]

Once you get the basics of running Lipo's it's a snap, with less mess and clean up.

 

[Caleb90]

All right, i just want to make sure i got the charging and care figured out. Always balance charge, if battery is not going to be used in 48hrs i need to put it in storage mode.. when do i use my discharge feature on my charger?

 

[pl9171]

when do i use my discharge feature on my charger?

When you overcharged a batterie and don't use it... Don't keep a lipo batterie at 80%. In my case, I keep them at 33-36% (storage mode).
Talking of chargers, I have a basic 2018 Hitec charger (4 entrys, 80W/channel) Still operating after a lot (a lot...) of recharges....
Nitro? For sure... Thinking to convert my 1/8 buggy to nitro...

 

[WickedFog]

All right, i just want to make sure i got the charging and care figured out. Always balance charge, if battery is not going to be used in 48hrs i need to put it in storage mode.. when do i use my discharge feature on my charger?

The discharge feature - I never use it. The only thing I ever use is the charge and storage modes. Storage mode will discharge your battery down if the battery is above that setting. But yeah, if you aren't going to use your batteries right away, storage charge them.

 

[Sebkauff]

I use the discharge feature to cycle LiPo's that have a high IR (Internal Resistance) the less resistance they have the more efficient they'll be and you'll get a bit more power out of them. But it's not something you necessarily have to do, just something I like to do. And if you do use discharge you should always do it at a very low amperage. Also Discharge would me used before disposing of a bad battery

 

[Caleb90]

How cold is to cold to store batteries? Can i keep them in a unheated steel building, gets below 0f degrees out there

 

[Doom!]

@Caleb90 I've never had to worry about cold temps but you made me curious. After a little searching I found this info.

LiPo batteries should be stored at room temperature. i.e. between 40 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit for the best storage results. If you intend to store your battery for more than a week, you must ensure that they are at 3.8V/cell or 3.9V/cell power level which is approximately 50% of charge.

 

[WickedFog]

I actually watched a video where a guy nearly froze the LiPo battery for his DJI drone by letting it and the drone sit outside for a bit and did some flight tests. The results were not good.