Got to thinking last night

[godale03]

Hey Guys,

Not to beat the same old drum... but I have not had a whole lot of time for RC since I started a family. Raising two kids is more than a full time job. A job for which I enjoy... most of the time! As a result my RC collection sits on shelves in the RC room, that is for now reduced to a place where wrapped christmas presents await that big night! Well I was going through them this past weekend and looking at my RC porn magazines that come each month (RCCA and XTreame) LOL! I have started to realize I have fallen behind the curve. I mean I am still running NiMh cells, my newest RC is more than two years old in the Associated B44 FT. My other RC's include, a Jammin CRT Pro, Traxxas Slash with Novak Ballistic, BL EMaxx with Novak HV BL MIP CVD's and all the trimmings, a TMaxx 2.5, Erevo, Associated T4FT, Associated RC18FT, and a bran new never been run Jammin X1 CR Pro with a brand new OS .21 VSpec. Now, I don't know about most, but I know I can't afford to always keep my stable of RC's current to the latest and greatest and just like a PC, I need to get some miles out of it before I upgrade. Do any of you guys been through a simliar situation? Any of you guys still running or racing with cars a few model years old?

Also before I put the stable in storage the last time, I bought a Team Checkpoint charger (TC-1030). I was interested in maybe going Lipo but other than knowing my charger will charge lipos I know nothing else. What else am I going to need to sucessfully run Lipo? Obviously I can't afford to buy 10 lipo batteries, so I would have to keep it to a few that would be able to be run by all my electrics and maybe one or two for my Nitro reciever batteries. Last I read, Lipos were very dangerous and I was wondering if they have gotten any safer? I do not want to come home and find my house on fire becuase one of my lipos self destructed!... of course I don't ever want to come home and find my house on fire for any reason! Lets be honest here, I do not have the time to cycle my packs during the winter. I tried to keep up with it, but I never seemed to have enought time to do so. So I am not going to lie to you and say I always take care of my batteries. So if going to lipo means I have to cycle them frequently, then maybe it is not such a smart move. Anyway I just figured I would throw this out there, because I have the itch again to get out there, but I have been out of the game long enough that I now have to play catch up with learning the technology all over again!

Tom

 

[Lessen]

I've been in that boat as well for some time Tom but things have changed around here a lot over the last few months and I'm back in deeper than ever. I have not ran any of my rcs in over a year. But I'm planning to start on-road racing this year so I myself will also be diving into the Lipo world finally. Many times I've considered selling some rigs but just don't for whatever reason. I don't care that they are outdated, they're still fun.

 

[godale03]

I've been in that boat as well for some time Tom but things have changed around here a lot over the last few months and I'm back in deeper than ever. I have not ran any of my rcs in over a year. But I'm planning to start on-road racing this year so I myself will also be diving into the Lipo world finally. Many times I've considered selling some rigs but just don't for whatever reason. I don't care that they are outdated, they're still fun.

Thats just it Lessen... they are still alot of fun. I too have considered selling some rigs off, but just never do for whatever reason. Some of it is nostalgia I guess. Like my TMaxx... that is the first real RC I have ever owned and I just can't part with it. The others are now too old and outdated to sell. Some I just have more money into them than I will ever get out of them, so I just hold on to them. Hell, I dont even know if Jammin even makes RC's anymore.

The Lipo thing just scares the hell out of me... probably more out of ignorance than anything else.

 

[bergoff]

I wad also worried about going lipo but I did after I bought that stampede for you. I sold my revo and bought a good balancer-charger and 2 zippy lipos from hobbyking. I store them 1/2 charged in a composite ammo can. I haven't had any issues and don't regret it at all. It just sucked selling my revo to afford the lipo plunge. After work I'll let you know the model of charger I picked up.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Ah, lipo isn't anything to be scared of. I know where your coming from though. The first thing I heard about lipos was how volatile they can be. So I was quite apprehensive. But it only takes basic common sense to keep you and lipos safe. Charge them at the right rate and don't over gear your rigs. I still haven't made the plunge yet due to funds, but I was around when a buddy did. He's a ram rod, so it was up to me to keep us and his equipment safe. We just balanced charged every time and left the gearing in his new E Maxx stock. On 6s, it topped out at about 50mph and nothing ever heated up. Running on dirt, grass, or speed runs up and down the road.

 

[hamz9561]

LiPos aren't that bad if you just follow some common sense rules. I was really scared of them at first but I got over it quickly after using them a bit.

I use a Venom Pro Charger Plus. It will charge almost all battery types on the market today including the LIFE cells.

 

[robmob]

My kids are older than both yours and Josh's so your guys are a few years behind me. I can tell you that it does not get any easier as the kids get older. Their needs just change from diapers and feeding to taking them to practice and games/events.

It is a choice that we all have to make and time with our kids is valued above all else. If you're lucky, they will enjoy RC's and can actually go racing with you if the place you race has a novice class. The best times racing RC's for me was when my son came along that's for sure.

You don't need to have the latest and greatest to have fun or be competitive. If you have the ability to get around the track clean and consistent, then you will be a contender. Hell, I will be throwing my TC4 back on the track next season to race in the stock class. My TC5 will be in super stock. Both are outdated designs with the TC6 now out. I don't care and have no intention of getting another on-road rig.

As far as Lipo's go. Most of what you read about Lipos exploding are from improper use (gearing) and charging. They are no more dangerous than NiMh packs which will also explode. You have a quality charger Tom. All you need now is a balancer, Lipo sack and a decent Lipo pack to get you started.

I personally prefer the Maxamps or Thunder Power packs which I consider to be above average in quality and performance. I store all my packs in a Sentry fireproof box for safety.

You do not need to cycle Lipo packs all the time. What you need to make sure of is that you store your packs at about 60% capacity. For long term storage, I usually cycle the pack and then bring it back to 60% and throw it back in the box every 2 to 3 months. While you don't need to balance your pack every time you charge, I do and it's best to do so to get in the habit.

 

[godale03]

Thanks for the advice guys. It really helps. Since the hobby shop closed 2 years ago... which was also our local track, I have lost touch. RC before the kids was almost a religion, but now since marriage and kids it is when I get a few minutes. What is attracting me to lipos is the weight savings, and I have heard they are a better solution for long term life. I don't get to many opportunties to run, and my NiMh packs, because of improper cycling over time have become useless. Also not having someone local to actually learn from like I did when I was racing or the lhs boys to "Teach me to fish" has held me back a bit. I am a hands on learner, so to actually go through the motions with someone showing me how to do it is very beneficial. Now I have heard of a balancer, and I know that is what the extra lead on a lipo is... but how does a balancer work exactly? Ammo cans are easy to get and inexpensive, but what is a lipo sack? Thanks again for all the help. It is so easy to loose touch when you aren't living and breathing it anymore! LOL

Tom

 

[robmob]

Lipo sacks are a safe place to put the pack when charging. IF there was a problem, the sack would contain whatever happens to the pack. There are various available now.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=lipo+sack&x=0&y=0

Why you need to balance...

A balancer is required for lithium cells because of the way they are wired. During the discharge cycle there is potential for a cell or cells within the pack to output more current than the rest of the cells in the pack. When this happens, the pack becomes "unbalanced". Subsequently, when the pack is re-charged the cells with lower voltage will continue to stay at a lower voltage, while the other cells will be overcharged, since a lipo charger will charge a pack up to it's given rated voltage. Since lithium cells are to be used within a specific voltage range, you can see where an unbalanced pack will eventually become damaged due to under/overcharging. The balancer's job is to bleed the excess voltage from the cells within a pack until they are all nearly the same voltage. In general, the cells within a pack should never be more than .05 volts of each other. A volt meter can be used to measure individual cell voltage at the pack's balancing tap, which is where you connect the balancer to. When combined with the LBA10 balancer and a data port cable, the Hyperion EOS5i dp will tell you individual cell voltages of the pack. 2S packs will require less frequent balancing than higher cell counts. Very high quality 2S packs will rarely require balancing because their cells are closely matched. In general high quality packs will require less frequent balancing.

For your charger, a stand alone balancer like the Hyperion LBA10 would be a good choice. You can get balance taps for pretty much all the available packs out there for it.

http://www.allerc.com/hyperion-eos-lba10-net-balancer-for-lipoly-and-a123-6s-10a-p-2916.html

 

[slowngreen]

Like everyones said, they are safe as long as you take precautions.

They very well can catch fire and randomly, but if they are in something like a lipo sack or a metal box then you should be safe always for that "just in case" chance....


Heres one of mine that ignited on its own...Luckily I was standing there.

This is very graphic but it shows what can happen when charging your pack in your rig...

It was just a baby too....


This was SoCo Crawlgirl's mini over on rcc.

Dont let those scare you though, just let them show you to treat them like something that could have some bad things happen.

 

[godale03]

like everyones said, they are safe as long as you take precautions.

They very well can catch fire and randomly, but if they are in something like a lipo sack or a metal box then you should be safe always for that "just in case" chance....


Heres one of mine that ignited on its own...luckily i was standing there.

this is very graphic but it shows what can happen when charging your pack in your rig...

It was just a baby too....


This was soco crawlgirl's mini over on rcc.

dont let those scare you though, just let them show you to treat them like something that could have some bad things happen.

yikes!!!!

 

[bergoff]

Here's the charger that I have. I paid $115 for it. The only problem is that it didn't come with any charging cables. I had to make my own. But it does everything that I want and doesn't need a power supply.
http://www.electrifly.com/chargers/gpmm3155.html