Hard case vs soft case lipos

[DavidB1126]

Hard case or soft case lipos? I think there was a thread talking about this but couldn't find. My uncle told me hard cases are better for bashing because less damage to the battery?. Been looking at 3s batteries for the bashers. Just for speed runs. Want something with a TRX connector but if not than my uncle can solder something on or buy an adapter. Been looking at CHNL, Liperior, SMC DV extreme, and Amazon packs. Been looking at these hoovos. I got 2 2s hoovo packs, taking care of them and so far all is good.

 

[tntpoof]

when Lipos 1st arrived for US hobbyist to use. soft was all that I could find. I had a 4 cell pack 3300mah called commonsence it was 35c.. had it in a DM1 going about 145 mph when a tire let loose it flew into Docking area Hit then dock face made the 600 foot run.car went up in smoke melted to ground in about 8 seconds. had hardcase hit a fire hydrant at 140mph with minimal damage . front steering servo was smashed. only 2 crashes I've had

 

[Greywolf74]

Hardcase are only better for bashing if they actually come out of the battery tray. In terms of blunt force trauma, it doesn't matter if the lipo cells themselves are smacking against the battery tray or the inside of the hard pack. If you're concerned about blunt force then put a piece of foam under the pack.

Out of all the lipos I have sitting on a shelf that I've tested I have 37 lipos in a pile that I dont plan on keeping and 11 packs I do plan on keeping based on performance. Out of the 37 packs I dont plan to keep only 2 of them are soft packs. Out of the 11 packs I do plan on keeping only one of them is a hard pack. That can't be a coincidence.

Personally though I dont care if a lipo is a soft pack or a hard pack as long as it performs well.

As a side note, Why buy 23.50/ea for those hoovo batteries when you can buy 3S 5000mAh 50C Lipos for $5.50 more? Just a thought

 

[ahr43]

Hard case vs. soft side LiPo offer comparable security held in place by a composite battery strap. Regarding Velcro strapping a battery in place as is the current trend, the opportunity to compromise the soft pack over time exists by over-tightening the strap.

Then, of course, there is the general knock-about a pack is exposed to in the charging cycle on or off the bench. Inadvertent puncture is a consideration.

At least that's my uber-conservative take on it. For that reason, hard case is my go-to for LiPo's. No soft-side LiPo's in my inventory.

Hope this helps in making your decision. 'AC'

 

[bill_delong]

when Lipos 1st arrived for US hobbyist to use. soft was all that I could find.

+1

Here's a soft case 4S pack that was used in my AE RC8BE which used 3 perpendicular velcro straps and small lip on the battery tray, after some nasty tumbles the pack would tend to get folded up like a banana, you won't experience this issue with a hard case, though the hard cases do tend to crack and many will recommend replacing either battery when damage occurs, generally a hard case can handle more abuse before you experience problems like this:

 

[Greywolf74]

+1

Here's a soft case 4S pack that was used in my AE RC8BE which used a velcro strap and small lip on the battery tray, after some nasty tumbles the pack would tend to get folded up like a banana, you won't experience this issue with a hard case, though the hard cases do tend to crack and many will recommend replacing either battery when damage occurs, generally a hard case can handle more abuse before you experience problems like this:

View attachment 158990

The RC8Be has 3 battery straps. I'm not sure how you managed to bend a lipo with 3 battery straps. I routinely put my rigs 15-20+ ft in the air and I've never bent a soft pack like that. At least not without them coming out of the rig. I've had em puff on me from blunt impacts but never bend. I'm thoroughly impressed

*EDIT* Just dawned on me, you said a velcro strap and a lip. Did the older RC8Be have a different battery tray design?

 

[bill_delong]

The RC8Be has 3 battery straps. I'm not sure how you managed to bend a lipo with 3 battery straps. I routinely put my rigs 15-20+ ft in the air and I've never bent a soft pack like that. At least not without them coming out of the rig. I've had em puff on me from blunt impacts but never bend. I'm thoroughly impressed

*EDIT* Just dawned on me, you said a velcro strap and a lip. Did the older RC8Be have a different battery tray design?

I updated my post to clarify "3 perpendicular velcro straps" which I determined was a design flaw:

I would later move onto TEKNO which uses a superior design with a long strap that runs parallel with the battery:

I would later run into issues with hard cases separating at the seam of the battery which is just above the lip of the plastic retainer at the bottom of the battery tray and determined that TEKNO's design was also a flawed design though better than AE's design.

I then moved onto HB which uses a taller plastic tray support that goes above the seam of the battery and they use a carbon strap instead of velcro so there's almost no chance the battery can get damaged in a wreck:

Also notice that LCG batteries are becoming more popular and I used foam inserts from a tire to fill the gap which also adds extra cushion to absorb impact which I prefer over any velcro strap system I've seen on the market today.

*** I am currently sponsored by HB so I need to disclose that, but this battery tray design was a main reason why I switched over to HB and have confirmed that I've saved a lot of money with no battery failures since switching to HB... If were to ever leave HB and go to another brand of car, I would most likely modify their design by drilling holes into the chassis to use the HB battery tray mounts.

*** Keep in mind that I'm a fairly clean driver, but not uncommon to get tangled with other drivers when going 50mph into a large triple sending the car into a violent cartwheel mid air and slamming into the ground in a spectacular fashion... battery is the largest mass in the car being subjected to phenomenal forces that velcro just wasn't designed to handle

 

[ahr43]

Regarding battery strap location for hold downs. Bill, your first two photos, RC8Be and TEKNO, illustrate a common hold down flaw. The "D" ring on the end of the strap is positioned at the far side or end of the battery-in both the transverse and lateral examples. That puts all the hold download on the opposite side or end of the battery. That in itself places extra load on a battery case-esp. a soft side.

Better to re-position the "D" ring in the center to distribute the side and end loads respectively between the two side or end locations.

My personal preference is for a solid strap. Additionally, further prefer a fiberglass (FG) strap over a CF strap, as FG is a non-conductor.

Hope this adds to the discussion. Good input on this thread from all. 'AC'

[ EDIT: ] As an aside and example, here is the battery hold down install on my electric conversion of a RC10GT nitro. Space was tight. Had to mount the 'shorty' battery on edge. Used two body posts from the basher stash to hold it down with a fiberglass strap. Used a length of neoprene rubber between the strap and the battery for cushion. Also neoprene cushion under the battery against the chassis and on the chassis side rail.

Ran the truck for three seasons on my back yard grass track oval. Never lost or damaged the battery. 'AC'

 

[Greywolf74]

I updated my post to clarify "3 perpendicular velcro straps" which I determined was a design flaw:

View attachment 159049
I would later move onto TEKNO which uses a superior design with a long strap that runs parallel with the battery:

View attachment 159048



I would later run into issues with hard cases separating at the seam of the battery which is just above the lip of the plastic retainer at the bottom of the battery tray and determined that TEKNO's design was also a flawed design though better than AE's design.

I then moved onto HB which uses a taller plastic tray support that goes above the seam of the battery and they use a carbon strap instead of velcro so there's almost no chance the battery can get damaged in a wreck:

View attachment 159050


Also notice that LCG batteries are becoming more popular and I used foam inserts from a tire to fill the gap which also adds extra cushion to absorb impact which I prefer over any velcro strap system I've seen on the market today.

*** I am currently sponsored by HB so I need to disclose that, but this battery tray design was a main reason why I switched over to HB and have confirmed that I've saved a lot of money with almost no battery failures since switching to HB... If were to ever leave HB and go to another brand of car, I would most likely modify their design by drilling holes into the chassis to use the HB battery tray mounts.

*** Keep in mind that I'm a fairly clean driver, but not uncommon to get tangled with other drivers when going 50mph into a large triple sending the car into a violent cartwheel mid air and slamming into the ground in a spectacular fashion... battery is the largest mass in the car being subjected to phenomenal forces that velcro just wasn't designed to handle

Regarding battery strap location for hold downs. Bill, your first two photos, RC8Be and TEKNO, illustrate a common hold down flaw. The "D" ring on the end of the strap is positioned at the far side or end of the battery-in both the transverse and lateral examples. That puts all the hold download on the opposite side or end of the battery. That in itself places extra load on a battery case-esp. a soft side.

Better to re-position the "D" ring in the center to distribute the side and end loads respectively between the two side or end locations.

My personal preference is for a solid strap. Additionally, further prefer a fiberglass (FG) strap over a CF strap, as FG is a non-conductor.

Hope this adds to the discussion. Good input on this thread from all. 'AC'

[ EDIT: ] As an aside and example, here is the battery hold down install on my electric conversion of a RC10GT nitro. Space was tight. Had to mount the 'shorty' battery on edge. Used two body posts from the basher stash to hold it down with a fiberglass strap. Used a length of neoprene rubber between the strap and the battery for cushion. Also neoprene cushion under the battery against the chassis and on the chassis side rail.

Ran the truck for three seasons on my back yard grass track oval. Never lost or damaged the battery. 'AC'

View attachment 159054

This is very interesting and useful info and I do agree about the d-rings.