Lipo advise for mini revo!

[jschleer]

I will be getting a mini revo soon and was just wondering which lipos you all recommend? I'm looking for a good price but I also want some that will last and that is a good battery. I'm also new to electric, so any advise would be greatly appreciated. 2S or 3S? and what does 20C and 25C mean? and what do I need to run them safely? Thanks guys!

 

[Lessen]

The "S" refercs to the number of cells. Lipo cells are 3.7 volts ea. so a 2S pack is 7.4v and a 3S pack is 11.1.

The "C" rating has to do with the discharge rate, that is how much power can be pulled from the battery. The higher "C" rating the more power the pack can give, whether it's burst (quick punch of power) or constant discharge. Generally there are ratings for both burst and constant discharge rates. I just purchased my first Lipo pack and it is 20C continuous and 35C burst.

 

[slowngreen]

I ran these on mine. Tight fit, but they do fit and that thing will RIP IT UP!

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9167

 

[2revo1maxx]

C rating x mah = the discharge rate. My turnigy 3s packs are rated at 25c continuous and 35c for a 10 second burst, 5000 mah. At 25 c they put out 125 amp/hours. At 35c they put down 175 for ten seconds.

 

[hamz9561]

A single 3s on a 1/16 eRevo VXL is insane on a single 3s LiPo. Without a center diff, it would almost always land on its lid with just a bit of throttle. A word of caution, do not run LiPo in series as you will fry the ESC. 3s LiPo power is plenty.

 

[jschleer]

A single 3s on a 1/16 eRevo VXL is insane on a single 3s LiPo. Without a center diff, it would almost always land on its lid with just a bit of throttle. A word of caution, do not run LiPo in series as you will fry the ESC. 3s LiPo power is plenty.

even with heatsinks on the motor and ESC? how fast will it run with one 3S?

What is a good charger to buy?

 

[jschleer]

any gear change have to be made?

 

[hamz9561]

I'm not sure of the actual speed on 3s, but is verrryyyy fast. You will have to change out the stock gear for the speed gear included with the VXL kit.

The reason that Series LiPos will burn out the ESC is due to the High current and excess voltage.

I use a Venom Pro-Charger Plus. It will charge any battery currently on the market and will balance/ charge both LiPo and LiFe cells.

 

[jschleer]

I use a Venom Pro-Charger Plus. It will charge any battery currently on the market and will balance/ charge both LiPo and LiFe cells.

Damn! I just looked up that charger...........and ummmmm, If I could find something a little cheaper that would be great! LOL. Any others that you know of? around say, $60 ?

Somebody recommended this, But seems a little cheap. I don't know?
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/...exTronik_Balancer/Charger_Dual_Charge_Capable

Was also thinking of ordering 2 of these, What do y'all think of these? http://hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9326
What do people mean by running them parallel, and how do you do this? Will it tell me in the manual?

 

[2revo1maxx]

I just went through a crash course on lipo for my new maxx, and it is very confusing! But if you read read read and read again it all starts to make sense. Of course asking questions helps too...lol. That hobby king charger looks decent, and I know the venom pro charger is pricey, but IMO it's a 'lifetime charger'. It comes with a ton of different connectors, a power supply, and does everything but wash dishes. I didn't want to blow the cash either, but it's worth it times 10. You may find later on that you want another brushless rig, and the bigger batteries are too expensive to take chances with.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Read through the reviews on the products your interested in. Some of hobbyking's cheaper chargers are junk while some do a good job. Almost every product I've looked at on hobbyking has thorough reviews.

 

[revo_rob_1984]

As long as you are careful with lipo batteries they are easy to charge and maintain, but remember this one thing, if you are not going to be using them for a while make sure you charge the to like 50-60%. Do not leave the fully charged or fully discharged it will damage the cells. (what i was told from a couple of lipo guys that i race with)

 

[2revo1maxx]

That's right I forgot, they have to be put in 'storage', another thing the venom will do automatically.

 

[jschleer]

Well, so far I've decided that I will be ordering from HobbyKing. I think I'm going with this charger.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6478
and 2 of these lipos.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9167
Let me know what y'all think.
Any other accessories I should order other than heatsink?

LOL! I haven't even ordered my Revo yet! I want it to all be here around the same time! Also should have the money I need in about 2 weeks! Can't Wait!

That's right I forgot, they have to be put in 'storage', another thing the venom will do automatically.

Sorry man, I wish I could get that charger, but it's out of my budget for now! Thanks for your help though!

 

[hamz9561]

You might want to keep a really good charger like the Venom Procharger Plus in mind as a possible future upgrade.

 

[2revo1maxx]

No prob jschleer, that one will get ya through. Did you get a lipo sack? Or some kind of fireproof box?

 

[jschleer]

You might want to keep a really good charger like the Venom Procharger Plus in mind as a possible future upgrade.

It's definetely in my list of future investments.


Is it true that you can't run bigger than a 2S lipo in competition?

 

[jschleer]

Now I'm thinking of this charger
http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html
and these lipos,
http://www.hobbypartz.com/83p-2200mah-3s1p-111-20c.html
because it comes out cheaper with free shipping, and they are in Cali. which I prefer over china. What do y'all think of their services and this combo? better or worse then what I was going to order from hobbyking?

No prob jschleer, that one will get ya through. Did you get a lipo sack? Or some kind of fireproof box?

Yes, I will be ordering one! Thanks!

 

[sweetdiesel]

Now I'm thinking of this charger
http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html
and these lipos,
http://www.hobbypartz.com/83p-2200mah-3s1p-111-20c.html
because it comes out cheaper with free shipping, and they are in Cali. which I prefer over china. What do y'all think of their services and this combo? better or worse then what I was going to order from hobbyking?



Yes, I will be ordering one! Thanks!

Don't skimp when it comes to purchasing charging equipment. Spend a little more and get much better quality and reliability. The charger you linked may come from Cali but is likely to be manufactured under the same factory as the one from Hobby King. I have used these chargers before and they suck. They do not output their rated power, especially when balance charging. This results in heavily extended charge times.

Do you plan on ever getting into a larger scale rig that will use packs in the 5000mah + range? If there is that possiblity, save up and buy a charger with more power. Both of the units you linked are only good for 50 watts max. Let's say you had a 5000mah 3S pack, the charger would only be able to charge at 4 amps max with a 50 watt charger. It will take 2-3 hours (depending on the charging algorithm) just to charge one pack.

Do you have a power supply?

 

[JettaManDan]

I've had nothing but good luck with my AC6 charger..but i don't race..so charging time hasn't been a factor...with the new generation of lipo's that can take a 5c charge...i've had much shorter charging times...been nice..