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Rechargeable Batts.
- Thread starter ToRqUe
- Start date
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In most cases, you probably need a battery pack, not AA's. Rechargable AA's only put out 1.2 Volts a piece. So 4 puts you at 4.8. That's barely enough to "eek" by. I use AA's but I made 5 cell packs and well... I got creative with my mounting process.
You can find 6 volt rc packs all over. Orion, HPI, dynamite... they all make them.
BTW, I made my packs out of RadioShack 2000Mah NiMH bats. They last me about 4-6 hours worth of run time before I notice things slowing down. I run them on my maxx and savage, both running high speed throttle/brake and high torque steering servo's.
I've been using the same 2 packs for over a year. I also put 8 of them in my xmitter that I've been using the same set for 3 years. From march to about november I go through about 1.5 - 2 gallons of fuel a month. That should give you an idea as to how much I run.
Rechargable batteries were the best investment so far. Expensive, but worth it.
You can find 6 volt rc packs all over. Orion, HPI, dynamite... they all make them.
BTW, I made my packs out of RadioShack 2000Mah NiMH bats. They last me about 4-6 hours worth of run time before I notice things slowing down. I run them on my maxx and savage, both running high speed throttle/brake and high torque steering servo's.
I've been using the same 2 packs for over a year. I also put 8 of them in my xmitter that I've been using the same set for 3 years. From march to about november I go through about 1.5 - 2 gallons of fuel a month. That should give you an idea as to how much I run.
Rechargable batteries were the best investment so far. Expensive, but worth it.
Skandranon
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Hey olds can you describe how you made your packs?
I'd imagine he just soldered them together, much like how you do with the high performance cells that you use in 1/10th scale sedans and 1/12th scale cars. You just connect positives to negatives to series up the voltage, and at the ends you solder up a connector for the reciever.
Theoretically, you could go unlimited mAh if you line up cells in parallel and then string those sets in series. They have some 10000 mAh D-Cells you could get =) That is, if you could ever find a way to fit five D-Cells in your ride hah
I just use a venom hump pack 1100 mAh NiMH battery pack on my buggy. You can find these or ones like them at most hobby shops. The hump packs use small batteries so they are usually lower mAh - your Ofna and NTC3 might be able to use the generally higher capacity in-line packs.
But, with the 1100mAh I can use the thing all day without worries. Of course, that's at the track, where you run for 10 minutes then sit for an hour. But I've also actively run the buggy for hours and never had the pack die once. And I have some power hungry servos too - JR DS8611 for steering (Digital 260oz) and a digital HiTec HS-5925MG for throttle.
It also has a lot to do with the charger. I used a "quick 4 hour" charger at first and it just wouldn't charge the battery - and you'll kill it quick doing that all the time. Then I got this super-neato charger - the Double Vision Peak Detect Field Charger. You need a 12V power supply (cheap) or a car battery, and you can charge your receiver pack (4.8 or 6v), transmitter (JR and others - I have 8 NiMH AA's in my Xr3i and it charges them just great) and glowplug driver all at once. Does a complete charge in about 30 minutes from absolutely drained. It's not expensive, check it out! It's the ultimate charger for Nitro.
Theoretically, you could go unlimited mAh if you line up cells in parallel and then string those sets in series. They have some 10000 mAh D-Cells you could get =) That is, if you could ever find a way to fit five D-Cells in your ride hah
I just use a venom hump pack 1100 mAh NiMH battery pack on my buggy. You can find these or ones like them at most hobby shops. The hump packs use small batteries so they are usually lower mAh - your Ofna and NTC3 might be able to use the generally higher capacity in-line packs.
But, with the 1100mAh I can use the thing all day without worries. Of course, that's at the track, where you run for 10 minutes then sit for an hour. But I've also actively run the buggy for hours and never had the pack die once. And I have some power hungry servos too - JR DS8611 for steering (Digital 260oz) and a digital HiTec HS-5925MG for throttle.
It also has a lot to do with the charger. I used a "quick 4 hour" charger at first and it just wouldn't charge the battery - and you'll kill it quick doing that all the time. Then I got this super-neato charger - the Double Vision Peak Detect Field Charger. You need a 12V power supply (cheap) or a car battery, and you can charge your receiver pack (4.8 or 6v), transmitter (JR and others - I have 8 NiMH AA's in my Xr3i and it charges them just great) and glowplug driver all at once. Does a complete charge in about 30 minutes from absolutely drained. It's not expensive, check it out! It's the ultimate charger for Nitro.
Skandranon
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Thanks cbreaker. I have a 1100mah hump pack I got as part of a deal. I have never been able to try it out, because I dont have a charger yet. I have just recently decided on the 959 as decent low end charger. I have a MGT on the way and will be getting a 200 oz airtronics servo. I was thinking I might want something 2000mah plus, but maybe I wont need it. I have just gotten 8 rechargeable AAs for my remote. Only tryed it out once, as I am selling my nmt. It worked fine though. I was thinking makeing a 5 cell pack from AAs would be cheaper. The only thing I was wondering about is if it would hold up to jumping. I will prolly end up just buying one if this hump pack I got doesn't work.
Ohh yea, that charger will be more then enough. It's probably better quality then the little Double Vision charger I use for Nitro- it was only $40 from the hobby shop. Works great though - perfect for the pitts, you just plug everything in at once between races.
My 1800 mAh NiMH AA's in the radio (I got them at Home Depot. I think they are Sanyo or something) work great - I've used the thing for two weeks of on and off use before I decided to charge them.
As for the reciever packs, you should be able to find a close-to-2000mAh pack somewhere but it won't be a hump-pack. If your cars can hold a flat-pack (most of them use larger cells) you should use one of those. But yea, I'd just try the 1100 pack and see how well it works. A higher mAh won't make the servos any stronger, it will just make it last longer.
I wouldn't build a pack from AA's - more work then it's worth. For the C-Cell 7.2v packs they make special jigs to do it and I heard it's a bitch to do without one. Needless to say you won't have one for AA's and chances are with all the bumping and smashing that comes with off-road you wouldn't want to risk it. It won't be much cheaper in the end.
My 1800 mAh NiMH AA's in the radio (I got them at Home Depot. I think they are Sanyo or something) work great - I've used the thing for two weeks of on and off use before I decided to charge them.
As for the reciever packs, you should be able to find a close-to-2000mAh pack somewhere but it won't be a hump-pack. If your cars can hold a flat-pack (most of them use larger cells) you should use one of those. But yea, I'd just try the 1100 pack and see how well it works. A higher mAh won't make the servos any stronger, it will just make it last longer.
I wouldn't build a pack from AA's - more work then it's worth. For the C-Cell 7.2v packs they make special jigs to do it and I heard it's a bitch to do without one. Needless to say you won't have one for AA's and chances are with all the bumping and smashing that comes with off-road you wouldn't want to risk it. It won't be much cheaper in the end.
Like the guys said, solder, wire, balloon, electrical tape and servo/battery lead. I used 14 gauge wire to solder the bats together in a series. First I wrap a couple wraps of tape around the batts in a bundle so they don't move around. Then I lightly touch each contact on the batts with a wire wheel on my dremel. Then I just solder little pieces of the wire from bat to bat and solder an end on. Takes about 30 minutes to make one. Then I completely wrap the bats twice with electrical tape nice and tight, put a balloon over it and wrap that two times as well with electrical tape to protect it. Puts some silicone in the balloon neck, add a couple zipties and bolt it on the truck.
Here's a shot right after I built one:
Here's a shot on my maxx and savage. The savage, as you can see, I had to cut a hole so it would fit.
I doubt it was any cheaper, but I get 2000MaH bats that aren't too big.
As for handling bashing, they don't fall apart. I haven't had one break on my yet. The one in the first pic that's all nice and clean has been on my maxx (as you can see) for about 1.5 years. I get lots of air and bad wrecks all the time. Just recently I was taken out of commision when I hit a railroad tie at WOT in flight. Remember, it's a 21 sport maxx that is geared 72/22... it was screaming. Head on impact, did four flips in the air and landed on the roof... battery is just fine, but the bulkheads needed some attention.
Here's a shot right after I built one:
Here's a shot on my maxx and savage. The savage, as you can see, I had to cut a hole so it would fit.
I doubt it was any cheaper, but I get 2000MaH bats that aren't too big.
As for handling bashing, they don't fall apart. I haven't had one break on my yet. The one in the first pic that's all nice and clean has been on my maxx (as you can see) for about 1.5 years. I get lots of air and bad wrecks all the time. Just recently I was taken out of commision when I hit a railroad tie at WOT in flight. Remember, it's a 21 sport maxx that is geared 72/22... it was screaming. Head on impact, did four flips in the air and landed on the roof... battery is just fine, but the bulkheads needed some attention.
A year and a half ago, the best I could find were these. At least locally that I didn't have to order. About 3 months later, the bastards (radio shack) came out with 2150's... oh well.
The only thing I've run into problems with is cold. NiMH just don't like cold. I have a couple NiCd packs that I made for winter running, but the MaH are lower, 1600 I think. Stupid NiCD's...
The only thing I've run into problems with is cold. NiMH just don't like cold. I have a couple NiCd packs that I made for winter running, but the MaH are lower, 1600 I think. Stupid NiCD's...
