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savage hump pack

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speedticket75

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The stock 4AA batery holder doesn't last but about 4 hrs of driving, bashin or racing....i changed all the hpi servos out and replaced them with high tork hitec servos....i put in new batteries and i still have the same problem....the batteries run out fast still and my steering still suks....its slow to respond.....if I'm driving slow and turn left or right it takes the savage about 1ft of travel for the wheels to go left or right completely.....the question is would a rechargable hump pack help with the problem of servo response and runtime and what is the difference between the hump pack and the stock 4AA battery holder ?
 
Absolutely!

The more power you have, the more response you have along with run time.

More MAH=More run time.
 
For sure. Like BG said, the more "Mah's" the longer run time youll get. Also the 4 "aa's" are only 4 volts. Most hump packs run 6 volt which will speed stuff up as well. Definatly a good investement.
 
While you're in that hard to get into radio box, I'd highly recommend a failsafe if you don't already have one.
 
I'm guessing he's not using alkalines? Avoid them like that plague. Even though they give off 6 volts they caused weird glitching in my servos since they can't handle the power drain. A hump pack will save you from a potential future ulcer. Also a seperate charging jack on the pack is a nice feature so you don't have to constantly remove the radio box cover.

And while your out getting a hump pack or ordering it get a failsafe like Bustedgears said.
 
Hold on a sec... Alkaline batteries start life as 1.5v. So 4 of them will give you 6V. BUT the problem with Alkaline batts is that they are typically strong in the beginning then start to drop of faster and faster the more you use them. Think of a runner running in a very fast short race.

Most rechargable batteries are rated at 1.2 volts. This means you have a lower total voltage but because they dont drop as fast they typically will last longer. Also, Most rechargeable batts can be had in different Mah (milli-amp hour) ratings. The higher the MAH the longer the run time. Think marathon runner.

Our RC servos work best at 6 volts, so to get around the 4.8V issue with rechargables, most people go with 5 rechargable batts in a HUMP pack (called so because of its shape). This will give you the advantage of 6V AND long run time but will cost you some $$.

My recommendation, yes they are worth it in the long run but they will cost you $$ up front because you will have to also buy a good charger as well. Look for NiMh or LiPo batts (stay away from NiCd...they are cheaper but are old technology and are more hastle due to having to discharge them before you can charge them) and make sure you get a quality charger that is made for the type of batteries you buy. You typically cannot use a charger for one type of battery on another type unless the charger is designed to work with both. Anf finally, stick to a 6V hump pack to make sure you get the best performance out of your servos.
 
ofna 1400 hump pack 21.00, dynamite pit peak charger that hooks to your car battery and charges ni-cd or ni-mh reciver in an hour 20.00. 41 dollars for both.
comparded to buying akaline batterys you will save money in the long run. your servos will wake up, and you will be happyer all to gether :)
 
if you can get a pack with a charge lead, you can cut a small hole in the radio box cover and run the lead out of it. setup up the radio, failsafe, and charge lead. then you wont have to open that pesky radio box for a good long time.


the hump pack will make a HUGE difference in your truck.
 
beason said:
if you can get a pack with a charge lead, you can cut a small hole in the radio box cover and run the lead out of it. setup up the radio, failsafe, and charge lead. then you wont have to open that pesky radio box for a good long time.


the hump pack will make a HUGE difference in your truck.
Click to expand...

That's what I did for my Tmaxx and I don't have to open the radio box any more. I bought this one and it works great. I just let the charging plug hang out of the radio box. Here's a pic...you can see the white charging plug.
Sorry, here's the linke to the battery.http://www.onlybatterypacks.com/showitem.asp?ItemID=10542.17

tnaxx.gif
 
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robriguez said:
Look for NiMh or LiPo batts (stay away from NiCd...they are cheaper but are old technology and are more hastle due to having to discharge them before you can charge them) and make sure you get a quality charger that is made for the type of batteries you buy.
Click to expand...

I heard lipos can be kind of dangerous exploding and such. Expecially if you dont charge them right.

I got it from this


rocknbill said:
Important thread to read for ANYONE using a lipo.
Click to expand...
 
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Yes that is very true, hence this disclaimer:
robriguez said:
make sure you get a quality charger that is made for the type of batteries you buy. You typically cannot use a charger for one type of battery on another type unless the charger is designed to work with both.
Click to expand...
But this is true for ANY rechargeable battery. The Big difference between LiPos and the others is the ferocity with wich LiPos burn. Its Amazing. I'm not talking the type of reaction like when magnezium burns in a pure oxigen environment but they can burn down a house where as the others will just scortch the table top.

Edit: I just read the thread you linked to. Theres a pic of what I spoke about.
 
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While we're on the topic of hump packs I just got my new one today and installed it. But I only read 5 volts on my venom smart temp fail safe. I plugged in the charger and it didn't change it was still at 5 volts???? I might have overcharged it a bit since I got stuck in traffic (about an hour and a half) would that affect it? Or I might not have overcharged it cause I kinda lost track of time???? I blew my budget on tools and the linkage mod, so getting a peak charger is gonna have to wait just a wee bit longer.

In my 3 months of RC I have learned one thing. While 1:1 are extremely expensive, and RC's look like a cheaper alternative they are black holes in disquise waiting to suck in every penny you have. Why can't I have cheap hobbies?
 
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thanks for the help.....it cost me $20.00 for the battery and i had to get a new switch that had the charge lead cause the battery didnt have it....i git the nihm battery.....i have a quickcharger allready that i use for my planes that will charge nicd, nihm, or lipol batteries and is adjustable on voltage and amp....it charges 3 up to 8cell packs 2 at a time.......lipol batteries i will never buy again cause i spent 3 months scratchbuilding a ww2 eindecker, put in a lipol battery and the the thing blew up in the air destrouing the plane beyond repair......thanks for all yolls info on the nihm battery.....i put it in my savage and charged it at 1800hrs yesterday.....a world of difference between the battery pack & the aa batteries.....took about a hour to charge it.....i turned the thing on, set it on my carpet and the steering worked like it was floatin on air......i turned off the radio & forgot to turn off the car and this morning the thing still works after being on for about 14 hours !!!!!!! wish i knew about this battery pack sooner.....i do have a failsafe though & wouldnt run without it. i would recomend that folks with a savage get a rollcage and a center skidplate also but a good rollcage is expensive...bout $110.00 but saved me from having to get a new engine a time or 2....thanks again
 
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speedticket75 said:
but saved me from having to get a new engine a time or 2....thanks again
Click to expand...

I've got one on my maxx, and I'm about to have one on the X as soon as it comes out.

They're not indestructable, but definetely worth having.
 
Hello,
I'm about to purchase this item:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXFJT1&P=ML

I know I need to get a charger for 5 cell NiMH, I have questions about chargers in general.

1) What's a peak charger?
2) Is there such thing as a charger that automatically shuts off when the battery is fully charged?
3) What is the best bang for my buck in terms of fast chargers?

Thank you.
 
I think a peak charger shuts off when batteries are at peak voltage, but don't quote me as I've never had one.

I bought my hump pack at www.onlybatterypacks.com you can get it with a little wall charger for like $20 I think, and they have a seperate charging lead. I also heard fast eddy makes packs in an old thread.
 
SumoDethRat said:
you can get it with a little wall charger for like $20 I think
Click to expand...
Is there a chance of overcharging with a wall charger? If so, how do you know how long you are suppose to charge for (i.e. what if you want to charge before the hump pack is fully discharged)?

Btw, total newb question...should I leave my glow plug igniter charging all the time when I'm not using it? Or should I only charge it when it becomes fully discharged?
 
clockworks said:
Is there a chance of overcharging with a wall charger? If so, how do you know how long you are suppose to charge for (i.e. what if you want to charge before the hump pack is fully discharged)?

Btw, total newb question...should I leave my glow plug igniter charging all the time when I'm not using it? Or should I only charge it when it becomes fully discharged?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure it's very bad to leave it on the charger all the time. WIth hump packs Nihm batteries I think its recommended not to fully discharge them like a nicd. All the experienced members recommend peak chargers though, I just can't recommend one.
 
The best charger i have had (I've had several brands) is the HOBBICO QUICK FIELD CHARGER MK2.......it will charge many types of rechargable batteries & packs.....it has 2 charging jacks so you can charge a receiver & transmitter pack at the same time & has a amp adjusting for each jack......when you start charging a light flashes......when its done an alarm goes to beeping then it goes to trickle charge.......the thing shuts itself off when the trickle charge is done so you dont have to wory bout over/undercharging the batteries......it takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to charge my battery packs.......
 

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