Upgrading Slash and batteries.

[ibanez830]

I want to upgrade my Traxxas Slash, but I need some opinions on some things.I want to get a new radio/receiver because I am using an old one from an older rc I had that sucks. What kind would you recommend that is good and cheap. Another thing I want to get are two more lipos and a charger with a balancer on it. What kind of 2s 30C lipos and charger would you recommend that have good Mah and are also relatively cheap. They need to be available in Canada though.
If you have any other recommendations on what I should get, write. I have a lot of RPM stuff on it and a new brushless motor and ESC.
Thanks

 

[hamz9561]

I've had good luck running a Spektrum DX3s. It's a mid range radio and has some good features for the price.

 

[ibanez830]

Thanks I'll check that out

 

[MotoGod]

Go with all RPM stuff...any spektrum radio setup.....get some 17mm wheel adapters and run Buggy wheels as well. As far as LIPO goes...grab a few Zippy LIPOs from www.hobbycity.com Cheap and last for a good while thus far. I have a good 30-40 cycles on mine with no signs of swelling or dying yet.

 

[ibanez830]

I'll check those out. I pretty much have all RPM parts on it now. What would be the cheapest Spektrum? I don't need anything that is really high performance with computers on it and all that stuff.
I also looked at the site, and I couldn't find a lipo with 30C and 2S. Are there any brands I should stay away from, or go aim for?

 

[ibanez830]

How long does a good quality lipo usually last, like their over all life?

 

[hamz9561]

The least expensive Spektrum radiio is the DX 2.0. Here's a link:

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product...-2-Channel-Radio-w--SR3000-Receiver-No-Servos

 

[slowngreen]

I agree with motogod, zippies are great, hobbycity also has Turnigy packs for even cheaper! I've been running 5000mah 2 and 3s Turningy 20c packs on my slash's and they do very well, no problems at all.

 

[ibanez830]

Could I use something other than 30C on my Slash? I have a Castle Creations sidewinder ESC castle creations 7700kv brushless motor on the truck.
Also, what would be a good charger with a balancer on it thats not too expensive.
Would these batteries work with my setup?
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9436

 

[abadk9420]

Those batteries should work just fine, as for a charger that has a built in balancer that is cheap those two things don't usually go to gether, you might look into the Hyperion chargers, they are good chargers and when it comes to charging LiPo batteries you really don't want to buy a cheap charger.

 

[ibanez830]

Good point. I'm going to my LHS tomorrow so I'll ask the guys there and see what they have.
And I'll probably buy two of those zippys and see how I like them.
Buy say I got a charger such as the Venom Pro. What would all the settings be, like all the mA and stuff like that. I'm new to lipo and the charger I have only has the 2S and 3S and 50-3500mA options so I wouldn't know what to set on a fully programmable one.
And whats all of this discharging and cycling and that sort of stuff mean?
So far lipos and all this amps, Mah volts and everything have been really confusing lol.

 

[slowngreen]

ya those packs you linked to are gonna be great packs for you. the venom pro is the shiz in my opinion, you will set it at 11.1 and 5.0a for charging and balancing if you get the venom pro.

 

[ibanez830]

Would that charge setting also work for a 2S 30C 4800Mah lipo aswell?
I'll try to learn more about all this lipo stuff, and hopefully by the time I get these batteries and charger I will understand what I have to do.

 

[slowngreen]

no, you would do 2s 4.8a....on a venom pro that is. if you had a different charger that didnt let you select the specific amp then it would be different.

 

[ibanez830]

Okay, so if i would have a 3000mah battery with 2s I would put it on 2S 3.0a? If that is correct, what is the 11.1 written above? How come its not 2S and 5.0a?
Thanks for the help

I came across this while reading from http://www.rchelisite.com/lipo_battery_charging_and_safety_guide.php

"Always store your LiPo’s partially charged. They will maintain their performance levels over time and there’s no need to cycle them unless stored for periods longer than 3-6 months."

What does cycling mean?

 

[slowngreen]

i didnt read 2s in the first post sorry, it would be 2s and 5.0, I thought I just read 3s. You got the idea of it now.

 

[ibanez830]

Okay thanks. So if i get some sort of fully programmable charger I can put the charge at 30% for storage? "
When mailing or shipping LiPo batteries, always ship them at a 30% charged state for safety reasons"

Also would I be able to do all this cycling stuff and other needed procedures?

 

[slowngreen]

The venom pro, as well as other high dollar chargers, do everything you need.

 

[ibanez830]

Alright, thanks for the help, much appreciated.
Oh and one more question.
"Do not charge a lithium polymer battery pack at a rate over 1C."
Does this have something to do with, in my case, the 30C rating? If so what setting would that be on a charger?
So if I charge a 5000mah 30C 2s battery, what would the C be?
Sorry if my questions are repetitive.

 

[abadk9420]

You are charging your batteries at 0.1 amps per 100mah so that is where you get a 5amp charge rate for a 5000mah battery, or 4.8 for a 4800mah battery and so on. the 30c is the discharge rate of the battery the higher the better, but in most aplications 20c or better will work just fine, so the 30c ones you are looking at will be great for what you are using them with.