With an $800 budget , what would you get?

[PainKiller]

A fair rule of thumb is that you want a high "c rating" and high mah for strongest output. Mah being longevity, "c rating" being a controversial rate at all, means the current output in simplest terms.
My Ovonic are 130c 9000mah.
They push my Granite 4x4 with 3200kv Spektrum system for about 30 mins of run time.
Size matters so make sure the battery you pick will physically fit your holder or tray.
(when you post your build thread, I'll be able to see which its got!)

Cool thanks. The Maxx just arrived. And when my MT10 arrives , you can tell me which battery I need.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Awesome! Enjoy the heck out of that!!!

I did some looking and it seems like the battery tray messures 5.48 long, 1.88 wide, 1.45 tall.
It uses velcro straps so the height is somewhat flexible.
By the first 2 dimensions, my Ovonic pack will fit. You might need slightly longer straps for height. Mine are tight in the Granite.

 

[WickedFog]

These are the brands of 2s batteries that are leading right now in Greywolf's LiPo testing.

Yes, those are 2s, but they likely use the exact same cells in the 3s packs.

He's up to around 60 different batteries tested now I think, and even the best Ovonics are like middle of the road compared to the rest. There are much better batteries out there.

If all else fails, and you don't mind paying a little extra, SMC makes some solid batteries that a lot of folks use. Plus you can choose what connectors they come with.

 

[CertifiedMike]

I got a screaming deal on my batteries and they fit. I did not spend mega time reasearching.
I was not sure about brand when I was purchasing.
I was positive that my needs and driving skills did not warrant a very expensive or ultra capable battery.
I had good luck with a 2200mah ovinic in the past.
This is what made me chose Ovonic.
I am positive that there will be much discussion about which and what to buy.
I am new to the lipo game so bear this in mind.

 

[WickedFog]

I got a screaming deal on my batteries and they fit. I did not spend mega time reasearching.
I was not sure about brand when I was purchasing.
I was positive that my needs and driving skills did not warrant a very expensive or ultra capable battery.
I had good luck with a 2200mah ovinic in the past.
This is what made me chose Ovonic.
I am positive that there will be much discussion about which and what to buy.
I am new to the lipo game so bear this in mind.

Yeah, I was just pointing out that Grey has found the best bang for your buck batteries to be the Liperior Pro, Zippy Compact, and the regular plane Jane Turnigy batteries. The Ovonics are going to suffer with more voltage drop since they are lower on his list.

Will you notice the difference? Maybe, maybe not. But you'll likely hit LVC sooner with a lesser performing battery, and you'll leave more unused mAh in the battery because of that. In other words, you'll get less run time. Lot of other factors come into play too. Like higher IR's will equate to a shorter lifespan. There's a lot of info in Grey's testing thread and other LiPo threads.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Yeah, I was just pointing out that Grey has found the best bang for your buck batteries to be the Liperior Pro, Zippy Compact, and the regular plane Jane Turnigy batteries. The Ovonics are going to suffer with more voltage drop since they are lower on his list.

Will you notice the difference? Maybe, maybe not. But you'll likely hit LVC sooner with a lesser performing battery, and you'll leave more unused mAh in the battery because of that. In other words, you'll get less run time. Lot of other factors come into play too. Like higher IR's will equate to a shorter lifespan. There's a lot of info in Grey's testing thread and other LiPo threads.

Without question. I'm not sure that I've ever seen research done like @Greywolf74 privately for something like r/c, ever.
I figured lots of ppl would fire in opinion and maybe someone with the Rival might even chime in with some good pointers.
I didn't mean to "push" a brand.
Equally, I don't know what brands to run from and I'm sure I will learn more here too

 

[WickedFog]

Without question. I'm not sure that I've ever seen research done like @Greywolf74 privately for something like r/c, ever.
I figured lots of ppl would fire in opinion and maybe someone with the Rival might even chime in with some good pointers.
I didn't mean to "push" a brand.
Equally, I don't know what brands to run from and I'm sure I will learn more here too

The Amazon brands - I've had some, and still do. They're ok. But they aren't much cheaper than the good ones Grey tested. So to me it just makes sense to buy the better battery.

 

[CertifiedMike]

The Amazon brands - I've had some, and still do. They're ok. But they aren't much cheaper than the good ones Grey tested. So to me it just makes sense to buy the better battery.

I bought these over the summer this year. I don't remember the price but it was a 2 pack and it was on sale.
It was cheaper than other batteroes that I could find with similar ratings.
As has been discovered, those numbers ddidn't mean much so the method I used to shop battery quality vs price was flawed from the start.
We live and learn.
My batteries don't have a ton of runs on them yet and they seem to perform similar to what they ran at new.
I do think I bought them on fleabay as well.

 

[PainKiller]

Do LiPo’s have separate plugs for charging and discharging?

 

[CertifiedMike]

There is a small plug and a large plug. Small one is charging and large is what you plug n the car for use AND is plugged in for charging.
I don't understand all the internals 100% either but if i've got it right, the small (jst plug?)wires each go to and individual cell. This is important to "balance charge" each cell is matched, charged up or discharged in order to make each cell the same finished charge voltage.

The thick wire that (XT90 or IC5) connector are a combination of all cells and although can be used to charge, is not how to charge and can be detrimental to battery health. These wires are used to power your truck.
I hope this is less confusing than it seems!

 

[PainKiller]

There is a small plug and a large plug. Small one is charging and large is what you plug n the car for use AND is plugged in for charging.
I don't understand all the internals 100% either but if i've got it right, the small (jst plug?)wires each go to and individual cell. This is important to "balance charge" each cell is matched, charged up or discharged in order to make each cell the same finished charge voltage.

The thick wire that (XT90 or IC5) connector are a combination of all cells and although can be used to charge, is not how to charge and can be detrimental to battery health. These wires are used to power your truck.
I hope this is less confusing than it seems!

It’s a little confusing. Not gonna lie. I came across this LiperiAir LiPo and it mentioned the charge plug and discharge plug. I know I have to be aware of the connector type on the charge plug (EC5 etc) but do I need to have a certain type of connector on the discharge plug too?

 

[CertifiedMike]

This is not the only way a battery can be wired internally but it gives a visual to explain better what the 2 plugs do.

 

[Chubaka]

Do LiPo’s have separate plugs for charging and discharging?

Yes. The charging plug is the same but a male end on the charger. The discacharging is also a male plug on the esc. Atleast that's the fun way to discharge.

 

[CertifiedMike]

The jst is a tiny plug with smal wires. I believe they are an industry standard. I don't recall ever hearimg ine needed changed.
The larger plug is the one that requires matching to your esc and charger alike.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

It’s a little confusing. Not gonna lie. I came across this LiperiAir LiPo and it mentioned the charge plug and discharge plug. I know I have to be aware of the connector type on the charge plug (EC5 etc) but do I need to have a certain type of connector on the discharge plug too? View attachment 204813View attachment 204814

The jst plug is your balance lead used during charging. That’s standard as far as I know. You got the hota charger right? Did you get those cool balance extensions that wicked or grey may have posted here? Or you can use these 6s balance leads and cut this middle section out to use a 1-6 cell battery plug

 

[PainKiller]

The jst is a tiny plug with smal wires. I believe they are an industry standard. I don't recall ever hearimg ine needed changed.
The larger plug is the one that requires matching to your esc and charger alike.

Ok thanks. Just wanted to make sure.

The jst plug is your balance lead used during charging. That’s standard as far as I know. You got the hota charger right? Did you get those cool balance extensions that wicked or grey may have posted here? Or you can use these 6s balance leads and cut this middle section out to use a 1-6 cell battery plugView attachment 204816

I have the HOTA , the EC5 male to XT60 female adapters and balance extensions all in my cart.

 

[WickedFog]

The way I understand it, when you start a charge cycle, your LiPo charger is just dumping energy into the battery through the larger "discharge" leads. The ones with the EC5, or XT connector, or whatever. You hear of racers charging at 30 or 40 amps. The balance leads would not take that constantly. So the discharge leads are also handling the charging.

Once one single cell reaches 4.2v (or 4.35v for high volt LiPo's), the charger stops charging at the higher amperage you have selected and goes into balance mode.

During the balance cycle, the max amperage your charger can charge at will only be what the charger's balance circuitry can handle. The Hota for example has 1.6A balance current capability.

Once in balance mode, the charger is still charging each cell through the discharge leads, but it is drawing the extra voltage out of the full cell(s) through the balance leads and burning that energy up through internal resistors.

That is why the balance circuitry capability is so limited. It can only discharge at the amperage the internal resistors can handle. So you might start at 5A, but your battery will finish charging at 1.6A. If it didn't do that it would burn itself up trying to get rid of all that energy that fast.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

I have the HOTA , the EC5 male to XT60 female adapters and balance extensions all in my cart.

You good to go then!

You got batteries for the Traxxas yet? Will need the xt60 to trx adapter too if you don’t plan to cut the Traxxas plug off and put ec5 on

Edit this was assuming you getting batteries with trx plugs instead of using an adapter on the truck

 

[CertifiedMike]

The way I understand it, when you start a charge cycle, your LiPo charger is just dumping energy into the battery through the larger "discharge" leads. The ones with the EC5, or XT connector, or whatever. You hear of racers charging at 30 or 40 amps. The balance leads would not take that constantly. So the discharge leads are also handling the charging.

Once one single cell reaches 4.2v (or 4.35v for high volt LiPo's), the charger stops charging at the higher amperage you have selected and goes into balance mode.

During the balance cycle, the max amperage your charger can charge at will only be what the charger's balance circuitry can handle. The Hota for example has 1.6A balance current capability.

Once in balance mode, the charger is still charging each cell through the discharge leads, but it is drawing the extra voltage out of the full cell(s) through the balance leads and burning that energy up through internal resistors.

That is why the balance circuitry capability is so limited. It can only discharge at the amperage the internal resistors can handle. So you might start at 5A, but your battery will finish charging at 1.6A. If it didntdo that it would burn itself up trying to get rid of all that energy that fast.

This makes more sense to me. The current through those little wires always bothered me but then I see these ppl on tv jumpstarting Mack trucks with an lipo jumper pack with 8 gauge wire and alligator clips.

 

[PainKiller]

You good to go then!

You got batteries for the Traxxas yet? Will need the xt60 to trx adapter too if you don’t plan to cut the Traxxas plug off and put ec5 on

For the Maxx , my son’s grandmother got him a Traxxas dual charger and Traxxas LiPo (unbeknownst to me). I know Traxxas chargers and batteries aren’t great and are overpriced but she meant well