Lipo?

[murph12]

I have a couple more questions about Lipo. First, is it absolutely necessary to balance the batteries? I was loking at getting a 3s pack and using the Duratrax onyx charger, but that has no balancer. Is that something that is really only an issue if i am using two packs simutaniously? How long does it take to balance the packs? Thanks!

[hitman1989]

I have a couple more questions about Lipo. First, is it absolutely necessary to balance the batteries? I was loking at getting a 3s pack and using the Duratrax onyx charger, but that has no balancer. Is that something that is really only an issue if i am using two packs simutaniously? How long does it take to balance the packs? Thanks!

yes you do need a balancer, can cause lots of problems if they are not balanced, and time im not sure about i just balance my 2s while it charges, and i never time my charges

[murph12]

Thanks for the info. What charger that has a balancer with it would you reccomend then? Looking to stay as inexpensive as possible, the hyperion chargers look nice but are a bit out of my price range.

[hitman1989]

Thanks for the info. What charger that has a balancer with it would you reccomend then? Looking to stay as inexpensive as possible, the hyperion chargers look nice but are a bit out of my price range.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXVRS6&P=ML

this is the one i use, electrifly triton eq, works great, then your just gonna need something to plug into the two banana plugs, like this http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXNCU4&P=SM

i got one that has like 8 dif charger heads on it but cant remember who its made by

but then with that your up to like 140ish, it will probably be cheaper to just buy an external balancer

[evolution21]

Dang dude, how fast you want it to go, all you need to do is buy another stock battery and it'll go 50mph.

[ProcessRacing]

Hello, my charger suggestion is a Venom Pro.(link below) It is $130, comes with a power supply and will do 1-15 cell NiMH and up to 6s lipos. Also your lead acid and glow starter batts. Truthfully I do not own one of these yet but I have read reviews that say it is quite user friendly. I read the manual and it is very simple includes discharge, balancing, cycling, and a storage charge. It is price but you will not have to spend another dollar on a charger, it does everything one might need. (It will for me at least)

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXUAB8&P=ML

[murph12]

Good info, thanks alot!

[filmmaker]

Thanks for the info. What charger that has a balancer with it would you reccomend then? Looking to stay as inexpensive as possible, the hyperion chargers look nice but are a bit out of my price range.

You can go very cheap with chargers..
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXVZZ4&P=7
but your charge time will be longer depending on the size of your battery..

also with lipo batteries you do not need to balance them for the battery to work, but when you balance the cells the battery will perform at its top and will have a longer life..

[candy76man]

I use this charger from *********...Has worked great for me and will charge pretty much any type of battery out there fast. You need a 12 volt power supply too and I have been using this one with no issues.

Looks like both are out of stock right now unfortunately

[milkman]

This will be my first venture with Lipo and after all the discussion here.. I think I am going with the Venom pro Charger and some 3s 11.1V Lipo 1600 packs.. not sure what brand but the MA's are trusted from what I see but expensive so I may try the ***** ones... who knows

Are the MA's the only ones that are Waterproof??

I am going to get some NIMH cells or some 2S cells for the kids to run her in the training mode. I think they will get some sick run times!!

Thanks for all your input..

I am nitro guy at heart but I want to give this a try!

[ProcessRacing]

This will be my first venture with Lipo and after all the discussion here.. I think I am going with the Venom pro Charger and some 3s 11.1V Lipo 1600 packs.. not sure what brand but the MA's are trusted from what I see but expensive so I may try the ***** ones... who knows

Are the MA's the only ones that are Waterproof??

I am going to get some NIMH cells or some 2S cells for the kids to run her in the training mode. I think they will get some sick run times!!

Thanks for all your input..

I am nitro guy at heart but I want to give this a try!

I am just about in the same boat. I am also looking at that particular charger. My LHS has sold a good number of them and all of them love it.

As for NiMH, I think I might grab two Pro-Match packs once they come out to run in series for high speed street runs.

[milkman]

Yeah I think I am going to get a variety!

I am going to get lipos to have a good, long bash session and then get the nimhs for the speed runs..

I "think" I am thinking right??!!Oh well we shall see.. I am going to get all the harnesses and such to make changes for the conditions...

Now I hope RPM comes out with some replacement parts for them!!

[milkman]

so what other lipos are out there in 3S 1550 or higher 11.1V? I want to run parallel 3S batteries for super run time!

I want them to fit with out trouble!

I am starting to have a hard time thinking about the coin for the MA's

If it is my only choice so be it... but I wanted to know if you all know of others?

Thanks

Jim

[Redman65]

You have the MA's, Losi, Reedy, there are others. I will stick with MA, most consistant quality well backed.

[Delicious]

hey freaks!

I thought about putting a normal Lipo, something about 2S1P 5000 mah, in the middle of an mini revo, under the body, atop the electronics and not in the battery cases. it could may fit when i remove the waterproof box of the receiver. crazy idea...^^
and bond it with some hook-and-loop tape...Oo

What do you think? Is it possible?

[Slasher]

Is it absolutely necessary to balance the batteries?

Food for thought:

For years we have sat quietly aside watching the proponents of "pack balancing" spew forth misinformation. The truth is that a properly matched pack will not require balancing. Yes, we're sure this is a shock to many of you who have fallen for the balancing gimmick. Yes, Apogee was the first to put commercial grade plugs on all packs due to customer demand. We've had and seen enough.

Pack balancing is a gimmick perpetuated by companies who make balancers, and by other companies who do not match battery cells within the pack. A properly matched pack will not require balancing, and in fact will mask a failing cell. Balancing is a band aid for companies who lack the proper equipment to do cell matching. All Apogee packs have been cell matched since the day we started.

Due to misinformation, more packs have been damaged during balancing than have been helped. If you insist on balancing a pack (If it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside, and you sleep better at night, have at it), please, please, only balance fully charged packs.


Why only balance fully charged packs? All properly matched cells are mated together so that the high and low voltages will coincide. There may be mid-point voltage variances. Balancing a partially charged pack can cause the high and low voltages to become unbalanced. Again, please, if you insist on the balancing gimmick, please only balance fully charged packs.

That was taken from Apogee's website.

[murph12]

Wow, thanks for that information. That is why I had originally asked the question, I have heard that balancing packs is not really all that necessary. I'm sure there are people who insist on it, but that statement sure speaks otherwise.

[Bandito66]

I would go with this charger:
http://www.promatchracing.com/proddetail.php?prod=1010B