:lol:Lol, they're not extra narrow...just 1/10th scale bore with wide-wound springs to prevent dirt from clogging up.:wink:

Thanks for the A123 suggestion though...I hadn't thought of them!:smile: I'm not sure how well I'd be able to fit them on the chassis, as I'd prefer a 6 or 7S2P configuration which'd need quite a few cells. I'll have to look into that one, but it'd certainly be physically tougher than LiPo...*scrurries off to start measuring chassis space*

Looks like a good project in the works mate, can't wait to see it finished. Us brits know how to build it proper :rofl:

If you post the chassis dimensions for battery mounting, we might be able to help come up with an A123 configuration :yes:.

Thanks MetalMan, that'd be really helpful! I've whipped up some rough diagrams of the sort of space there is available on the chassis, though as you can see, there isn't much with either steering servo configuration, and I really don't want to go with 1P. I'm thinking 12 (or 14) cells are going to be pretty hard to cram on there, even when stacked; I can't come up with a decent config. Maybe you guys can! The other thing that concerns me is that, aren't A123 cells kinda difficult to solder? I've not used them before so I don't really know, but I've heard the aluminium can is tricky to solder to?:neutral:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...Havocbatt1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...Havocbatt2.jpg

This is the LiPo layout that I was going to use, and I might do still:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...Havocbatt3.jpg

I'd use the RC-M battery tray, with just one big 5 or 6S, 5000mah (or aroundabouts) LiPo strapped in as well as can be. It'd certainly fit better and give better output, but it's just getting it properly secured. I might do a lexan casing around it, *if* I go that route.

Anyhoo, thanks for any ideas.:smile: And SuperBasher, I couldn't agree more lol!:rofl:

If you buy Dewalt 36v packs the cells have tabs spot welded onto the cells. These tabs can take regular solder and are much easier to solder onto than the aluminum can. They still require a good iron, though.

I came up with something I think would work based on your dimensions, but would probably required a battery tray like the one shown to the right. For material I was thinking 1/8" Lexan/polycarbonate, which is easy to cut and can be bent with a heat gun.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...Havocbatt2.jpg

because you have scraped your litespeed record thing, is the 3racing chassis up for sale? I'd be interested and i'm in england :angel:

if you dont go A123 cell setup i would think the truck would handle a little better if the wieght was centered in the 2wd here is your picture just modded to show the esc and move the battery more to the center...just a thought. and it would keep your reciver as far away as possible from the motor and battery wires.

would 1p be enough? granted its only 70A cont, but if you ran just 7s1p it would fit and you could perhaps make a 3s and 4s pack which you could use in o ther things :)

also, 7s geared down a bit should be enough shouldnt it???

i jsut went for 4s2p cause i got 2 a123racing packs for 150AUS delivered to my door :) (a dewalt pack costs about 40-60 bucks to ship here...for 2 more cells, and a whole lot more work)

BTW: do you REALLY want 1kg of batteries???

7s1p should be plenty as long as hes not geared to high.

Man, that's too bad about your litespeed project. I was anxious to see how it would do.

This one looks fun though! Have you thought about a DDOR setup? Or would that throw the balance off too much?

Thanks for all the suggestions! I wsn't expecting quite so much input lol.:oh:

MetalMan, I think that configuration would actually fit! I hadn't thought of that setup, so thanks for the drawing. I've been thinking about it though, and it looks like it's gonna be pretty expensive after all to do a 6S2P setup with A123 cells after all. Obviously the DeWalt packs only come with 10 cells, so buying another complete pack (or even just two separate cells) would begin to work out to be kinda expensive. Also, wouldn't the spot-welded tabs strangle current output? I've not used A123 before, so I really don't know. If I went with 5S2P then I'd obviously lose quite a bit of top end, and a box-stock nitro Havoc is capable of 55mph...so I'm aiming for that kind of speed.:diablo:

TT01 Mamba, I'll PM you shortly about that. :smile:

Rootar, I'll keep that in mind....shouldn't be too difficult to do. :smile:

TC3Racer,I don't think1P would be enough for my application. It's going to be a basher, so I really want more runtime than 2300mah can provide when I'm bashing out and about. 1P would also cause a lot of voltage drop with the 1515 1Y too, as it's fairly amp-hungry...so I don't think 1P is going to do it, especially when I'm geared for 55mph or so. Thanks for the suggestion anyway!

Whats_Nitro, I know...I was looking forward to completing it too, but I have good reasons for stopping the project which I shouldn't really mention here.:cry: It's annoying, but at least I'll be able to use the Havoc everyday. I'm going to sound thick here, but what do you mean by a DDOR setup?

At the moment it looks to me like a single large LiPo pack is going to be easier and cheaper to do...A123's durability is very attractive, but I don't think they're going to be practical in this particular truck. I'm thinking that a thin lexan "case" around the LiPo (I think someone on this forum did a write-up on that sometime?) and the RC-M battery tray, secured in with a bit of foam padding should provide decent protection...I'm not gonna throw it off cliffs lol.

Thanks for the help anyway people, I really appreciate it!:yes: Might use the A123's in another project someday (something a bit larger with slightly lower power requirements lol). Does anyone here have any long-term opinions on the Zippy-H LiPos? I've read the odd positive comment, but they're amazingly cheap for what they are...:neutral:

You're right, 2 Dewalt packs are pretty expensive. But 6s2p A123 would have no difficulty pushing that truck to high speeds. As for the spot welded tabs, I've not noticed any issues with them being able to supply enough current.

Cool, that's good to know. I don't doubt that a 6S2P pack could push the truck to seriously high speeds, but it's just the cost...I just don't know. Thanks for all the info though. Now I can at least make an informed decision. :smile:

0o sorry. DDOR = Direct Drive Out-Runner. :wink:

FWIW I bought a bunch of loose A123 cells recently, and they have little discs attached to either side (welded or soldered, not sure) but they're definately NOT alu like the rest of the can and were very easy to solder on to. My 40W iron didn't quite cut it, I went and picked up a 80W with a beefier tip for $20 and it did it no probs whatsoever.

I will be running 7s1p in my revo, in a 3s+4s config because they also fit nicely in my other cars... if only the mamba monster could run 8s a123 I would be set, a bunch of a 4s a123's would be sweet.