Yeah, I use a 14 cell pack right now. Feels heavy in your hand! I just basically take two 7 cell packs and lay them on top of each other and then heatshrink the whole thing. And with an even number of cells, the + and - wire come out the same end of the pack for the shortest wire run.

When I built my pack, I used a piece of thin hobby foam between the two layers. With all the vibration and impacts, I thought the label on each cell may wear away shorting out (the thin plastic label is the only thing insulating the whole outside can - which is the - terminal). The foam help cushion the cells a bit and also acts to insulate them if the label gets worn. I also put some double thickness noteboook paper between each cell for the same reason.

So running them on one side doesn't throw you sideways off jumps? I like the way the set up looks and it sure would simplify wiring. Not to mention when I do go lipo, I'd want to be running a single cell anyway.

Do you guys have any suggestions for finding carbon fiber angles and tray parts? I know about Graphite Elegance, but they're closed until June. :031: Everyone deserves a vacation, but 8 weeks....must be nice. Waiting for them would put a big delay in the plans or I would have to go aluminum, so suggestions are welcome.

Welcome to the forums Cajun.

Check out these two suppliers..........

http://www.composite-resources.com/o...s/default.html

http://dragonplate.com/ecart/categories.asp?cID=34

Not that I've noticed. Don't forget, I have the motor, ESC, and assorted heatsinks on the other side, so it helps to balance the weight quite a bit.

Thanks for the welcome and info Procharged. CF isn't cheap is it? $300 for an 1/8" x 1 1/2" x 48" angle, WOW! The first place is near me, I may try them in person and see what I can find. I may have to go aluminum simply from a budget stand point.

I'm going to go forward with the sigle sided design on the batts. Thanks for the input Brian!

NP Cajun!

BTW: Aluminum works well too and is MUCH cheaper, lol. I usually get 6061-T6 2mm thick sheets from onlinemetals.com. You could probably get it cheaper elsewhere, but beware the quality. I've gotten some supposedly 6061 Al from elsewhere and it doesn't bend without stress cracking. The onlinemeetals stuff is MUCH better from my experience. Maybe the other stuff wasn't "T6" (wasn't specified), I dunno. Not sure if you plan on making bends or whatever, but it's something to think about.

Ok, so I've been giving the mechanical braking verses ESC braking and I had this thought. I'f I remove the mechanical braking servo and the brake disk, then use a ESC that has a forward and brake setting with no reverse can't I still use the two speed tranny? Where I run into trouble with the one way bearing is with reverse, right?

You could keep the reverse shifting mechanism and shifting servo, but reverse is very weak. I don't think it will last long at all. Other than that, you cannot use motor braking or reverse without locking the tranny in second. The OWB bearing on first gear is what prevents it.

Most here use ESC braking but if you use the mechanical dual disk (1-front, 1-rear) you gain the ability to adjust the brake bias and keep the ESC cooler.

You add the weight of the brakes, linkage, & servos but it's worth considering.

I've already done the forward only conversion on my Revo tranny, so the reverse servo and mechanism and gear is gone already. That's why I thought I might be able to use the ESC braking. If I'm not using reverse at all, I shouldn't be hitting the OWB, unless the ESC brakes actually function like reverse. In which case the OWB wouldn't engage until the truck completely stopped and tried to go backward. Right?

I guess I don't understand what effect the OWB could have on the braking function if it never goes to reverse.

EDIT: After looking over the exploded view of the tranny, the only OWB I'm finding is on the shaft that came out with the FOC. Is there another one on the gear set? The exploded view only shows regular bearings I think other than those two.

I think if you lock it into second gear that you're good to go, if not the consider dropping in an E-Maxx trans locked into second gear (with an upgraded idler gear).

or the RC-Monster slipperential.

I wanted to keep the two speed tranny, that's sort of the root of this whole conversation. I guess I could lock it into second......I just like the fact that it shifts.

OK, here's a breakdown on your options:

Option 1: Keep the two speed tranny, mech brake, and mech reverse. Of course, you'll need servos for the reverse shifter and the brake. The downside to this is that the reverse is generally pretty weak and God help you if you don't come to a full stop before you shift into reverse. And you cannot use a center diff (the diff replaces the shift fork, dog gear, and second output gear).

Option 2: Keep the two speed tranny and mech brake, but no reverse. Like above, you need a servo for the brake. But this option lets you do the FOC for a simpler, lighter, and more reliable tranny. You could also go with a center diff with this setup.

Option 3: Mod the tranny for single speed (2nd gear). You don't have to, but you can remove first gear altogether for a simpler and lighter tranny. Regardless, this is the ONLY option where you can use the brake and/or reverse using the motor. Trust me.

You are right, there is a OWB for reverse, but there is also one for first gear. How the tranny works is like this: The input shaft spins both first and second gears at the same time. But since 2nd is not engaged, it just spins freely on a regular bearing. 1st gear, being in a OWB turns the primary shaft, which turns the output shaft. When the speed gets high enough, the centrifugal clutch engages. When this happens, 2nd gear is now spinning faster than 1st gear, and since 1st gear is on a OWB, it spins freely. This OWB on first gear is what makes it so you cannot use motor reverse and/or brake.

Excellent answer Brian!

:)