Charging trakpowers
 

I can charge my trakpower batteries when i hook them up straight to my mrc 989 charger, but when I try to charge them through the trakpower v-balancer, the charger will not recognize the pack. The v-balancer recognizes the cells of the battery when I hook up everything together, but the mrc 989 just shows a voltage of 0.0, like there's nothing there. I have tried it with the trakpower specific plugs and the "normal" connectors (look same) that come out of the same end of the balancer, no matter how I hook it up, if I use the balancer in line with the battery and charger the mrc 989 will not recognize the pack. Any suggestions?

I think the balancer must be set so that it opens up the circuit. I have to do that with my Hyperion LBA10 - if I don't, it leaves the circuit closed and the charger can read or charge the packs.

I think reading the manual of your balancer will offer help.. :p (no offense)

Ah, the manual, the only complaint so far about the trakpowers or the balancer is the manual (there was none), and the manual that came with the trakpower v-balancer is also minimal (i would like to see a troubleshooting section at least). It is a 4X12 inch piece of paper front and back with writing so small that i have to use a magnifying glass. I followed the instructions to a T and the charger still does not recognize the batteries.
Ways I have tried:
1) Link mode on, trakpower charging outputs on v-balancer (4mm males)
2) Link mode on, other charging outputs on v-balancer (4mm males)
3) Link mode off, other charging outputs on v-balancer (4mm males)
No matter what I try the charger will not recognize the battery when it is hooked up through the balancer. I am positive it is some little setting, but it seems like there are only two modes for the balancer. I am going to call duralite tech support today and hopefully they can help me. By the way, I am the same guy who believed apogee when they told me that their packs did not need balancing (even though there are balancer tabs on the batteries), so this is my first balancing experience. Not dumb, just not smart.:005:

Okay; have you got the proper balancer wires? do you put a 2mm plug into the trackpower for balancing? (between the large 4mm plugs)

Do this...

1) Plug the leads from the balancer (on the end with the fuse) into the charger.
2) Connect the output leads from the balancer into the balancer pigtail leads, so both reds are connected and both blacks are connected.
3) Plug those leads into the battery pack along with the small single lead.
4) Hold the reset button on the V-Balance for 3 seconds...the Link Mode arrow lights should light up. When they do, it's ready for you to charge to the pack and your charger will recognize the pack.

I think I did not do step 2. If I understand correctly, there will be no male connectors left unplugged when I have it set up correctly? The picture that came witht the balancer (the way it said to plug it in) had the two outermost wires on the balancer left unplugged. Thanks, I will try this. I knew it would be something simple that I was overlooking.

Correct...there are no wires unconnected when charging. Leaving the two outermost wires unconnected is for passive balancing when unconnected to a charger.

thanks skellyo, as i remember you have trakpowers as well as a LSP? How much run time do you get, what is your setup, weight? I have a MM and a 8XL and two trakpowers, right at 4.7 kg. Can I do a 15 min race? I like the throttle.:027:

Yep, I've got Trakpowers and an LSP-R. I don't have the LSP-R together yet as I'm waiting on a motor mount. I'll be running an 8XL also, so I'll throw it on the scale once I get it together.

You are mounting your motor towards the front, correct? I have mine towards the right rear, with the batteries on the left rear, and the truck is rear-biased a bit. Do you have any suggestions for differential oil weights or tire type? I am running the stock tires and 7000/50000/5000 oil in the diffs F/C/R. Thick stuff in the center diff helps the front tires not turn into pizzas under acceleration.:018:

I'm planning to put mine on the rear right also. However, since you mention the large rear bias in weight, I might look into putting it in the front left with batteries on each side in the rear. The only thing I was worried about with that was that the motor weight and one battery on the left is much heavier than a single battery and servo on the right.

Yes, the side to side balance is a problem (more so than front/rear IMO) as the 8xl and the heatsink combo are about 600 grams, way more than the servo or anything else you want to put on the right. The trakpowers are exactly the same weight with a battery mount, so the side to side balance is perfect on my truck. The rear bias is barely noticeable, but i think most other MTs or truggies have a slight rear balance in stock trim. Driving it around my yard (4 acre lot), the power and handling is awesome, and the rear bias is not noticeable to me, but I have not yet had it on a track. In the end I would rather have it lift the front up a little than nosedive.

If you want to avoid tire ballooning, some of the pros here use ducted tape to prevent the tires from expanding while revolving at high speeds.

I have heard of this, but I have some reservations on how it effects the grip of the tires on irregular surfaces. The manufacturers make the tire treads pliable for this reason, so that the tire can conform to the track for maximum grip.