I've got some newb lipo Q's for you guys

[jordan...]

hi everyone, i'm considering lipos but have absolutely no idea about anything about them really, i've read numerous FAQ threads and still have a few questions:

1) If i wanted to run, lets say, 5S, does that mean i need to buy 2 5S packs, or will one be enough to power the truck?

2) If only one 5S pack is needed, how would you go about splitting the pack to run one pack on each side of the truck? If that makes sense :unsure:

3) Do lipos plug into the ESC in series, ie. only one battery connection comes out of the ESC, unlike the stock EVX setup which has two "separate" connectors which hook up to batteries

3) How do the mah ratings of Lipos compare to that of Nimh packs? eg. would a 3000mah lipo pack last longer than a 4600 Nimh pack?

thanks in advance for any help, as you can tell, i'm a total newb when it comes to lipos
jordan

[Sammus]

1) depends what the other ratings on the pack are and what other gear your running, (particularly what truck :P)

2) you would buy something like a 2s and a 3s, put one on each side of the truck and run them in series

3) I guess that depends what ESC your running.

3) Not 100% on this one, the mah is just a measure of how much charge is in the pack. Since lipo's are capable of delivering much higher current that nimh packs, what theory i know and understand tells me it would be less runtime or the same at best. For example if the nimh packs are the limiting factor of your setup now, then the lipo packs will deliver the extra current where the nimh packs cant so will probably be depleted quicker.

1) 1 pack of 5s will be enuff to power the truck
2) You cannot split up the 5s pack. Lipo batts comes prepackaged and sealed.

Thats how far my knowledge takes me. HTH :)

[jordan...]

thanks alot guys, i think i'm starting to come round, its hard work taking all this stuff in!!

1) depends what the other ratings on the pack are and what other gear your running, (particularly what truck :P)

i've got a build thread in the Gmaxx section if ya wanna check it out i think i'm nearly finished...

i'm actually waiting for the MMM ESC, so i'm not sure how the battery lead config will be? just trying to brush up on some lipo knowledge now

thanks again
jordan

[Sammus]

I reckon if your going to run MMM then run 6s :) if you get decent capacity packs they should be plenty, and you can even get 2x 3s packs and have them on either side of the truck, hooked up in series. Thats what I'm doing anyway, I have two 3s 4000mah 20C packs I'll run as a 6s in my revo and reckon it'll be plenty. time will tell I guess :)

[jordan...]

thats an idea, who couldn't do with more power

What brand packs are you running?

[Sammus]

My own lol, I buy cells individually and assemble them myself. The cells are by HECELL I think are chinese and seem to hold up quite well under loads. When I said "thats what I'm doing" I meant will be doing... when all the gear for my conversion arrives :D At the moment I use them as a 3s packs in my rustler with a MM5700. geared 19/86 the truck absolutely flies and is ridiculously overpowered. the esc and batts dont seem to change from ambient while the motor cooks at those kind of RPM. I probably should have just run it on 2s to keep the heat down but instead I went and bought a feigao 9L lol... hmm now we'll see what overpowered is...

[Sammus]

just checked out your truck build.....again... lol, didn't realise that was yours! that is an amazing project... way too $$ to me, and to think you only just finished your hsc haha lucky bastard. I don't think I could drive that multi million dollar truck anywhere, I wouldn't wanna break it! or even bend any alloy! all plastic for me, cheap and nasty ;)

[jordan...]

just checked out your truck build.....again... lol, didn't realise that was yours! that is an amazing project... way too $$ to me, and to think you only just finished your hsc haha lucky bastard. I don't think I could drive that multi million dollar truck anywhere, I wouldn't wanna break it! or even bend any alloy! all plastic for me, cheap and nasty ;)

haha, thanks alot, i have bought and sold alot on ebay, so the total cost so far of the project might not be as high as many think, although i could buy around 4 3905's (at $400 US)

Not too sure how much the 3905's are in Aus. but i find my LHS marks things up something ridiculous, like sometimes 300% over the price i could get things for on the net

As for not wanting to break it, i doubt i'll go too big or too hard, if i keep the parts in good condition, they "should" hold some value if i want to resell...

That 9L should absolutely fly on 6S!! Oh well... better to have to much than too little power

[Sammus]

Lol nah the 9L is for the rusty on 3s (maybe 4s in the future, hence the low kv) the revo will be 11XL on 6s :P

I know my LHS is ridiculous too, I think its because the hobby isn't as big over here, and when theyre importing everything from the states, plus paying import taxes and customs duty, plus paying their employees and store rent and overheads etc, it all adds up pretty quick. That doesn't quite make sense though - its cheaper for me to import some venom racing products, which I told were made in sydney...