Trakpower charging and balancing

[jnev]

I am looking specifically at this pack:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXUYY2&P=ML
At the moment, I use a MRC Superbrain 989 for charging with a Hyperion LBA10 for balancing. Can I use this same set up for charing/balancing the Trakpower pack? Because everywhere I look, it says that the V-balancer is required...

I was thinking I could just make an adapter with deans on one end, and 4mm connectors on the other end to put into the pack. Would this work for charging?

As for balancing, I don't even see any balancing taps or a place to input balancing taps... how would I go about using my current balancer (LBA10) with the Trakpower pack?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[suicideneil]

I think they have the balancing taps connected to the main power wires or something odd (inside the hardcase), hence the need for the V-balancer which is specially designed for just Trakpowers. I would look up the V-balancer and see how it works.

Originally Posted by jnev

I am looking specifically at this pack:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXUYY2&P=ML
At the moment, I use a MRC Superbrain 989 for charging with a Hyperion LBA10 for balancing. Can I use this same set up for charing/balancing the Trakpower pack? Because everywhere I look, it says that the V-balancer is required...

I was thinking I could just make an adapter with deans on one end, and 4mm connectors on the other end to put into the pack. Would this work for charging?

As for balancing, I don't even see any balancing taps or a place to input balancing taps... how would I go about using my current balancer (LBA10) with the Trakpower pack?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

those saddle packs do look different from other Trakpowers I have seen, with the 2s packs each one will have two 4mm banana jacks and one 2mm , you charge through the 4mm jacks and balance through the 2mm jack


here is a link to an adapter

http://www.allerc.com/product_info.php?products_id=3702

[suicideneil]

Wow, that was a good guess on my part

[lincpimp]

The saddle packs are 1 cell lipos each. You would have to make up an adapter to charge and balance them as a 2p pack. I lack the words to describe it, but I have made one very similar that I can take a pic of...

[jnev]

Thanks for the link and help suicide and azjc.

That adapter should still work though, right linc? I run deans on all my stuff, so I'll just change the 4mm connectors that go to the charger/balancer on the adapter to deans. While actually running the pack, I'll just make an adapter from 4mm connectors to deans.

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by jnev

Thanks for the link and help suicide and azjc.

That adapter should still work though, right linc? I run deans on all my stuff, so I'll just change the 4mm connectors that go to the charger/balancer on the adapter to deans. While actually running the pack, I'll just make an adapter from 4mm connectors to deans.

It will only work to charge one pack at a time. If you want it to charge both and balance both at the same time, attach the small black wire with the 2mm connector to the wire included wwith the lipos, and use it to bride the pos of one pack to the neg of the other. Plug the other 4mm bullets into the pos and neg thayt are left. DO NOT mix polarity up, you can fry your balancer this way...

[jnev]

Thanks for the pictures, that made it really clear. I think it may be more work than is even worth it though. I was thinking about building up a race B44, which is why I was asking about the saddle pack. I may just end up going with a Max Amps saddle pack. They have a 6000mah pack so that should give enough power/juice for such a light buggy. It is also already wired and all so I have everything I need to charge and balance it at home... here it is:
http://www.maxamps.com/Lipo-6000-74-Saddle.htm

[lincpimp]

They seem a bit pricey, but should be fine in that buggy. I wonder what cells they are made from?

[Patrick]

If you look at this picture you can see it has the 2mm balance plug joined to one of the 4mm plugs on the black bridge wire. You shouldn't have to change anything when you use a trackpower harness or the hyperion adapter azjc linked to. Nothing complicated about balancing one of theses packs, as long as you've conected them in series it doesn't even matter which end of the bridge wire you put the 2mm balance plug on, because it will still measure the same cell. Personally I'd choose these over the maxamps, unless you really need the extra mah.

Mike sells a similar pack

http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail...0SADDLE&cat=18

[jnev]

I'd by far prefer the Trakpower pack, and since you say I won't need anything extra, thats the pack I'll go for. Thanks for the info!

azjc - I actually used to have that pack in my converted rc10gt, and it is what made me not like Max Amps packs too much. After maybe 8 - 10 full throttle accelerations, it was already hitting the LVC... that is why I would prefer a higher mah pack. But I trust the Trakpower will provide all the power and run time I can handle.

Originally Posted by jnev

I'd by far prefer the Trakpower pack, and since you say I won't need anything extra, thats the pack I'll go for. Thanks for the info!

azjc - I actually used to have that pack in my converted rc10gt, and it is what made me not like Max Amps packs too much. After maybe 8 - 10 full throttle accelerations, it was already hitting the LVC... that is why I would prefer a higher mah pack. But I trust the Trakpower will provide all the power and run time I can handle.

IMO if you were hitting the LVC it wasnt the capacity but the pack quality the FP/Trakpower packs hold thier voltage extremly well.....good choice to go with the Trakpowers...........