LiPO's
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http://pfmdistribution.com/secure/shop/item.asp?itemid=240&catid=60
apparently I'm the only one that seems to be running lipos......not sure why. These are actually Li-manganese as opposed to Li-polymer.......which is the second generation of lithium based batteries for RC use. Lithium polymer is very volatile, and has been known to actually catch on fire or melt down because of people charging them incorrectly. Lithium manganese is much less volatile, has all the benefits of li-po, and is actually lighter weight.
The only thing I had to do to get these to fit in the RC18T perfectly was to grind down the lip on the side of the chassis and viola!
They fit perfectly in the vendetta I had before I sold it without any mods.
I have not tried other brands before, so I can make no comparisons.....I only chose these because they were designed to fit where a 6-cell pack would go, and because they were li-mn and I was a little intimidated by the fire and melting stories I'd heard.
Lipos & limn are perfectly safe as long as you charge them right. Charge them at 1A and you're good every time. They peak every time, and you never have to cycle them.
The only problem I've had is that I've left them plugged into the ESC in one of my cars, and it drained the battery down below the cutoff voltage, and it wouldn't charge up anymore. But apogee's warranty is a "no questions asked" exchange policy, so I sent them in and had new ones at my doorstep within a week.
As long as you set your cutoff voltage on your ESC, and don't leave them plugged into anything, you'll not have that problem either.
What else you need to know? I did my homework on lipo / limn before investing, and I'm very happy with the payoff.
As I've said before, if you're starting from scratch with a charger and batteries, there is no real reason not to use lipo/limn.
apparently I'm the only one that seems to be running lipos......not sure why. These are actually Li-manganese as opposed to Li-polymer.......which is the second generation of lithium based batteries for RC use. Lithium polymer is very volatile, and has been known to actually catch on fire or melt down because of people charging them incorrectly. Lithium manganese is much less volatile, has all the benefits of li-po, and is actually lighter weight.
The only thing I had to do to get these to fit in the RC18T perfectly was to grind down the lip on the side of the chassis and viola!
They fit perfectly in the vendetta I had before I sold it without any mods.
I have not tried other brands before, so I can make no comparisons.....I only chose these because they were designed to fit where a 6-cell pack would go, and because they were li-mn and I was a little intimidated by the fire and melting stories I'd heard.
Lipos & limn are perfectly safe as long as you charge them right. Charge them at 1A and you're good every time. They peak every time, and you never have to cycle them.
The only problem I've had is that I've left them plugged into the ESC in one of my cars, and it drained the battery down below the cutoff voltage, and it wouldn't charge up anymore. But apogee's warranty is a "no questions asked" exchange policy, so I sent them in and had new ones at my doorstep within a week.
As long as you set your cutoff voltage on your ESC, and don't leave them plugged into anything, you'll not have that problem either.
What else you need to know? I did my homework on lipo / limn before investing, and I'm very happy with the payoff.
As I've said before, if you're starting from scratch with a charger and batteries, there is no real reason not to use lipo/limn.
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4,251 Posts
oh yeah, shop around and you'll find those for $25-30 shipped.
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4,251 Posts
part of the good runtime comes from the fact that they're typically paired up with a brushless system, which is literally 5-10 more effecient than the best brushed system. I've never tried them with a brushed system, so I don't know to tell you that you will reap all the benefits from changing over.
with the mamba 6800 system and these 2200mah batteries in my RC18's, I'm getting 12-15 minutes of full power at the 7.4V rating, but right around 12-15 minutes the voltage starts to drop down some. It will run another 5 minutes or so before it drops down to 6.5V or so (6.0V is the cutoff that you can't go below for a 2 cell), but even during those last 5 minutes it's getting like 85-90% power.
Ok, I'll stop teaching now! night night all
with the mamba 6800 system and these 2200mah batteries in my RC18's, I'm getting 12-15 minutes of full power at the 7.4V rating, but right around 12-15 minutes the voltage starts to drop down some. It will run another 5 minutes or so before it drops down to 6.5V or so (6.0V is the cutoff that you can't go below for a 2 cell), but even during those last 5 minutes it's getting like 85-90% power.
Ok, I'll stop teaching now! night night all
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643 Posts
CV..actually , I have been running LiPos for almost 2 years. I have 2 Orion 4800 for 1/10 scale and 1- 2200 2 cell Apogee and 1- 2100 3 cell Thunder Power. Lovem, lovem, lovem.
CV is right about charging. But you have to charge any battery correcty or it will catch fire or explode. The only battery I have had catch fire was a NiMh freshly charged and dropped. Shot a flame about 2 inches long.
I run the 2 cell Apogee 2200 in the 18T with no mods. It is a tight fit.
The 3 cell I run without a strap. It fits that tight. BTW, it makes the 18T a freaking rocket.
The Ice charger is the best as far as I can tell. When you set it up for the milliamp hours, it will max the charging amps correctly.
Go Lipo, you won't regret it!!
CV is right about charging. But you have to charge any battery correcty or it will catch fire or explode. The only battery I have had catch fire was a NiMh freshly charged and dropped. Shot a flame about 2 inches long.
I run the 2 cell Apogee 2200 in the 18T with no mods. It is a tight fit.
The 3 cell I run without a strap. It fits that tight. BTW, it makes the 18T a freaking rocket.
The Ice charger is the best as far as I can tell. When you set it up for the milliamp hours, it will max the charging amps correctly.
Go Lipo, you won't regret it!!
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4,251 Posts
Has anyone done the backlight mod on their ICE charger?
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4,251 Posts
where'd you find it? $$$?
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not sure what mine is, but pretty much any 150W - 300W, 10-15A, 120VAC to 12VDC power supply will work. Even a computer power supply will work. Just needs to convert to 12VDC and have at least 10A. If you get into charging any type of battery that can handle charge rates of 5A or so, you probably need a 15A.
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go to a computer repair shop and ask them for an old power supply.....preferrably a higher wattage one around 250-300 watts
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