oreomike

I am considering adding a second, and maybe a third, battery to my car. Its a tyco 7.2v rc. (I believe in working with what you got...)

I'm not planning on changing the voltage of the car, just making more amperage available for either longer run times or a more powerful motor.

Does anyone have a recommendation of what type of battery to use? NiCd, NiMH, or LiI? The battery the car came with is labeled as "7.2V NiCd 1 \n x 6 Sub-C \n 1600mAh". Does that mean that each of the internal sub-C batteries is 1600mAh? so the battery is a 9600mAh? (Aka 9.6Amps?) or each is 1/6th of 1600. I recognize I should probably run all the same types of batteries. Radio shack has a replacement that is rated for 3300mA's with the same connector.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not an EE or any type of expert on batteries, hence why I'm asking, but my limited knowledge suggests this is not a difficult task. This is the second time I've taken this car out of the box in the 28+ months I've had it, so I'm not really concerned all TOO much about blowing it up. Besides, I have another 9.6V car to test stuff out on if I need to. :-) That car hasn't been touched (or seen) since I moved into my new house 3 years ago. Not a big RC guy, always pissed off when the car would die after 5 minutes of driving.

annie_himself

Each cell is 1600, and the total Mah rating is 1600.

NI-Cd's are horrible cells compared to what we have now. I would suggest a Ni-Mh pack with a compatible charger.
This pack:http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/20049
and this charger: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/13173
should to the job well.
With that combination your car will be faster and will not run out of juice for along time.
Do you know what kind of motor and speed control the car has? If not, can you take a picture of it's internals?

P.S.: A better car would be MUCH better to invest in.

TIGER76

Ditto save your money on batteries for a new car not being harsh but that money invested wont make it as fast or as fun as a hobbie grade kit.
Dont even think about putting a lipo in a tyco BUT if you do post a video i want to see that lol

oreomike

The motor is a Gold Effort Electrics gcr534DM. It is rated for 7.2v-9.6v. Here are the details: http://202.85.159.88/gee/pp/product_...asp?ItemID=257

I'll try to take a picture of it, mildly disassembled, when I get home tonight, and I'll see what type of controls are on it too.

Well, if what makes the car better is the motor and the batteries, why should I shell out extra for a new frame and wheels and axles and servos and receivers and ...

I was looking at the lipo's last night, may, or maybe not. Just want to see how this motor does with more amps available. If I do, surely I'll get some pics and a video of it running.


The other thing I'm looking at is weight. the motor is 160g, and the battery is probably double that. I just need some specs to compare battery weights too.

The Hedgehog

A new motor and electronics is not all that makes a car better. You will be spending so much money in this toy grade r/c you might as well get a hobby grade r/c the differenc will be amazing.

nitrosportsandrunner

these guys missed what you are saying, you want a tad more power and more run time with the rc you got. nothing wrong with that. as far as saving money to buy a better car, buying a decent battery now is fine cause when you do buy a better car you can use the better battery.
i have 2 of the radio shack 3300mah batteries you mentioned. i 1st used them in a old radioshack rc(from the early 90's, but one of their top end models) the run time was MUCH longer then the old 1700mah packs i had been using. and the initial punch of the throttle was better. top speed didnt really change. now i use the same batteries in a traxxas rustler that can go 30mph, run time is fairly good.

you mentioned upgrading. part of why thats not going to work out well, is even with new speed contoler and motor, the steering and suspesion will suck. i made a old radioshack car go 25mph, but it was hard to contol. i mean, it was all over the place. and the solid rear axle was much to blame. all hobby grade rc's today have independent suspesions which handle far greater. also the bushings were shot, no way to buy new ones(not so with hobby grade rc's, you can always replace parts.) the steering links were like thin metal hooks, not screwed to the servo or steering hub. this made steering sloppy, even with a hobby grade servo in place. also, the tough hard plastic that made up the chassis wasnt bad, but doesnt compare to the strength and flexability of the meterials used in my traxxas rustler.

and the housing for the motor was fine for the old wimpy motor, which didnt require much air flow for cooling. the much more powerful motor i put in its place worked for awhile, but died after 4 battery pack cause it over heated.

if you did want to hop up your rc, chances are putting another motor with the stock electronics will fry the circit board. it was made to handle only what it came with. so to put a new motor means you need a hobby grade speed contoller/ radio and reciever. most likely, youll need a new steering servo, as wiring up the old one to the new reciever wont work.
let see:
traxxas xl5 speed contoler $45(on ebay)
radio and reciever+crystals $30(maybe on ebay)
decent 20turn motor $30(lhs)
steering servo $20(lhs)
2 radioshack batter $50(needed to run faster motor)
total - $145

i bought a traxxas rustler with a every thing in the parts list for $140 with shipping.(like getting the better chassis, tires, suspesion, tranny for free)
no worries about parts fitting with a hobby grade, and i can always repair with replacement parts.

that said, i did also buy all those parts, put them in an old radioshack rc(kinda fun to build) bashed it around till the motor died. bought a new motor, then got a used traxxas stampede rolling chassis(this means every thing but the electronics and motor) for $45 and put all the parts in it.

so, you could build up your rc with hobby grade parts now, then swap them over to a hobby grade chassis later when you have more cash, but youll be spending more in the long run.

hope this helps.

annie_himself

A high quality car will be 200% better all around. Steering will be better, hop-ups, speed, acceleration, drifting, racing, etc..
but if all you want it longer run times then I gave you a good combo in the links above.

Jerrygo714

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