New to comunity and RC....this is not a what should I buy thread. :)
01-30-2016, 04:59 PM
#1
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New to comunity and RC....this is not a what should I buy thread. :)
Just introducing myself. Read through stickies and have found a TRAXXAS stampede 4x4 for under $300 with spare parts, remote, and batteries. Looking to just have fun with the kids around the backyard and I didn't want a cheap toy RC car.
I haven't quite closed the deal yet, trying to talk them down a little, but if it falls through I'll be looking for a slash. I just want to be able to repair/upgrade and be able to find parts easy.
I'll likely stay in the "level 1" range of gearing and batteries (LiPo for sure) to start and feel out upgrades as necessary.
So hey....looking forward to the hobby.
I haven't quite closed the deal yet, trying to talk them down a little, but if it falls through I'll be looking for a slash. I just want to be able to repair/upgrade and be able to find parts easy.
I'll likely stay in the "level 1" range of gearing and batteries (LiPo for sure) to start and feel out upgrades as necessary.
So hey....looking forward to the hobby.
01-31-2016, 07:31 AM
#2
Hey Joe! Welcome to the forum!
You can't go wrong with those choices. The Stampy is the go-anywhere-do-anything kind of rig, and the Slash is a fun, fast basher/racer, both with HUGE after market support and tons of hop up parts available. The cool thing I've discovered about the short course truck is that it tends to right itself if it flips or rolls, and if it ends up on it's side, just turn the wheels to the side it's on and hit the gas. The truck rights itself! Rarely does it end up on it's lid, turtle'd. So you don't have to do the "walk of shame" so often. And Traxxas is EVERYWHERE, so you'll never want for parts.
Read up on the care and feeding of Lipo batteries. There are a few things you need to know about them. Once you do, they are perfectly safe. Traxxas has even come up with a modification of their already very good battery connectors, where they integrate the balance tap right into the main connector, and a charger that takes advantage of that, the new "iD" chargers and Lipos. Using them, you don't have to "set up" the charger, it auto-detects the battery and sets itself accordingly. Enjoy the addiction!
You can't go wrong with those choices. The Stampy is the go-anywhere-do-anything kind of rig, and the Slash is a fun, fast basher/racer, both with HUGE after market support and tons of hop up parts available. The cool thing I've discovered about the short course truck is that it tends to right itself if it flips or rolls, and if it ends up on it's side, just turn the wheels to the side it's on and hit the gas. The truck rights itself! Rarely does it end up on it's lid, turtle'd. So you don't have to do the "walk of shame" so often. And Traxxas is EVERYWHERE, so you'll never want for parts.
Read up on the care and feeding of Lipo batteries. There are a few things you need to know about them. Once you do, they are perfectly safe. Traxxas has even come up with a modification of their already very good battery connectors, where they integrate the balance tap right into the main connector, and a charger that takes advantage of that, the new "iD" chargers and Lipos. Using them, you don't have to "set up" the charger, it auto-detects the battery and sets itself accordingly. Enjoy the addiction!
01-31-2016, 07:38 AM
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Yeah I definitely need to read up on batteries. That's for the note. I'm from Maryland and he's from Pennsylvania so we haven't been able to meet yet but I hope this week.
02-01-2016, 10:23 AM
#4
Let me give you a quick run down on Lipos:
First off, you need to have a LIPO CHARGER. A charger that only does NiMh batteries should NEVER be used. Unless you like house fires. (THAT got your attention, didn't it?
) Seriously tho, Lipos and NiMhs are two different animals, and require different charge methods. So just pay attention to what you're doing, that's all.
Lipos do not like to be discharged below 3.0V/cell because of the way their chemistry works. Therefore, the speed controls used with Lipo packs have a Low Voltage Cut-off (LVC) to prevent this from happening. It cuts power to the motor when it detects the voltage is near the threshold. The LVC is sometimes adjustable in the ESC programming, but generally it is set at 3.2V. Sometimes (if the car came with a Nimh pack) the LVC will be disabled. Just make sure it is Enabled when you use Lipo.
Lipo packs have the ability to have their cells charged individually via a balance tap, a small connector in addition to the main power connector. This is so the cells can be "balanced" by the charger. The charger has a Balance Mode that makes sure the cells are equally charged and even. The charger I linked (like most Lipo chargers) also has other charge modes like Charge and Fast Charge, but generally it's always a good idea to use Balance charge.
Lipos do not like to be left fully charged or discharged for long periods of time, it can shorten their life and capacity because of the way lipo chemistry works. Lipo chargers have a charge mode called "Storage". It is used to charge/discharge a Lipo pack up/down to its quiescent voltage point of 3.80V/cell. Always use Storage mode when you're done with the battery(s) for the day. (It's ok to let them sit for a day maybe, but any more than that, Storage mode them.)
Connectors. NEVER use the white plastic Molex connectors referred to as "Tamiya-style" plugs. They suck, and should never be used *period* as far as I'm concerned. (IMO, they should be banned from the hobby) Bullet connectors (EC3 or EC5), Traxxas, or Deans, or the new Star connectors are the only ones that should be used with Lipos, because they can handle the amperage Lipos can deliver and that brushless motors demand. Tamiya plugs will MELT, and fail and have to be replaced anyway. If you got 'em, chuck 'em.
So that's the basics. Now for some specifics. What's all the numbers mean on the label? Of course we're all familiar with the "mah" rating. That's an indicator of how long a pack will last on a charge. A 5000mah pack will run longer than a 3000mah pack. What is less known, is that the mah rating also relates to how much juice the pack can deliver at a given time. That is to say, how much "oomph" it's got. You'll have better acceleration and mid-range power with a 5000mah than a 3000mah. Even if they both have the same "C-rating". What's a C-rating? Lipo packs also have a Discharge rating called the "C-rating", an indicator of how much current a pack can deliver under load. A 60C rated pack will deliver more instantaneous juice than a 25C pack. (And higher C-rated packs of the same mah rating garner higher prices) I like to pay a little extra (generally just a few dollars) for packs with a 50C rating. Running a 25C lipo in a system with a large motor in a heavy car is not a good idea, as the motor system will demand more juice than the pack wants to deliver, so it will get hot. And in all things electronic, heat is bad.
And I assume we all know what "2S" and "3S", etc. mean. It's the number of cells in the pack, and determines what the pack's voltage is. 2S is about 8V, 3S about 11V..... One of the settings you need to make on your charger.
Charging. How do you know what amperage to charge a pack at? By it's mah rating. Rule of thumb is using a "1C charge rate". (I know, another C-rating?, don't ask me, I didn't come up with this stuff.) A 3000mah pack is charged at 3 Amps. A 5000mah pack, 5 Amps. Easy, right? I think that's about it.
First off, you need to have a LIPO CHARGER. A charger that only does NiMh batteries should NEVER be used. Unless you like house fires. (THAT got your attention, didn't it?
) Seriously tho, Lipos and NiMhs are two different animals, and require different charge methods. So just pay attention to what you're doing, that's all.Lipos do not like to be discharged below 3.0V/cell because of the way their chemistry works. Therefore, the speed controls used with Lipo packs have a Low Voltage Cut-off (LVC) to prevent this from happening. It cuts power to the motor when it detects the voltage is near the threshold. The LVC is sometimes adjustable in the ESC programming, but generally it is set at 3.2V. Sometimes (if the car came with a Nimh pack) the LVC will be disabled. Just make sure it is Enabled when you use Lipo.
Lipo packs have the ability to have their cells charged individually via a balance tap, a small connector in addition to the main power connector. This is so the cells can be "balanced" by the charger. The charger has a Balance Mode that makes sure the cells are equally charged and even. The charger I linked (like most Lipo chargers) also has other charge modes like Charge and Fast Charge, but generally it's always a good idea to use Balance charge.
Lipos do not like to be left fully charged or discharged for long periods of time, it can shorten their life and capacity because of the way lipo chemistry works. Lipo chargers have a charge mode called "Storage". It is used to charge/discharge a Lipo pack up/down to its quiescent voltage point of 3.80V/cell. Always use Storage mode when you're done with the battery(s) for the day. (It's ok to let them sit for a day maybe, but any more than that, Storage mode them.)
Connectors. NEVER use the white plastic Molex connectors referred to as "Tamiya-style" plugs. They suck, and should never be used *period* as far as I'm concerned. (IMO, they should be banned from the hobby) Bullet connectors (EC3 or EC5), Traxxas, or Deans, or the new Star connectors are the only ones that should be used with Lipos, because they can handle the amperage Lipos can deliver and that brushless motors demand. Tamiya plugs will MELT, and fail and have to be replaced anyway. If you got 'em, chuck 'em.
So that's the basics. Now for some specifics. What's all the numbers mean on the label? Of course we're all familiar with the "mah" rating. That's an indicator of how long a pack will last on a charge. A 5000mah pack will run longer than a 3000mah pack. What is less known, is that the mah rating also relates to how much juice the pack can deliver at a given time. That is to say, how much "oomph" it's got. You'll have better acceleration and mid-range power with a 5000mah than a 3000mah. Even if they both have the same "C-rating". What's a C-rating? Lipo packs also have a Discharge rating called the "C-rating", an indicator of how much current a pack can deliver under load. A 60C rated pack will deliver more instantaneous juice than a 25C pack. (And higher C-rated packs of the same mah rating garner higher prices) I like to pay a little extra (generally just a few dollars) for packs with a 50C rating. Running a 25C lipo in a system with a large motor in a heavy car is not a good idea, as the motor system will demand more juice than the pack wants to deliver, so it will get hot. And in all things electronic, heat is bad.
And I assume we all know what "2S" and "3S", etc. mean. It's the number of cells in the pack, and determines what the pack's voltage is. 2S is about 8V, 3S about 11V..... One of the settings you need to make on your charger.
Charging. How do you know what amperage to charge a pack at? By it's mah rating. Rule of thumb is using a "1C charge rate". (I know, another C-rating?, don't ask me, I didn't come up with this stuff.) A 3000mah pack is charged at 3 Amps. A 5000mah pack, 5 Amps. Easy, right? I think that's about it.
02-04-2016, 07:49 AM
#9
02-04-2016, 11:32 AM
#11
I am right around the corner from you. PM me and we can exchange numbers. I have a couple nitro and electric and I got my son one also, trying to get him into the hobby.
