Got my Sphere/Neo! What lipo to get??

[rc10mike]

I got my sphere and neo motor the other day and would like to upgrade to Li-po batteries. I have a T4 car and an ICE charger. What 7.4v Li-po batterys would fit in a T4. Ive noticed Lipos are all different sizes :rolleyes:

[kufman]

You could look at the FMA direct stuff at

https://www.fmadirect.com/site/home.htm

Their scorpion system is made for cars and uses their charger. If you don't use their charger, the warreny is void. You couuld also look at the Kokam packs that they sell

Part # KOK3200-20C-2S-DNS might work.

[Gojira]

tanic cells are real nice

[starluckrc]

We use Polyquest 4400mah packs for about 20 minutes of runtime.

[rc10mike]

The only thing I wonder about is voltage cut-off, do the Polyquest packs cut-off before they become overdischarged? Also, can I charge them with a Duratrax ICE charger?

[tcolesen]

Polyquest packs have no built-in lvc device. Any Lipo can be charged on any Lipo charger (as long as cell counts and charge rate match). So, the ICE can be used.

[Craps]

All of the 1/10th scale 2wd Pro Trucks around here are using the Thunder Power TP8000-2S4P battery for the 20 to 30 minute "A" mains we race in all the time!

[standard_63]

Where do you get the TP8000 packs? largest I've been able to find that isn't too long to fit in a car is 6000mah. What're the dimesnions of the TP 8000 2s4p packs?
Thanks!
--Jonathan

[rc10mike]

$175 a pack! Ouch

[nicholcgn]

I bought a Polyquest from starluck and use it in my T4. I love it. It is the 4400 and I have the Charge guard. I would recommend that for sure. It is more than enough runtime for a 5 minute race. I am getting almost 9 on the LRP system. Over discharge has not been a problem. You can tell when the pack is getting low.

[tcolesen]

I mainly use MaxAmps Lipos. They are good, and the prices are pretty low.

[poobee]

Where do you get the TP8000 packs? largest I've been able to find that isn't too long to fit in a car is 6000mah. What're the dimesnions of the TP 8000 2s4p packs?
Thanks!
--Jonathan

i would also like to know where to get these TP8000 packs to fit a car, here is a link to a very nice list of products on this page, includeing dimesnions:

http://www.thunderpower-batteries.com/html/batteries.html

as i see it, normal 6cell ni-mh packs are: 45mm x 135mm x 23mm and the closest 8000mah pack is measured at 50mm x 125mm x 29mm.

but as you said, all the 8000mah packs are too big. :(

[Craps]

The Thunder Power TP8000-2S4P is not too big. I use 3 pads in front and 1 pad in the rear. It is tight on the width at 50 mm and is a little higher on the height that you have to raise the bar hold down screws. It is also around 5 ozs lighter than a 6 cell ni-mh pack. All of the electric Pro Truck racers use this battery in they're trucks from T-4s and XXX-Ts to Evaders and Rustlers. Some may need to fabricate a battery bar across the top for the extra height that can't raise the hold down screws like the T-4 has.

Good Luck!

[Bad Ash]

The scorpion system is the best on the market. I have read many reviews on this setup. LiPo's have many variables, I like how the fma incorporated some saftey features into the scorpion system. No other system on the market has these features. Sure there is a bit of a premium. but I feel much safer charinging these batteries in the house than I do using an ice and maxamp lipo's sitting on a concrete floor.

If you have the money, buy the scorpion charger and a 3200 pack, you should get 30 minute run times with a novak 5800 system. and you can get 90% charge in 20 minutes or full charge in a bit less than an hour or so.

It's well worth the money if your ready to fully go brushless and LiPo's and never ever ever look back at brushed and nimh tech again!

[tcolesen]

30mins. with a Novak SS5800? The Scorpion still only puts out 3200mah MAX. Just because it is a Lipo does not mean that it gives more runtime for the same capacity as NiMh.
The built-in safety features aren't all that special. Right now I am in the process of making LVC devices (that cut throttle at 3volts/cell) for 2s, 3s, and 4s packs. The price I am looking at is about $20 shipped (the connectors cost more than the actual parts for it!). I could make a special unit that would plug into the batteries that would not let the cells go over 4.2v, and would balance the cells out, showing a complete charge when all cells get to 4.2v (via the LEDs). The cost of these two devices together would be about $35. FMA Direct charges $53 for this added protection!
I will admit that I am quite biased against Kokam, as they claim a lot more than they can achieve. For example, the 3200mah cells put out only 2975mah when at 15C! These cells are rated for 20C continuous.

IMO, the only good things about the Scorpion system are:
-Their own balancing charger (but electronic balancers can be made easily)
-More than 1C charge capable (charging over 1C will lessen the overall life of the battery, though)
-The safer chemistry of the cells compared to others (this is seen with the MASSIVE weight compared to other Lipos)

Sorry about the rant!

[rc10mike]

Yeah, I ordered two 2s4400 Poly-quest packs and the pcm guard from starluck rc and a "LI-SAVER" voltage cutoff device from flydma.com. What is the MAX amps I should charge these with an ICE charger?

[tcolesen]

No more than 4.4amps (1C, where "C" stands for capacity in amp-hours). Are you planning on running them in parallel, or one at a time?

[rc10mike]

Just one at a time. I gotta tell you though this NEo has some insane torque! It makes the T4 barely controllable! :cool:

[rc10mike]

Well something bad happened today...with a fresh new battery and some taller tires and some taller gears (speed run) I couldnt turn my head fast enough to avoid a curb at 40+mph.

I no longer have a suspension on one side of the car :(

[Rtsbasic]

The all too farmilar sound of parts crunching..:) Get used to it, with brushless power its too easy to wreck cars.