I need education on Batts and Motors....

[SoCAPhun]

Hello everyone.
I need some education on the battery/motor technology.
I've been reading the mags and crusing the web trying to take in as much info as possible. Is there a website that someone can direct me to that puts everything in little simplier terms?

I know the dif between NiMH and NiCads, I know Mah rating usually means run time (higher=longer)....
What want to know more about is the proper care and dis/charging of each battery, what exactly "matching" means, what should I look for in a battery.

A bit about me.
I'm looking to race off road buggy (maybe touring a bit later on), but I cannot afford the time and dedication to do more then stock class. I'm not sure if I need the super high tech battery/motor tech stuff. I have seen guys at my local tracks completely surrounded with different electronic gizmos...the only think I recognize is the charger. I would like to keep it simple and stupid as much as possible. I want to work on my driving skills rather then technology skills to gain the edge.
I just need some proper direction to help me get started.

Thanks to anyone that can offer some help.

[TC3B3L3T3GT]

motors
for stock racing, get a trinity motor, or better yet, get one of the tuner motors(trinity motors tuned by other companies, like Fantom). if the track is small, get the p2k for more torque. if it is a large track, get a green machine 3 for higher rpms. if it is medium sized, get the p2k2 for a good combonation of both.

batteries
when i started, i started with sport 2400 packs, taken apart and reassembled into saddle packs. i used a single cell resistor type discharger (integy octane 2) and the packs work great.

[Nutter]

Matching is when a large number of cells are put through atlest one charge/discharge cycle on a charger such as the Turbo Matcher 4. This provides information on every cell, such as run time, average discharge voltage, internal resistance, etc. The cells are then sorted into groups with other cells with very similar (or identical) numbers, and this is what you get in a matched battery - 6 individual cells with very similar characteristics.
The advantage of this is that when the battery is discharging, every cell will "die" at the exact same time, which means that there won't be a gradual loss in performance towards the end of the batteries life. It also means that from looking at the numbers on the packs, you can choose the best pack to run for the main, and use the rest for your qualifiers.

To look for in a battery (generally in this order, but #1 & #2 can be swapped, depending on the class you are racing in):
1) highest average voltage
2) lowest internal resistance
3) longest run time


-Nutter

[SoCAPhun]

Thanks guys for the responses, it helps me in the right direction.

[Casper]

http://www.promatchracing.com/

Has some really good reading! :cool:

[tadium54]

Why must nutter be so smart??????:D

[racer13]

because he's the coolest :D thnx nutter, taught me some too.

[AzRcRacer2]

For stock class racing I would recomend 2400's they should give you 7-8 min. of runtime 3000's would just be overkill.

I would recommed getting a matched pack it will give you better performance (WWW.kmrbatteries.com) has great inexpensive matched cells.

The P2K2 is a great motor for offroad especially a buggy! I would suggest getting a Fanthom/ Birdman version It will be tuned for better performance.

I have been doing this for awhile and if you need help with motor/battery maintence Let me Know:)

[AzRcRacer2]

I highly suggest not getting a GM3 it only works on tracks with really long straights. It has absolutely no torque and it over revs causing it to run hot

P2K2 all the way

thats what I run and lets just say I smoke every Gm3 on my BIG local track:D :D :D :D

[3xs]

As far as motors go nobody knows them better than Big Jim,I've been in this sport for about 9-10 years now and I've learned more from him over the past year than anyone.I'm consistently in the A-main now because of what I've learned from him.If you want to really know and understand motors he is the man to talk to.For Batteries go with either SMC or PRO-MATCH either one will give you excellent results.

[dreamer_1uk]

Hi.

I thought id give you some help on this as im bored and have nothing else to do!

Ok, motors. For stock, id run a P2K as they have plenty of torque and a high RPM. I run mine on a large out door track in my AE B3. The gear ratio i use because of the long straights etc is 81/24.

As for the cells, im doing fine with my 1700's. You dont have to have the best batteries out there at all for stock racing as you just dont need them. But if you do decide to run the 1700's, get the best ones like Orion V-Maxx and Trinity EX Tech ones as they will do just fine. If you plan on running Mod at a later date, then get some 2400's as they will be just what your looking for. Try to get the best ones your can afford also. If you are crazy though and decide to run a 9t or lower, you might need some HV 3000's.

Hope that helps!

[highroller]

Matched batteries are sorted by 1, Runtime 2. Voltage 3, Charge Amperage 4 Discharge Amperage 5. Internal Resistance 6. Default Runoff 7. Voltage custoff (.90) 8. Battery Matchers Name are on the label.
For offroad racing runtime is not a big necessity, voltage and IR (internal resistance are) for good voltage packs look for ones with 1.17 (20amp discharge) and 1.14 (30 amps discharge) IR should be .22 or below. Look for matchers that keep these numbers closely matched into packs either all the same numbers of within 2 tenths or each other.
I like the MVP and P2k motor while I favor the MVP in most situations because of it's power band.
For some no nonsense motor ideas visit www.hobbytalk.com visit the Big Jim's motor discussion or go to RCVehicles and read the Motor Tuning section. Even after being in the hobby over 20years you still learn something.