Nicad Lipo conversion

[dinodog]

[] Hi Guys, does anyone have any advice/experience on the pro's and con's of Lipo Batts? They are small and light and I know that a Lipo charger has to be used but are the connectors available to hook up to ESC or would Tamiya type connectors be used on the lipo pack? [^o)] The small size 7.4 volt 1800 mha packs have really caught my eye! []

[rhenbelz]

On a car Li-Po there are sometimes connectors supplied (Deans) and sometimes they use Corally connectors embedded in the pack structure.

Tamiya type connectors are no good for anything.

1800mAh seems quite small, make sure you're not looking at packs for helicopters/planes. They won't put out the power you'll need in a 1/10 vehicle. Unless you are looking to put a Li-Po in a 1/18, then 1800 might be suitable.

The pros of a Li-Po pack are over twice the usable cycles of a Ni-MH pack, high capacities, low weight, and ability to supply a lot of current. They also have the effect of a matched standard battery pack as quality of output goes.

The cons are the initial cost and durability (with some packs). Any puncture or breaks can result in fires or explosions. Some packs like Team Orion's Carbon edition Li-Po fit perfectly in a standard 6-cell slot and are made to withstand heavy abuse.

[Mud-Plugger]

Have a look at this video, this should help you in making a decision!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3690260570423705609

Mud 

[rhenbelz]

That is a rather misleading video.

That should in no way be something turning you off of Li-Po batteries, they are not inherently "dangerous". Any good charger has auto-cutoff. Modern racing Li-Po packs are durable and puncturing/damage is not an issue as it is on the older flight packs. In addition most Li-Po batteries have internal sensors that hook up to the chargers to monitor each cell's voltage and temperature. What you saw in the video is just not going to happen. Even a Ni-Cd or Ni-MH battery will catch fire if you overcharge it.

[SGNAS]

Have a look at this video, this should help you in making a decision!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3690260570423705609

Mud 

 Been there done that!

My crime, letting the voltage get too low on discharge.

[dinodog]

[H] Hi Guys, sorry for delay in answering, I was waiting for email conformation on posts but TC doesn't do it! Many thanks for all the info. dino[&]

[dinodog]

[:|] WOW! Just seen the clips on google! As I intended to put the lipo inbetween the chassis rails on my King Hauler 1:12 M35A2 Deuce and a half project, which has a lot of time and expense spent on it, and as speed or weight arn't that important to me, I think I will stick to NiMh/Nicads tagged cells fitted in pairs! [H] dino[&]