TEU105BK with LiPos?

[zomboided 374]

I googled and got some conflicting advice (and some adverts on how to lose my love handles)...I think the TEU105BK is not LiPo compatible as the cut off voltage is too low (designed for LiFe?)

So what next? A smart switch with built in cut off

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electronic-Power-On-Off-Switch-with-LED-Battery-Monitor-and-Lipo-Cut-Off-/171115344818?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item27d744f3b2

or some sort of cheaper alarm which I guess just starts bleating at me when it's time to stop playing.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selectable-voltage-Lipo-Low-voltage-alarm-UK-based-seller-/261407876725?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item3cdd1fa675

I have a bunch of posh ESCs for my brushless models, these are just for the classic Tamiyas where I don't really feel the need to go brushless and I don't wanna go buying new ESCs (but I do want to start using LiPos exclusively). I'm probably gonna spring for a couple of LiPos that fit in the small spaces offered up by the TL01, Wild One and Lunchies of the world (when I find that **** thread on batteries I remember seeing....)

What say the good people of TamiyaClub? No need, a switch, an alarm or cosmetic surgery?

[igbandy 34]

No Tamiya ESC comes with Lipo Cut off voltage. As Tamiya do not recognise LIPO as a power source.

The 105 does come with LIFE cut off, which is as you say too low.

The 105 will handle LIPO no problem, but you may want to use an external Cut off/alarm device.

I only use nimh`s in my Full option Tamiya Tiger 1, everything else gets a LIPO up it. Brushed or Brushless.

[SteveU30 1011]

That switch looks interesting but how does it wire in exactly?

[WillyChang 1814]

That switch looks interesting but how does it wire in exactly?

think you're meant to plug it in between ESC and RX

Would be ok on a TEU101BK with no BEC but on some smarter ESC with

BEC that will regulate RX voltage to either 5.0 or 6.0V... how will the switch

ever get to receive 6.2V & higher? You need a full volts supply from lipo direct.

[WillyChang 1814]

^^^^ by way of background KO introduced their fancy push button electronic switch about 2yrs ago,

with similar smart function. Crazy expensive little gizmo as you'd expect.

I guess its about time some cheaper knockoffs are appearing.

[Percymon 2184]

I use the alarms/beepers - they work fine for me in normal fun running where the car tends to be withing 10 feet of me every 10 seconds or so (although you can hear the alarm 30 feet away)

[SteveU30 1011]

think you're meant to plug it in between ESC and RX

Would be ok on a TEU101BK with no BEC but on some smarter ESC with

BEC that will regulate RX voltage to either 5.0 or 6.0V... how will the switch

ever get to receive 6.2V & higher? You need a full volts supply from lipo direct.

That was my initial thought but there's a distinct lack of signal wire on the switches wiring. The only way I can think around that is to pull the signal pin out of the ESC plug and fit it to the plug on the switch that goes in the RX. Also though, on a TEU-101 & 104 the red wire on the 3 pin ESC plug doesn't carry voltage so you'd have to transpose the wire from the smaller 2 pin JST plug too.

Even after you've done all that though you've still got the issue of no BEC if you want to run 2.4GHz. If you did then fit a UBEC you're back to what you've just said about the LiPo cut off not working!

I just can't see that switch working well in a lot of situations.

[WillyChang 1814]

yeah, I wish someone would just build a cheap/easy/compact solution to jack into the telemetry capability of Spektrum

be nice to have the TX be able to buzz/beep/monitor but the RX can only detect what volts are fed to it.

(there is a Spektrum workaround, basically just bypassing ESC's power feed with full line volts from 2S battery.

Spektrum RXes seem to be surviving full volts anyhow, even though they don't show BEC logo)

found that Etronix gizmo also sold under SkyRC name, took a peek into its manual

but that even don't show a wiring diagram seeing its sold under different names

suggests its not made specifically to be used only with a certain ESC wired for it

[TongueTied 56]

I have a handful of TEU104BK ESCs and I did some checking to see what BEC and LIPO cutoff/buzzer to use and I found it was overly complicated and going to cost me about as much as a new ESC. So, I ended up buying some HPI ESCs. They have the lipo cutoff and built in BEC. They are also waterproof So unless you are wedded to the idea of using a Tamiya ESC, you might want to see what else is out there that might solve all your problems in 1 small simple box.

[zomboided 374]

Thanks for the comments everyone, I think TongueTied might have a point. The only exception is the dual ESC I have on my 4wd Blackfoot as that was like 50 quid, so it looks like I'm gonna end up going with a LiPo alarm for that and over time moving everything else onto better ESCs.

Shame Mr T can't make ESCs properly as they are nice solid units.

[SteveU30 1011]

I would second that point and I'm slowly phasing all my Tamiya ESCs over to better ones with built in LiPo cutoff and BEC for these reasons.

[WillyChang 1814]

Better still, if they're hooked up to brushless

[zomboided 374]

Better still, if they're hooked up to brushless

I didn't call the thread 'how can I spend even more money on cars'

[WillyChang 1814]

meh, you made me ending up BUYING that switch...

So what next? A smart switch with built in cut off

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electronic-Power-On-Off-Switch-with-LED-Battery-Monitor-and-Lipo-Cut-Off-/171115344818?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item27d744f3b2

and it arrived in workbench on Friday. Played with it briefly.

Press button on/off. Hold button down for 3s to activate lipo mode.

I hooked it up to a 6V BEC and it blinks "<20% low voltage".... fair enough

just like powering off a ESC's BEC its got no way of sensing full lipo volts.

(Can't plug inline ESC to RX either as it has no 3rd wire in the plug for ESC signal)

Was thinking of hooking up a variable voltage source to test cutoff but then I got called out.

Think I've worked out what it's for... probably a nitro car running off a 2s lipo RX pack

Although your RX will need BEC & I'd be very concerned about your nitro car

losing RX power WITH ENGINE STILL RUNNING... 8(

Ok could be better in a gasser with picoswitch engine ignition cutoff when radio goes out.

Or I might rewire to source power off the lipo balance port.

Switch gets full lipo volts, feeds into RX with BEC.

ESC is plugged into Ch2 with its own switch/BEC disabled,

maybe even remove the red +ve wire from the servo lead.

Need to read up bit more on external BEC wiring jobs.

[Jeepy2013 575]

Hello everybody, first post, but I wanted to share this with the people asking about running a Lipo with the Tamiya ESC's or anything else without a proper cuttoff. These simple little low voltage alarms, plug into the balance plug on the lipo itself. Simple, and effective and only $1.99

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__22749__on_board_lipoly_low_voltage_alarm_2s_3s.html?strsearch=lipo%20alarm

[WillyChang 1814]

I use similar, but often in an offroader the plug disconnects I even use a balance lead extension

those PCB pin connection is not secure, I'm looking at hardwiring that junction to the wire

[hammerstien 187]

have a wire in lipo cut off that one wire connects to battery in and rest is plugged into esc wire to rx works great

[WillyChang 1814]

I use Novak SmartStop which I spliced in using M&F Deans.

But the extra wiring & RX connectors prove unreliable in race situation,

decided to run finals without protection (can't flatten 4000mAh in a 5min race).

That was on a Slash though, it's real contact racing