ESC going low voltage under full throttle.

[SteveU30]

I think at this point we need to know what charger you are using and how you charge the batteries (I.e. What settings, how long, etc...)?

[TwistedxSlayer]

Off the top of my head. I csnt remember.

Its just a normal charger. Plug in and forget. No settings and as long as it takes for the ready light to come on.

[SteveU30]

Are we talking one of those all in one compact wall socket chargers? How long to charge until the light comes on?

Like this?;

[TwistedxSlayer]

No. Its a proper charger. I think its a Asmann? Its for NiCd and Nihm only

[alfagta]

To wake up nimh you should do the first charge at around 0.5a, then run the pack down without stopping until the car very slow, then once cooled completely recharge at about 2a , run down again without stopping , this all gives the pack a base memory effect of giving full discharge , if the pack stored for any length of time over a month it is advised to repeat the wake up cycle, most digital chargers have a cycle procedure for the wake up.;-)

[TwistedxSlayer]

Ive just tried the esc and battery on a different motor just to rule out my motor having any issues. Same fault :-(

[Backlash]

What brand are the NiMh batteries that you have?

Do you know someone that could loan you a charged, known good battery to test your car with?

[InsaneJim69]

I have just read your original post again, and i must apologise, i totally miss read it.

I thought you were losing all control under full throttle, power and steering.

As stated, what battery pack are you using? And how long have you had he pack and how often has it been used?

James

[TwistedxSlayer]

One is Voltz? And the other is overlander. Both are brand new, maybe 4 weeks old max. No one I know has an electric RC. They have been used 3 times each, if that?

[SteveU30]

I don't mean to be rude but if it doesn't have any settings on the charger then it's not a 'proper charger' branded or not.

Both of those batteries are relatively high capacity and being NiMh, they need to be charged at a current relative to their size. By this I mean the 3300 battery needs a charge at or close to 3.3A for 1 hour and the 4600 at or close to 4.6A for 1 hour.

If the charger you're using is just trickle charging at say 0.5A then it is probably doing more harm than good and may well be false peaking thus giving an incomplete charge.

Could you have a closer look at the charger and report back with the charging output current in Amps so that we know what it is doing to your batteries please? Also, how long is it taking to charge, say the 4600 battery before the full charge light comes on?

[TwistedxSlayer]

No rudeness taken :-). I'll go and have a look now

[TwistedxSlayer]

I think I may have found the issue....

I don't think the charger is manly enough to charge the packs properly

[TwistedxSlayer]

I can't jab anything as my meter is at work, and I don't have an amp clamp. I'm no this sure how to get an Amp output reading without one with a Fluke

[SteveU30]

We may be on to it now. That charger would be getting somewhere near on the 3300 battery when set to fast charge for 90 mins but it's not going to touch the 4600 battery unless you run one and a half fast charges through it.

I would suggest investing in a more modern charger that has adjustable output settings and while you're at it LiPo capability as the way you're going, LiPo is the next logical step.

[wolfdogstinkus]

So when the car "brown's out", you still have steering?

My 4WD blackfoot was running 2 ESC's. Both Tamiya TEU-104bk, and when full throttle was applied, All control was lost and car stopped for around 2 secs, and then restarted. (I assume the receiver dipped below 6v or 4.8v and stopped working for a few seconds?)

Use a lipo in this car now and it is fine.

I have the charger you pictured, and also a newer one, I still had "browning out" with the Ni-MH batteries when charged with the new charger but lipo has no problem, even the small 2200mah lipo's have no browning out. (the charger pictured has delta peak but is only rated for 3500mah packs)

Can you borrow a lipo and use it with an alarm to see what difference it will make? Once you try it, you will be laughing.

There is less voltage "sag/ dip" with lipo, so it is like having a fully charged pack all the way till it runs out.

[TwistedxSlayer]

I cant afford to buy Lipos just yet or another charger. Was told at LHS that the charger i have should just take longer to charge the 4600 battery.

No one i know runs electric RC

[Percymon]

When i had the same issue win my Blitzer Beetle, using a 17x2 motor the 3300mAh battery couldn't cope, even when fresh off the charger. I didn't try the capacitors, but switching to a 5000mAh battery sorted me out.

Could you ask the LHS to charge the 4600mAh battery for you ? It might help to isolate whether its the battery or the charger - perhaps drop it off early Sat am, collect a few hours later ??

[alfagta]

you can try charging the pack , then run it down at 2/3 throttle as constantly as you can , a wide open car park is ideal , let the pack cool, and do it again , several times,, my 4 cell pack in my old mardave v12 kept cutting but using this method brought them back to life and they now charge at 3a and dont cut out any more , they are just super cheap venom 6 cell packs cut down to 4 cell ( the first cell in the pack died after using a wall wart charger!),

its worth a go

[Percymon]

Where abouts are you ?

scrub that, just remembered you are in Bolton

maybe another member could meet you with another fully charged battery to prove whether its battery related ?

[SteveU30]

As a stop gap I would put the 4600 battery on fast charge for 90 mins then as soon as the safety cut off kicks in stick it back on fast charge for another 45 mins. This will ensure 'in theory' that the battery has had long enough to charge. The battery should be putting out circa 8v after it's been charged for this amount of time.

[Backlash]

I cant afford to buy Lipos just yet or another charger. Was told at LHS that the charger i have should just take longer to charge the 4600 battery.

No one i know runs electric RC

If you bought both the batteries and charger from the same LHS, and none of the other solutions will work for you, then the only answer that I can see is taking it all back to your LHS and ask for them to help you with the problem..

It is possible to test the batteries if you have access to a charger that both charges and discharges at a high enough current setting (eg. 20 Amps).. You can also use this same style of charger to cycle, and possibly rejuvenate the batteries like alfagta describes.. Maybe your LHS has one?

I believe that the issue is with the batteries, be that they are low quality / faulty, or that your charger is not charging them correctly..

The only other thing that I can think of is asking for help at a local RC club if there is one in your area.. Maybe someone could loan you a battery to test your car..

Sorry, but that's all I've got..

[Backlash]

PS.. If you update your profile to include your location, then maybe there is a TamiyaClub member that lives near you that can help..

[TwistedxSlayer]

Thanx for all the input guys. Its appreaciated.

There isnt a local club any more it shut down a while ago.

The charger is about 9 years old.

One battery came from LHS

Other came from Modelsport

I dont have access to a discharger charger. As said. Maybe the LHS has one.

Might take a trip there tomorrow and see if they can charge discharge the batteries or i may go for Alfas idea.

[TwistedxSlayer]

Just charged the 3300nimh. It's now reading 8.57 volts. The 4600 is currently reading 7.18volts, I've stuck it on charge to see if it will take anymore voltage

[Percymon]

check the voltage on the 3300 pack in an hour, and maybe again in the morning - just to see if its holding charge.