richhrly Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 1 hour ago, 53HRA said: Rich, it is nice to have you back mate. I remember years ago when you got into photography some of them shots were awesome! Cheers buddy! Not taking pics professionally any more, but still dabble when I get the chance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richhrly Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) Right, ordered the Abisma 3.4! Also ordered a new TX/RX set, servo, Motor and ESC, as well as some bearings to replace the wheel bushings. Forgot about the battery 😅. Worth bothering with Lipo? Or wait until I get more into it before having to deal with all the charging / charging bag etc hassle? Edited January 28, 2020 by richhrly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) Well, if you get NiMH stuff now, you won't have a use for it once you switch over to LiPo (you won't go back, that's for sure), making it kind of a waste of time and money. I'd absolutely use LiPos, not sure what combo you got but i assume it'll run at the very least 2s, so that's where i'd start. Charging bag is sadly overrated, it doesn't really do much. If you want to go "fully safe", use a metal ammo box (can be had for a few quid on ebay) or get a bat safe - other than that, just don't charge unsupervised, maybe close to a window/door where you can just chuck the pack out in the (rather unlikely) situation that something goes wrong. Make no mistake, LiPos are indeed inherently dangerous, but the vast (and i mean, more than 99%) majority of people never have a situation with them. Just keep to the usual LiPo safeties (decent quality charger, don't over-discharge, don't overcharge, don't run too small/weak a battery for your setup, don't throw them, be mindful that if you pierce one, it'll burst into flames etc), and you'll be fine. Edited January 28, 2020 by m4inbrain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 35 minutes ago, richhrly said: Right, ordered the Abisma 3.4! Also ordered a new TX/RX set, servo, Motor and ESC, as well as some bearings to replace the wheel bushings. Forgot about the battery 😅. Worth bothering with Lipo? Or wait until I get more into it before having to deal with all the charging / charging bag etc hassle? Have fun man. It's a cheap but cheerful buggy 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I might actually get one too, dump my old HW stuff in there and just throw it around a bit. Would look funny next to the DBXLE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Yeah I agree with m4in, lipos are so cheap that there's no point in not getting one. The performance difference Is too great, I'll never use a nimh again unless I have to. And as m4in said, even though it's important to be diligent with charging lipos , the likelihood of anything happening is greatly exaggerated in the RC community, which is a good thing. But you are extremely unlikely to have any issues with lipos. When I was younger I treated my lipos awfully and I'm still alive. 🤷🏻♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 2 minutes ago, m4inbrain said: I might actually get one too, dump my old HW stuff in there and just throw it around a bit. Would look funny next to the DBXLE. I think everyone should get one. If you have some old electrics, why not give them something to do? 🤷🏻♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richhrly Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 56 minutes ago, m4inbrain said: Well, if you get NiMH stuff now, you won't have a use for it once you switch over to LiPo (you won't go back, that's for sure), making it kind of a waste of time and money. I'd absolutely use LiPos, not sure what combo you got but i assume it'll run at the very least 2s, so that's where i'd start. Charging bag is sadly overrated, it doesn't really do much. If you want to go "fully safe", use a metal ammo box (can be had for a few quid on ebay) or get a bat safe - other than that, just don't charge unsupervised, maybe close to a window/door where you can just chuck the pack out in the (rather unlikely) situation that something goes wrong. Make no mistake, LiPos are indeed inherently dangerous, but the vast (and i mean, more than 99%) majority of people never have a situation with them. Just keep to the usual LiPo safeties (decent quality charger, don't over-discharge, don't overcharge, don't run too small/weak a battery for your setup, don't throw them, be mindful that if you pierce one, it'll burst into flames etc), and you'll be fine. Yup, it’s rated for 2S. I went for the TrackStar 13.5T Combo because cheap and cheerful. Part of me was toying with a fancier Hobbywing setup but maybe later! This charger seems small (good) and cheap (even better!): https://www.modelsport.co.uk/overlander-vsrmini-10a-100w-ac-balance-charger/rc-car-products/437389 - but am I missing something obvious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, richhrly said: Yup, it’s rated for 2S. I went for the TrackStar 13.5T Combo because cheap and cheerful. Part of me was toying with a fancier Hobbywing setup but maybe later! This charger seems small (good) and cheap (even better!): https://www.modelsport.co.uk/overlander-vsrmini-10a-100w-ac-balance-charger/rc-car-products/437389 - but am I missing something obvious? That's the exact one I have! It's very tunable and you can get a lot of power out of it though boost and motor timing ect. Might upgrade to a 10.5t motor in the future. And no that's a perfectly good charger. Edited January 28, 2020 by fnknan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richhrly Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 1 minute ago, fnknan said: That's the exact one I have! It's very tunable and you can get a lot of power out of it though boost and motor timing ect. Might upgrade to a 10.5t motor in the future. And no that's a perfectly good charger. Excellent. And I’m guessing the balance plug is a universal fit? So a decent mAh battery like https://www.modelsport.co.uk/gens-ace-lipo-2s-pack-7-4v-4000-50c-deans-plug/rc-car-products/444355 has the right fit? I know battery connectors are a whole other thing . Sorry for all the questions, just wanna get it right first time before I start hacking things up down the line! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, richhrly said: Excellent. And I’m guessing the balance plug is a universal fit? So a decent mAh battery like https://www.modelsport.co.uk/gens-ace-lipo-2s-pack-7-4v-4000-50c-deans-plug/rc-car-products/444355 has the right fit? I know battery connectors are a whole other thing . Sorry for all the questions, just wanna get it right first time before I start hacking things up down the line! The charger is absolutely decent. The balance plugs are always JST=XH connectors, so yes they are universal. The battery you linked is actually pretty good, but you might get away cheaper by using a a zippy, rhino or graphene pack. For battery connections, that's simple. XT60 for your setup, done. They're currently simply the best connector out there, imho. @fnknan, what's the tray dimensions? Can't seem to find info there, would need to know that too actually. I personally would go with these batteries here: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/zippy-6000mah-2s2p-50c-hardcase-pack.html Roughly the same price, but longer runtime. And easy to solder on thanks to detachable leads. edit: funny actually, that gens ace pack doesn't seem to have a "normal" balancing plug oO - never seen that style of plug, they usually look like this: Edited January 28, 2020 by m4inbrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 11 minutes ago, richhrly said: Excellent. And I’m guessing the balance plug is a universal fit? So a decent mAh battery like https://www.modelsport.co.uk/gens-ace-lipo-2s-pack-7-4v-4000-50c-deans-plug/rc-car-products/444355 has the right fit? I know battery connectors are a whole other thing . Sorry for all the questions, just wanna get it right first time before I start hacking things up down the line! Yup, balance plugs will fit fine don't worry, look on hobbyking for batteries, you'll find good ones for a cheap price. The car can fit up to 6000mah I believe so that's gonna give you good runtimes 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 2 minutes ago, m4inbrain said: XT60 for your setup, done. They're currently simply the best connector out there, imho. I use XT90s cos I'll use my 2s batteries in my 1/8 buggy in series to make 4s. It's the best connector imo because it can handle higher currents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 2 minutes ago, fnknan said: I use XT90s cos I'll use my 2s batteries in my 1/8 buggy in series to make 4s. It's the best connector imo because it can handle higher currents. That's something else entirely. IC5, XT150 etc can also handle higher currents, but none of these is necessary for a 2s buggy. Also with the battery he linked, i'm not sure that balance plug would fit my Prophet charger. Not sure if you have experience with that? Edited January 28, 2020 by m4inbrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 5 minutes ago, m4inbrain said: personally would go with these batteries here: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/zippy-6000mah-2s2p-50c-hardcase-pack.html Roughly the same price, but longer runtime. And easy to solder on thanks to detachable leads. These should fit perfectly 5 minutes ago, m4inbrain said: edit: funny actually, that gens ace pack doesn't seem to have a "normal" balancing plug oO - never seen that style of plug, they usually look like this: Actually it's the same connector it just looks weird, my gens ace pack has the same thing but it still fits into my balance port. I think it's to protect those flimsy wires, and also give you something to grip on when you pull it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, m4inbrain said: That's something else entirely. IC5, XT150 etc can also handle higher currents, but none of these is necessary for a 2s buggy. True but if he ever wants to go 1/8th then it'll be useful. The only reason I don't use xt150s is because I won't be owning any large scale cars anytime soon. XT90 will hold up until you get past arrma k8 size. Edited January 28, 2020 by fnknan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 6 minutes ago, fnknan said: True but if he ever wants to go 1/8th then it'll be useful. The only reason I don't use xt150s is because I won't be owning any large scale cars anytime soon. XT90 will hold up until you get past arrma k8 size. Well that'd be a good argument with the 6000mah packs, 4000mah packs for a 4s truck isn't really feasible imho, the "charging time etc to driving ratio" would be way off for me. But that's just me, generally you're not wrong he can of course use XT90s as well - though i personally dislike how much space is left between bullet and cable, having them flop around in the casings exit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richhrly Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 13 minutes ago, fnknan said: True but if he ever wants to go 1/8th then it'll be useful. steady on! gotta check I still enjoy 1/10th first . Cheers for all the advice chaps, will sort out some batteries/chargers tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 5 minutes ago, m4inbrain said: Well that'd be a good argument with the 6000mah packs, 4000mah packs for a 4s truck isn't really feasible imho, the "charging time etc to driving ratio" would be way off for me. But that's just me, generally you're not wrong he can of course use XT90s as well - though i personally dislike how much space is left between bullet and cable, having them flop around in the casings exit. Well my largest pack is 4400 for my 4s buggy unless I run two 3000mah packs in parallel. I literally had to cut one side of the battery box to fit it in, there's not much space to fit anything larger either way we can all agree it's way better than deans 🤮 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Just now, fnknan said: Well my largest pack is 4400 for my 4s buggy unless I run two 3000mah packs in parallel. I literally had to cut one side of the battery box to fit it in, there's not much space to fit anything larger either way we can all agree it's way better than deans 🤮 Absolutely lol. Though, deans isn't the worst - i hate Tamiya by far the most. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mond Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 You can buy XT90 and XT60s with hard plastic sleeves on eBay and hobbyking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fnknan Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Would that mean I don't need to heatshrink? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.K Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 On 29/01/2020 at 08:00, fnknan said: Would that mean I don't need to heatshrink? Yep! No more burnt fingertips! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4inbrain Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 1 hour ago, J.K said: Yep! No more burnt fingertips! You're supposed to put that around the cable connection, not your finger. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richhrly Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 On 29/01/2020 at 07:55, mond said: You can buy XT90 and XT60s with hard plastic sleeves on eBay and hobbyking. Got myself a set of these with the sleeves, look neat! Planning on building some of this kit next week. Are build threads still a thing? 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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