Are these good for practice?

[gene465]

I just purchased these batts for practicing. I have a bunch of Tower 1500 packs but I am just not getting much run time on my cars and my two sons sedans. I have some better packs that are matched but I am on a budget and these seem like a pretty good deal for the price. I am running stock motors in them all and they just seem to suck batts. My race batts are 3000 as well and they do great. Any way lmk if anyone has used these and or if they are worth the 14.00 buck apiece. Thanks Gene
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5931562924&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT

[docman2]

Those are probably the same cells that are in the red EPIC stick packs and they are not worth it. Very very weak!
If you want some good inexpensive packs go to Promatch Racing. They have some Sanyo 3000 stick packs on special for $19.99 that would be much better. Good for practice or even club racing. Promatch always has some really good specials on batts and thats where I usually pick up my batts.

[brutesparkfist]

Take a look here: http://www.hypercells.com/page12.html

Matched Sanyo 2000 side by side packs. $7 each pack. Might want to get those if you are on a budget.

[docman2]

2000's are old and havent been around for a long time. Plus those are used packs.

[highroller]

It is going to cost a little more but for NiMH I highly recommend you check out the GP3300 cell. You'll see 3000 (either made from Panasonic or Sanyo cells) at lower prices for several reasons, guys who used them know of their short life span, companies had to drop prices in order to get rid of cells nobody buys.
GP are available from many sources at a variety of prices and quanities single cell for as low as 3.75 to bulk batteries in 12, 24 and 100 pack quanities. Try searching for other sources that carry or sell GP cells. You'd be surprise at the prices, plus you get a better, longer lasting cell of taken care of properly.
Treat it similar to a NIcad cell - using a load to discharge pack when vehicle begins to slow (don't run vehicle until it stops as a means to discharge), use a string of bulb to discharge pack to .90 volts (5.40 volts for 6cells, 3.60 for 4cell) if you intend to use pack again the same day use between .50 to 2amp (or one single bulb) to discharge cells to a lower voltage, allow pack to cool properly at room temperature (1-3 hours) before recharging. For charging use 4.50 to 6amp if charger has adjustable voltage detect settings use .03MV for 4cell, .05MV for 6cells. Pack temperature should be around 130 to 145 degrees. If you use a higher amperage rate then decrease the voltage detect setting so cells don't get too warm. If you don't intend to use the pack again that discharge store it discharged to a .90 volts per cell level. Before using it the next time apply a low discharge to remove any residual voltage than builds up - this I found eliminates most of the false peaking (cells are at different voltage levels) and allows pack to charge better. If using a single 1157 bulb remove it once it starts to dim, for discharge at higher voltages use a load close to what vehicle sees in use 10-35 amp or 8-16 lightbulbs.

[gene465]

Thanks guys, especially you highroller. I am currently using a Piranha Digital Peak Charger and just purchased a bulb discharger that discharges at 20 amps. I had a venom discharger but it really sucked and took forever to discharge a bat. Before that I had an older charger that also discharged and I would discharge my nicads down to 1.5 amps. I will also look into the single 3300 cells as it looks like it is much cheaper to build them then to buy them. Any tips on soldering the bats? Would it be worth taking some of my older stick packs apart and using them to practice with. I have yet to run any side packs in my sedans and am interested in how they would handle without the stick packs. I am not very electrically inclined so alot of the battery talk escapes me. Should I discharge the NIMH cells after every use? or cycle them after so many uses. I discharge the NICADS after each use to prevent memory and false peaking. Are there any links to any good articles on battery charging discharging? Thanks for the info. Gene

[Danno]

racers edge 3000`s are very good cells for the money , 29.95

[gizmoguy303]

Buy some matched GP3300's. They are superior to the generic cells you find in cheap stick packs. You can get matched 6-cell sets for as little as $30, so there is no excuse to go matched.

www.kinetixrc.com
www.surgeworldwide.com

[highroller]

Gene, there are a host of locations that sell GP3300s look around a see who has the best price. For TC stock either the loose cells are more than enough or there are the bulk cells from a couple companies, those may be the best route - either match them by voltage keeping all 1.15 together etc or try matching by runtime and voltage which may be a bit tougher to do since cells are spread out. SMC Batteries (www.smc-racing.com) has about the most update information on battery care for GP but it more for racing use, Pro Match has some but it really hasn't stayed up to date. One thing I don't really feel benefits the cell for stock racing is dead shorting the GP3300 while it does improve punch and lowers internal resistance it can cause you to ruin a pack if done improperly plus will also cut down on runtime and possibly shorten the life of the cell.
For assembly always use a good soldering iron - one that can maintain heat (look for those that have a 1/4 or 3/8 screwdrive type tip - they heat the area better and maintain heat better. For prepping lightly sand (scuff) both end of the cell before soldering, do not pretin the cells or battery bar. Use single cell shrink if you intend to glue the cells together (Trinity has some single cell shrink 100 pieces for about $9, use the Dean 3.0 bars). Place bar on cell the solder it, allowing solder to flow over bar and surface of cell. Allow solder to cool and check joint to ensure it's solid try not to hold iron on cell more than 5-8 seconds. For iron to be hot enough the instant you touch solder to the tip is should melt if if takes 5 seconds the iron doesn't have the right temperature.
You can take apart the stick packs, reshrink them using single cell shrink, a good battery bar and connector - it should improve pack performance some by eliminating the electrical resistance. Building the cells in a side by side configuration has two purpose - one was explained above (less electrical resistance) the other being handling - side by side packs will be able to sit lower in the chassis - improves handling and most cases it more secure than using stick packs. Also use a good connector like the Deans or Sermos (commonly referred to as Power Poles which are red and black). I used the Sermos and found they are cheaper, as good as the Deans but the plastic housing can become brittle if motor cleaner gets on them.
As the NiMh have been changed and improved much of what was suggested about the care and properties of NIMh has also changed. NiMh do in fact have a memory though not as strong as Nicads they should be discharged after use though some of the early NiMh did not respond well to deep disharging the Panasonics were very tempermental (could only be discharge to around .25 volts and had to be used constantly) the Sanyo3000HV on along with the GP3300 could be discharged down to .01 volts (using a lower amperage rate or equalizing tray) the GP were dead shorted. Packs can be stored for months with only a .90 volts per cell limit 5.40 volts for 6cell/3.60 volts for 4cell however after 1 month they may seem flat or discharge at lower voltage and MAH than normal. But once they are used again a couple times they generally come back up to normal. The GP is also very durable and consistant, you should be able to get at least 2yr of decent use out of them if treated properly.

[porschefan911]

i run my matched gp3300 6 cell pack in a boat (got them for free in a rafle :D :cool: ) and those things are sweet..om a stock motor and 6 cells i can run for 5 min non stop and the temp on the bats will be 102 farenheit...while my uunmatched gp3300 6 cell packs lasts like 3-4 min and get to 126 degrees...im prolly switching to li-pos though they are uber expensive...a person in united states bought lipo's for his big boat which are equal to 32 (or was it 24) gp3300s and it cost him $860 !!!!!!!!

By the way, after the boat SAW's in LA they will be selling their packs (top end) for a sale price...the packs will only be used for like 20 seconds there lol...that is all thats needed

[gene465]

Thanks Guys! High Roller I found some of your replies to other threads concerning batteries alot of good info I am going to write up some guidlines in my battery log until I get all of it down pat. I am currently running stock motors in all four of my sedans two of which my boys run. I may at some point when my driving improves go down as far as a 19T for the 19t spec class. I will look at some singles here for X-Mas and in the meantime practice with a few of my better stick packs. I am in the process of swapping out all my tamiya connectors for deans as I like these much better. Which glue works best to glue the batts together. I've seen many people use shoe goo. I don't race as much as I would like to, but do get out to the track a few times a month to practice. I appreciate all the info. I will have to see about getting a battery jig now. Thanks again Gene

[cr250]

gene465 - SPC (http://www.specpointbatteries.com) has a good (up to date) article on battery assembly and care.