Why are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
07-29-2008, 11:07 AM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: AutoXMan
To me it looks like an age/money/maturity factor. Most of the people against lipos can't afford it.
How many people run both and still prefer NiMH? I don't think their will be too many.
To me it looks like an age/money/maturity factor. Most of the people against lipos can't afford it.
How many people run both and still prefer NiMH? I don't think their will be too many.
07-29-2008, 11:26 AM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: RCJesse
well, I guess Im one of the "not too many" that can afford LIPO's but wont switch over to 'em. I just don't see the point of getting more uncontrollable power in my VXL, when the 6 or 7 cell gives me crazy power and can't stop wheeling....unless you want to brake stuff all the time, which means more down time and less fun. Thats just me, maybe im getting old.
ORIGINAL: AutoXMan
To me it looks like an age/money/maturity factor. Most of the people against lipos can't afford it.
How many people run both and still prefer NiMH? I don't think their will be too many.
To me it looks like an age/money/maturity factor. Most of the people against lipos can't afford it.
How many people run both and still prefer NiMH? I don't think their will be too many.
07-29-2008, 11:26 AM
#155
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
I like the realistic sound of my gas cars, but the convenience of batteries, maybe I need one of those tamiya big rig kits that will make a rumbling noise as I drive along. 
07-29-2008, 11:27 AM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
And which do your prefer LB?
Like I said more posts confirm this, no one here has used lipos (more than just "once") and is going back to nimh.
Speed does not always =broken parts, depends on your skill level really. 2 cell lipos on these small 1/10 cars offer controlable power.
Like I said more posts confirm this, no one here has used lipos (more than just "once") and is going back to nimh.
Speed does not always =broken parts, depends on your skill level really. 2 cell lipos on these small 1/10 cars offer controlable power.
07-29-2008, 11:28 AM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: 86waterpumper
Wow Autox you are certainly painting with a broad brush aren't you? I am 34 years old, married with 2 kids, I hold down a steady job and fix computers and do networking on the side. I make plenty of money to switch to lipo if I so desired. It is sort of funny though to talk high and mighty about a maturity level as we all play with our toy cars/planes whatever lol...to many others in the outside world that don't get our hobby we are ALL immature. Now I do agree with you that plenty of kids that are into the hobby probably don't have the money to switch to lipo, which brings me back to my previous point. I am STILL waiting for someone to show me a lipo that is just as good quality and just as cheap as a common energ or ep4600 pack or costs 60 bucks as many here have said. I will use tower hobbies as a reference others may say they are lame or whatever but they do offer a wide range of products and probably account for a good bit of rc sales. I can find NO 2s lipo pack of a decent mah for under 90 dollars. In order to get one for 55 or 60 bucks etc I have to step down to 2100 mah. This includes brands such as electrifly, trinity, venom etc which should cost less and are companies (venom & trinity in particular) that have not been exactly regarded as high quality in the past where batteries are concerned. I did find a bit better deal at cheapbattery packs on the elite lipos, until I noticed they don't even have a connector, or in alot of cases aren't even built packs, just loose cells. Very few people want to worry with building battery packs or even adding connectors they want a battery they can buy and use like it comes. Besides, the elites were the cheapest decent quality ones I could find, and by the time I pay shipping and add a connector to the cost we are back up to at least 75 bucks. As I keep stating, this technology is still new, and out of grasp for many due to availability of product at a decent price. I tell you what, when my local hobby shop or tower hobbies carries a decent 4000 plus mah lipo for the price you all CLAIM it to cost I will get one and even invest in a balancer and charger and whatever else I need haha.
Wow Autox you are certainly painting with a broad brush aren't you? I am 34 years old, married with 2 kids, I hold down a steady job and fix computers and do networking on the side. I make plenty of money to switch to lipo if I so desired. It is sort of funny though to talk high and mighty about a maturity level as we all play with our toy cars/planes whatever lol...to many others in the outside world that don't get our hobby we are ALL immature. Now I do agree with you that plenty of kids that are into the hobby probably don't have the money to switch to lipo, which brings me back to my previous point. I am STILL waiting for someone to show me a lipo that is just as good quality and just as cheap as a common energ or ep4600 pack or costs 60 bucks as many here have said. I will use tower hobbies as a reference others may say they are lame or whatever but they do offer a wide range of products and probably account for a good bit of rc sales. I can find NO 2s lipo pack of a decent mah for under 90 dollars. In order to get one for 55 or 60 bucks etc I have to step down to 2100 mah. This includes brands such as electrifly, trinity, venom etc which should cost less and are companies (venom & trinity in particular) that have not been exactly regarded as high quality in the past where batteries are concerned. I did find a bit better deal at cheapbattery packs on the elite lipos, until I noticed they don't even have a connector, or in alot of cases aren't even built packs, just loose cells. Very few people want to worry with building battery packs or even adding connectors they want a battery they can buy and use like it comes. Besides, the elites were the cheapest decent quality ones I could find, and by the time I pay shipping and add a connector to the cost we are back up to at least 75 bucks. As I keep stating, this technology is still new, and out of grasp for many due to availability of product at a decent price. I tell you what, when my local hobby shop or tower hobbies carries a decent 4000 plus mah lipo for the price you all CLAIM it to cost I will get one and even invest in a balancer and charger and whatever else I need haha.
Proteks are a very good brand of lipos and they are 60 dollars from Amain Hobbies. well known, good support, good product.
The phrase "don't knock it until you try it" comes to mind. Again I will still say try it and then pass judgement, I have not found someone who has use dlipos and still prefers nimh.
07-29-2008, 11:32 AM
#158
RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
And you should........
ORIGINAL: 86waterpumper
I like the realistic sound of my gas cars, but the convenience of batteries, maybe I need one of those tamiya big rig kits that will make a rumbling noise as I drive along.
I like the realistic sound of my gas cars, but the convenience of batteries, maybe I need one of those tamiya big rig kits that will make a rumbling noise as I drive along.
07-29-2008, 11:42 AM
#159
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
Well I certainly can't find a link to any protek lipo on their site for this price. This is the only thing even close that I see and it doesn't have a connector either...
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/25126
why don't you enlighten us with a link to this ?
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/25126
why don't you enlighten us with a link to this ?
07-29-2008, 11:46 AM
#160
RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
Crap, someone is asking me for my opinion.....
100% of my RCs are electric.. I run a variety of cars.. but they typically fall into 2 category.. silvercan powered (slow car that has either historical significance, has a lot of characters, or scale stuff..) or brushless fast runners..
In terms of technology itself, performance, convenience, etc. there's no denying that LiPo is superior.. so let's put this out there first.. easy to balance, hold charger forever, etc. etc.
Do I see a big performance boost on those silvercan powered car? Nope.. they don't draw that much current to begin with and the advantage of LiPo does not really shine here.. I run them when I can, but have to worry about over discharage, etc. (most of those cars run basic ESC that have no cut-off) So it is the only disadvanage I see. To retrofit ALL of them (and I have like, a lot of them..
) could cost a lot of money.. so money is certainly a factor.. On the BL rigs.. especially the high power ones, I see a very large boost in performance. (Maybe my NiMH are dying, that maybe..!) On sensorless setup, you don't cog much with LiPo due to the superior current handling and voltage under load. I have been very pleased with the result.
With charger, balancer, LiPo , ESC w/ built-in cut off prices coming down everyday, I am sure that it would become more and more popular.. and the NiMh / NiCD would be phased out eventually.. but would I go out and throw away all my old charger and NiMH / NiCD? No.. cause they still work quite well w/ my slow cars.. and there's no big incentive for me to do so..
ORIGINAL: AutoXMan
And which do your prefer LB?
Like I said more posts confirm this, no one here has used lipos (more than just "once") and is going back to nimh.
Speed does not always =broken parts, depends on your skill level really. 2 cell lipos on these small 1/10 cars offer controlable power.
And which do your prefer LB?
Like I said more posts confirm this, no one here has used lipos (more than just "once") and is going back to nimh.
Speed does not always =broken parts, depends on your skill level really. 2 cell lipos on these small 1/10 cars offer controlable power.
07-29-2008, 11:52 AM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: 86waterpumper
Well I certainly can't find a link to any protek lipo on their site for this price. This is the only thing even close that I see and it doesn't have a connector either...
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/25126
why don't you enlighten us with a link to this ?
Well I certainly can't find a link to any protek lipo on their site for this price. This is the only thing even close that I see and it doesn't have a connector either...
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/25126
why don't you enlighten us with a link to this ?
Not sure why having a connector is a big deal, but oyu are correct.
NiMH are being slowly phased out in RC cars finally (been this way in aircraft for awhile) ,yeah racing lipo packs can be had from rc mart for 35 bucks a pop and they are hard cased.
I try not to spend money on outdated technology, but to each their own.
07-29-2008, 11:54 AM
#162
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ok, I CAN afford lipo, but I would rather spend my money on upgrades for my car.
07-29-2008, 12:26 PM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: 86waterpumper
or costs 60 bucks as many here have said. I will use tower hobbies as a reference others may say they are lame or whatever but they do offer a wide range of products and probably account for a good bit of rc sales. I can find NO 2s lipo pack of a decent mah for under 90 dollars. In order to get one for 55 or 60 bucks etc I have to step down to 2100 mah. This includes brands such as electrifly, trinity, venom etc which should cost less and are
or costs 60 bucks as many here have said. I will use tower hobbies as a reference others may say they are lame or whatever but they do offer a wide range of products and probably account for a good bit of rc sales. I can find NO 2s lipo pack of a decent mah for under 90 dollars. In order to get one for 55 or 60 bucks etc I have to step down to 2100 mah. This includes brands such as electrifly, trinity, venom etc which should cost less and are
www dot hobbycity dot com, then click on "LiPoly & Charger", and then on "ZIPPY Lipoly"
Those are passable cells, decent, not the best but 5000mAH 3s 20C for $60., etc.
As for a charger, you can find the Venom charger which also does balances on Tower for $25. That is how to 'go LiPo' for less than $100.
And the "Zippy" Lipos, ie. "ZIPPY-K 4300mAh 2S1P 20-30C" for $40.30 will far outperform that $60. NIMH pack. This is why, the only place for NIMH is clearly the very low-end, low-cost, ie. GP3300's for $25. or less still beats out even the cheapest LiPos like the the example above.
http://www dot hobbycity dot com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6656&Product_Name=ZIPPY-K_4300mAh_2S1P_20-30C
"Zippy" or "Loong-Max" may not be a top brand, and there are better LiPos out there, but they still blow away the top-of-the-line NIMH batteries as discuxxed previously.
07-29-2008, 01:17 PM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
wow.. this thread is kinda crazy...
I know im digging something up from the front page, but usually Hands has some pretty good info, but this is kinda lost on me...
wait...what? You have to break in NIMH packs, discharge them, equalize them, and then charge them back up when their cool. NIMH are far more 'work' then LIPo... and they are just as dangerous
have you shorted, overcharged, or connected your NIMH backwards? Ive seen far more NIMH go boom then LIPOs. And when a sub c NIMH explodes, your gonna have bits of the casing everywhere.
wait..wait.. How much do you have invested in NIMH? $80 is enough for like, ONE race pack. Not to mention LIPOs basically take the place of countless NIMH packs. I mean, in a race day instead of having 2 or 3 NIMH packs, you just need ONE LIPo, and you can just top it up between races with NO loss in power or pack life.
Of course, most of the people here dont really care, becuase they are perfectly happy running their Traxxas rustler up and down the yard with 'super mega p-cells' from towerhobbies for $20.
LIPo is cheaper in the long run... provides more power then NIMH... and less matinence... and the new generation of packs are as safe if treated with half a brain...
I know im digging something up from the front page, but usually Hands has some pretty good info, but this is kinda lost on me...
ORIGINAL: hands without shadows
Ni-mh cells are more forgiving.
Ni-mh cells are more forgiving.
ORIGINAL: hands without shadows
But have you shorted, overcharged, or connected your Lipo backwards?
But have you shorted, overcharged, or connected your Lipo backwards?
ORIGINAL: hands without shadows
I'm not scared that a Lipo is going to blow up in my face, I'm scared the $80+ investment is going to puff up if I accidentally do something stupid. Ni-mh is much more forgiving that way.
I'm not scared that a Lipo is going to blow up in my face, I'm scared the $80+ investment is going to puff up if I accidentally do something stupid. Ni-mh is much more forgiving that way.
Of course, most of the people here dont really care, becuase they are perfectly happy running their Traxxas rustler up and down the yard with 'super mega p-cells' from towerhobbies for $20.
LIPo is cheaper in the long run... provides more power then NIMH... and less matinence... and the new generation of packs are as safe if treated with half a brain...
07-29-2008, 02:20 PM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
I'm just as scared of Lipo just as much as hands without shadows is.
It's really not worth the risk. And as many Lipo's as I have seen in person puff-up, just makes me feel like I could have bought a few more nimh's instead.
Everyone else at the track run Lipo's now because they had bad experinces with Nimh, and dont like building thier own packs.
The only nimh cells I'm afraid of are the IB's. I've heard horror stories about the Ib's.
I've used EP, GP, and Elite and Trinity and have yet to have a problem with nimh.
I also dont like modifying my chassis just to run Lipo's, when the chassis out of the box is setup for nimh.
The B44 and 501x are good examples.
Lipo makes the car alot lighter it doesnt drive the same, and you have to again change your setup to get the most outa Lipo.
Why do you think people add those tiny lead weights to the bottom of thier Lipo packs, to make up the weight difference.
With all that weight added, it just makes the lipo weigh about as much as a Nimh anyhow.
Why do you think most of the top racers still use nimh?
Lipo also puts more strain on your drivertrain as well, and your motors and esc will run hotter, that means you'll have to gear down even more.
Sure the extra speed is nice, but in most off-road race situations it doesnt matter what type of pack you use.
It's still gonna come down is who can drive better and pull more laps faster than the other.
Thus goes to say a faster motor and Lipo will not make you faster in a race situation.
All that is gonna do is create more wheelspin than neccessary, when all that power is not even needed, and thus it goes to waste.
It's really not worth the risk. And as many Lipo's as I have seen in person puff-up, just makes me feel like I could have bought a few more nimh's instead.
Everyone else at the track run Lipo's now because they had bad experinces with Nimh, and dont like building thier own packs.
The only nimh cells I'm afraid of are the IB's. I've heard horror stories about the Ib's.
I've used EP, GP, and Elite and Trinity and have yet to have a problem with nimh.
I also dont like modifying my chassis just to run Lipo's, when the chassis out of the box is setup for nimh.
The B44 and 501x are good examples.
Lipo makes the car alot lighter it doesnt drive the same, and you have to again change your setup to get the most outa Lipo.
Why do you think people add those tiny lead weights to the bottom of thier Lipo packs, to make up the weight difference.
With all that weight added, it just makes the lipo weigh about as much as a Nimh anyhow.
Why do you think most of the top racers still use nimh?
Lipo also puts more strain on your drivertrain as well, and your motors and esc will run hotter, that means you'll have to gear down even more.
Sure the extra speed is nice, but in most off-road race situations it doesnt matter what type of pack you use.
It's still gonna come down is who can drive better and pull more laps faster than the other.
Thus goes to say a faster motor and Lipo will not make you faster in a race situation.
All that is gonna do is create more wheelspin than neccessary, when all that power is not even needed, and thus it goes to waste.
07-29-2008, 02:51 PM
#166
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
You can't go through life letting fear control you or hold you back. Fear is, by its own definition, more of an emotional attachment than a real / meaningful statement of risk. At one time fear may have been a useful survival mechanism, but in the modern world fear is all too often clouded and we become fearful of things, actions, or play in a non-helpful way. Today we have manifestations of this like fear of the unknown (when the unknown isn't really that dangerous), fear of being different or standing out (which doesn't make much sense at all), fear of technology or new technology, fear of people who don't look, talk, act, like you, fear of self or own potential (ie. a racer who is afraid to win, or afraid to race at all b'cos he might lose), etc. Used properly, a LiPo is not measurably more or less dangerous than a NIMH, NiCD, or any other high-power battery. All should be handled with proper precautions, but to fear one and not the other is not a helpful way to go through life.
07-29-2008, 03:04 PM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
To me it doesn't matter what type of battery you run. I sell both of them and the only issue i have is when it comes to racing, we are unable to run longer mains because we must be fair to the people running nimh/nicd batts. I think in the near future we will be able to run hopefully longer mains because little by little most are making the switch to lipo's. But for now, run what you brought to the track and make the change when you feel you can.
07-29-2008, 03:07 PM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
Can you add weight to R/C cars?
B44, so are you using silvercans, and nicad batteries right now since it won't make you any faster to have faster motor or battery?
B44, so are you using silvercans, and nicad batteries right now since it won't make you any faster to have faster motor or battery?
07-29-2008, 03:50 PM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: B44&501xRacerEX
I'm just as scared of Lipo just as much as hands without shadows is.
It's really not worth the risk. And as many Lipo's as I have seen in person puff-up, just makes me feel like I could have bought a few more nimh's instead.
Everyone else at the track run Lipo's now because they had bad experinces with Nimh, and dont like building thier own packs.
The only nimh cells I'm afraid of are the IB's. I've heard horror stories about the Ib's.
I've used EP, GP, and Elite and Trinity and have yet to have a problem with nimh.
I also dont like modifying my chassis just to run Lipo's, when the chassis out of the box is setup for nimh.
The B44 and 501x are good examples.
Lipo makes the car alot lighter it doesnt drive the same, and you have to again change your setup to get the most outa Lipo.
Why do you think people add those tiny lead weights to the bottom of thier Lipo packs, to make up the weight difference.
With all that weight added, it just makes the lipo weigh about as much as a Nimh anyhow.
Why do you think most of the top racers still use nimh?
Lipo also puts more strain on your drivertrain as well, and your motors and esc will run hotter, that means you'll have to gear down even more.
Sure the extra speed is nice, but in most off-road race situations it doesnt matter what type of pack you use.
It's still gonna come down is who can drive better and pull more laps faster than the other.
Thus goes to say a faster motor and Lipo will not make you faster in a race situation.
All that is gonna do is create more wheelspin than neccessary, when all that power is not even needed, and thus it goes to waste.
I'm just as scared of Lipo just as much as hands without shadows is.
It's really not worth the risk. And as many Lipo's as I have seen in person puff-up, just makes me feel like I could have bought a few more nimh's instead.
Everyone else at the track run Lipo's now because they had bad experinces with Nimh, and dont like building thier own packs.
The only nimh cells I'm afraid of are the IB's. I've heard horror stories about the Ib's.
I've used EP, GP, and Elite and Trinity and have yet to have a problem with nimh.
I also dont like modifying my chassis just to run Lipo's, when the chassis out of the box is setup for nimh.
The B44 and 501x are good examples.
Lipo makes the car alot lighter it doesnt drive the same, and you have to again change your setup to get the most outa Lipo.
Why do you think people add those tiny lead weights to the bottom of thier Lipo packs, to make up the weight difference.
With all that weight added, it just makes the lipo weigh about as much as a Nimh anyhow.
Why do you think most of the top racers still use nimh?
Lipo also puts more strain on your drivertrain as well, and your motors and esc will run hotter, that means you'll have to gear down even more.
Sure the extra speed is nice, but in most off-road race situations it doesnt matter what type of pack you use.
It's still gonna come down is who can drive better and pull more laps faster than the other.
Thus goes to say a faster motor and Lipo will not make you faster in a race situation.
All that is gonna do is create more wheelspin than neccessary, when all that power is not even needed, and thus it goes to waste.
07-29-2008, 04:03 PM
#170
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: Chris_RC
ok, I CAN afford lipo, but I would rather spend my money on upgrades for my car.
ok, I CAN afford lipo, but I would rather spend my money on upgrades for my car.
Waterpumper.......What kind of plug would you expect them to put on a lipo? Alot of stores offer your choice of trx hc or deans plug. If they were to put plugs on every lipo to satisfy the most basic of customer, such as a tamiya plug, it wouldnt be a safe thing to do. That tamiya plug would be a molten ball of plastic probably the first time you run it. When the batteries can provide 1,000 + watts, you need a high current plug to use, and when there are so many popular ones being used, it's easier to leave it up to the consumer to add their own plug. It's kind of like a higher end ESC won't come with battery plugs.
Ok I'll say it, a very good quality lipo pack with a high mah isn't "cheap" compared to your nimh packs. But, how many nimh packs do you have? You won't need to have near as many lipos laying around as nimh. I have 6 nimh packs that I no longer use. I have 3 lipos, got along just fine with one lipo for a while. The lipos don't heat up like nimh does and you can charge/discharge them as many times as you want to in a day. You don't have to wait for them to cool down. Really, the average guy can get by on only having 2 lipos at a time and never have to buy another one til one needs replacing. Have one chargin while you're using the other. They do take an hour tops to charge each one which I think is a bit of a downside. However my charger only does 2.5 amps maximum on 2s lipos for some reason and 3 amps on 3s lipos ???[&:] No idea why it does that but it does.
As much as I like debating lipo's superiority, there's obviously no swaying any of you to step over to the dark side. It really is a waste of money for me to buy nimh again. I'm thinkin about cuttin the plugs off mine and giving them away.
07-29-2008, 04:10 PM
#171
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
wait..wait.. How much do you have invested in NIMH? $80 is enough for like, ONE race pack. Not to mention LIPOs basically take the place of countless NIMH packs. I mean, in a race day instead of having 2 or 3 NIMH packs, you just need ONE LIPo, and you can just top it up between races with NO loss in power or pack life.
Of course, most of the people here dont really care, becuase they are perfectly happy running their Traxxas rustler up and down the yard with 'super mega p-cells' from towerhobbies for $20.
LIPo is cheaper in the long run... provides more power then NIMH... and less matinence... and the new generation of packs are as safe if treated with half a brain...
[/quote]
Very well said my friend. One of the reasons for me starting this thread in the first place was because of the point you brought up about Lipo being cheaper than Nimh packs in the long run. I guess some folks on here don't understand the fact that Lipo's can be cycled many more times than Nimh. When i am still on my first Lipo pack and some of you guys are already on your 2nd or 3rd Nimh, who is the one saving money in the long run? Myself of course. My exact point that people are wasting their money by sticking with Nimh cells in the long run. Making that huge and scary leap to LIPO technology i know is a huge step that some people still aren't ready for, but when you do finally decide to strap on a pair, you won't only be saving money but you will be getting superior performance to that of your Nicd and Nimh packs.
07-29-2008, 04:26 PM
#172
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
I have 5 NiMh packs. A Radio Shack 2000 NiCad which I just use for my 1st run because it is soo bad, Venom 3600, 2x GP3300 matched packs, and a EP4200 Factory matched pack. I got the EP4200 pack for free. When you go to tracks I really cash on race stuff. This guy was selling them for $4 each and he ended up giving me 1 free. And they are $80 packs. In the future I will get a Ener-G 4600 or Orion hard cased lipo, but I really cant see me geting another nimh pack.
Sure, you get more power. But what is power when you cant control it? People who have lipo at my track. (very hard packed dirt, orange county rc) come out of a turn onto the straight. When they 1st get lipo without any weigts they usually put wheelies on the straights. This makes them need to put weight on the front which means they have to re setup their whole car because the weight is off and everything.
BTW gman1, how does you Orion 3600 lipo compare to your other nimh packs? And what kind of nimh do you have?
Sure, you get more power. But what is power when you cant control it? People who have lipo at my track. (very hard packed dirt, orange county rc) come out of a turn onto the straight. When they 1st get lipo without any weigts they usually put wheelies on the straights. This makes them need to put weight on the front which means they have to re setup their whole car because the weight is off and everything.
BTW gman1, how does you Orion 3600 lipo compare to your other nimh packs? And what kind of nimh do you have?
07-29-2008, 04:30 PM
#173
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
Instead of taking up a whole page to quote and respond to Nik.'s post:
By forgiving I mean you can abuse them and they are less likely than Lipo to punish you. I don't mean like hooking it up to a welder abuse, I mean overdrawing, over discharging, stuff like that which can and does happen in the hobby.
I've had one accidental short for, one case of overcharging, and I watched my brother hook up a battery to the motor leads; smoking the ESC. The short was due to a nasty jump + crash, the overcharging is unexplainable (everything was setup right, charger was a Triton Jr.), the reverse hook up was my not always too bright brother. Basically stuff I didn't have control over and could happen to anyone. The shorted and reversed battery ended up being mostly fine, they took 50 mah less but output power was normal. The overcharged took ~400mah less and can only power 19t and higher turn motors without noticable performance difference. What would have happended in those situations if the batteries were Lipo? A good chance of at least 2 dead packs.
wait..wait.. How much do you have invested in NIMH? $80 is enough for like, ONE race pack. Not to mention LIPOs basically take the place of countless NIMH packs. I mean, in a race day instead of having 2 or 3 NIMH packs, you just need ONE LIPo, and you can just top it up between races with NO loss in power or pack life.
Thats a valid argument and the biggest reason I would buy a Lipo. Keep in mind I never said I would never buy a Lipo, on the contrary, next time I get a new pack it will most likely be a Lipo. I was just defending previous purchases that in my opinion weren't a waste.
I fully agree that any battery is dangerous if mistreated and that Ni-mh batteries are more dangerous than Lipo during a fatal malfunction. I just believe that stable Ni-mh batteries are less likely to have a fatal malfunction than stable Lipo batteries. By stable I mean we rule out the higher mah IB batteries and super cheap Lipo batteries.
By forgiving I mean you can abuse them and they are less likely than Lipo to punish you. I don't mean like hooking it up to a welder abuse, I mean overdrawing, over discharging, stuff like that which can and does happen in the hobby.
I've had one accidental short for, one case of overcharging, and I watched my brother hook up a battery to the motor leads; smoking the ESC. The short was due to a nasty jump + crash, the overcharging is unexplainable (everything was setup right, charger was a Triton Jr.), the reverse hook up was my not always too bright brother. Basically stuff I didn't have control over and could happen to anyone. The shorted and reversed battery ended up being mostly fine, they took 50 mah less but output power was normal. The overcharged took ~400mah less and can only power 19t and higher turn motors without noticable performance difference. What would have happended in those situations if the batteries were Lipo? A good chance of at least 2 dead packs.
ORIGINAL: hands without shadows
I'm not scared that a Lipo is going to blow up in my face, I'm scared the $80+ investment is going to puff up if I accidentally do something stupid. Ni-mh is much more forgiving that way.
I'm not scared that a Lipo is going to blow up in my face, I'm scared the $80+ investment is going to puff up if I accidentally do something stupid. Ni-mh is much more forgiving that way.
I fully agree that any battery is dangerous if mistreated and that Ni-mh batteries are more dangerous than Lipo during a fatal malfunction. I just believe that stable Ni-mh batteries are less likely to have a fatal malfunction than stable Lipo batteries. By stable I mean we rule out the higher mah IB batteries and super cheap Lipo batteries.
07-29-2008, 04:48 PM
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: Chris_RC
I have 5 NiMh packs. A Radio Shack 2000 NiCad which I just use for my 1st run because it is soo bad, Venom 3600, 2x GP3300 matched packs, and a EP4200 Factory matched pack. I got the EP4200 pack for free. When you go to tracks I really cash on race stuff. This guy was selling them for $4 each and he ended up giving me 1 free. And they are $80 packs. In the future I will get a Ener-G 4600 or Orion hard cased lipo, but I really cant see me geting another nimh pack.
Sure, you get more power. But what is power when you cant control it? People who have lipo at my track. (very hard packed dirt, orange county rc) come out of a turn onto the straight. When they 1st get lipo without any weigts they usually put wheelies on the straights. This makes them need to put weight on the front which means they have to re setup their whole car because the weight is off and everything.
BTW gman1, how does you Orion 3600 lipo compare to your other nimh packs? And what kind of nimh do you have?
I have 5 NiMh packs. A Radio Shack 2000 NiCad which I just use for my 1st run because it is soo bad, Venom 3600, 2x GP3300 matched packs, and a EP4200 Factory matched pack. I got the EP4200 pack for free. When you go to tracks I really cash on race stuff. This guy was selling them for $4 each and he ended up giving me 1 free. And they are $80 packs. In the future I will get a Ener-G 4600 or Orion hard cased lipo, but I really cant see me geting another nimh pack.
Sure, you get more power. But what is power when you cant control it? People who have lipo at my track. (very hard packed dirt, orange county rc) come out of a turn onto the straight. When they 1st get lipo without any weigts they usually put wheelies on the straights. This makes them need to put weight on the front which means they have to re setup their whole car because the weight is off and everything.
BTW gman1, how does you Orion 3600 lipo compare to your other nimh packs? And what kind of nimh do you have?
I have 2 Lipo packs at the moment. The team Orion 3600 and an SMC lightning volts 4000mAh packs. I have had many Nimh packs in the past but was fortunate to sell all but 1 of them. I only wish that Lipo was more available and mainstream during the time when i was getting into the hobby. I would have saved lots of money and probably to this day still be running them. Some of the Nimh packs that i have had in the past include multiple GP3300's(Which to me were pretty good i must say, but of course over time they lost their punch and were no longer competitive enough for me.) 2 GP 3900's, 1 IB 4200, 2 crappy tenergy packs which i still wish to this day that i never bought them. I have had a good amount of Nimh and Nicd's which were not cheap if i do the math, and i must say that those types of packs just dont do it for me anymore and in my strong opinion were just a big waste of money. I love my Lipo packs however and couldn't imagine ever going back to anything else. I just love all of the many benefits that Lipo has to offer. My big thing with batteries is the amount of punch i am able to get from a pack, and let me tell you the ones i have are up to the task for what i am looking for unlike that of Nimh.
07-29-2008, 05:51 PM
#175
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RE: Whyy are some people still wasting their money on Nimh batteries?
ORIGINAL: hands without shadows
But have you shorted, overcharged, or connected your Lipo backwards?
But have you shorted, overcharged, or connected your Lipo backwards?
I feel safer running lipo vs. all the 4600 ni-mh cells that are exploding at the track...