Everything you need to know about LiPo batteries...
08-27-2017, 04:51 AM
#27
Atomik RC Bias LiPo Packs
First those "adaptive" connectors that Venom batteries come with are a pain. I bought a Venom for my nephew and put on the Traxxas connector that it comes with and it wouldn't work right with real Traxxas connectors. It was so tight trying to plug into the esc that it couldn't be plugged in all the way. I ended up just cutting it off and putting a real Traxxas connector on it as there was no way to fix the Venom one to work correctly.....
I recently received two Atomik RC Bias 3S 5000mAh 35C LiPo packs to try out. They will be replacing two Vortex brand packs that are showing signs of aging. The one 3S Vortex is sitting outside; waiting to be disposed of.
First off, the Bias packs come in separate, not your plain-jane boxes, well laid out boxes for visual appeal and transport. Each LiPo pack has their own date sticker, and serial number to register for warranty purposes. Hopefully, I won't have to try and use this service. I know, I know. I have said I would not buy anything less than 40C discharge rate for 1/8 scale RCs, but these Bias pack's 35C aren't too far off from what I wanted, and the ridiculous price/free shipping sealed the deal.
After opening the boxes, I checked the voltages/IR...spot on. Both packs were right at storage voltages. The internal resistances of the cells had a range of 1~3mΩ. I normally take resistance readings after a pack is fully charged, but I wanted a base line readings for comparison purposes down the road, when I get other new packs. I balance charged the packs, and watched the voltages rise as the cells filled up with RC energy goodness
.Fully charged, I strapped a pack in my eBuggy, and off to the track I went. These Bias packs gave great punch that my other packs had been missing. We'll see how the punchiness holds up in long term usage. For now, they are what I was hoping for. 5000mAh capacity
Now, back to those Venom/Bias universal connectors... Venom UNI Plug. They're complete rubbish! After the first run, I went to put my pack on the charger, and I kept on getting "CONNECT ERROR CHECK MAIN PORT" on charger's screen. I fiddled with the UNI plug's bars (inside of housing); trying to get a connection...never happened. I opened a support case with Atomik RC asking their permission to change out the plug. I didn't want to wait for a Mon/Tues response, so probably voiding any warranty, I went ahead and just solderd on some Deans plugs. Battery's connection issue...solved
.
Last edited by RustyUs; 08-29-2017 at 03:35 PM.
08-27-2017, 11:25 AM
#29
What case is that?
This one?
Whoa whoa whoa....."Universal" connector? You mean the white Molex pieces of crap Tamiya still uses?? DITCH "EM, immediately. They cannot handle the current (amps) that Lipo can supply and brushless motors can draw. They WILL melt. I strongly suggest Traxxas conectors, or a type called EC-3. High current, easy to work with. Pick what you like (likely Traxxas since you're getting a Rustler VXL) but Tamiya connectors have no business on any decent brushless system. IMHO.
09-02-2017, 04:29 AM
#32
Watt Meter and Power Analyzer w/ Backlight LCD
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-c...l#post12364007
09-10-2017, 06:21 AM
#33
Inboard Tubes
Last night I had my RC just stop in it's tracks. LVC kicked in I thought, but I had been running the RC for 2~3 minutes. No LEDs flashing; no steering, no receiver power... I lost connection from battery 
. I thought it was my battery lead w/bullets, and XT connector soldering job coming undone.
I connected battery pack to charger, and got the weirdest error message..."EXT. TEMP. TOO HI" ! I then started to think the charger is now acting up, because I don't have a temperature sensor. I put the battery pack on channel B to discharge it to storage voltage. Everything was going fine. For kicks and giggles, I slap my battery packs every once in a while. The rough off-road terrain; chassis slaps; crashes, and tumbles I put my LiPo cells through, they can handle a little slap from hand.
Charger was fine. Error message was prompted because of internal connection of battery being at fault.
The problem with hard cased packs is the inboard tubes come undone from time to time. In my recent case, the wire from a cell has come undone from the tube. With a little bit of solder, all fixed up.
Be careful if you open LiPo hard case like in the pictures below. The positive and negative tubes will be exposed. DON'T short out the battery attempting soldering job!
. I thought it was my battery lead w/bullets, and XT connector soldering job coming undone.I connected battery pack to charger, and got the weirdest error message..."EXT. TEMP. TOO HI" ! I then started to think the charger is now acting up, because I don't have a temperature sensor. I put the battery pack on channel B to discharge it to storage voltage. Everything was going fine. For kicks and giggles, I slap my battery packs every once in a while. The rough off-road terrain; chassis slaps; crashes, and tumbles I put my LiPo cells through, they can handle a little slap from hand.
Charger was fine. Error message was prompted because of internal connection of battery being at fault.
The problem with hard cased packs is the inboard tubes come undone from time to time. In my recent case, the wire from a cell has come undone from the tube. With a little bit of solder, all fixed up.
Be careful if you open LiPo hard case like in the pictures below. The positive and negative tubes will be exposed. DON'T short out the battery attempting soldering job!
Last edited by RustyUs; 09-10-2017 at 06:24 AM.
09-11-2017, 07:32 PM
#34
Moderator
My Feedback: (1)
Join Date: May 2010
Location: A place in a place.
Posts: 4,197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
And those "adaptive" connectors, Venom's/Bias' patented High Current Universal Plug System you can depend on (patent no. 8,491,341), are a "piece of work". In theory, they almost work great. In reality, they need some sort of spring, like Deans T-plugs, to work correctly.
I recently received two Atomik RC Bias 3S 5000mAh 35C LiPo packs to try out. They will be replacing two Vortex brand packs that are showing signs of aging. The one 3S Vortex is sitting outside; waiting to be disposed of.
First off, the Bias packs come in separate, not your plain-jane boxes, well laid out boxes for visual appeal and transport. Each LiPo pack has their own date sticker, and serial number to register for warranty purposes. Hopefully, I won't have to try and use this service. I know, I know. I have said I would not buy anything less than 40C discharge rate for 1/8 scale RCs, but these Bias pack's 35C aren't too far off from what I wanted, and the ridiculous price/free shipping sealed the deal.
After opening the boxes, I checked the voltages/IR...spot on. Both packs were right at storage voltages. The internal resistances of the cells had a range of 1~3mΩ. I normally take resistance readings after a pack is fully charged, but I wanted a base line readings for comparison purposes down the road, when I get other new packs. I balance charged the packs, and watched the voltages rise as the cells filled up with RC energy goodness.
Fully charged, I strapped a pack in my eBuggy, and off to the track I went. These Bias packs gave great punch that my other packs had been missing. We'll see how the punchiness holds up in long term usage. For now, they are what I was hoping for. 5000mAh capacity
Now, back to those Venom/Bias universal connectors... Venom UNI Plug. They're complete rubbish! After the first run, I went to put my pack on the charger, and I kept on getting "CONNECT ERROR CHECK MAIN PORT" on charger's screen. I fiddled with the UNI plug's bars (inside of housing); trying to get a connection...never happened. I opened a support case with Atomik RC asking their permission to change out the plug. I didn't want to wait for a Mon/Tues response, so probably voiding any warranty, I went ahead and just solderd on some Deans plugs. Battery's connection issue...solved.
I recently received two Atomik RC Bias 3S 5000mAh 35C LiPo packs to try out. They will be replacing two Vortex brand packs that are showing signs of aging. The one 3S Vortex is sitting outside; waiting to be disposed of.
First off, the Bias packs come in separate, not your plain-jane boxes, well laid out boxes for visual appeal and transport. Each LiPo pack has their own date sticker, and serial number to register for warranty purposes. Hopefully, I won't have to try and use this service. I know, I know. I have said I would not buy anything less than 40C discharge rate for 1/8 scale RCs, but these Bias pack's 35C aren't too far off from what I wanted, and the ridiculous price/free shipping sealed the deal.
After opening the boxes, I checked the voltages/IR...spot on. Both packs were right at storage voltages. The internal resistances of the cells had a range of 1~3mΩ. I normally take resistance readings after a pack is fully charged, but I wanted a base line readings for comparison purposes down the road, when I get other new packs. I balance charged the packs, and watched the voltages rise as the cells filled up with RC energy goodness
.Fully charged, I strapped a pack in my eBuggy, and off to the track I went. These Bias packs gave great punch that my other packs had been missing. We'll see how the punchiness holds up in long term usage. For now, they are what I was hoping for. 5000mAh capacity
Now, back to those Venom/Bias universal connectors... Venom UNI Plug. They're complete rubbish! After the first run, I went to put my pack on the charger, and I kept on getting "CONNECT ERROR CHECK MAIN PORT" on charger's screen. I fiddled with the UNI plug's bars (inside of housing); trying to get a connection...never happened. I opened a support case with Atomik RC asking their permission to change out the plug. I didn't want to wait for a Mon/Tues response, so probably voiding any warranty, I went ahead and just solderd on some Deans plugs. Battery's connection issue...solved
.Not meaning to bump or go off topic, but I agree with you 100%. I was a Venom driver for a while so I couldn't complain, but now that I'm not, those Uni Plugs are terrible. That, and I have had few Venom packs (some only a year old) go to a puffy death, while my 6 year old Hobby People battery doesn't even have a bulge...
09-12-2017, 04:58 PM
#35
Venom & Bias Universal Plug
Not meaning to bump or go off topic, but I agree with you 100%. I was a Venom driver for a while so I couldn't complain, but now that I'm not, those Uni Plugs are terrible. That, and I have had few Venom packs (some only a year old) go to a puffy death, while my 6 year old Hobby People battery doesn't even have a bulge...
I hope Foxy doesn't mind me talking about LiPo batteries in thread, but that's what the thread is about. Right?
I've read many reviews about Bias/Venom batteries for years. A lot places state they just snip those Uni plugs off, because they have a very bad rap. I just had to prove it to myself. What surprises me is that Venom/Bias still includes them on their batteries. The batteries themselves are great so far.
09-12-2017, 06:58 PM
#36
Moderator
My Feedback: (1)
Join Date: May 2010
Location: A place in a place.
Posts: 4,197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks... again. Lol, he's probably fine with it. I am for sure. But please, tell me how your experience is. I may have had a bad batch with the ones that puffed. Probably not going to buy any more Venom batteries, RC racing isn't a priority either anymore. Most of the time I'm doing RC is just making fun stuff these days.
11-24-2017, 07:54 PM
#37
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Will it do any harm to use an 11.1v lipo (instead of a 7.4v lipo) on a 7.4v motor, providing you don't go to maximum power? Or to put it any other way, will a 7.4v motor draw 11.1v, even if for example, you run the motor at half speed?
Last edited by Ian AlongwayDownunder; 11-24-2017 at 07:58 PM.
11-25-2017, 08:07 AM
#38
What motor?
What speed control?
I would have no problem with doing such a thing. I like to think of an ESC as a flood gate trying to hold back massive amounts of water at a river. The only problem I could see is your ESC not being up to the task of holding back the power going to the motor. Constraining a battery's energy for long periods of time will heat up the ESC.
What speed control?
I would have no problem with doing such a thing. I like to think of an ESC as a flood gate trying to hold back massive amounts of water at a river. The only problem I could see is your ESC not being up to the task of holding back the power going to the motor. Constraining a battery's energy for long periods of time will heat up the ESC.
