Henryslash

Hi

I am getting an outdoor rc track going that i hope to use all year round including in wet, frosty and even snowy conditions and would like peoples advice on it, and how best to avoid damage to cars and protect the electrics better.

The cars i wil be renting out are slash 1/10 vxl 2wd using 2s 5200 lipos.

I can find very little info on the net about running electric rc cars in winter conditions and would like your feed back if possible :-)

The slashes are ment to be waterproof etc.

Thanks in advance

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Yeah, that's true. The Traxxas VXL systems are supposed to be waterproof.  I wonder just HOW waterproof. I'm sure there are Slash owners who can testify to that. (Have you tried asking the guys in the Slash thread?)  Overall, if the servo is waterproof and th receiver is in a sealed box, and that's the way they come out of the box, you'll probably be alright as long as you don't submerge the thing.  But besides the moisture issue, one thing you might want to keep in mind is the temperature. Plastic parts get brittle in the cold, and you may find you'll be breaking more parts.  Another thing you might want to look at is Outerwears. They make a cover for the Slash chassis that is essentially like a nylon bag covering all the electronics in the chassis. That would certainly help keep dirt/mud/snow/ moisture away from the electronics.
http://www.outerwearsracing.com/prod...2591&cat=11441

Big Trol

I've heard that the lipos don't like the cold much either, unless you plan on pre-warming them. Here in sunny so cal we don't much worry about that stuff. I'll bet those parts would get brittle though.

Henryslash

Yea the cover seems like a good idea.

Big Trol

18 minutes isn't bad. I'd think with the bearings being sealed, they may not be a problem. Racing in winter weather conditions sounds like a lot of fun, also challenging. I'm curious to hear how you guys do, so keep us posted.

Big Trol

Just another thought on the lipos in the cold, I just wonder if there is any danger involved, you know how unstable they can be even in good conditions, may be worth studying, I think I'm going to do that right now, made myself curious.

nitrosportsandrunner

wont matter if they are sealed or not, as they are still metal.

Plan on WD-40 your trucks bearing and other metal parts after use. Otherwise they will rust.
Even on the bearings on the ends of the motor.

Other than rust, you wont have much issue since the electronics are waterproof.

It is true that plastics are more brittle in the cold. In fact, the only 2 times I have broken a RPM part were in 30 degree temps.

Your lipo sounds weak tho. Either the lipo aint great or you LVC is set high. I get close to 25 minutes of runtime with my skylipo 2s 5000mah packs.

Henryslash

Hi Nitro

wilfredes

Yea the cover seems like a good idea.

sparky 25

To be honest with you,

With how cold and wet it is in Ireland during the winter I don't think you will get anyone to go to your outdoor track,

I think it's a seasonal thing which should work in the spring and summer,

Maybe it's just me but Id have no desire to be standing out in the freezing cold and wet conditions.

Henryslash

Yea maybe its just you alrite :-)

john01374

The VXL trucks really are not all that water proof and I do not recommend running them in snow. I killed a VXL ESC few weeks back by running through a puddle. It ran about 3 mins after the puddle then let the magic smoke out.

On the other hand the blue XL5 ESC is incredibly water proof. Early on we ran one under water (by mistake, Fell in the pool) and the titan will be a better motor choice for wet muddy conditions. They’re cheap and will last a long time when cleaned. You also won’t need a ton of power on ice and snow.

As for the rest of the truck. Plan to oil the bearings before and after every race. You’ll also want to spray WD40 on every metal part of the truck EXCEPT the motor. As for batteries. Use silicone sealant and run a bead around the case and put some in the openings where the wires come out of the case. Also plan to use electronic spray on the motors between rounds and put a drop of oil on each of the bushings.

I have made a small fortune repairing RC’s over the years and a good portion of that was from people running in the winter and water. I’m not going to recommend that you do it but if you are going to move forward then these few steps should help keep you on the track.

You should also plan on having a fairly large number of spare parts on hand as plastic gets brittle when cold and even RPM parts will snap like glass at 0F.

Temperature will not affect the lipos enough to worry about and they are NOT dangerous. Sorry but LiPo’s are not unstable. It’s the lack of common sense on the user’s part that has caused EVERY problem I have witnessed.

Big Trol

You have a bunch of great information here, interesting read. I did some research on lipos online, they're all over the place on the information they give, it looks like that common sense thing is the way to go.The precautions the manufacturers give seem pretty straight forward to me too, this site is a great source of information, thanks.

sparky 25

Your original post on an rc track was about a an indoor track,

To cater for kids birthday parties etc,

I was thinking great idea, that should do alright,

but seeing that that's now changed to an outdoor track, I don't think it will succeed, not in winter anyway,

When do you plan to open this venture and where will it be located at?

Henryslash

Hi Sparky

john01374

One of the local tracks here rent Slash’s. The only change they have made are RPM arms. Everything else looks to be stock.

I know the stock Titans can be temperamental but do last if broken in and cared for.

I too have gotten a couple that dies after 20 runs or so but the majority of the Titans I have owned have lasted a full season (60ish races plus practice) without an issue. Obviously brushless is a better option as the maintenance is less but I wouldn’t chance running them in wet conditions.

nitrosportsandrunner

skylipo brand...off hobbypartz.com. I can get close to 30min on my brushless models.

Nothing wrong with the zippy brand tho, pleny of people run them. My just be what the LVC is set to. I run mine at 3.2v.

I run lipos in the winter, on brushless models and my crawler. Its fine to run them in the cold....just dont store them in the cold (especially after they have been used and have low voltage) They hold upto cold storage better than nimh packs (dont drain as fast) but will still lose voltage if left in the cold.

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Sealed bearings do hold up a little better than non-sealed, in my experience.  I really don't see why someone would need to change them out after only 6 or 7 runs.  Unless your a racer. 

Nothing wrong with the Zippys your using.  Just make sure they have a C-rating appropriate for your electronics and how they're being run.  I've found that with my "little" EZrun 35-amp ESC and 4300kv 380-size motor, in a 3.5lb Evader, a 40C 2S lipo is better than the 25-30C lipos I have been running.  Not only does the car perform better but the battery doesn't get as warm.  it's OK for lipos to get WARM, but not HOT, which is anything over 100F. 

Here is a really good article on the care and feeding of LIPOS: http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-lipo-batteries.html
There's also a link in there to the ins-n-outs of lipo chargers, also a good read.  He supplies some good formulas for estimating the the C-rating you should use for the estimated draw from your electronics.

Nitro - Glad you like your SkyLipos.  Have you noticed, tho, that they don't have as good a discharge curve as the Gens Ace?

Henryslash

Hi all :-)

john01374

I routinely get between 300-400 cycles out of a LiPo before it starts seeing any kind of performance loss.

I cannot comment on LiFe packs as I have only run a couple of packs and sold them. The lack of voltage really makes for poor performance.

Henryslash

Hi John

Henryslash

Hi John

Big Trol

Oh well, looks like another dead thread. Shame too, would have liked to know how your track worked out.

Henryslash

Looks like it :-(

Big Trol

Good luck Henry, lots of good batteries out there. Venom are expensive, but their warranty is fantastic, have fun.