cheezer1222

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I've been looking into getting a micro. I figure I'll kind of hop it up right away, so I figured I'd get a lipo battery for it. This would be one of my first electrics, so I don't have any experience with lipo chargers (and very minimal experience with the regular nimh/nicad chargers). I'm not sure that I will be getting anything bigger that is electric so, I was wondering what a good cheap charger is that will charge a 2-3 cell lipo (or something in that area). I was looking at [link=http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/22612]this one[/link], but I really don't know what I should be looking for. I was kind of planning on using [link=http://www.maxamps.com/Lipo-320-37-Pack.htm]this battery[/link]. What would be the best charger to get (preferably $50 or less)? and are there any adapters I would need to get for the charger so that it can charge the suggested battery?

dacaur

No that wont work.. that charger puts out 750mah, non adjustable, the battery is 320mah... with a lipo you cannot charge at a higher Mah than the capacity of the battery or bad things happen (read, fire)

are you saying you want a MICRO or a mini? the micro-t is 1/36 scale, really tiny, really only good for indoors... a mini car is about 2x as big, 2x as fast, and big enough to run outdoors on dirt and grass...

if you meant micro, and you have minimal electric experience, I would say jus get the losi lipo and charger for the micro-t here http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...rodID=LOSB0862, then if you do get that battery you linked, you can just use the same charger, though it will take longer to charge than the losi battery that comes with the charger.

cheezer1222

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lol, I guess I should have been able to figure that much out (750mah output vs 320mah battery). I must not have been looking close enough.

yes, I do mean micro. I have a 1/16 scale nitro on the way and thought it would be neat to round out my collection with a 1/32 scale.

I also see that the battery I suggested before has a higher mah vs the losi one, but the losi has a higher voltage. What exactly is that going to equate out to? Is the maxamps one going to last longer, but the losi one will have more punch, or what?

LBRC

The charger you listed would also not work (as in possible fire) because it is for “2 – 3 cell lithium batteries” i.e. 2 x 3.7v cells = 7.4 or 11.4v for a 3 cell series pack and the battery you linked to is a 3.7 volt 2p meaning two lithium poly cells in parallel. Too much current and voltage would be begging to burn the house down.

The Losi Mirco-T LiPo is a 7.4 volt 180 mAh (milliamps of current delivery per hour) 2s pack, so two 180mAh LiPo cells in series. A 3.7volt 320 mAh 2P pack would be made by connecting two smaller 160mAh cells in parallel, and consequently would only be half as fast but not run twice as long since they are smaller cells.

When looking for LiPo’s for a Micro-T the other thing that needs to be considered is that pack/cells current delivery rating ideally you want a 10C or better. Losi does not list their LiPo’s “C” rating but for example lets say it’s a 10C which would be 10 x 180mAh or 1.8 amps of max current delivery which would be barely adequate for the stock brushed motor that can draw over 2 amps. Compare that to a 12C 200mAh pack 12C x 200mAh or 2.4 amps of max current delivery, or a 10C 250mAh pack (2.5amps) or even better a 12C 250mAh… you get the idea the higher the C rating the better.

Chargers; Thing is that LiPo’s are a whole lot of fun but it’s just not a good idea to skimp on a LiPo charger, low cost chargers are usually only good for a single size of battery, like the Losi charger that is intended solely for their 7.4 volt 180mAh pack sure it could charge a higher mAh 7.4v pack but it would be slow. My favorite micro/mini RC charger is the Ice a bit over your stated budget but it can charge just about anything.
http://www.duratrax.com/caraccys/dtxp4170.html
LiPo’s charge at 1C so for a 7.4v 180mAh Losi Pack you’d need a two cell charger with a 180 milliamp (0.18 amp) or lower setting, and for the 3.7v 320mAh pack you’d need one capable of charging a single cell at 0.38 amps or less which means that the Losi charger is not acceptable for the linked pack because it’s a 2 cell charger.

cheezer1222

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks for the reply. Wow, this is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. If I did get the ICE charger, what battery would you suggest? Also, what is the battery of choice for a mini (such as the mini-t)? I was kind of figuring that if I end up buying a more expensive charger, I'll probably get myself an electric mini somewhere down the line, because I'd hate to spend that kind of money on just the micro. Who knows, maybe someday I'll resurrect the Evader too.

peelin_out

I have that same charger and I use it for my 2s (7.4v 2cell) and 3s (11.1v 3cell) lipos.. it seems to work great for those, but as people have said, I would not use it for the small micro-t lipo... that would likely cause a fire... or worse (BOOM).

edit: I got that cheapo charger to try lipos and now I am hooked.. so I am thinking about getting THIS one now that lipos as all I use pretty much now days.. seems like a good charger, but I am open to suggestions on this front..

dacaur

If you are going to get a nice charger, I would recomend the duratrax onyx 230..... it can do nicad, nimh, lipo, li-ion AND A123 packs.... it is AC/DC, and is only $75-$80!! thats a killer price for all the featuires you get... The ice is way overkill for most people.. especily for a basher...