MGT

Ok a little about me. I've been in and out of this hobby before HPI released the very first version of the savage .21...which was my 2nd RC. It was a bunch of fun and I went through about 4 different motor combos and had it under 10lbs race weight. I then got the first version of the MGT with the flag body, I had a T-maxx, E-maxx, an 1/8 buggy, mini r/c 10 with a mamba brushless motor ect...So I've been around a bit I guess you could say. I now have a revo 3.3 and love it. Sure I've broken a few things just like all my other trucks. Out of all of these my fav. one was the savage just because I beat the living $@#$ out of it and it just came back for more. I could drop it from over my head and it wouldn't bottom out. I loved getting huge air with it and the plush landings made it that much more fun..When I got back into it about a year ago I went for the revo because it was so much different. After I got it and ran a gallon through it I learned the differences compared to my savage. It was about as fast but my savage had way more power with the picco .26/orion .27 I was running at the time. The suspention was wayyy more forgiving and softer in the revo and the handling of the revo was DEFF race ready out of the box compared to my modded savage.

So I wanted another savage. I did some research and watch a few vids of savages with the 6S lipo's and I was SOLD. The vids made this thing look nuts compared to my old 10lbs. .27 savage.

The flux comes on wednesday and my batteries/charger should be here on thursday=]. After hearing a lot of people that went to lipo after running nimh say they wish they didnt waste the money so i decided to skip them. I havent heard much about theses new shocks, how are they compared to the old style. Any side by side pics? Also what about the steering? I had a $100 servo in my old savage with the JR racing XR3I. Is the stock servo good, do I need anything else. should be up and running by friday at the latest.



Features;
Microprocessor controlled
Delta-peak sensitivity (NiMH/NiCd)
Individual cell balancing
Li-ion, LiPo and LiFe capable
Ni-Cd and NiMH capable
Large range of charge currents
Store function, allows safe storage current
Time limit function
Input voltage monitoring. (Protects car batteries at the field)
Data storage (Store up to 5 packs in memory)
Battery break in and cycling.

Spec.
Input Voltage: 11~17v
Circuit power: Max Charge: 50W / Max Discharge: 5W
Charge Current Range: .1~5.0A
Discharge current range: .1~1.0A
Ni-MH/NiCd cells: 1~15
Li-ion/Poly cells: 1~6
Pb battery voltage: 2~20v
Weight: 355g



Spec.
Capacity : 6000mAh
Cell Model: PF 10343150XP
Voltage : 11.1V
Charge Current(2C) : 12A
Continous Dis.(20C) : 120A
Dimension(mm) : 32.5 * 48.5 * 165.5
Weight : 488g



Input Voltage: 110-120V 60Hz, 3-prong U.S. power cord
DC Output Voltage: 11-15 volts, adjustable
DC Output Current: 25 amps max.
Max. Rated Power: 300W
Power Control: Rocker switch with LED indicator
Cooling: Twin rear mounted fans
Output Connections: Two sets 4mm banana jacks w/detachable terminal
hook
Overload Protection: 25 amp solid-state current limiter
Case Size: 5.5" x 7.2" x 2.5" (140 x 182 x 64mm)
Weight: 49 oz. (1375g)
Approvals: RoHS

spiftacu1ar

I didn't read the whole post (too lazy, lol), but about the power supply, I use an old computer power supply. It has 3 18amp 12v rails, so it is more than enough for any charger. However, you can buy cheaper PSU's that will do the job too. Go to newegg.com and find a PSU that suits you. Since yuou are not using it in a comp, the cheaps ones are fine. the difference between cheap ones and $$$ ones is that the expensive ones will regulate voltage better, less ripple current and what not. MOBO's don't like fluctuating voltage, but being that the charger is meant to be run of batts, it shouldn't matter. Batts have wayy more unstable voltages than any comp PSU. Charger specific PSU's are almost ALWAYS wayyyyy overpriced for what they are.

TO use the comp PSU, you just need to short one of the pins on the 20pin connector, which signals that the computer is on. If you don't short the pins, it will be as if the PSU is off. Those PSU's are much better than most charger specific PSU's for the price.


About the actual FLUX, It will be awesome. Just got my rig running today. Running extended TVP's and a kersahw gearbox, but close enough to Flux. I have it far undergeared compared to the stock flux, and it was still incredibly fast with lipo 6s (it was going at least 35mph). Stock flux gearing should get it to at least 50mph out the box. The right tires and whatnot will proabably get it to the advertised speed. Regardless, it goes far faster than something that size should go, lol.

scarletboa

My Feedback: (1)

you should get a refund from maxcramps.com

their packs are way overpriced and their packs fail more often then some of the cheaper packs. many are using [link=http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8583&Product_Name=ZIPPY_Flightmax_5000mAh_3S1P_25C_]these[/link] or [link=http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=8587&Product_Name=ZIPPY_Flightmax_5000mAh_3S1P_30C_]these[/link] in their trucks and the cheaper one of those 2 packs is better than the maxcramps batteries you bought.

also, [link=http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7028&Product_Name=Turnigy_Accucel-6_50W_5A_Balancer/Charger]this[/link] charger has the same cell capacity and watt rating. on top of that, this charger has more features and is more compact. the only downside is the built-in fan. it is quiet but some people just don't like fans in their chargers.

if you cannot get a refund, it's a good thing you got the warrentee. you will most likely need it.[&:]

the savage flux is an amazing machine. i've seen it and it is amazing that a truck that large can move so quick, and it's a savage. savages are the toughest things around.

MGT

delete

NitroVette

I'm sorry but I have a hard time believing that a computer P/S delivers 18 amps of current. Maybe on paper but in the real world I doubt it. Your charger draws a lot more current than a hard drive or, fan. CD drive etc. If you want a good source of D.C. use a car battery or a power supply like this:

http://www.tripplite.com/en/products...txtModelID=239

http://www.tripplite.com/en/products...txtModelID=238

Much safer, better quality, and it has a power switch and a fuse. You just dropped $1200, what's another $135 ?

twomanytoys

The Turnagy charger is a great charger. I have one for my brushless boats. I think the Polyquest bats are better than Max amps. Hobbycity has alot of great stuff for brushless applicatons.

Lilredmachine

Aye, good move.

Maxamps will probably be alright performance wise for a while, but they seem to drop performance quick, especially in high stress situations like the Flux. I'd be more concerned about the widespread reports of ESC fires with Maxamps batteries though.

spiftacu1ar

You'd be surprised at the amount of power draw that new GPU's require. Those monster supplies (1000+watts) are now REQUIREMENTS if you run massive cards like the gtx280.
OLD PSU's can't take anything, your right. THey were made for comps before GPU's became power hungry.

Last gen GPU's (8800gtx, 9800gtx, etc) are BENCHMARKED (as in measured with a meter) at using over 200w under load. Considering that people run 2, 3 or even 4 of those in a comp, thats nearing 800watts in one machine, just on GPU. They only run 12v rails for the gpu, so 800/12 =67amps, or 17amps per GPU. I hate to break it to you, but the PSU'd designed for those quad SLI machines have up to 6 18amp rails. Newer 280gtx cards use even more power than the old ones. Basically, name-brand PSU's can do the advertised amp rating. the watt rating doesn't mean much, as it includes 5v rail as well, but if you look at the amp rating for 12v rail (on name brand at least), it is accurate.

THIS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817379008
has one 12v, 11amp rail, and one 12v 15amp rail. They run in parrallel, so basically, its a 12v 26amp supply. Even if it is less than sepc, I can confidently tell you it is at least 20amps, which is more than the one in the link you gave, yet it is a third of the price. The tripplite one you linked to also is rated at 13.8v +/-0.5v. +/- 0.5 is too much fluctuation for any comp, so I'd have to say the comp PSU is more accurate too.


THIS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817812006
is a 12v 64amp PSU with ACTIVE PFC, which means VERY good regulation of power. It is about the same price as the tripplite linked, and far superior, there is no reason to get something like this for a charger, jsut making the point that charger specific PSU's are far overpriced.

spiftacu1ar

About the charger, the accucell-67 is great (I use it), but you should know that it does not charge 6s batts at 5amps, only 2.2 amps (very slow for 5000 or 6000mah batts). If you want to charge at a decent speed, get [link=http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7523]this[/link] one instead, as it can charge 6cell at up to 6 amps. It also includes a temp sensor and all the cables you will ever need.

SSOOCH

First off. Maxamps batteries Rock! The only complaint I ever hear about them is that they are too expensive. My response: "You gotta pay to play"! Look up reviews by all major R/C publications. They love Maxamps! Anyway. This is the power supply I use with my multiplex charger: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXL356&P=ML

You'll love the flux. The first thing I did was drop the ride height and put some Maximizer Beadlocks and Losi Zombie Max meats on them. '''

The Flux makes me giggle like a little school boy every time I take it out.

Flux Driver

When i called HPI for advice, the guy on the phone said they use Max Amps and recommend that brand. I still haven't moved to Lipos just yet. The ones on Hobby City look nice but they're still understock. As for other brands, it seems I see good and bad feedback for each and every one of them. And a few with only negative feedback. I'm still gonna give it more time until I make that jump.

SSOOCH

That's another big argument for maxamps. Their customer service rocks. Even before I bought them, I was pretty new to lipos. I called and spoke to a live person within four rings of the phone. He was very knowledgable and totally cool to answer any questions I had. To me, that's worth the extra money they cost.

rclugnut10

My Feedback: (1)

a good charger i like is the MRC super brain 977 does LIPO's and can do 2 at once for only $100

the lug

Lilredmachine

Maxamps rely on their advertising and magazine features to snare customers who are pretty ignorant of lipo technology, and are more likely to respond to a company with big flashing colours and lights outside the door. Trust me, you would have to be new to lipo to buy anything from them, anyone that's been in the game a little while and knows what they are doing won't touch them with a barge pole.

They are rip off merchants and sell inferior products at inflated prices. Time and time again, their lipos have proven to be nowhere near what they claim in terms of performance, being more on a par with zippy than companies like polyquest, Neuenergy, Thunderpower etc. Which their price suggests they should be.

scarletboa

My Feedback: (1)

actually, the flightmax zippys have proven tougher than the maxcramps packs

the old zippy packs are about even to the maxcramps though.

spiftacu1ar

I am not sure,but I think the mrc 977 only charges lipo at 2amps (i have one), and it doesn't have a balancer anyways.

rclugnut10

My Feedback: (1)

nopers it does 3S lipo's but you're right it doesn't balance but whats 70ish (for 2) when you're forking out $1200???

the lug

spiftacu1ar

According to this: http://monster.traxxas.com/showthread.php?t=403550 the most you will get out of the 977 is 2.5amps, 3 if you are lucky. That is incredibly slow when you have high capacity batts. You will have them on charge for at LEAST 2 hours. with 6000mah cells. I own the 977, and I now think it was a waste of my money since it charges lipo so slow, and deosn't even tell you that until you buy it. The specs say adjsutable to 5amps, but when you do lipo it limits it to 2.5, which is pretty dumb. Anyhow, I use the accucell 6 now, cuz getting that was cheaper than getting 2 balancers for the MRC, and if I only want to charge one pack, I can still charge it at 5amps, it does both combined at 2.2 amps, or you can attach them in parrallel for 5amps on a 10000mah cell. Genereally charges in about 2 hours. Accucel 8 would have been better in hindsite, although any of the chargers at cheapbatterypacks.com are exceptional, and charge at fast rates, although they are more expensive than the other chargers. BUt, as you said, whats a hundred dollars on a $1200 truck.

SSOOCH

I'd be curious to know what you think I should have bought. I can't even find 3S 11.1v 5250 with 30C Constant (157 amps) and are waterproof of any other brand out there. Maybe you and your infinite wisdom could "school" us noobs. What batteries should we buy? The only thing I could find close was the Thunderpower TP5000-3SXV. And even those are only 5000mah AND...their $179.00...thats how much I paid for my Maxamps!!

usmc_VTOL_mech

The great planes poly-4 does 4 lipos at once
not bad either at 3.5 amps
takes about an hour to charge my 4200's
and it's 80 bucks

MGT

Well The charger I got was cheap, thats why I bought 2 of them. Is there a way to mod the charger to bypass the limit of 2.5 amps? For starting I think it was a good choice. I'm pretty new to brushless/lipo so I still have a lot to learn...And I just did the math...after the power supply ($55) I really SPENT ~$1350 for this set-up. The Flux, 4-6000mAh 3S lipos, 2 chargers, and the power supply. But really I'll be set for a LONG time. If i don't break anyhting I have enough mAh for over an hour of runtime and I don't need to spend another dime...maybe just on tires after they are bald and bodies lol.

I'm still a little confused with the power supply though because when i had a brushless mini rc 10 and an emaxx, the charger i had just pluged into the wall it came with the supply cord. I see that these power supply's can run 2 chargers at once, thats good because ill have 2 chargers. BUT the site says nothing about the cord to plug into the wall...or do I hook it up to a battery...noob =]

usmc_VTOL_mech

2fast4u
The chargers you are looking at are DC only.......hence why you can't just plug them in the wall...that is why you need a power supply
If you just want to plug your chargers in the wall without worrying about a power supply than you need to get an AC/DC charger
The only thing I have broken in my flux is the top gear in the transmission (after 40 or so packs ran) ....finally just wore out.....but I had an extra from my nitro savage and was back running in 15 minutes

MGT

Nice!! I'm guessing you shredded the teeth off it? Yeah I'm getting the D/C one's but what im asking is about the power supply. I have to hook that up to somthing for it to get power. Basicly lol how do you power the power supply. I'm such a noob at this BL stuff and the LiPo's are a bit confusing at first. But I have pelnty of time to learn about all of this before I get it anyway...and from what I hear I'll be spening 1/2 the day charging lol.

Flux Driver

So those Zippy Flightmax lipo packs from hobbycity. They aren't the hard cased ones. Are they still safe in the Flux battery carriers on the truck?

usmc_VTOL_mech

2fast4u
I see...yes the power supply gets it's power from the wallplug
Lipo's are easy....just charge according to cell count and amp rate is done by looking at capacity of the battery
if it's a 4000 Mah battery charge at 4 amps........5000 Mah battery is charged at 5 amps.....6500 Mah battery is charged at 6.5 amps......easy huh?
Just make sure you charge it as a 3 cell if it's a 3 cell and 2 cell if it's a 2 cell.....charge a 2 cell as a 3 cell and you can have a fire rather quickly
It's gonna take awhile for your batts to charge as I see the charger you ordered is limited on the amps it can supply
2.5 amp limit on that charger is gonna take twice as long to charge your packs....roughly 2 hours for 5000 Mah packs
once you get a system going and you become familiar with your batteries I would run on a timer.....
Say you get 30 minutes on a single charge...well just run for 20 minutes instead makeing life easier on your batteries and not taking forever to recharge
the flux is an awesome machine with instant power and torque...it's lots of fun but with all that power it comes at a price.....
the truck needs to be looked over carefully after each run and special attention needs to be paid to the slipper, transmission and diffs to make sure everything stays working properly.