Deadbydawn71

I am about to purchase a E Max brushless and was wondering what tools I need and what is a good cordless
screwdriver/hex driver etc. to get. I see alot of guys using a fairly small cordless screwdriver that that can be bent from 0 to 90 degrees.

What size flathead, phillups head, allen head and hex heads are used? I want to make a tool kit just for the truck so I won't be taking tools out of my boxes in the garage.

Also- any recommendations on a charger that can charge (4) 3s 5000mah 25C Lipos with balanced charging, storage mode, ac/dc would be appreciated. I know there are a ton of em out there but I am having a hard time deciding. Something with a screen.

Last- how long (on average) will two 3s 5000mah 25C Lipos run a brushless E Max?

Thanks for any help/advice you can give me

Maj_Overdrive

My Feedback: (11)

The 3s 5000mah Lipos will last 20-25min on average. Depending on the mfg of the Lipo, I'd consider going with a higher c rated pack. 25c is the bare minimum, 30-40c with reputable mfg is where you want to be at minimum.

Traxxas as includes Allen wrenches for all the hex screws and the rest of the hardware on the truck. The sizes are 1.5mm, 2.0mm, and 2.5mm. It's right in the manual for the truck which is available on Traxxas.com. I'd give the manual a read to familiarize yourself with the truck.

If you're going to use a power tool on your truck it doesn't need to be high powered. I'd also be extreme careful using any power tool to tighten screws. About 99% of the screws go into plastic which can strip if using something too powerful.

Deadbydawn71

Thanks for the reply!

I went with Gensace lipos. 3s 5000 MaH 25c. The burst rate is 50.

A few people said to go with the highest c rating you can afford. I really don't understand why.

Why does Traxxas make lipos with the c rating 25 and not any higher?

Maj_Overdrive

My Feedback: (11)

Well let's use your 3s 5000mah 25c pack as an example. 3s is the voltage, 1s = 3.7 volts nominal. 5000mah is the capacity and determines runtime. 25c is a way of expressing the packs amperage output and is the product of multiplying 25c by 5.0 (5000mah = 5 amps). So your pack is theoretically capable of delivering 125amps continuously. In the real world this is not true and AC ratings are overhyped and overblown as manufacturers try to one up another. That's why I mentioned reputable manufacturers in my previous post.

Gens Ace makes a pretty good Lipo though. Also your truck will have an amp draw that averages around 70-80amps with short spikes that will be somewhere around 100amps. The fact that the amp draw in a rc truck is not constant but constantly varying, and only brief spikes get anywhere near the C rating is why Lipos survive. Don't get too nervous about all this talk. I run 6s 5000mah 30c packs in my heavier LST with a more powerful Castle 1717 motor and the Lipo isn't stressed.

Deadbydawn71

Thanks Maj! I understand now. What brand lipo are you using? I wanted to go with MaxAmps but I wanted (4) so the price was a factor. They are lifetime gauranteed though and seem to be high quality.

Maj_Overdrive

My Feedback: (11)

I haven't used a MaxAmps pack in years and for good reason. They are about the most overhyped and have the most unrealistic C ratings out there. The ones I've had puffed in a relatively short time under loads they shouldn't have a problem with and that much cheaper packs had no problem with for years. Yeah part of what you're paying is for them to be assembled in the US but most of what you're paying for is their all their advertising. Right now I have a couple Turnigy 30C packs and I've have no complaints. My next purchase will probably be Turnigy, GensAce, Hyperion, Polyquest as I've been happy with them in the past.

Deadbydawn71

I got my Truck in Thursday, Lipos came friday and my charger will be here Monday. I think the most difficult thing to purchase was the charger. I wanted one that could charge (4) lipos at a time and was ac/dc ready. I didn't want to have an external power source to charge ac.

I went with this http://www.amain.com/protek-r-c-prod...0w-x-4/p260577

-appreciate your info/time

Maj_Overdrive

My Feedback: (11)

Without datalogging and testing equipment to read voltage under load it's hard to rate the packs. I'm also not a "power user" who keeps track or IR and other stuff so my ratings are somewhat subjective and less of an exact science. But if I had to rate them, Hyperion would be first, they had the most performance, least out of balance, etc. Hyperion can be on the pricey side but nowhere near Maxamp overpriced. Polyquest second, I've had some of them a really long time and they were great. Gens Ace third only because I didn't keep them more than a year when I sold them with a vehicle so I don't have long term experience with them. Turnigy 30c fourth, performance was just behind Gens Ace but every once in a while a cell will go way out of balance on the Turnigy's now that they're about 3 years old. I'd buy any one of these brands again.

Brands I wouldn't buy again are MaxAmps, Venom, SMC. MaxAmps and Venom could not take the load their C Rating said they could. They puffed after a few uses and cheaper Turnigy and GensAce packs that replaced them worked flawlessly under the same load. This was not a one time occurance with the Maxamp and venom packs either as I gave them a second chance. The SMC was a similar situation but they were used when I got them but I've seen mixed results online so I won't be buying anymore of them.

Never tried Kypom, from what I saw after a quick search the flying crowd seems to like them. If you want battery reviews, go to RCGroups and look/search the flying sections. Flyers are pretty hard on batteries and are serious about keeping track of their performance with their trick chargers and data loggers.