Nicd vs Nimh

[Matt C]

Hi,

I'm running two brushless 540 motors off 4 7.2v nicd packs. Is this a bad thing and should i be running at least Nimh equilvalent's or lipo to get the best performance?

:S

[egneg]

Lipo - hands down.

[Checkmateguy01]

Hi,

I'm running two brushless 540 motors off 4 7.2v nicd packs. Is this a bad thing and should i be running at least Nimh equilvalent's or lipo to get the best performance?

:S

LOL you sound like me! I'm running nothing but NiMh's in my 2 brushless boats, an SV27 and a 30" Dumas Vee i just put together. I'm contemplating building an old Aeromarine 30" Sprint Cat .21 into a brushless electric but i'm not sure if it would be worth it on NiMh's. No matter how much i read up on Lipo's, i still have no idea what to get or how to use them, and i don't undertand how anyone can say "lipo's as easy or easier to run/maintain the NiMh's" considering the violatile nature of lipo's. I will say this, i think NiMh's run just fine for weekend run for fun, if you can use NiCd's you can use NiMh's, they're pretty straight foward i think, i use Duratrax DTX3800's in the SV27 and DTX4600's in the 30" Dumas running the 540 9XL motor and Etti 150a ESC. I'm very happy with the performance i get with the NiMh's.

[egneg]

Lipos are a bit more maintenance but the benifits far out weigh the chance of them going up in smoke. I have only had one pack go bad and I am fairly sure it was because I bought them used and didn't have a clear understanding of their history - besides they were very cheap. I bought a pair of 4S1P at $75.00 shipped.

[Simon.O.]

I was a late runner into lipo
I stayed with and cooked a lot of good Ni cells before I made the leap.
I read so much on lipo care etc that I scared myself into not having or using them.
I now have them and it is easy.

They are a lot easier to maintain than good Ni cells, despite what some may say.
There are some important things to consider when going to Lipo.

1. A good lipo capable charger and balancer, usually combined.
2. An esc that has adjustable LVC or an external lipo-shield.
3. A willingness to learn a few new basic battery care practices.
do not run over one with your toyota hilux/4runner....it will squash it but not make it explode like the u-tube vids

I was once a Nicd-Nimh fan, now I am not.
I use a few in my crawler and that is all.

Lipo IS the way to go...............for now.

[sjslhill]

A123 is another option that some may consider. Myself, I am never going to have 4S 5,000mah packs in my house, it ain't going to happen. Maybe a 3S 1300 for an airplane. I have seen LiPolys burn and a good friend just recently recovered from a 3rd degree burn on his fingers. Using large LiPoly packs is just like riding a motorcycle in my opinion, it's not if, it's when the accident will happen.

my 2 cents, I know that 99% don't agree with me....that's why I love America, we have freedom of speech. PS so far, not sure for how long.

Steve