Run time too long?!?

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10-04-2012, 12:50 PM
Nutbar

Run time too long?!?

So, I overheated on 4s on my stock Castle Spartan after a 10-15min run of mostly WoT. Stock everything except upgraded to dual-pickup rudder and aluminum water jacket. Honestly, I was very surprised that I overheated on 4s. If it matters, I use Turnigy Nanotech lipos. So, here's my questions about run times with the Spartan...

1. On my setup, if everything is working properly, what is the LONGEST I should be able to run my Spartan w/o overheating while running two 2s 12800mah 40c lipos?

2. Should I expect to be able to run my 12800mah 2s lipos to LVC, or did I just waste money by buying larger than 5000mah lipos?

3. Same questions as 1 and 2 above, but for my pair of 3s 8400mah 40c lipos?

4. What is the largest capacity 2s lipo I can expect to use w/o overheating my setup? What's the largest 3s lipo I can use?

5. If I can only run my boat for 5-10mins at a time, why do some people suggest running two 6s 5000mah lipos in parallel for longer run times? Why does Traxxas sell 8400mah 3s and 12800mah 2s lipos for the Spartan if you can't even use the extra capacity without overheating??

6. What's the difference between using one set of 6s 5000mah lipos in parallel, or one set of 3s 10000mah lipos in series?

7. What is the difference between running one set of 10000mah, or running one set of 5000mah and then bringing the boat in and putting in a second set of 5000mah and running again?

8. I have a Leopard 4082 1600kv motor and a Turnigy 180 amp ESC that I have yet to install. Will this new motor/ESC allow me longer run times?

9. Same questions as 1, 2, 3, and 4 above, but with the new Leopard/Turnigy combo installed?

I'm just trying to figure out this whole "run time" debacle. I would like a cool, fast, stable, reliable 20-30min runtime Spartan, if possible. :unsure: Sorry for all of the questions, but I'm just getting frustrated with all of these annoying problems constantly happening. Thx in advance for all responses! :hug1:
10-04-2012, 02:07 PM
martin

Anyone that uses high capacity lipos as you mention is not so they can run continuously for 15minuets or so, its so they dont have to untape their boat so often as they would if using 5000mah to change out their batterys. 15 minuets is way to long to run a fast electric boat, most would only run 4-5 minuets max then come in & wait a while before running again.
10-04-2012, 02:14 PM
martin

Personally i would have 2 sets of 5000mah & change the batterys out than use 12000mah, as youve seen you cant run that capacity continuous without getting very hot. All your doing is carrying a massive amount of weight to which the boat will run slower + youll draw more amps carrying the weight which increases heat more.
10-04-2012, 05:02 PM
Nutbar

Why is 15 minutes "way too long" to run a fast electric boat? What is the longest the Spartan could be expected to run? 4-5 min? How long should I wait in between runs? Is there a way to extend run times, or am I stuck not running the boat for longer than 4-5mins no matter what I do?! If so, that kind of sucks, honestly. :ThumbsDown01:
10-04-2012, 05:41 PM
tlandauer

Get a gas powered boat with auxiliary tanks! lol...
Seriously, I feel part of the fun is to bring the boat in and check/change batteries, that is what FE is all about! Although I can understand your dismay at this situation.
10-05-2012, 02:19 PM
Nutbar

I don't want a gas boat. I want to keep my Spartan. Would someone please answer my above questions?!? :help: :confused1::confused2: :Sinking: Thank you!
11-10-2015, 07:47 AM
dontrinko

15 minutes is to long because with the power generated to go the speeds it does a lot of heat is generated also.
Many of the slower boats will not go 15 minutes without overheating. All IMO; Don
11-10-2015, 08:55 AM
Doby

What exactly did you overheat?
11-10-2015, 12:08 PM
kfxguy

that's waaaaay too long to be running that boat with stock electronics, I'll back up what everyone else is saying that 5mins is a good time. Why? Because it will get hot as you've seen.

Now. If you want to cut the heat down then what you need to do is over power it and under prop it. That motor and esc you have should do just that. The stock prop should work well with the new power system. The stock stuff in a spartan is known for overheating in 5 minutes anyway so if your getting over 10 minutes with it, that's amazing. The stock motor in a spartan is a serious amp hog because of its un proportioned length.
11-10-2015, 02:05 PM
Peter A

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nutbar

Why is 15 minutes "way too long" to run a fast electric boat? What is the longest the Spartan could be expected to run? 4-5 min? How long should I wait in between runs? Is there a way to extend run times, or am I stuck not running the boat for longer than 4-5mins no matter what I do?! If so, that kind of sucks, honestly. :ThumbsDown01:

Hi Nutbar
It is possible to run longer times if you have the battery capacity. However, the stock spartan motor has crap cooling. The Leopard motor and T-180 will do the trick, and give you the option of running 6s if you want. Prop choice is also important, but a 442 or similar should work, it won't be super fast on 4s but if you just want to play around.. The thing to do, is to do some shorter runtimes and bring it in and check until you are confident the nothing is overheating. I suggest setting the lvc at 3.4v to start with and lower if all is good. It will take a bit of on water time to find the limits, don't push things too hard, test and check, same as any other setup. You need to be drawing only 60 amps to get a ten minute runtime. That is about what a P-ltd motor will draw. You will just not get 20-30 min runtime with an fe boat sorry.
11-10-2015, 02:09 PM
Peter A

Quote:

Get a gas powered boat with auxiliary tanks! lol...

Don't need auxiliary tanks Tim, my petrol offshore boat will do 40 mins at full throttle, over an hour in rough water conditions!:thumbup: