do you have to discharge each cell? and if so how do I if i bought the battery together do i take it apart?? and if so how do i put it back together? im new and VERY confused...... thx for any help:freak::confused::woohoo::woohoo:

Are you using NiMh or lipo's? Lipos don't need discharging. If you are using stick type packs that have a covering on them, you would discharge them through the wires that come out of the battery. Best to ask some one at your track or hobby shop how to discharge them.

well i use a team checkpoint charger and i discharge ech cell buy hookin the clips on the bars for each cell. you should discharge them down to .9 vots and the put about 1000mah of power for a weeks storage

you have to make sure you dont discharge nimh battire pack below .9 volts per cell or else they can be damaged

ok soo if its a 6 cell about 54 volts per bettery pack? ( like not it goin under there)

no if you have a 6 cell pack the voltage is 7.2 uless has less or more cells but each cell is 1.2 volts

o ok any way to tell how much voltage left in the pack? like a cheap meter or sumtin?

for the sub c cells 1/10th scale packs they make a novak smart tray and it will automatically discharge them dowm to .9 volts well you have to set it what you want it to go down to but some chargers thell the volts per cell to but im not positive about the mini packs when i had my mini i never discharged it so i never new what it was at

Discharge a 6 cell pack to 5.4volts. .9 X 6=5.4

Nimh mini packs are also .9v per cell or 5.4v per 6 cell pack.

do you have to discharge each cell? and if so how do I if i bought the battery together do i take it apart?? and if so how do i put it back together? im new and VERY confused...... thx for any help:freak::confused::woohoo::woohoo:

Let's back track a little....
What battery's do you have?
Nicad?
Nimh?
Lipos?
Stick pack?
Side by side pack?

What size are they? Not that that is important.. but the more info you provide the better.
What charger?
What amperage are you charging at?
What are you running them in? Are you racing or just running for fun?

Battery care is an important part of the hobby.. One that is over looked too much.

If you have Nicads: Need to be discharged after each use and stored in a discharged state. If you have a stick pack, you can run it until your vehicle will not run both the steering and throttle at the same time. OR you can buy a discharger or assemble a lightbulb discharger to bring your batteries down. IF you don't.. Nicads have a memory and will build up chemical crystals and progressively not take as much charge as time goes on. Drastically decreasing your run time and performance.

Nickle Metal Hydrides: They are not as picky as Nicads on how they want to be treated. The like to have a little charge left in them when you are done. You don't have to discharge them to store them. But if they are low.. it won't hurt them. They do like to be cycled on occasion if you are not using them regularly.

Lipos: A whole different world... YOU need to do some research and see how to properly treat them. They like to be stored with at least 50% charge in them. if they are discharged too much, they can have a chemical reaction that could cause a fire.

This is just a very basic overview.. There are a LOT of differing opinions on battery care and charging.. Every racer has his or her own sequence they like to use to care for their batteries.

If you provide some additional info... we can expound on proper care for the packs you have.
Hope this helps.
Dan

well I have Nickle Metal Hydrides and they are side by side. charger is duratrax pirana digital peak charger. I put it on auto and usually put 1 amp into the batteries. sizes are 1100 and 1400. Running them in a RC 18 MT and its just for fun so far.

RC18,

Does that mean that you limited the charge capacity manually to allow only 1 amp of charge going in, or that you limited the rate to 1 amp?

:) Gene

rc18mt -

If you are running a 1/18th scale car - and only runnnig it for FUN...

Charge - run your car
ReCharge - run your car
ReCharge - run your car

The discharge trays most are talking about are for the Sub C nimh's that are being used for RACING in 1/10th and 1/12th scale cars.

If you were RACING the 1/18th scale car at a highly competitive level, you may want to do the discharging and more...but if you are only "having fun" with this car - Don't worry about discharging, cycling, etc. Just charge them and run~

RC18,

Does that mean that you limited the charge capacity manually to allow only 1 amp of charge going in, or that you limited the rate to 1 amp?

:) Gene

the charger is put on auto and when i look at it it says about 1-1.5 amps:thumbsup:

I see.

Well, that's good advice above to just charge and enjoy rc'ing :) Also, a good break down by DJ.

If you plan on assembling your own packs or putting them away for longer than two weeks, that will change. I wouldn't burden yourself with all that until the time actually comes. It's easy to get unnecessarily nervous about it all when you've got all these rules and tips floating through your mind and no clear place to file them.

If you get any new packs, between now and when you have the time to digest some serious information, that are not "matched" (and that's fine); you should charge them with the wall wart for the first three cycles. This helps "form" the cells and enables them to behave properly when charging with a peak charger.

The "forming" part is less important than with nicads, but the response at peak is much more important than with nicads.

For now, keeping your stuff clean and serviceable, and disconnecting anything that feels really hot will take you a long way down the road. It's a very fun road...

:) Gene

I see.

Well, that's good advice above to just charge and enjoy rc'ing :) Also, a good break down by DJ.

If you plan on assembling your own packs or putting them away for longer than two weeks, that will change. I wouldn't burden yourself with all that until the time actually comes. It's easy to get unnecessarily nervous about it all when you've got all these rules and tips floating through your mind and no clear place to file them.

If you get any new packs, between now and when you have the time to digest some serious information, that are not "matched" (and that's fine); you should charge them with the wall wart for the first three cycles. This helps "form" the cells and enables them to behave properly when charging with a peak charger.

The "forming" part is less important than with nicads, but the response at peak is much more important than with nicads.

For now, keeping your stuff clean and serviceable, and disconnecting anything that feels really hot will take you a long way down the road. It's a very fun road...

:) Gene

ok thx i was just about to ask if the speedo was supposed to get really hot or not? :confused::woohoo:

The speedo, motor and batteries may all get uncomfortable warm where you wouldn't want to hold them in your hands. Unfortunately, that's normal and considered part of their expected wear and tear.

If they're so hot you pull your fingers away, that's too hot. That's usually a sign of using motors with fewer turns that recommended by the speedo mfr and/or gearing too low a ratio (pinion larger than optimal.)

Also, batteries not meant for rapid discharge or of lesser quality will get dangerously hot during a full run.

Example, I've got some primo (for their day) pushed P-170's that simply shouldn't be used under a 15 turn motor and not for oval. One of these new 10 turn motors with reasonable gearing would just cook'em. A good sign that your batteries are too hot is when the punch is gone and they start to "cruise" (same speed no matter what is your throttle.)

*Remember, these pieces and parts are 15-20 degrees hotter on the inside than what you can feel on the outside or by the heatsinks.

Should you live in fear? No, just test these three items after each run until you get more experience. If you can't press your fingers to them for at least 3 seconds, you should probably change your gearing and/or driving style.

Help any? I'll try to un-confuse any part of the above if necessary :)

Gene

Yea helps a lot. The motor and speedo are stock. ( but i burnt out 1 motor so got a new one same one tho.) Also should i be afraid to take my car all apart? i am kinda new to this and i am kinda scared i will forget where it goes... ( lol lost the manual thingy) :thumbsup:

just go to associateds web site and youll have to do some searching but they have manuals for all there cars ive got them from there before you just have too look but how i did it was when i first began i just took it apart and i some how put it all back together and it worked now i can strip a xxxt or a xxxnt and a rc10gt with no problem and have them back together in about 1 and a half it just depends on how much you like to tinker with them

Well, the stock setup is workable in most situations. Maybe the gear mesh (separation between pinion and spur gear) was too close; too tight. Tall grass takes its toll, as well.

Don't let fear stop you from taking it all apart, it helps you learn. But taking it all apart in a hurry and leaving stuff scattered about to do something else will irritate and confuse you beyond hope.

You can use Dixie cups, yogurt cups, ziplocks, etc. to **label** and hold small parts. If something has to come-off/put-on first in a sequence, jot it down. You can even stick small parts in their assembly order to a strip of tape fastened to your table. Same with magnet tape. People get into trouble due to impatience.

Also, if you find you need a 2mm allen wrench for something; STOP and get a 2mm allen wrench. Don't use a 1/16" wrench levered to the side or a jewelers phillips. If that means waiting a day to buy or borrow one, do another part of your project. Really, using the wrong tool before you're able to make better judgment with more finesse will **ruin your day**!!

Same with worn and wollered screwdrivers. You might end up breaking the part or punching a hole in your hand because you have to hold them so tightly to keep the driver in the screw head. Replace them pronto!

Now, some things like e-clips and shock o-rings are handled beyond the laws of physics with karma, voodoo, sooth-saying and other forms of black magic!! Just take your time and practice. I probably went through 20 e-clips and 3 shock shafts before I could service them without scratching any of the surfaces. And I'm a very careful guy...

It's ok to get messy, you can clean up. It's ok to pop things apart, just do it in a box or trash bag. Two-gallon ziplocs are good because you can see through them. Don't worry about conserving supplies like lube, oil, paper towels, baggies, etc. They work out costing only pennies per application, much much less than whatever car/motor part you want to service or protect.

I once knew a guy who tried to use the same paper towel all summer to catch clutch springs when fiddling with the gears. He lost the springs because of a small tear in the paper towel. I suggested a $2 hanky or $3 tee-shirt, but no.... It was a Robbe buggy from Germany(?) and their clutch springs were "matched"' and super expensive. He paid at least 50% more than for a comparable gas buggy and then cheaped out on the Bounties. That's a very false economy.

Some guys want to get to where they can "do it blindfolded in 30 seconds", like the hero working on his machine gun in the movies, immediately without lots of practice. Ho, ho, ho!

I really have seen several people lose their sense of fun and either drop out or turn r/c'g into a macho battle-of-the-will against their cars due to these things. You can avoid that if you decide to.

It's documented that people who don't, or can't, sit back occasionally and ponder what they've done, will buy something very expensive because the really want it and then not spend any serious money for service or maintenance to ease their "guilt." It's an mental trap. By the time I had my second car, I had spent as much as the first car on new tools. My dad helped me figure that one out. So, put off a newer motor or speedo and get some good allen drivers (if you need them) and don't feel guilty about any of it.

Most mfr's have their user manuals in *.pdf form on their websites. You can print them out. If you don't have a computer, use one at school or the library. If you ask politely, they'll probably let you print one out.

Well, this is fun. I hardly see anybody around here, r/c-wise.

LMK what you think,
:) Gene

ps. sometimes parts just break for no known reason, don't get mad at yourself!

yes listen to happy gene ive tried to do stuff with the wrong tools and trut me its not the best site ive stabbed myself a couple of time before i learned to doit right the first time just take your time when taking stuff apart and youll be fine:thumbsup:

Hey Dave,

That's a pretty good time from stem to stern! Just hand tools, right?

:) Gene

not quite sure what your saying but ok:freak:

Well, 90 minutes for a clean rebuild of a chassis without an electric screwdriver or dremel is fairly efficient :)

yeah ive had those truck apart so many time it isnt even funny i used to work at a hobby store and thats what i did a lot