What spare battery should I be looking at?

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rogueone
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What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by rogueone »

HI folks,

Sorry if this is old news but just wondering how I can get a spare battery for my heng long tiger 1. It came with a 7.2v li Ion and that seems alright but from a search I'm not finding any links to adding extra's. I'm not the cleverest these days but am I missing something? If I can't get a replacement, can I use like a Ni Mh at same volts? I think I can source them but any guidance is good....I'm in Australia so if you've a supplier of back up batteries I'd love to hear! Thanks heaps!
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jarndice
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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by jarndice »

Hi, If you go to -----
http://www.ozarmour.com.au/store/electr ... aigen.html
just scroll down and take your pick,
This is an Australian based dealer the hint is in the OZ Armour :haha:
I think I am about to upset someone :haha:
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General Jumbo01
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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by General Jumbo01 »

Just go to eBay and search Nihm cell packs, 7.2v 6 cell with the sort of connector you want (you probably have a Tamiya plug) and then go for the highest mah figure you can afford. Nihms are cheaper than Lipo/lion packs, very safe and stable etc. Tanks draw very low amps so you don't need a high c rating either. You will though need an appropriate charger - multi cell type variable charge rate 'fast chargers' are now very low cost so if you don't have one, now would be a good time to get one. If you don't like eBay, try a good RC hobby shop. The battery you need is not a tank special type, most RC cars use the same size.

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rogueone
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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by rogueone »

Thanks for the link and information! Much appreciated!
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Max-U52
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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by Max-U52 »

General Jumbo01 wrote: Nihms are cheaper than Lipo/lion packs, very safe and stable etc.
Really? That has not been my experience at all. I can get a 5000 mah lipo for about $12 USD, where a 5000 mah nimh will run at least $50 USD. That's more than 4 times the price. Lipos are about the cheapest batteries you can get right now, and they're also much, much smaller than a nihm with similar mah ratings.
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jarndice
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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by jarndice »

I am with Gary, If you have a Panzer 111/4 or a Sherman you either have a NiMh and leave something out or you put a LiPo in and have space for everything.
Just don't leave the LiPo in the tank when you have finished driving it. :thumbdown:
I have a Panzer 4 with an ASP2, a Turnigy receiver, a Tarr Smoker and a Visiton speaker, there is just enough space for a LiPo,
I have another Panzer 4 with a Taigen V2 Control board a Taigen sound module, a Turnigy receiver, a Tarr smoker and Taigens uprated speaker,
There is just enough room for a LiPo,
In neither tank will a NiMh Fit.
I think I am about to upset someone :haha:
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General Jumbo01
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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by General Jumbo01 »

My response took consideration of the nature of the question which seemed to be coming from someone fairly new to RC. I therefore considered that a hard case pack of the same size and shape as the Lipo originally supplied would be better. I also considered that, initially at least, a Nihm would be a safer route (although I've seen all types explode and its not a nice scene - use a charging sleeve!).

I doubt that there is a space problem in his HL battery compartment. The model provably came with a 1800 or 2000 Lipo. A good quality 3600 Nimh is around £15 and will power a stock HL for ages between charges and sit in that compartment without fire risk!

Yes, you can get cheap(ish) lipos of high capacity - l've helped in the development of of some of the 6800 hard case type for a race car sponsor, but they are not optimised for low draw tanks.

For my race boats I'm looking for light, small, high C rated packs that will discharge in no time and cheaper, soft case packs that swell after two cycles and get binned are fine. I was suggesting fitness for propose! :)

Yes, really!

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wibblywobbly
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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by wibblywobbly »

One thing I have learned recently is that a 4200mah Nimh will power a heavy tank for longer than I will need to run it. I have used them for almost ten years and some of them are over 5 years old.

An RC crawler truck will drain that same battery in about 30 minutes.

I have had to buy a few 3S and 2S 3000mah Lipo's, and a quality charger just to run the trucks.

In case the OP isn't aware, all the tanks run on 7.2v. The mah rating tells you how long the battery will last. The bigger the number the longer it will keep powering the tank. A low quality 1500mah Nimh will last about 15 mins. A high quality 5000mah Nimh will last maybe a couple of hours.

They are 8.4v fully charged, however this drops rapidly to 7.2v. The quality ones will stay around 7v and then go flat. The cheap ones continuously drop power when being used.

Most tank boards have a voltage cut off at 6v. Hence, you are recharging from 6v to 8.4v, rather than 0v to 8.4v.

A peak detect Nimh charger will charge to 8.4v and then drop to a trickle charge so that the battery is not overcharged. The cheap ones do not have this, and if left unattended can damage the battery.

Beware of Ebay sellers offering Nimh batteries that claim high mah values and cost very little. They are usually around 2000mah and without a lot of effort it is well nigh impossible to prove what the mah of an Nimh battery really is.
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General Jumbo01
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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by General Jumbo01 »

Wise words WW. I tend now to use Overlander 3300 mah packs at under £15 delivered from Jadlam on eBay. By cycling a clue of times your charger will tell you exactly how many mah are discharged and likewise what then goes in. These regularly provide well over the 3300 claimed. Like yourself, I've found that good nimh's give you years of reliable use, something I've never had from lipos.

They serve a purpose in life and for high C rate uses I'd use a Lipo but......well, if Boeing had to ground their dreamliner for months because of unsafe lipos l think I'll continue to put Nimhs in my tanks! :)

For racing though, Lipos and duck when they swell and go pop!

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Re: What spare battery should I be looking at?

Post by rogueone »

Thanks for the updated info peeps. I'm a bit reluctant on those Li po's as I'm new to the game. I take out the battery and do what they recommend but I guess I'll stick to nimh.

Can source some cheap enough and should do the trick! Have a spare day tomorrow so up for a bit of driving! Again. Thankyou all for your responses!
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