Battery question

[Miles]

Does anybody know the difference between running two of Traxxas's NIMH batteries for double the speed vs putting one lipo in? I'm asking because Traxxas says that you shouldn't run two of the stock batteries for the 1/16th Erevo but that you can spend $150 on one of their lipos and a charger. Has anybody tried it or know what the difference is?

 

[tntpoof]

were does it say double the speed with 2 nimh?. a lipo is less voltage to start with so gearing change is necessary to achieve same speed. what you will need is a traxxas id plug for new lipo and a charger.

 

[Miles]

were does it say double the speed with 2 nimh?. a lipo is less voltage to start with so gearing change is necessary to achieve same speed. what you will need is a traxxas id plug for new lipo and a charger.

you can buy a part for the Erevo vxl but they say it is not meant for any other car. but maybe two NiMH batteries would have too many volts for the brushed motor.

 

[Greywolf74]

I replied to your PM but I will repost the answer here for anyone else that has the same question.

I'm assuming you are referring to the brushed version of the MERV? If thats the case then the max voltage that rig can handle is 8.4V according to Traxxas. That would be the equivalent of a 2S LiPo or close to a 6 cell NiMH pack. So if you were to run two 6 cell NiMH packs in series in order to get more speed you would be putting upwards of 15.5V in to a system that can only handle 8.4V. You'd burn up the motor and/or ESC very quickly doing that.

Since you're limited to 1 battery pack in the brushed MERV then Id recommend running LiPo since they will perform better and have longer run times. I also would not buy LiPos or battery chargers because then you are locked in to their overpriced, under performing, and proprietary battery/charging systems.

 

[cshade07]

The Erevo vxl is a brushless motor. With that adapotr you can run 2 of the NiMH to get the 50+... On a single battery you can get 30+....

 

[Greywolf74]

The Erevo vxl is a brushless motor. With that adapotr you can run 2 of the NiMH to get the 50+... On a single battery you can get 30+....

Hes asking about using the VXL series adapter on the brushed version.

 

[Donnie533]

Not sure about the brushed version - I have the VXL MERV. The Traxxas manual mentions the use of the parallel adaptor and the series adaptor, along with gearing changes that must be be done for either configuration (smaller pinion for series).

I would suggest downloading the manual from Traxxas website - it is more detailed than the one that comes with the truck and should answer your query.

 

[Oliver Moore]

Running two NIMH batteries in parallel will increase the overall voltage and run time of your RC vehicle, but it will not necessarily give you double the speed. The maximum speed of your vehicle is determined by a number of factors, including the motor, gearing, and overall weight of the vehicle.

On the other hand, a single lipo battery can provide higher voltage and current, which can result in a faster and more powerful performance