Team Scream Racing Matched 900 Mah Min Z Cells

[JC@TSR]

Hi Everyone The ask Team Scream Racing Forum is up and running. I will do my best to answer every question in a timely manner and to the best of my knowledge.

[EMU]

Hey great cells. I ran them in my last race, and had great results. I am planning on getting a few more sets, and use these cells for all of my heats and mains.

How many cycles would you recommend running in a race night before the cells start to run flat?

What would the highest amperage charge that the cells could reliably take. I have been charging at 1A on my Maha charger, but cells off that charger dont seem to run as fast as cells charged at 1A on other chargers.

I have never charged in series, only with smart chargers (Duratrax 30 minute, Energizer 15 minute, and Maha MH-C9000). I have only used your cells in my Maha charger, since I want to make sure not to charge them at a high amperage. I know the Energizer is way too harsh on cells, and I usually only use that one to repeak cells before heats. I am also planning on getting a Lacrosse BC-900 to help maintain the cells (I run many classes, so I need lots of cells.

I usually only fully cycle the cells once a week. It would be nice if you could write a small tutorial about maintaining these cells properly for long term use and to keep them performing top notch.

I usually use cells for a point series, charge them harsh... then the next series I would get new cells. I am trying to avoid doing that with these cells, since they are matched and should last a bit longer than unmatched cells.

[JC@TSR]

I will have a full set of care tips for these cells up soon. I have been matching like a mad man so I can fill the preorders I have.

[JC@TSR]

Here is battery charging and care info I was going to post.

PERFORMANCE CHARGING

(1) Charge at 1.0 amp with a high end charger such as a GFX, LRP, Tekin Etc.
(Our testing shows that the Power X and Lacross style Chargers false peak cells.)
(2) Peak Detect setting is .30-.40 MV
(3) After Running your cells discharge them at 3.0 amps to .90 volts per cell.
(4) Equalize the cells just before you charge them for best performance.

CHARGE RATES TESTED

We have tested these cells at a 2.0 and 3.0 charge rate. I will do 4 and 5 today to see how they do. They handle the 2.0 and 3.0 very well, the only down side is the IR goes down and you loose some runtime. With 5 min races this should not be a problem.

STORAGE

I have left 8 cells sitting since I started matching the cells. The numbers were 1.25 and today they were 1.22 and 1.23 after 30 days of sitting. I would put a 5-15 min. charge in the cells if you plane on storing them over the summer. Just to be safe I would also check the voltage every 30-60 days in each cell. I do not see these cells self discharging from what I have found.

I will do my best to keep up with the questions. If for some reasone I do not answer a question fast enough please call me at the number below.

[JC@TSR]

Sorry about the speeling errors in the last post. Spelling Check does not work when you copy and paste it.

[Tjay]

Thank you for posting this up. Lots of good info! I do have some questions though.

On the Battery performance, what do you mean by equalizing them before charging it? Like discharge them to certain volt. like .90 then charge it? (sorry newbie here) FYI I have lacrosse and ICE charger.

For storaging the battery, I have 4 cars that I race everyday and have like 20 sets of batts. I don't get to use all of them so they end up sitting on my box for a week... is it better for the battery to sit fully charged or .90 discharge? Common sense tells me I have to have them charged since NiMH self discharge right?

Please advice. Thanks!

-TJ

[EMU]

Thanks for the info JC.

So the LaCrosse false peaks. Argh, I just ordered one a couple days ago. Or do they peak early, and run a top off cycle like other "smart" chargers.

[CristianTabush]

From my experience, they don't all false peak on the Lacrosse. You have to run a fan blowing on them constantly to make sure the temp. sensor does not shut off the charge. Batteries will only charge fully if they are kept cool while charging. I use both a Eagle CDC V.7 (same as ice, etc) and a Lacrosse to charge and I always get a full charge for both. You will always get a higher overall voltage peak if you charge your cells individually v. in series. You just have to monitor your batteries on the Lacrosse. Most batteries should peak in between 1.49-1.56/cell.

I know for a fact that the Maha does not have as high as a cutoff as the Lacrosse, leading to "false peaks". Which essentially means a lower delta peak.

I too have found like John, that the .40 cutoff is ideal. I used to have false peaks with my CDC before I started charging with the higher cut-off.

Remember that the Lacrosse and Maha are not Hobby grade chargers, they are meant to be used with electronics such as camera equipment where the demands for a "hot" peak is not as important.

So don't give up on the Lacrosse, just run a fan over it...

High amp (2-3A) charging will just lead to a shorter battery life and eventual leaking/ possible explosion. IT IS NOT SAFE TO DO THIS. The difference in power is negligible if any on the track, not only that, it is irresponsible to charge a battery at these rates. Don't mean to discredit John, I have not tested his cells, but I know AAA batteries at 900mah are not designed to handle these kind of charge currents. High charge rates will lead to leaking and possibly explosion. (hence the reason why 750mah intellects, which are really 550-600mah do this at 1A charge). Don't make Mini-Z dangerous for yourselves. The equivalent of charging a AAA 900mah battery at 3A is about 15A for a sub C 4800mah(1/10th scale batteries).

If you want a little more power, go to around 1.2 A/ charge...

[JC@TSR]

Sorry for the delay everyone, I really need someone to help me at that shop with things so I can do better with the forum.

A equalizing tray will take the cells down to .90 volts. This will allow the cells to perform at their best.

Storage should be just as I stated in my other post. These cells do not discharge very fast, so if they are going to sit for a short amount of time a 5-10 min charge should be a safe one.

[aphit89]

Should I break in these cells with Maha C9000? It is necessary or not? thanks

[EMU]

I would just cycle them 2 times. 1A charge/discharge. These cells are cycled to match them, so in a sence they are already broken in. I was hitting at least 850mah discharge on every cell on the first charge-discharge. The refresh/test cycle is great for new cells, and is not nearly as time consuming as the break in, which takes a day and a half.

If I am near my charger when cycling the cells, I will charge/discharge manually. The MHC9000 has a rest stage, when using the cycle or refresh function, it will rest for an hour between charging and discharging.

[Davey G]

These are the same cells that BILL CROTTY used to win several classes @ the RCX Race in California last month :D

[JC@TSR]

One or two cycles will be fine to get the cells at their best. You should be all set after that. Let me know how they work for you.

[aphit89]

I try to break in with Maha Charger MH C9000. I don't know this is false data or not but I found two of the cells goes to around 1200 mah. Is this a good news or not? thank you

[aphit89]

Yesterday I just try TSR matched and Orion 900HV matched R1Wurks.. I found Tsr is more punchy than orion.For the running time both of cells almost the same. This is my experience...How about you guys?

[Davey G]

Another win for TEAM SCREAM yesterday at the inaugural Trophy Race at NYRC in New York.

[EMU]

My TSR cells are old (got them when they first came out). I mainly use them for qualifying or modified mains.

I just wanted to note, that these cells seem to age very well. In comparison to my Orion 900's, these have barely lost their punch where my Orions feel slow (I got my Orions AFTER the TSR cells).

[Felix2010]

Some of my favorite cells right there...:cool:

[Rob D]

Awsome Batts!!

[pfcparts]

They do age very well. I think I'm still on my first 4 sets with about
6 more nip to go lol. :p

Great cells.


parts

[Felix2010]

Hi Guys,

I was one of the first to own a few sets of the Team Scream Matched 900 AAA Mini-Z cells when they were made available to the public. The matched TSR 900 AAA's came out right when a lot of new battery companies were bringing their cells into the Mini-Z game:
- Team Orion came out with their 900HV and then their 750 S.H.O. AAA cells;
- R1wurks came out with their 990UHO AAA's, then their own version of 750mAh Ultra-High-Performance AAA's;
- TRP now has a popular 900mAh High-Performance cell; MuchMore 900 and 777 AAA's;

And there's more of course, there were the O.G. race cells - Intellect 750's, Duracell 1000's... The list goes on.

I know from experience that the TSR Matched 900's were awesome cells. After a short period of time though, Team Scream AAA cells seemed to drop out of the spotlight. I haven't heard anything of them in the past 6 months, even the past year - At least.

After a couple of years, I recently checked the TSR website and the TSR matched 900 AAA cells are still listed for sale. AT $18/set, the TSR's are possibly the best bargain in matched cells for Mini-Z racing.

I would like to call-out Team Scream here. I am asking if they could re-introduce their cells, possibly re-introduce a new&improved, even-better matched TSR 900 AAA race cell? It seems companies like Team Orion, MuchMore and R1wurks are using technology to get the ultimate performance from their cells now. If Team Scream introduces a new-and-improved AAA race cell to market, I am in.:D

I hope John C. reads this post. Please bring back Team Scream to the Mini-Z scene!:D May the best battery win:D

Thank You in advance, Best Regards,
- L.L.MCCABE III
Felix2010@comcast.net

[briankstan]

I use the TSR batteries and sell the in my store. they are great batteries and I've been running them for year. they AAA batteries are still available and are great for punch and are very consistent thoughout an entire 8-10 minute race.

I run them in all my cars for the mains. All around they are great batteries. At least half of the guys in our club are running them. :D

[Davey G]

Hey Guys,

Team Scream is still up and running and still doing the mini z thing. The last batch of batteries were really good. Majs Hobby Shop sells them as well as a ton of other tracks. John had a personal issue which he will discuss on here later on which slowed him down a little bit. He has plans to come out with a new cell very soon.

[EMU]

I have been using the TSR 900 cells for at least a year now. I bought 10 sets, made 3 into packs for the MRCG, and still have 6 groups of 4 and 3 individual cells. Out of 10 sets of cells, one died in more than a year of harsh use. These cells still run strong, although they are not quite as fast as new cells due to their age. I need to get some new cells, but these cells have lasted longer than any other cell I have used.

Out of 3 Orion 900hv packs, 3 cells were bad out of the package. One LRP 850 was bad out of 2 packs. The R1-750 vented on their first few chargers, same with the Orion 750 SHO. I think that some cells may be faster than the TSR 900, but most dont have the consistancy. With these cells, I know that I am getting cells that will perform very well, and dont have to overbuy to have spare cells in case there is a dead cell out of the package like I would with unmatched cells.

[lfisminiz]

I know i had my first 4 sets a long time. Cant wait for the "new" type.

[johntrickle]

No Joke!!!...these batteries have extreme punch for 5 min. qualifiers and 10 minute mains.

Purchased these batteries 1 week before the 2010 KO Propo Mini-Z Race at Inside Line Racing. Cycled 6x's and the batteries were Race Ready. Placed third in the Sportsman A-Main(biggest field)...I am not the most consistent racer out there, but the power made up for the Big bobbles that I made.

Can't wait for the new cells to come out.

Z 408 posted the videos under "Events" and click on the KO Propo Mini Z race thread.

[JC@TSR]

Hi everyone I had to move this here so I copied it from the other Thread.


Hey Everyone I am very sorry for not keeping up on this Thread, I has been very rough for me in the past 3 months. I had a large fire in my shop taking most of my RC Stuff! I am very lucky that it did not get all of my stock area. I was a fire man for 30 min not letting the beast take my home! A police man saw the black smoke poring out of the back of my house and called the Fire Department. He came in the back door and asked if anyone was in there, I said yes I am here. He told me to get out, but I said not until the fire is out. After I got it out the fire department had just showed up and they told me if I had taken the time to call them before I did what I did, my house would be gone. They sent in a private fire inspector to see what the cause of the fire was. It turned out to be a power supply that shorted out and set the plastic on fire which then went to the shelves, batteries, cleaners, parts and everything else after that. I had always left on the power supplies and would hook my chargers to that when I needed to use them. Never had a problem in 12 years with that power supply. The main thing is my home was saved and my family if fine. I am very lucky to have what what little is left, only problem is the amount of RC stuff I lost will be a huge problem to get back. I have already been told by my insurance company that I will only get a fraction the cost back for my rc stuff that was lost. I have already started to rebuild and I hope to have the shop better than ever by the end of the month. It has been a long up hill battle, but I think I will be fine as time goes on.

On the other hand, we are coming out with a new cell that I tested before the fire and it was very good. I hope to have these cells also by the end of this month or mid May. I plan on trying to make the PN Regional in July so I can meet some of my customers face to face. I really want to keep things growing in this area and plan on keeping up with things better than I have in the past. I want to thank everyone for buying my product and standing behind it. I only want you to have the best.

Today 4-27-2010

The shop is 80% done and should be 100% done by next weekend.

The new batch of cells will be here mid May with all new Shrink as well.

[wcrotty]

Hey John,

Glad to hear you, family and your house are doing fine. Sucks that you have to start all over again. I'm sure once you are up and running again you will have some kick ass cells.

Bill

[EMU]

Glad to hear that your family is ok. That is the important part.

I am definitely going to re-stock when the new cells are done :) Im still running my old Team Scream cells, and their still working well.

[lfisminiz]

John, same here. Davey told me what happened to you awhile back. Glad to hear things are comming along. Looking forward to trying the new cells.:)

[Davey G]

I should have the new stuff in my posession this week. The new batteries have a grey shrink on it so you can distinguish your old cells from the new. This is a new cell not just a new batch. Stay tuned....

[themelis factor]

I should have the new stuff in my posession this week. The new batteries have a grey shrink on it so you can distinguish your old cells from the new. This is a new cell not just a new batch. Stay tuned....
how would i go about trying to hook up with teamscream.please send me any info if possible

[Davey G]

how would i go about trying to hook up with teamscream.please send me any info if possible

There is this thing called Google that is used on the world wide web. You can do a search on there.

Or I can just give you the short NON wise A$$ answer..... :D

http://www.teamscreamracing.com/

[themelis factor]

There is this thing called Google that is used on the world wide web. You can do a search on there.

Or I can just give you the short NON wise A$$ answer..... :D

http://www.teamscreamracing.com/

its a shame the website isnt working too bad thanx anyway

[Felix2010]

I should have the new stuff in my posession this week. The new batteries have a grey shrink on it so you can distinguish your old cells from the new. This is a new cell not just a new batch. Stay tuned....

Hi Dave, the new cells you have, are they demo cells or are they ready for market? I checked the TSR site and I only see the older "blue" TSR matched 900 AAA cells. If they aren't available yet is there a tentative release date?
Thanks:)

[JuniorWKR]

Went to the capital challenge this week and it was a blast... Team Scream 900 matched cells provided all the power I could handle this weekend...

charged batteries fully diring week... night before i discharged at 3 amps to 0.8... morning of race i charged batteries at 1 amp on powerx 8 cell charger... mins before race peaked battteries at 3 amps cutoff set at .5... all batteries discharged, charged and peaked individually...

1st place Hatchback open
3rd place stock handout 70t
4th place GT Mod open
set second fastest hotlap of the day...

http://mini-zracer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=31347&stc=1&d=1298841502

[Davey G]

Team Scream wins again this past weekend at the 2nd Annual East Coast Districts race hosted by Majs Hobby Shop. Hotlap, Tq and win....

I ran the Grey 900mah cells in the 50Turn spec class. These cells are NOT meant for stock racing. There are no secrets here. These cells are meant for high amp draw motors. My opinion is that these are the fastest cells on the market for mod racing. Some people like "flat" running batteries for mod, if you want the most punch and speed these are your batteries. It seems as if they can with-stand the high amp draw that mod motors produce better then the high voltage competitors. Just because the volltage is high doesnt mean they will be fast when applying hot motors to it. If you want your mod motors even faster try these out, you wont be dissappointed.

Please watch from the 7 minute mark on. Had some traffic issues at the beginning but look at the straightaway speed even at the end compared to everyone else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT9u-HsgQM4&list=PL11518A333BF3BBBB&feature=mh_lolz