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Old 2017.10.21, 03:43 AM   #1
BitChar-G
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LSD (Low Self Discharge) Cells in Mini-Z?

Used to race MR-03 open class on track, found Peak 900 AAA cells to be stupid fast compared to the many other off the shelf consumer and RC enthusiast oriented cells.

Am now putting together a little MA-020VE Pro SP to bash around at home and on the go.

The idea of using high quality LSD cells (such as eneloop original 2100x) sounds very good for my application. That way I can just leave my sets charged and play with my Mini-Z whenever, without having to top up or maintain the cells in between large amounts of time.

But, I'd like to double duty this chassis on occasion, how well do LSD batteries perform on track? It'd be nice to not have to have extra sets just for racing, and then have to maintain them, etc.

I'm guessing LSD batteries don't have anywhere near the punch as a low internal resistance high discharge racing cells? Hope I'm wrong though...

I'm sure many have run Sanyo/Panasonic eneloops, please comment!
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Old 2017.10.21, 09:02 AM   #2
arch2b
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i ran eneloops exclusively for two years or so. i didn't maintain them to a high degree either. I have since changed over much less expensive cells that have proven, in my experience to have far more punch. the downside is the drain curve is vastly different as well. my LSD would be much more consistent over time where as the cheap cells really just dump on you. i can finish the last minute or two on LSD where as the cheap cells get me a couple laps when they dump.
as a result, my results are better with the cheaper cells with a caveat, must maintain cheaper cells to maintain peak performance. they are much less charge and forget as the LSD are. takes more effort, takes more time, must plan accordingly for duration with cheaper cells. LSD, you just charge, top off and can run today or next week.
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Old 2017.10.21, 01:23 PM   #3
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I've been using Eneloop, Amazon's house brand version of Eneloop, and some white label version of Eneloops (Bonai brand). If you told me these were all the same batteries, I would believe you. The Bonai are rated 1100mah, the Amazons are rated at 800mah, and the Eneloops say 750. When I run them on the break-in cycle, they all net out in the mid 800s, most around 840-860, which is why I think they're all the same cells.

The race nights I've been going to, sessions tend to be 8 minutes max. A set of 4 of any of them lasts easily that long. I have about 6-7 sets, bring them charged, use them for 8 minutes, let that used set rest for 15 min or so, then throw them in the charger at 1 amp. They're ready to go again in 20-30 min. I've decided to not worry too much about slow charging, battery memory or long-term health. Will just use these hard until they're done. Forgot to mention I top them off for a few minutes (that's all they will take, anyway) before putting them in the car

Like arch2b, I've had punchier batteries, but these are reasonable in cost, can be charged ahead of time, and I usually end up swapping them before I get to the end anyway. Also, I find the curve of these fairly even, which is better for my driving to not have "punchy battery" style, followed by "dying battery" stye. I can just drive one way, and the power trail-off is not sharp.
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Old 2017.10.22, 11:20 AM   #4
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I've been tried the Eneloop XXX and i enjoyed the power delivery in both stock and mod cars. My problem was that I wound up developing cells with "high voltage " errors on my charger meaning they developed high internal resistance. I believe it happened because I treated them like race cells with discharging/etc.

I use Turnigy lsd cells now for practice without any sort of race prep and keep a couple sets of higher quality sets for race heats.
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Old 2017.10.28, 09:54 AM   #5
BitChar-G
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Sorry for the delayed response, forgot to subscribe to my own thread!

So it seems my predictions about eneloops and LSD cells were correct. I was hoping I would be wrong as when I tested LSD cells in my Mini-Z there were GP Recykos.

The point about the power fall off curve with non LSD cells is interesting. I found this especially annoying when racing as my car would start to handle differently as power dropped throughout the race. However using LSD cells at the time wasn't an option as we needed all the power we could get to keep up with the competition. There was no brush-less back then.

I wonder if the new 12000Kv X-Speed is fast enough that one can run LSD cells in open class and still be competitive?

Still torn between going the LSD or HSD route. What kind of maintenance do HSD cells technically require? I've never bothered before, all my PEAK 900s are long dead.
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