Granite 3s Line Updated on Arrma-RC.com

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If you use a spektrum smart battery is there any data moving to the ESC and is there potential to send live battery data to the radio? That would be pretty cool. How much time left, temperature, maybe even a warning if the thing was about to blow?
There is nothing connected from the ESC to the "Smart" lead on these 3s cars. It's literally an orange EC5 lol.
 
There is nothing connected from the ESC to the "Smart" lead on these 3s cars. It's literally an orange EC5 lol.
The orange connector is an IC5, the blue is the EC5. The IC5 has a third connector in the middle for a data connection. The EC5 does not have this third slot.
 
The orange connector is an IC5, the blue is the EC5. The IC5 has a third connector in the middle for a data connection. The EC5 does not have this third slot.
I think he was saying that currently, because the esc in the 3s line has no function for the third connector, it’s effectively an orange ec5.
 
That's the balance port for the new spektrum batteries

I don't think it is a balance port, for a couple reasons. First, the new Spektrum batteries still have a traditional balance plug, as does the new charger. Second, and more importantly, There is only one 'pin' in the center of the connector so it pretty much has to be some sort of data line. The balance plug allows sending power to each battery cell individually. If you tried to do that with a circuit board (which you could do) you would need a MOSFET for each battery cell, or some sort of special IC to route power to each cell internally. Doing it that way wouldn't result in any better performance or results when charging the battery, it would just cost more to make. Especially since they still include the balance plug so the batteries will work with existing chargers, and they have to include the balance port on their new chargers so that they can charge non-Spektrum batteries. There is just no reason to add an extra circuit board inside the battery package just so you don't have to plug in the balance plug.

It's hard to tell exactly what they are doing with the new IC5 plug, but I am 99% certain that the center pin is just some sort of serial data line. From reading through all the marketing-speak, I'm guessing they basically made a tiny data logger and stuck it in the battery, and MAYBE they embedded a temperature sensor in the pack. I don't know exactly what data is being sent around, but it doesn't look like the new 3S trucks have anything wired up from the ESC to that center pin. So, whatever magic they might be able to do by having the battery 'talk' to the ESC isn't going to happen on these 3S trucks. It's true that the IC5 is not LITERALLY the same as the EC5, but in the case of the 3S ESC's it is functionally identical because the extra pin isn't used. Make sense?
 
Watch the video on here. https://www.horizonhobby.com/148v-5000mah-4s-100c-smart-lipo-hardcase--ic5-p-spmx50004s100h5. Around 40 seconds they plug in just the main connector of the battery and the charger asks to proceed without balancing. So the middle pin is not the for balancing. Rather it links to a chip within the battery that stores a lot of information such as how many charge cycles it has gone through, how many times it has been over discharged, over charged, over temped and other things. You can also store your charge information into it like the maximum MAH and charge rate so that you don't have to set it everytime. You can also set the battery to auto storage charge after a set amount of time and I don't believe that it needs a charger to do it which is pretty cool. I'm kind of interested to see if these take off and if they do, I may have to invest in the connectors, batteries and chargers.

Also found this on that link. So in the future they could use that pin for the esc to sense individual cell voltages, but nothing does currently as far as I know.
Spektrum Smart LiPo Batteries Store Unique Data, Such As:
  • Battery Brand
  • Battery Type
  • Battery Capacity
  • Battery C Rating
  • Individual Cell Voltage
  • Battery Temperature
  • Charge/Discharge Cycles

Edit: I agree with @sadlerbw that even if the smart batteries and chargers didn't need a balance port, I could still see the point of having them on there so that they can be charged from non-smart chargers if needed and so that the smart charger could still charge non-smart batteries if needed.
 
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Watch the video on here. https://www.horizonhobby.com/148v-5000mah-4s-100c-smart-lipo-hardcase--ic5-p-spmx50004s100h5. Around 40 seconds they plug in just the main connector of the battery and the charger asks to proceed without balancing. So the middle pin is not the for balancing. Rather it links to a chip within the battery that stores a lot of information such as how many charge cycles it has gone through, how many times it has been over discharged, over charged, over temped and other things. You can also store your charge information into it like the maximum MAH and charge rate so that you don't have to set it everytime. You can also set the battery to auto storage charge after a set amount of time and I don't believe that it needs a charger to do it which is pretty cool. I'm kind of interested to see if these take off and if they do, I may have to invest in the connectors, batteries and chargers.

Also found this on that link. So in the future they could use that pin for the esc to sense individual cell voltages, but nothing does currently as far as I know.
Spektrum Smart LiPo Batteries Store Unique Data, Such As:
  • Battery Brand
  • Battery Type
  • Battery Capacity
  • Battery C Rating
  • Individual Cell Voltage
  • Battery Temperature
  • Charge/Discharge Cycles
Edit: I agree with @sadlerbw that even if the smart batteries and chargers didn't need a balance port, I could still see the point of having them on there so that they can be charged from non-smart chargers if needed and so that the smart charger could still charge non-smart batteries if needed.

I believe this is correct. They use a PWM signal on the third pin using the battery negative as the common for both the charging as well as comms. That data signal could transmit all types of data.
 
Anyone have a protocol analyzer they wanna stick on one of these things? Probably SPI, I2C, or some other very simple serial protocol. I'd be surprised if any of the data being sent across the connection is encrypted or compressed, so once you figured out the serial protocol, you could probably see the raw data getting sent around. I'm kinda curious for someone to crack one of these batteries open and see what is inside!
 
Honestly, I’ve been using the STX2 radio with my Kraton 4s and it’s been fine. I really don’t see the hate for this radio when it comes with a RTR.

They aren’t going to give you a 200 dollar radio with a RTR, I think all of the people that have been complaining have their expectations set too high. I might be new to this forum, but I’ve been in the rc hobby since I was 11 with the classic Tamiya Hornet.

Unless there’s something else about the STX2 radios that I’ve missed, it’s a solid radio system, which sells for 30-40 bucks. I have a DX2E and, in my opinion, the STX2 is a better radio. I’ve had problems with the DX2E and AVC, and while the STX2 does have AVC, it’s non adjustable and only does 50% what an adjustable AVC radio system can do.

I thoroughly enjoy my STX2 radio system in my Kraton 4x4, which I just fixed btw, because I bent the motor plate XD
I was gonna let this go but.......And I've been in this hobby in some form since probably before you were born??and while I have had no issues with the radio, I know how cheap stuff feels and this radio FEELS cheap.?
I have 2 of the Hobbyking version. Nice radio. Be sure to set the menu option #20 - fail safe. From the factory, they come set to all channels 100%. That makes it exciting when you accidentally shut the radio off before the truck... lol.
Thanks for that tip.??
I run flysky gt3c..nice radio we can't expect companies to sell an rtr for cheap with expensive radios and when it comes to radios people are always picky about what they like
All I'm saying is that the radio feels cheap. The wheel and trigger are not up to par even for a cheap radio. The radios that came with our 2 new RedCats feel 100% better than the new Spectrums.
 
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