Vorteks LVC cut in after 6 mins

[vortekyteky]

I remember now, can’t adjust the lvc but can update the firmware, which fixes the lvc issue. Need the spectrum card though. There’s a good post about it somewhere on the forum…

Ive updated to the latest version and it didn't fix it. I also put punch down to level 3 and it consistently kept cutting out at 3.66v, im pretty sure its no problem with the battery because after it cut out at 3.66v I turned it off and on then drove the car around at about 10% throttle and it cut out in about 20s

What im going to do is run it in nimh mode with a lipo alarm while I see if I can get a warranty replacement.

3.5v lvc is still pretty high for the new ones aswell

 

[RedOctobyr]

The LiPo alarm will also connect right to the balance lead, bypassing any possible high-resistance electrical connections.

Though it will actually read each cell directly, rather than just the total, so it will be more sensitive to a single bad/weak cell.

I have been running a LiPo alarm on my truck, as insurance if I do not notice the first level of the Traxxas ESC LVC. But I kind of wish the alarm would self-reset after a few seconds or something, since I need to have it set fairly low, so that it doesn't just cause nuisance alarms (which require driving over to me, taking the body off, and pressing the button to reset it).

 

[vortekyteky]

I'd swear Zeee 5200s are more like 4000mAh packs based on how they run and last in the car. They have to be that cheap for a reason....

Mine lasted 20mins of HARD running, charger put 5300mah back into it

Cell voltages: attachment

 

[jkflow]

@vortekyteky give us some context please.
The cell IR is absolutely horrendous and unusable for a 6S rig, double the value compared to the single value also shows that you over stressed these to the turn of near death, or they are just horribly matched from the factory. Both are bad.
Good ones would be in the 3mOhm range all across. Might be ok for smaller cars.

If you added 5300mAh to a 5200mAh battery, your entire setup is lying to you. Physically impossible without starting a fire.
At best, you can get/refill 80-90% of listed capacity. Anything above, and you already permanently damaged your lipo. More than 100% will go into the air or your charger is set to NiCad or similar, and you are just minutes away from having a fire.

 

[RedOctobyr]

Mine lasted 20mins of HARD running, charger put 5300mah back into it

Cell voltages: attachment

View attachment 277313

What were the cell voltages (not internal resistances, the mOhms in your image) when you started charging it? Just trying to understand how low your ran the pack, before putting back in more than the rated capacity. If it was at 3.7V/cell, maybe they were conservative, and they're really 6000mAh cells, or whatever, not 5200. But if they were at 3.1V/cell, then it was run far too-long, and too-low.

 

[vortekyteky]

@vortekyteky give us some context please.
The cell IR is absolutely horrendous and unusable for a 6S rig, double the value compared to the single value also shows that you over stressed these to the turn of near death, or they are just horribly matched from the factory. Both are bad.
Good ones would be in the 3mOhm range all across. Might be ok for smaller cars.

If you added 5300mAh to a 5200mAh battery, your entire setup is lying to you. Physically impossible without starting a fire.
At best, you can get/refill 80-90% of listed capacity. Anything above, and you already permanently damaged your lipo. More than 100% will go into the air or your charger is set to NiCad or similar, and you are just minutes away from having a fire.

First the cells were pretty rubbish from factory, the other battery ranges from 2mOhm to 8, I am using this is a 3s vehicle.

Not sure about the charger issue... I am using a high quality charger, Thanks for the input

What were the cell voltages (not internal resistances, the mOhms in your image) when you started charging it? Just trying to understand how low your ran the pack, before putting back in more than the rated capacity. If it was at 3.7V/cell, maybe they were conservative, and they're really 6000mAh cells, or whatever, not 5200. But if they were at 3.1V/cell, then it was run far too-long, and too-low.

oops sorry meant IR not voltages, they were too low for my liking, below 3.3-4v which is where I usually stop. Can't really remember.

I think im just going to buy 1 proper 3s battery from my hobby shop, hopefully that fixes the lvc issue and if not try to warranty it or use a lipo alarm

Thanks everyone

Do you think it is safe to use my cheepo batteries?

 

[RedOctobyr]

3.3-3.4V measured with no-load? That's beyond what I would consider a "battery-friendly" discharge level, personally. I prefer to stop with them at 3.7V, though I tend to err on the side of caution (wanting my batteries to last a long time). But 3.6V (no-load) is a suggested threshold that I've heard.

I think it's safe to use your batteries, though maybe they need to be driven a little more gently. Less time on full-throttle, etc, as the high-resistance cells may sag more, and start to puff, if they're over-worked. Or you could go to a smaller pinion, which would draw less amps, and go easier on the batteries.

The LiPo alarm that I've mounted is definitely not a perfect solution. But it's at least nice to be able to drive over, peek at it (I have to remove the body), and then decide how long to keep going. Much more practical than plugging in a checker each time. And preferable to discovering that oops, I ran way too-long, and discharged the packs way too-low.

 

[vortekyteky]

3.3-3.4V measured with no-load? That's beyond what I would consider a "battery-friendly" discharge level, personally. I prefer to stop with them at 3.7V, though I tend to err on the side of caution (wanting my batteries to last a long time). But 3.6V (no-load) is a suggested threshold that I've heard.

I think it's safe to use your batteries, though maybe they need to be driven a little more gently. Less time on full-throttle, etc, as the high-resistance cells may sag more, and start to puff, if they're over-worked. Or you could go to a smaller pinion, which would draw less amps, and go easier on the batteries.

The LiPo alarm that I've mounted is definitely not a perfect solution. But it's at least nice to be able to drive over, peek at it (I have to remove the body), and then decide how long to keep going. Much more practical than plugging in a checker each time. And preferable to discovering that oops, I ran way too-long, and discharged the packs way too-low.

Ok thanks, ill stop running at 3.65v, and keep it easy.