Typhon Running ESC in NIMH mode using 3S Lipo

[zeu569]

Hi Guys,

Since buying my Granite 3S (a week ago) my obsessiveness kicked in and bought a Typhon 3S. I've noticed that both hit LVC at 3.8v which seems to be common with the BLX100 cars.

I've been told by my local hobby shop owner that 3.8v is quite high and missing out on potentially another 30-50% of run time as it should be hitting LVC at approx 3.4v.

He suggested maybe run it in NIMH mode as that doesn't have LVC, and just buy a LIPO Voltage Alarm I can plug into the balance plug while running the car then manually set it to set off an alarm when i hit the desired voltage.

What do you guys think? And will this cause any harm to the electronics running it in NIMH mode while using LIPO?

 

[rflx]

If your charger reads 3.8v back home, the actual voltage under load during the run might have been significantly lower.
Does your charger tell you how much mAh it puts into the battery during charging? That might tell you how much of the capacity you are actually using.

 

[zeu569]

If your charger reads 3.8v back home, the actual voltage under load during the run might have been significantly lower.
Does your charger tell you how much mAh it puts into the battery during charging? That might tell you how much of the capacity you are actually using.

Yes when i run a voltage check from my charger at home it read 3.8v hence I assume that's where the LVC is hitting. I understand there is the "sag" people talk about but .4 volts difference is high for relatively new batteries (1 week old). Its the Gen Ace brand https://hobbiesdirect.com.au/electronics/batteries/gens-ace-batteries/

I'll have to check next time i charge them up how much mah the charger puts in.

 

[rflx]

ll have to check next time i charge them up how much mah the charger puts in.

Alright, make a note of LVC to storage and storage to 4.2v mAh.
My BLX100 cuts out close to 3.8v and i get about 75% of the nominal mAh out of my Lipos. If we assume it's only safe to use about 80% of the capacity anyways, than the LVC is fine with me.

 

[zeu569]

Thanks for the tips, i'll do that.

Back to my original question though, will running it in NIMH mode screw with the electronics?

 

[suchtragedy]

Thanks for the tips, i'll do that.

Back to my original question though, will running it in NIMH mode screw with the electronics?

It will be fine, just don't drop too low on your lipo voltage or it can damage your lipo. 3.4 to 3.6 is where I'd set the alarm to. Fyi late last year/earlier this year the blx100s were all having this issue with premature lvc on 3s mostly and has since been fixed with a firmware change apparently. So if your blx100 esc is still under warranty from horizon hobby you could try to get it replaced by them with a new one that hopefully has the latest firmware.

 

[rflx]

Thanks for the tips, i'll do that.

Back to my original question though, will running it in NIMH mode screw with the electronics?

It won't be an issue if you use the alarm. I just wanted to make sure you don't go that route for something like 30seconds of extra runtime. What kind of LiPos are you using, and how are your run times looking?

Since your cars are quite new, it's also possible that they don't support NIMH mode. It seems Arrma cut that from the more recent ESCs. Probably depends on how long the rigs have been sitting before being sold.

 

[suchtragedy]

Since your cars are quite new, it's also possible that they don't support NIMH mode. It seems Arrma cut that from the more recent ESCs. Probably depends on how long the rigs have been sitting before being sold.

I have the blx100, 120, and 185 and only the blx100 has the option to switch to NiMH mode, the rest don't have that option. Not sure if they removed that from the latest blx100s though.

 

[zeu569]

It will be fine, just don't drop too low on your lipo voltage or it can damage your lipo. 3.4 to 3.6 is where I'd set the alarm to. Fyi late last year/earlier this year the blx100s were all having this issue with premature lvc on 3s mostly and has since been fixed with a firmware change apparently. So if your blx100 esc is still under warranty from horizon hobby you could try to get it replaced by them with a new one that hopefully has the latest firmware.

Thanks that's where i planned to set them to anyways. The cars/BLX100 ESC is only max 1 week old. However me being in AUS, will Horizon Hobby honor the warranty or will i need to take it back to the shop i bought it from?

It won't be an issue if you use the alarm. I just wanted to make sure you don't go that route for something like 30seconds of extra runtime. What kind of LiPos are you using, and how are your run times looking?

Since your cars are quite new, it's also possible that they don't support NIMH mode. It seems Arrma cut that from the more recent ESCs. Probably depends on how long the rigs have been sitting before being sold.

According to the manual for both Granite and Typhon, the ESC programming page shows i can switch between LIPO and NIMH so i assume NIHM is still supported.

The LIPOs I'm using are gensacearespammers 5000mah 3s 50C and Turnigy 5000mah 3s 65C-130C batteries. I get about 15-20mins run time. Both batteries are new.

 

[Arrmature]

It will be fine, just don't drop too low on your lipo voltage or it can damage your lipo. 3.4 to 3.6 is where I'd set the alarm to. Fyi late last year/earlier this year the blx100s were all having this issue with premature lvc on 3s mostly and has since been fixed with a firmware change apparently. So if your blx100 esc is still under warranty from horizon hobby you could try to get it replaced by them with a new one that hopefully has the latest firmware.

I believe my BLX100 has the latest firware. LVC is now 6.15V, so roughly 3.08V per cell. Horizon tells me it should be 3.2 V per cell and that my batteries are the problem, not the ESC.

 

[zeu569]

I believe my BLX100 has the latest firware. LVC is now 6.15V, so roughly 3.08V per cell. Horizon tells me it should be 3.2 V per cell and that my batteries are the problem, not the ESC.

How much run time do you get?>

 

[Arrmature]

How much run time do you get?>

I'm not really sure - I don't keep track. The time difference between 6.8V and 6.15V wouldn't be that much I suspect. Lipo voltages drop pretty quickly as they run out. I'd like the cutoff to be higher for sure.

 

[zeu569]

Hmmm today i did a speed run just to see where it will cut off so that i can recharge and see how much mah the charger puts back in.

Plugging it in to check the battery the volts were approx in the 4v mark. way above what it should be. I wondered why it went slow only after 7mins and then cut out altogether after a few minutes of running it in slow mode.

Could it be that i've just been on full throttle the whole time? I'm yet to check the other battery which was also approx 7mins run time. Is the thermal cut-off give the same symptoms as LVC?

 

[zeu569]

Charging finished and it only topped up 1206mah. So looks like the battery was not used all that much.

I've started charging the second battery and that was on 3.85v - it looks like something is definitely stopping it way too early.

 

[Concordeacr]

I don't know how many threads I read with that problem. It happen to me. Since I am not running in 2S anymore I upgrade to blx 185.