"Quick" change battery system

Originally Posted by Electric Dave

There is some confidence. Build it and I'll be you have major MFGs knocking on your door.

Personally I'm switching trucks next year from my dual pack truggy to a single pack truggy. So I'd want to see a system which can take a single 4s pack of about 5000Mah. Since most truggies and buggies use this type of power and almost all have similar layouts, designing one system may work (or with minor tweaks work) in almost all the standard conversions.

I beleive that is would have been the case a year or two ago,but the longer we wait for this system the more likely we will have a E-only class.
The design in question IS for single packs of same width/length but the height is open to what ever you choose for packs,be it 4s,5s,6s...or 3000mha up to the skies the limmit,or I should say the body.

Originally Posted by magman

Why could you just have a mandatory pit stop or 2 at say 15-20 min. intervals, repack your rides and the restart . If transponders are used, this could be done. It would also even the field on restarts and possibly make for more competitive racing.

this is not the way races are held,a pit stratagy is part of racing, and would only come into play in an enduro setting

Originally Posted by Electric Dave

Because that's just not how it's done. We are the minority at the track as a result we have to play by their rules for the time being and for 1/8th electric to really be viable we have to be able to race for 30 mins with a pit taking 10-20 seconds at most.

I agree! This is it ,do we forsee another season with the nitro's? As more mfg's come out with 1/8 E vehicles theres a better chance that we WILL have an E only class. Most I've seen use a two battery system, and I beleive it's because WHEN a sactioning body DOES set out rules, one will be hard cases only. At this time we only have 3s hard cases.
I think the swap would need to be down to not more than 10 seconds, even against the nitro's. currently here we have to " stop on the rail 5 seconds" for every stop the nitro's make. There is no exceptions for battery change...
EX: you only need to do one 10sec swap and two 5sec,in a 30 min main. this is not alowed
Our rules state 4stops@5sec= to the nitros 4@3 sec fuel stops.
I'm thinking this will be changed to 5 stops as bolth the E-guy's here finnished in the top 5 most of the time....so it's obvious that the 4@5sec stops are not fair

It is very confusing to me why we don't have a system like this in production all ready....I've seen some small mirricals made here on this fourm, this leads me to think that most of these convertions are sitting on shelfs,or out in the back yard playing on private tracks.

[magman]

Originally Posted by Electric Dave

Because that's just not how it's done. We are the minority at the track as a result we have to play by their rules for the time being and for 1/8th electric to really be viable we have to be able to race for 30 mins with a pit taking 10-20 seconds at most.

I understand that it is done this way, but, in not so near future this could be done. For now, the concern would be unplugging the batt. and something happening...not rebinding or something.

At the events I go to, RC-Monster Bash aside, there is so much Nitro Snobbery. Yes, Losi has their production electric and so does Caster and that is wonderful for the hobby but I don't see an E only 1/8th class for next year. At least not here in the North East. Even despite my trucks dominance in the truggy and MT classes at my local track this year, we have ZERO other electric truggies and maybe 3 other E-Revos. Maybe now that Castle has their stuff worked out (hopefully) the path to E-1/8th will be easier but I'm not exactly seeing people change over in droves.

FYI - Losi does have 4s hardcase LiPo's - http://www.losi.com/Products/Feature...rodId=LOSB9864 and that is great, we need more MFGs to make them as well. A standardization on size would be nice too.

[rootar]

the tracks i run at dont make me pit but once and thats for my battery swap in the long mains which takes me 25 seconds (this is equal to the 5 pitstops that the nitros make) so its as fair as it can be and i dont have anyone to change my batteries for me either, i have my gf THROW my car to me on the stand and i swap pack and as my putting the body back on she grabs it from my feet and throws it on the track as i stand up, works pretty good...... i also had a couple buttons sewn on the tips of my velcro straps to keep them from pullng back through the loop (MAJOR time saver) now if my body would come on and off faster id say i could do the stops in under 15 seconds flat.

Originally Posted by Electric Dave

At the events I go to, RC-Monster Bash aside, there is so much Nitro Snobbery. Yes, Losi has their production electric and so does Caster and that is wonderful for the hobby but I don't see an E only 1/8th class for next year. At least not here in the North East. Even despite my trucks dominance in the truggy and MT classes at my local track this year, we have ZERO other electric truggies and maybe 3 other E-Revos. Maybe now that Castle has their stuff worked out (hopefully) the path to E-1/8th will be easier but I'm not exactly seeing people change over in droves.

FYI - Losi does have 4s hardcase LiPo's - http://www.losi.com/Products/Feature...rodId=LOSB9864 and that is great, we need more MFGs to make them as well. A standardization on size would be nice too.

cool Í didn't see that pack.
I finished normaly in the top 5 all year.( if I didn't break) I took home first place honours for the seasons club pionts, and third over all in the R/C Pro series. I think I have converted two or three guy's over to Electric.

Originally Posted by rootar

the tracks i run at dont make me pit but once and thats for my battery swap in the long mains which takes me 25 seconds (this is equal to the 5 pitstops that the nitros make) so its as fair as it can be and i dont have anyone to change my batteries for me either, i have my gf THROW my car to me on the stand and i swap pack and as my putting the body back on she grabs it from my feet and throws it on the track as i stand up, works pretty good...... i also had a couple buttons sewn on the tips of my velcro straps to keep them from pullng back through the loop (MAJOR time saver) now if my body would come on and off faster id say i could do the stops in under 15 seconds flat.

25 sec swap that's very good. our members aren't too bad. theres a few who respect my decision to run Electric but most won't help much either.
Never thought of the button idea... That's a very good idea.
I did see a quick pin systen on another fourum I will try and find it and link it

The price is reasonable but I don't know you. Do you have any examples of your work? Prototypes? How do we know it will work?

If you think you can make one, I'd highly suggest making a few prototypes and trying to sell them as kits to other folks running the same chassis.

Me personally, I'm getting a Z01-T when it comes out, which I'm now being told has been delayed till Jan so I won't be looking for a solution for some time but for $75, not to have to loose to the nitro guys in a 20-30 min main would be well worth it for me.

[Tempted]

I'll build one as a prototype on my Losi XXT chassis. It has the same battery compartment and the very popular XXXT and most of the other truggies, STs and buggies use pretty much the same system.

I'm no engineer but I see this as removing part of the structure of the chassi...
right in the center where it takes most of the abuse.

[Tempted]

Originally Posted by CrazyCooydog

I'm no engineer but I see this as removing part of the structure of the chassi...
right in the center where it takes most of the abuse.

Actually it takes little to no abuse in the center(think of transmission holes on 4wd vehicles, they never fail at the tranny). Most all chassis failures are at the bulks where the front and rear of the vehicle attatch. But that won't matter in the design I'm using. It should be ready middle of next week. The chassis will remain just as rigid as factory and should have a lower COG if I build it right. I knocked all the hard stuff out tonight, all that is left is finding the proper hardware for the job.

I guess if you brace from the front and rear bulkheads to the Center diff mount it would be ok. but without this brace I would think that the chassi will bend right at the CD, where most of the weight is located. I say this cuse even in the stock nitro form they use chassi stiffening braces right neer the center of the chassi.
The E-maxx is a totaly different design and uses a chanel type chassi with the skidplate to chassi brace, to help stiffen the over all chassi.

Notice the brace behind the fule tank, and I think there is one under the radio tray too.
http://www.jamminproducts.com/CRimages/cr6lg.jpg

Originally Posted by CrazyCooydog

I guess if you brace from the front and rear bulkheads to the Center diff mount it would be ok. but without this brace I would think that the chassi will bend right at the CD, where most of the weight is located. I say this cuse even in the stock nitro form they use chassi stiffening braces right neer the center of the chassi.
The E-maxx is a totaly different design and uses a chanel type chassi with the skidplate to chassi brace, to help stiffen the over all chassi.

Notice the brace behind the fule tank, and I think there is one under the radio tray too.
http://www.jamminproducts.com/CRimages/cr6lg.jpg

Opps. I stand corrected,I didn't realize the Losi XXT has a channle typ chassi.
Yes I believe your idea is neer perfect for this aplication.

I was thinking of a truggy type flat chassi.