19 replies to this topic

[FoamsFired]

There are so many trust fires out there, which ones to get? Please include Amazon.com link!

[Remzak]

http://www.amazon.co...ds=lipo battery

[Shadowslayer1924]

If you want double a sized batteries then get imrs because trust fires are worse then imrs

[jwasko]

http://www.amazon.co...ds=lipo battery

If he's sticking with stock motors, I think 2S LiPo would be better....3S can burn out stock motors quickly. (I stand corrected below)

 

More in-depth info/advice for the topic starter: https://www.youtube....eature=youtu.be

Edited by jwasko, 15 March 2016 - 07:22 AM.

[Remzak]

"3S is standard for Nerf stock semi-auto motors, 2S is actually subcritical on them and certainly won't be any good on a RS (not that semi-auto motors are much good on a RS anyway). They will do multiple seasons of hard gameplay and should handle sustained firing as long as you don't do anything precipitously bad to them, like keep them stalled for many seconds. Still, they are a metal brush disposable motor you can expect to smoke at some point.
Were you running 3S on the RS motors? Those are a very different motor and want 2S, and FYI, last about a year with stock brushes in my experience." - Torukmakto4

[jwasko]

"[...]- Torukmakto4

 

Context for the above quote: https://www.reddit.c...ef=search_posts

 

I usually don't doubt Toruk because, well, Toruk...but given that two other experienced flywheelers (Duke and Foam Data) in that thread said it was a good way to blow up your motors I'm only gonna revise my earlier suggestion to:

 

You could put 3S in there, but be prepared to buy new motors. 2S will let the motors last longer, but your blaster won't shoot as fast/far. Pick your poison.

 

Still, don't buy trustfires. At least get IMRs if not NiMH or LiPo. Watch the aforementioned youtube video for the reasons why.

 

But only get LiPo if you know how to care for them properly.

 

Edit: A post with a link to purchasing IMRs.

Edited by jwasko, 15 March 2016 - 02:04 PM.

[shandsgator8]

I don't understand what Toruk was talking about either. He's advocated using a 6 cell NiMH pack in a stock Rapidstrike (unless he recently changed his mind) for those who don't want to rewire or replace motors, but still want a solid performance increase.

 

A 6 cell NiMH is very close to a 2S LiPo with respect to voltage.

[jwasko]

I don't understand what Toruk was talking about either. He's advocated using a 6 cell NiMH pack in a stock Rapidstrike (unless he recently changed his mind) for those who don't want to rewire or replace motors, but still want a solid performance increase.
 
A 6 cell NiMH is very close to a 2S LiPo with respect to voltage.

 
"3S is standard for Nerf stock semi-auto motors"
"RS motors? Those are a very different motor and want 2S"
 
I don't want to speak for Toruk but it seems to me he's still consistent on the stock RS motors. He was speaking about stock stryfe motors that happened to be going in an RS. I know stryfe motors have worse RPM and/or torque, so yeah more voltage will compensate.
 
He says stock stryfe motors will last a while at 3S (~11V) and I'll take him for his word. But I wanted to get the info on here that it's gonna pretty hard on them and other people agree that they'll burn up fairly quickly. That  way every noob doesn't complain when their stock stryfe motors burn up the moment they say "Listen how loud this is" and then hold down the rev trigger for however long it takes to prove their manhood (probably quite a long time).
 
If you have concerns, though, you should PM Toruk on reddit or whatever rather than take my word.
 
Side Note: Pretty sure FoamsFired got banned , but figured it doesn't hurt to put the info out there anyway.

[Snoop Doggy doge]

Aren't trustfires just bad? 

[shandsgator8]

 
"3S is standard for Nerf stock semi-auto motors"
"RS motors? Those are a very different motor and want 2S"
 
I don't want to speak for Toruk but it seems to me he's still consistent on the stock RS motors. He was speaking about stock stryfe motors that happened to be going in an RS. I know stryfe motors have worse RPM and/or torque, so yeah more voltage will compensate.
 
He says stock stryfe motors will last a while at 3S (~11V) and I'll take him for his word. But I wanted to get the info on here that it's gonna pretty hard on them and other people agree that they'll burn up fairly quickly. That  way every noob doesn't complain when their stock stryfe motors burn up the moment they say "Listen how loud this is" and then hold down the rev trigger for however long it takes to prove their manhood (probably quite a long time).
 
If you have concerns, though, you should PM Toruk on reddit or whatever rather than take my word.
 
Side Note: Pretty sure FoamsFired got banned , but figured it doesn't hurt to put the info out there anyway.

 

You are correct Jwasko; I misread that Toruk quote. Sorry for the confusion!

[Remzak]

I would guess that FoamDataServices and Duke would not recommend it because they don't know, and can't be bothered to test stock motors because there are much better options in aftermarket motors. I am currently using my stryfe motors on 3S in a rapidstrike, and have run 20-30 18 magazines in rapid succession with no issues. I will let you guys know how the motors fare in the HVZ event I am going to on Saturday.

[Steamboy]

Aren't trustfires just bad? 

More than "just" bad. They are very bad and can be very hazardous to your dermal health. 

[C-A 99]

Aside from the risk of exploding in your face, their performance is terrible and made a lot worse over time. Pretty much anything else is better: IMR, NiCd, NiMH, and LiPo variations. Foamdata has a pretty good guide. https://m.youtube.co...h?v=_YhhR6yi2XI

Once I dump out the Ultrafires I have (which at least have PCB protection to lower the likelihood of disaster), I'll be going for LiFePO or nickel chemistry batteries. Not as sure about LiPo since the have similar risks as LiCo *fire batteries and have to be handled carefully.

[NewVega]

I have had good luck with the AA style trustfires in stock guns. Tested in demolisher, stryfe, rayven, ecs-12, stockade, & ecs-10 all worked well. Pop in and go as far as runability. Ran for several hours at nerf wars with no issues. They do lack the needed amperage to keep the dart FPS consistent while spam firing but i don't see any reason to rule them out thus far. I did, however, have issues with running voltage protected trustfires on MTB Rhino 130 motors. Wouldn't run. just straight cutout. Must be too much current pull.

[Pineapplepies]

But only get LiPo if you know how to care for them properly.
 

Heh heh that was my post you linked and since that post was "dead" I have been looking into rewiring my demolisher for a lipo and hear a lot of this. What does everyone mean by care for them properly besides just common sense? That honestly is the one reason why I haven't rewired yet since I have been worried that you need some crazy discharging method for lipos otherwise it will blow up in your face.

[Felix the cat]

Just don't let a lipo drop below 3.0v per cell. Generally they become garbage and are unrecoverable. If your set on 14500 sized batteries (AA), then efest IMRs are the best. If not them, then the brand On The Way have been working well at the indoor nerf arena at which I currently work.

[jwasko]

Heh heh that was my post you linked and since that post was "dead" I have been looking into rewiring my demolisher for a lipo and hear a lot of this. What does everyone mean by care for them properly besides just common sense? That honestly is the one reason why I haven't rewired yet since I have been worried that you need some crazy discharging method for lipos otherwise it will blow up in your face.

Don't let the voltage drop too low (use a voltage meter or alarm)

Don't over-charge (i.e. raise the voltage too high)

Don't short the battery...always try your blaster with regular batteries and see if they get warm before you ever connect your LiPo. Relatedly, make sure all connections are well-insulated and secure. You don't want a short to happen during play.

Store LiPos in a cool, dry environment at a proper storage voltage. While in storage frequently check the individual cell voltage; they should be the same (aka balanced). Also look for any signs of the pack swelling.

Make sure the pack doesn't get punctured or squeezed in the blaster (or otherwise)

Use a proper charger (balance charger) and again make sure the cell voltages are all the same after charging/discharging.

Never leave a LiPo to charge unattended. Preferably do it away from flammable objects, and put the LiPo in a charging bag (which will prevent the spread of fire).

Go on an R/C site or something and read even more Do's and Don'ts.

 

By most accounts modern LiPos are more stable/safer than older ones but they still require care to prevent injuring yourself and others, or burning down your house.

[CaliforniaPants]

Store LiPos in a cool, dry environment at a proper storage voltage. While in storage frequently check the individual cell voltage; they should be the same (aka balanced). Also look for any signs of the pack swelling.

this is just me being curious, is there a trickle charger or something like that that keeps them at a stable storage voltage? or is charging them at all something that should be constantly monitored.

[jwasko]

this is just me being curious, is there a trickle charger or something like that that keeps them at a stable storage voltage? or is charging them at all something that should be constantly monitored.

They keep their charge pretty well so once you put them at a storage voltage they should stay that way for months if not longer. It's more like you should check it to make sure nothing has gone wrong (like a single cell's voltage drops, or it swells). If something does happen then you know about it and the pack can be safely disposed of before things go horribly wrong.

 

I'm no expert...I just know enough to not kill myself with plastic toys...but http://www.rcgroups....ad.php?t=238984says trickle charging will do nothing and that makes sense to me.

 

Decent LiPo chargers like the IMax B6 can be set to charge or discharge to a certain voltage, and at a certain rate (amps), all while keeping the cells balanced. Plus they'll set off an alarm if something goes wrong while charging. So every once in a while you can hook up your pack and top it off to ~3.85V per cell. No need to cycle LiPos either, unlike NiCd.

[Pineapplepies]

Don't let the voltage drop too low (use a voltage meter or alarm)
Don't over-charge (i.e. raise the voltage too high)
Don't short the battery...always try your blaster with regular batteries and see if they get warm before you ever connect your LiPo. Relatedly, make sure all connections are well-insulated and secure. You don't want a short to happen during play.
Store LiPos in a cool, dry environment at a proper storage voltage. While in storage frequently check the individual cell voltage; they should be the same (aka balanced). Also look for any signs of the pack swelling.
Make sure the pack doesn't get punctured or squeezed in the blaster (or otherwise)
Use a proper charger (balance charger) and again make sure the cell voltages are all the same after charging/discharging.
Never leave a LiPo to charge unattended. Preferably do it away from flammable objects, and put the LiPo in a charging bag (which will prevent the spread of fire).
Go on an R/C site or something and read even more Do's and Don'ts.
 
By most accounts modern LiPos are more stable/safer than older ones but they still require care to prevent injuring yourself and others, or burning down your house.

Sounds a lot easier than I thought it would be and also when you say make sure to check the individual cells how would one do that is there some sort of device you need to check it or do you mean just charge it to a certain level?
Edit:have no idea if this a stupid question or not but just don't know much about lipos but for the most part here how good they are and how you should use them over all other battery types

Edited by Pineapplepies, 14 May 2016 - 10:05 AM.