# RC Car Batteries? use for LED's



## Ral83178 (Sep 25, 2007)

I have tried to search however the term “RC” is too short to search on… go figure… just don’t beat me up too bad…

With all the talk on batteries and how much the ones that you get with the MS, SkyRay and other LED clones is there any use for RC car batteries? 

Knowingly you would have to solder a connector but generally speaking (I think) these pack a pretty good punch and they are also shrink wrapped. 

Just a thought…..

Tom


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

Hard shell lipos make fine batteries, although it would be worth wiring in a PCB to protect from overcharge/discharge. If you're going that route, you can also buy decent 18650 li-ion cells (what the bike light co.s use) and make your own pack that way - they're a bit more robust than li-po cells. You can also easily buy holders to charge the cells separately (or use them for other things like flashlights) if that's your thing.


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## mast3rof0 (Nov 7, 2012)

Definitely feasible. Did the same thing with my scuba lights. As mentioned before, using a PCB to make sure you don't over/underchange is important.


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## Ral83178 (Sep 25, 2007)

Any suggestions on the Li-po's? basicly look for the highesr mAh? 

I know pretty much nothign about batteries and but know that there are many options in the RC world. 

... and what is a PCB?


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

go hard case/ hard shell (li-pos are soft and explode/ burst into flames if you puncture them) and make sure you get the correct voltage (8.4V or 2S for single LED Magicshines). Then it's just a case of how much you want to spend and how much weight you want to carry.

PCB = protection circuit board. Cost about $10 from batteryspace on eBay. lithium batteries don't like being overcharged (they burst into flames) or overdischarged (they don't work any more), and li-po batteries in particular can supply simply _enormous_ amounts of current, all of which the PCB prevents by tripping and creating an open circuit. Then you plug back into the charger to reset it.


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## TwoHeadsBrewing (Aug 28, 2009)

They're about $20 for a 4400-5000mah battery. Chargers are anywhere from $15 for cheapos to $60 for nice digital chargers that will balance out each battery cell. In addition, the RC batteries are built for high discharge (20c-40c). Using them for lights barely stresses out the batteries at all and keeps the cells pretty well in balance and they last longer.

The bad side is that RC batteries have no protection circuits within, as they typically depend on the electronic speed controller of the RC vehicle to stop the motor when it reaches a certain low voltage point. In short, that means you have to be careful to not over discharge your battery. When your light indicates low battery you need to stop using it within a few minutes or you risk bricking your battery. Not really a big deal if you're paying attention, but it's not quite as plug and play as existing "bike light" batteries.

Here's a LiPo 5000mah soft case battery thrown in an old water bottle:









I soldered up a "Deans" style connector -> Magicshine connector:


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## Ryan C. (Jan 23, 2007)

The search term to use is LiPo. There's quite a bit of information here on folks using them, but to sum up:

- Great for high current lights
- Never use a soft pack without some sort of hard case protection like a waterbottle
- Best to use a hobby balance charger unless you're going with a 1S (3.6V) pack
- You can/should use a protection PCB even when using a balance charger


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## Ral83178 (Sep 25, 2007)

Thanks guys. 

I knew there had to be some information out there. 

Thx


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## amagad (Nov 9, 2012)

What are your run times with your LIPO vs the stock battery?


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## glader60 (May 4, 2006)

amagad said:


> What are your run times with your LIPO vs the stock battery?


If you match the same mAh the times will be the same. Buying 5000 mAh lipo for under $20 is a great way to go. I put mine in a lipo sack just in case of fire! I use a little $3 alarm to let me know when to change it.


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## amagad (Nov 9, 2012)

im chargine my lipo its a 7.4v 5000mah but trying to balance a cell right now its way off from the other, hopefully it will recover so i can do a battery mod.


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## NightOWL (Jul 30, 2006)

Where would i find an adapter from this molex connection to Magicshine?









could i somehow mate it to this?


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