ASK Cubby- Answering With the Magic 8 Ball Again

Please answer if you can.

Hello,

I am considering purchasing a Thunder Tiger K-Rock in the near future. I have been trying to contact the company with some questions, but they have not responded in 2 weeks. I was wondering if you could help. I find your reviews quite comprehensive and your site very helpful. I was wondering what type of battery plug this RC uses. Is it a deans plug or something else. Also, can you recommend a decent charger and battery. I am new to these RC’s and I’m a bit confused with all the choices. Any guidance you could give me would be awesome.

Thanks
Matt M.”

Cubby- Yo to the yo Matty, thanks for the email, be sure to send us your snail mail for a handy dandy BSRC sticker pack.

Now, to get to your email. Just what do you mean “answer if you can”? Seriously, did you not get the memo? I am Cubby, I know EVERYTHING, of course I “can” answer your, or anybody else’s for that matter.

So… what type of battery plug does the Thunder Tiger K-Rock MT4 use? Nope, I have no idea. LOL. Actually, I do not have one sitting here in my hands, so this answer may not be 100% accurate, but it should be a t-style/Deans. Why is that my answer? For a few reasons. 1. That is the plug they show in the promo pics for the truck. 2. The last TT MT that we reviewed came with Deans. 3. One of my homeskillets bought a TT Kaiser a couple of weeks ago and it came with Deans.

But then… what if it doesn’t come with Deans? That’s right Matty, you need to put on whatever battery plug that you prefer (I prefer Castle 6.5mm). Seriously bro, if you are gonna be in this hobby for any length of time, you need to learn how to solder. It is a skill that you will not only use on a daily basis for rc cars, but something that will come in mighty handy for life in general.

One more quick Thunder Tiger note before I move on to batteries and chargers. IF YOUR THUNDER TIGER COMES WITH A SOUND MODULE YOU MUST PLUG IN YOUR BATTERY PACKS IN THE CORRECT ORDER. Yes, I was internet screaming there, but that can save a lot of people time and trouble. The Thunder Tiger trucks that have a sound module require that one particular pack be plugged in before the other. There is a big yellow warning tag that donates which pack should be plugged in first. I highly advise that you fellow the label, plugging them in in the wrong order can generate lots of magic smoke.

Ok… so what am I recommending for chargers and LiPo packs today? That changes quite often, but here is what I am recommending lately.

From what I have personally driven (read- abused) I am recommending the Dynamite Reaction packs for those on a budget and MaxAmps for people with a bit thicker wallets. The Reaction packs have served me well in the last 12 months, putting out good power while being durable enough to survive what I put them through. Only the higher-end of the scale, I use MaxAmps packs on nearly a daily basis. While some internet types love to hate on them, they put out solid voltage under load and have done a fantastic job of living through the hell that I put them through.

For a good battery charger I am recommending the… wait for it… just a bit more… the Hitec X2 AC Pro. I like the X2 AC Pro for a bunch of reasons, but mainly because it is easy to use, I can use it on AC or DC power, it can charge up to 20 amps, and most importantly to me, it comes with a built in soldering station. Basically, it save me a bunch of space in my pit bag and works like a champ. It isn’t especially cheap, but then the good stuff never is.

“LiPo Charger Shootout 2

I would like to request a new review of current LiPo chargers. It
has been quite a while since the last shootout, and there are a lot of interesting options out there.

My wife and I are just getting into the RC bashing hobby and have NiMH packs now. We want to get some LiPo batteries, but want to make sure we get the right charger to accommodate our needs before we make the jump. She doesn’t want to spend too much for bells and whistles, but I want to buy something that has enough features to future-proof it for the next several years. We will likely run only 2S & 3S packs, as well as the NiMH packs for our various models, and the LiFe pack I want to get for my Futaba 4PLS.

I would like to see comparisons of the current crop of popular dual chargers (e.g. – Onyx 245, Traxxas EZ-Peak 100W, Venom Duo Pro 80W). However, my wife thinks that there is no real need for a dual charger, since we don’t go bashing frequently and therefore can afford to spend more time charging batteries during the week.

If you guys cannot do a shootout in the near future, I would really appreciate a reply with some suggestions on what brand/model to get.

Regards,
Kris R.”

Cubby- Ya know Kris, that is a great idea. People buy a ton of chargers every year and we really should put them head-to-head to see how they stack up now days. We have not done so because a LiPo Charger Shootout (or any type) takes an incredible amount of raw time. In fact, battery/charger shootouts take the most, simply because charging a single pack typically takes an hour, with the discharge cycle taking 10 minutes or more. But ya, i am totally on that bandwagon, I will see what we can work up.

I do want to comment on your “future proofing” of a charger. The main thing you’ll want to look for is a charger that is designed to handle LiHV cells. You’ll be seeing more LiHV cells in the future. To fully charge a LiHV pack a charger must go slightly higher in voltage than a normal “LiPo”. So keep that in mind when you shop.

About a single vs a dual port charger… while you might not think you need a dual port, if you ever “really” get into the hobby, a dual port is SOOOO nice to have. If you start running more than one car, or need to charge a transmitter or receiver pack in addition to a car’s battery, a dual port charger is a huge time saver. In addition, ideally you don’t want to pre-charge a bunch of packs during the week. Ideally you’ll want to charge them the day of. You don’t want a bunch of fully charged LiPos laying around your house, you want them at their storage voltage under you really need to use them.

And there ya have it folks, the conclusion of yet another ASK Cubby. Here is my email, thecubreportrc at gmail dot com. You can shoot me your questions, rants, epic meltdowns, or whatever else is running through that demented brain of yours.

YOUR Cub Reporter