ASK Cubby- In Come The Questions, Out Goes My Sanity

“ASK Cubby

Hey Cubby,

As you know, I’m a big fan of Big Squid and this weekly piece. My question is about those beautiful wallpapers. What’s the deelee-o with the monthly calendar? Those images were going up on my desktop at work for the most of last year. Now I have a boring generic blue yawner. Any chance we’ll have some more of that rc eye-candy this year?

Thanks,
Steve G.”

Cubby- Yo hey ya Stevie, thanks for the email, as always, shoot me a snail mail for a high-zoot BSRC sticker pack.

Ya know, I am wondering the same thing, what in the H E double hockey sticks happened to our monthly wallpapers? Ok, so of course I already know. The scoopage is… the guy that was doing the monthly wallpapers has been diverted to doing the BigSquidRC Monthly print edition. Needless to say he is pretty slammed with the print dealio, but seeing as how I get 5-10 emails a month wondering where the heck our monthly wallpaper/calender has gone, I will not so politely ask him if he can find another 15 minutes a month to keep putting them up.

As always, you’re welcome, go fast, crash hard, break lot of parts.

“Lipo~Suction

Sir Cubby,

Thankfully here in Columbus Oh. Spring Time has arrived time to finalize & fine tune the build Durango DEX8T which brings me to a Lipo question. Sure I could surf’ the web & receive the info from many so called expert threads full of untrustworthy opinions but I enjoy your take & TRUST your opinion over all.

DEX8T -Lipo choice, I’ve read a bit of many opting for trackpower/or any brand 4S-Lipo installed, is there a greater or lesser advantage in opting for two 2-S lipos ran in series instead of 1-4s Lipo running Castle Monster 2 2/1515 2200kv Combo, with very nice futuba S9353HV. Though the DEX8T is race ready, I will still possibly hit a track to wiz by a few racers, mine was purchased for bashing/hard-core entertainment.

My thoughts are Trinity X LiPo 2S 7.4V 7150mAh 100C Deans for 2-2S Lipo in series or a 4S TrakPower 6700mAh LiPo battery, or would you have a different take & or recommendation?

As always Thanks for your dedication & the Site, y’al in my book are as hardcore & honest as we get! Daily here either it’s an addiction or just don’t wanna miss the next word out on the street/THNX!

Cheers !
David S.”

Cubby- Hey ya there Dave, thanks for the many kind words, I’ll make sure the rest of the crew gets forwarded your message.

So… you’ve got an uber new Team Durango DEX8T (I have one too and drive it ALL the time), got plenty of uber electronics for it, but want a recommendation for a battery. Here ya go…

Yes, there is an advantage to running a pair of 2S packs wired in series over running a single 4S pack. That advantage is… wait for it… just a little bit longer… money! For example, if a single cell in a 4S pack goes bad, the pack is ruined (unless you want to rebuild it yourself, which is doable, but a PITA). If a single cell goes bad in one of a pair of 2S packs, you just aren’t out as much money. Furthermore… the battery tray in the DEX8T allows you to mount a pair of 2S packs with one slightly more forwards, and one more towards the rear, giving you a finer weight bias adjustment.

There is a downside to running a pair of 2S pack though, that would be having to run a series adapter which introduces a bit more resistance, but in nearly all circumstances, the difference will be unnoticeable as far as power is concerned.

Now, about connectors…

From first hand testing, Deans just isn’t quite enough for hardcore bashing. If you are really pulling some juice with your Castle system, a Deans will run hot and eventually cause a problem. I would “sorta” recommend Traxxas connectors in your application. They can handle the load, but they have the downside of wearing out quickly. The real solution is 6.5mm Castle Creations connectors, which can more than handle the load, wear very slowly, but have the downside of being slightly more difficult to solder up.

Now about brands of batteries…

I have absolutely zero first hand experience with the current crop of Trinity LiPos, therefore I can not comment on them. I have driven a bunch of different TrakPower LiPos and use them daily in my personal cars. The TrakPower’s seem to hold up well, even in higher current applications like your Durango. I also have been using 4S 6500 MaxAmps packs in my Durango, which some people on the internet love to rant against, but I have never had a problem with mine.

And ya, it is wayyyy past time for another LiPo shootout. All the current packs on the market have changed a LOT since the last time we did one, even I am interested in seeing how they stack up now days.

Peace and love my friend…

So there ya have it, yet another kick-azz edition of ASK Cubby. Have a question? Need an answer? Must get a rant off your chest? Shoot me an email, thecubreportrc at gmail dot com. Make our front page and you’ll get a free sticker pack, be declared “Letter of the Month” and you’ll get a free BSRC t-shirt.

YOUR Cub Reporter