Batteries

[megawatt40]

Just a quick question,the batteries that came with the two tanks I have use the xt-60 connector.Looking to upgrade them but motion is out of stock on Amazon they have upgraded batteries they say fit the Heng long tanks the connector is Discharger Plug:L6.2-2P is that the same as the xt-60 ? In the reviews someone said they worked great in his M1A2.

[Evan D]

This? Amazon.com: 7.4v 2800mah Li-ion Battery for Heng Long RC Tank MJX RC Aircraft with L6.2-2P Plug 2 Pack and 7.4V Balance Charger : Toys & Games

No it has the old Tamiya connector.

[SoCalBobS]

The XT-60's are now the standard for r/c planes, which has far higher amp draws than our tanks do. the "60" is taken to mean they can handle a 60 amp draw, although of course that depends on voltage also. They're essentially metal bullet connectors surrounded by a plastic shell. I've converted all my tanks and batteries to that type. I recommend you either look for that connector or do some soldering. There is a new version called the XT-60H, which have a snap-on backing that eliminates the need for shrink tubing.

[keilau]

Just a quick question,the batteries that came with the two tanks I have use the xt-60 connector.Looking to upgrade them but motion is out of stock on Amazon they have upgraded batteries they say fit the Heng long tanks the connector is Discharger Plug:L6.2-2P is that the same as the xt-60 ? In the reviews someone said they worked great in his M1A2.

I changed over all my Heng Long tanks to XT-60 connectors 2 years ago when I found the parts for Tamiya plugs were getting expensive and hard to find. You can use adaptor like this one:
Amazon.com: OliYin 3pcs Male XT60 to Female Big Tamiya Adapter Connector with 14awg 1.96inch Silicone Wire for Turnigy Zippy Battery (Pack of 3) : Toys & Games

If you are in the RC tank hobby for the long term, invest in a smart balance charger, typically $40-100, and some battery pack using premium imported Li-Ion 18650 cells.

When I switched to XT-60, I found it much easier to solder on, easier to connect and disconnect compared to the Dean's plug. By pure luck, HL pick the same type.

[Evan D]

With the amp draw these have a XT-30 is a good choice and very small. That said I still use T connectors on all mine and I use 5200mAh 2S LiPo's. Most here will poo-poo both my choices.

[SoCalBobS]

With the amp draw these have a XT-30 is a good choice and very small. That said I still use T connectors on all mine and I use 5200mAh 2S LiPo's. Most here will poo-poo both my choices.

No poo-poo from me! I used the XT-30's for a while, just found the XT-60's a bit easier to solder.

[keilau]

With the amp draw these have a XT-30 is a good choice and very small. That said I still use T connectors on all mine and I use 5200mAh 2S LiPo's. Most here will poo-poo both my choices.

I looked at the Lithium Polymer battery quite extensively. They are much cheaper than the Li-Ion packs and more plentiful from e-bay and Amazon sellers. I purchased a 2S 2200 mAh, a 2S 5200mAh and a 3S 3000 mAh packs. The 2S 2200 mAh, and 3S 3000 mAh packs fit the HL battery compartment easily, But I could not get any LiPO pack with a larger then 4000mAh to fit unless I cut up the tank chassis and decided against it.

I finally settled on the Li-Ion using 2S 26650 or 2S2P 18650. The Li-Ion has high energy density, holds constant voltage over most of the discharge cycle, thermally stable (a safety issue) and has slow self discharge. But good Li-Ion packs are hard to find and expensive to get. Most of the cheap packs from China barely hold 1/5 of the charge they advertise, some even less. Finally, I ended up making my own Li-Ion packs using old premium cells I got in the past.

[Evan D]

I use Hobby Star (there are others too). I have a half dozen I used to use in planes and they fit just right except my T-90, in which I did some dremel work to use them.

[megawatt40]

Thanks guys for the info ,why are the li - on batteries so hard to get ?I would have thought Motion RC would have hundreds of them !

[cmdrcody]

I finally settled on the Li-Ion using 2S 26650 or 2S2P 18650. The Li-Ion has high energy density, holds constant voltage over most of the discharge cycle, thermally stable (a safety issue) and has slow self discharge.

Are you using a battery protection over charge/discharge circuit board on your battery builds? Could you send me a private message showing how you are building your battery packs?

[megawatt40]

I changed over all my Heng Long tanks to XT-60 connectors 2 years ago when I found the parts for Tamiya plugs were getting expensive and hard to find. You can use adaptor like this one:
Amazon.com: OliYin 3pcs Male XT60 to Female Big Tamiya Adapter Connector with 14awg 1.96inch Silicone Wire for Turnigy Zippy Battery (Pack of 3) : Toys & Games

If you are in the RC tank hobby for the long term, invest in a smart balance charger, typically $40-100, and some battery pack using premium imported Li-Ion 18650 cells.

When I switched to XT-60, I found it much easier to solder on, easier to connect and disconnect compared to the Dean's plug. By pure luck, HL pick the same type.

[megawatt40]

Thanks for the link I just ordered the adapter!

[tank_me]

I just had to remove a Tamiya connector because it was only intermittently working on my Firefly. Replaced with an XT60. I was being lazy and had a Tamiya to XT60 converter on it, but since it actually failed it was time to convert it permanently.

[keilau]

Are you using a battery protection over charge/discharge circuit board on your battery builds? Could you send me a private message showing how you are building your battery packs?

When I buy Li-Ion cells, I only buy those with built-in protection circuits. If you are interested in building your own pack, you need to secure a good source for individual 18650 Li-Ion cells. Most battery outlet wants about $20 per cell making it cost prohibitive to do the DIY packs.

My DIY battery pack project went through several evolutions. You can find the detail at this thread:
https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...eng-long-tanks

After I used up all the imported premium 18650 cells from stock, I started using EBL 26650 and 18650 to build some of my packs. The EBL is a made in China brand, but have honest capacity printed on their Li-Ion cells. You can get them relatively cheap on e-bay or from the EBL official store. I built a 4300 mAh pack using 2x 26650 cells for $14. I can build them cheap because I have all the hardware in my workshop. The drawback is that all EBL cells are 10C very low discharge cells. It is good enough for the HL tank, but not much else.

[megawatt40]

After ordering adapter for the tamiya li on battery pack I noticed that the xt 60 side is female ,same as what is in the tank itself ,I just ordered a male to female xt -60 adapter so hopefully that will take care of the problem with out the need for cutting wires and soldering new ones on.

[ArmorBolt]

Amazon has this Li-Ion in stock. This should do it for our HL tanks right..

https://www.amazon.com/Radiomaster-Capacity-Transmitter-RadioMaster-Controll/dp/B08FDJT2KC/ref=sr_1_45?crid=1BRK9DMVKUP43&keywords=li-ion+battery+7.4v&qid=1686807311&sprefix=li-ion+battery+7.%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-45

[keilau]

Amazon has this Li-Ion in stock. This should do it for our HL tanks right..

https://www.amazon.com/Radiomaster-Capacity-Transmitter-RadioMaster-Controll/dp/B08FDJT2KC/ref=sr_1_45?crid=1BRK9DMVKUP43&keywords=li-ion+battery+7.4v&qid=1686807311&sprefix=li-ion+battery+7.%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-45

This is Lithium Polymer battery of very low drainage intended for radio transmitter only. After changing the connector to XT-60, I will recommend testing the tank at full speed on the workbench to measure how much the battery warns up.

In general, I recommend ONLY lithium Ion battery pack using cells with built in protection circuit. It is misleading for them to print Li-Ion on a Lipo battery.

[Evan D]

I bought one and while it worked it wasn't very good at supplying amps or run time. I still use 5200mAh 2S LiPo's. These are what I use but mostly as they were old LiPo's I no longer was using in airplanes.

HobbyStar 5200mAh 7.4V, 2S 45C LiPo Battery - Deans Connector | RCJuice

[megawatt40]

Thanks for the info

[ArmorBolt]

I bought one and while it worked it wasn't very good at supplying amps or run time. I still use 5200mAh 2S LiPo's. These are what I use but mostly as they were old LiPo's I no longer was using in airplanes.

HobbyStar 5200mAh 7.4V, 2S 45C LiPo Battery - Deans Connector | RCJuice

Oh ok, I have couple of Zee Lipo 2S/3S batteries for my flying RC plane, I will use them for the tank also.
Thanks!