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| ShellDude | Elite Veteran - Location: East Coventry, PA - |
Hi All,
NOTE
For those wishing to skip the pre-test drama (I had a couple issues getting the right pack from A123 initially, proceed to page 2 of this thread to the post titled The Real Test Begins.
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I received my A123 3S pack, turbo module, and charger today. I've only had a chance at this point to look things over, size it up in the Rex & my Abomination, and weigh the pack & turbo module.
The Pack
The pack construction is somewhat shoddy. I would've liked to have seen them do a better job of applying their label. When I first looked at it, I was reminded of some stickers my 4 year old daughter applied to one of her toys the other day.
The configuration is actually a take back to the NiMH/NiCAD days. It's a 3 cell long config. The dimensions are 123mm X 30mm X 30mm . This is not the dimensions that are posted at the A123 Racing site and I may rearrange the 3 cells at some point depending on my final setup.
The Turbo Module
I really don't know anything about the module yet. I haven't even read the little instruction sheet, however A123 says that its supposed to allow me to dial in my desired voltage anywhere from 10.8 to 14.4 volts. It was a bit heavier than what I expected. It's dimensions are 50mm X 50mm X 15mm.
One final note about the pack and turbo module. WILL YOU PACK MAKERS PLEASE STOP GIVING ME CR@PPY DEANS CONNECTORS. I hate Deans yet everyone slaps them onto their hardware without any consideration whatsoever for those that like REAL plugs such as Power Poles.
Pig Iron Weight
So it's not the lightest. But the combined weight of the module and pack coinside with the weight provided at the A123 Racing website. Compared to my EV20 1800 3S packs, I'll be gaining approximately 100g in weight. Whether or not this is a detriment is yet to be determined because of one factor alone... my ability to dial in a voltage, and the pack's ability to sustain that voltage.
This expectation is the crux to my analysis. If I am unable to sustain my 13V goal, I'm going to pack this stuff back up and send it back. The cheap pack assembly and the errant dimensions alone are enough to p*ss me off, but I'm not going throw in the towel just yet.
How it looks in the CF HDE Rex
Ok, so it fits in the frame, but how does it fair with the canopy?
The Canopy
It's obvious I'm going to have dremel new mounting holes or use the Align plastic mounts and bend them a bit. I see no way around this at this point without reorienting the pack. Not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. This probably isn't an issue for folks with an SE, or a custom frame... especially those that flip the motor upside down.
The Twist
It fits like a glove in my Abomination... and my T-Rex canopy fits as well with no modifications. Since my Abomination is already considerably lighter than the Rex, I may end up using it as my initial test bed.... still undecided... I really need to stress the pack and my Abomination simply doesn't draw the current I need to validate my hypothesis so I may just do it for it kicks.
This review is far from over.
Next I'll be covering the charging process. I currenly only have a 3A AC/DC power supply so I may pop the hood on my truck if it overtaxes it. A123 tells me I should be able to get a full charge in 15 minutes and I see no way possible to get there with a mere 3A supply. My old PC power supply may have been able to do it, but it burned up a couple weeks back.
Once I'm done with the charging process, the real test begins. I see no reason at all why I can't have this in the air (assuming it stops raining here) by Saturday. That means I should have some data from my flight recorder Saturday evening and that should settle this one for me once and for all.
As my British buds would say, Cheers!
Shell |
| 08-31-2006 Over year old. | | | |
Should be a hoot! 
