Do I risk breaking my AMP if I use a lipo

My son has been running a 2s lipo on his Amp since I bought it with no issue. As long as you pay attention to the low voltage alarm you’ll be fine.

Personally though, I would buy a larger capacity battery. Somewhere around 5000mAh.
 
I agree with X on all accounts. You’ll be fine running a LiPo but I’d look for a higher capacity battery to get you some longer run times. Also, a 20C discharge rate won’t yield huge performance increases. When I bought my Ruckus I ran that same 1800/20C battery you have linked and although it was marginally more powerful than the stock NiMH battery, some of that added power was due to the extra voltage. The biggest difference came when I stepped up to a 35C (5200mAh) and that gave the truck a whole new personality. However, with that I will say that the 35C burst is probably going to make enough power to compromise plastic trans/diff and spur gears and may put too much stress on the axles. You have to walk a fine line between more power and too much power when the rest of your drivetrain components are stock.
 
Thanks so much for the replies zderekv and X. I've found a new battery, it's 2S and 30C, with 2200mAh. Would my stock AMP be able to handle that 30c discharge rate?
 
It’s hard to say. Lots of factors. Personally I think if everything is in good working order to begin with you should be fine. Use a bit of caution in high traction situations because it does have plastic trans/diff gears. Long grass comes to mind. Make sure your mesh and slipper are set properly also.
 
I would suggest getting something with more than 2200 mah. The larger the number, the longer the runtime.
 
Thanks so much for the replies zderekv and X. I've found a new battery, it's 2S and 30C, with 2200mAh. Would my stock AMP be able to handle that 30c discharge rate?

The 2s I run is a 50c. The key is to allow the motor/ESC combo to take whatever they need. If you buy too low of a C rating, you won't get the performance capable of your motor/ ESC. On the other side of that, once you get above the capability of your setup, you receive no benefit for having a greater C value.

Some will intentionally keep around larger C value batteries to make sure they can always accommodate any setup they have. Ofcourse, the cost is a bit more.
 
To restate what X has written about the discharge capacity of the battery (30C, 50C, whatever): The electronic device -- in this case the ESC, motor, servo, and receiver -- will only draw what they need. The battery will not force more current to the components all by itself. But if your battery does not have the discharge capacity to feed a hungry power system, you will experience overheating problems, power sags/brownouts.
 
Also, to add to the comments above, one thing that many people do not realise is that the discharge rate has a direct relationship with the battery capacity. Ie 30c 4000mah has double the discharge rate of 30c 2000mah. It can deliver double to current as well as close to double the runtime
 
You want to be carful with brushed motors as they get super hot cause of the friction from the brushes. I would recommend an inexpensive brushless combo for you to start out with, such as a GoolRc 3900KV. The problem with the AMP is you will have to buy a new radio (controller ) if and when you go brushless. The AMP is a great truck once it's all upgraded and a great starter for new RC'ers.
 
You want to be carful with brushed motors as they get super hot cause of the friction from the brushes. I would recommend an inexpensive brushless combo for you to start out with, such as a GoolRc 3900KV. The problem with the AMP is you will have to buy a new radio (controller ) if and when you go brushless. The AMP is a great truck once it's all upgraded and a great starter for new RC'ers.
Thing is, I'm quite tight on money. Would you recommend to get a lipo first and a brushless motor later on, or a brushless motor first and a lipo later on?
 
The way I upgraded my Ruckus was first LiPo, then steel trans/diff gear set, then steel drive shafts, THEN brushless combo. You may get a couple of batteries through a brushless setup on the stock drivetrain but those plastic gears inside the tranny wont last long.
 
You can run a 2S Lipo with your brushed motor, I would not go any lower then a 30C LiPo. Maybe 5000mAh 30C. You can get some good prices on EBay. I personally like the Gen Ace hard case LiPo's, they are trouble free and I have yet seen any of mine get hot. I run all my RC's on Gen Ace LiPo's, except mine are 3S 60C 7000mAh. I would recommend mounting a fan on your motor to get rid of some of the heat that the motor generates. You can buy a heatsink with a fan mounted on it or design your own (that's what I do). There should be a spare insert plug in your receiver marked Aux. for the fan.

SPMSR310_a0.jpeg
 
AD is right, you also will need to do what he suggested. If your on a budget a little at a time is the right way to go. Parts for the AMP are cheap, even the gearing. The most expensive will be the brushless motor and new radio. Like I said,s you can get some good deals on EBay.
 
Also, to add to the comments above, one thing that many people do not realise is that the discharge rate has a direct relationship with the battery capacity. Ie 30c 4000mah has double the discharge rate of 30c 2000mah. It can deliver double to current as well as close to double the runtime

I don’t claim to know or understand it all so could you please explain this. I’m by no means disputing what you say, just hoping for clarification so I can better understand moving forward. Thanks.
 
Convert the mAh to Amps (1000 milliamps = 1 Amp) and multiply by the C rating.
So, some examples:
4000mAh=4 Amps, 4 Amps x 30C= 120 Amps max current. 4600mAh=4.6A, 4.6A x 90C = 414A max current. 5000mAh=5A, 5A x 50C 250A max current.

Most ESCs indicate their max current draw 60, 80, 120A are common and you'd just need to add in servo (typically just a few Amps), plus a few extra A for good measure and you'll see that most batteries will be able to provide what the car needs. Once you get into three or more cells driving 1/8 scale (or larger!) cars that's when you REALLY REALLY need to pay attention to electrical requirements.
 
Convert the mAh to Amps (1000 milliamps = 1 Amp) and multiply by the C rating.
So, some examples:
4000mAh=4 Amps, 4 Amps x 30C= 120 Amps max current. 4600mAh=4.6A, 4.6A x 90C = 414A max current. 5000mAh=5A, 5A x 50C 250A max current.

Most ESCs indicate their max current draw 60, 80, 120A are common and you'd just need to add in servo (typically just a few Amps), plus a few extra A for good measure and you'll see that most batteries will be able to provide what the car needs. Once you get into three or more cells driving 1/8 scale (or larger!) cars that's when you REALLY REALLY need to pay attention to electrical requirements.

Makes total sense. Thanks for explaining and not flaming me.
 
I agree with X on all accounts. You’ll be fine running a LiPo but I’d look for a higher capacity battery to get you some longer run times. Also, a 20C discharge rate won’t yield huge performance increases. When I bought my Ruckus I ran that same 1800/20C battery you have linked and although it was marginally more powerful than the stock NiMH battery, some of that added power was due to the extra voltage. The biggest difference came when I stepped up to a 35C (5200mAh) and that gave the truck a whole new personality. However, with that I will say that the 35C burst is probably going to make enough power to compromise plastic trans/diff and spur gears and may put too much stress on the axles. You have to walk a fine line between more power and too much power when the rest of your drivetrain components are stock.


You are right but you are so wrong at the same time.
20C 1800mah my son got with his ruckus, he used it twice before his 5200mah 20C battery turned up. 35C Burst won't deliver more than the motor will want to draw. Current is all dependant on the motor not the battery. The reason a lipo add pep is because it can deliver the current longer without voltage sag, unlike the nimh batteries. The reason the stock 1800mah lipo sags is because it is 1800mah not because it is 20C.
20C would be fine if its a 5000mah (5000mah x 20C = 100Amps) which the amp mt's brushed motor will never pull.

Listen to i_r_beej what he said was perfect.
 

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