By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com
Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and mini-review of each every Thursday morning!
Jared Galligar recently graduated from San Diego State University with a mechanical engineer degree and currently works as a Mechanical Design engineer for the semi-conductor supplier FormFactor - so it’s safe to say he grasps the concepts behind making an RC car work. Though he’s been racing around the SoCal area for three years, he’s not new to the hobby; Jared had a few race-quality kits he built when he was younger, but didn’t start racing until he got back into the hobby following a hiatus from riding dirt bikes over the last few years. In addition to racing his TLR 22 3.0 in the Modified 2WD class at SDRC, he also competes with a Mugen Seiki MBX7R Eco on outdoor tracks.
Trakpower 2S/7.4V 4200mah 100C Battery Short Pack
TKPC0710, $60
The Trakpower 4200mAh 100C shorty pack features a hard case measuring 47x25x96mm and weighing 210g. In addition to the 2mm balancer bullet plug, the pack has 5mm positive and negative terminals that pass through to both sides of the battery, which allows it to be installed in a greater variety of cars. The battery includes a set of 5mm male bullet plugs, a 2mm balance connector, and a charge lead.
Jared’s testing time with the Trakpower pack didn’t get off to a very good start. “The 5mm plugs are a big drawback for me,” said Jared, “as all my other batteries have 4mm plugs.” Jared also said, “The battery fit a little more snug in the same orientation as my Team Orion battery.” The first time he tried to use it after installing the 5mm plugs, he got a surprise as well. “When I first tried plugging it in, I was careless and didn’t check the orientation of the terminals,” Jared said, “and they were opposite from my other batteries. I ended up plugging in my ESC backward.”
Thankfully, despite the quick fireworks display, his speed control wasn’t damaged. The case around the terminal melted slightly, but there was no other harm done.
Once he got his car on the track, the Trakpower pack performed well. “The 100C rating suggests it’s more intended for stock class racers,” said Jared, who didn’t seem to mind the power. ”The battery had lots of "pop" or "punch" throughout the entire run and never felt flat,” he said.
Pros:
Great punch and run time
Never even gets warm to the touch
Pass-through battery plugs are a nice feature
Cons:
5mm plugs
Orientation of the plugs is opposite to all my other batteries
Conclusion:
Overall, Jared enjoyed running the Trakpower battery - but having batteries with two different sized plugs proved difficult. “It has just as much punch, if not a little more, than my Team Orion 4500 that’s in the same price range,” said Jared, “and this would be a 5-star item for me if it had 4mm plugs.
Beacon Rating:
Eng / Usd
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Recent comments