Quick questions. The Mardave looks like it takes 4 cell's,will a LiPo/LiFe fit in the car ?.

The webby also shows a mechanical speed controller, will we use them or electronic ones.

Also which model are we looking to use,there seams to some different ones.

Ta

Ross

I'd like to consider using the type of7.4v lipo we run in micros as they would fit, just limit their power output.

We'd probably allow ESC running the tin can motors, no brushless.

Your right about the choice of chassis. I think Russell is going to get one of the mini stock kits that do not have the mechanical speedo in the kit.

Mardave bodyshells
 

There are loads of different lexan shells which would make for a varid grid line up...

Ford Fiesta
Peugoet 206
Peugeot 205
Mini Cooper
Renault Clio
VW Beetle
Vauxhall Tigra

These are of course all saloons but you can also get GT bodyshells, would we allow these too?

Lotus Exige GT1
A generic GT2 bodyshell

Then you can always run the ABS shells although they are heavier and will need to be painted on the outside.

One other thought... Would we allow wings?

Cool, i've got a few of them kicking around :woot:.
I like idea of the tin can motor, would it be better to stick to a standard mardave speedo, i only ask,as in previous posts it was meationed about better speedo's giving an edge over others.


Beetle or Clio for me :thumbsup:

My feeling is we put a £ limit on the cost of a speedo that could prevent that from happening. Having said that, I think one of the kit versions does come with an ESC as standard, but ot totally sure as Mardave's website is not the best in the world for clarity!! :cry:

I could be persuaded to get a mardave caterham :-)

Chris, don't put a curved ball in like that :)

Having said that, would there be much performance difference between the caterhams and minis? After all they use basically the same chassis right?

The one with the kit ESC would be good to keep us all in line :lol:.


You know you want one :thumbsup:

does the kit esc support lipo ?

One of the Mardave comes with a Viper Oval ECO Speedo, its by Mtroniks I believe, retails under £30.00 so it wont be LiPo compatible out the box,

Been reading about Mardave’s and LiPo, it seems like 2 cell LiPos make them to quick and the single cell ones are too slow, unless you are running a brushless set up

LiFe could be a good option but I have never used these before, so looking into this a little more

As much as it pains me to say it could be easier to stick with the normal cells to start with if we want to keep a lid on costs…

The Caterham chassis is a tiny bit shorter that the normal V12 one, so I cant see that will make much difference if people want to run different ones

Remember that the timing system won’t work with the ABS shells, so we will need to cut the windows out, or make a hole in the body.

:)

Thats why i suggested the caterham shell , no windows or holes to cut for the timing to work :thumbsup:

All bodyshells come as lexan alternatives so we should not have an issue with lap timing.

Russ, could we get away with 1 pack of cells? Could it do two heats before recharging for the finals, or would you expect 2 packs are the best option?

Do you mean the FTX Lipo makes the car too fast? Surely your speed is limited by the tin can motor...? Electric's were never my strong point :confused:

I would prefer the LiPo route personally, but of course allow both options, as with the chassis, being able to run mini or caterham that would help mix it up a little as it sounds like there would be no real benefit to either.

The speed will be determined by the voltage of the cells and discharge rate, so because the small lipo's are 7.4v, they will be a lot quicker than 4.8v of a 4-cell nimh pack.

I don't think we should have too dismal an opinion of the nimh cells. Lipo's do have their drawbacks; life-span, safety. I have always been very conscious that the soft cell micro lipo packs need to be handled with care, have to make sure that charge voltage is correct, not advisable to store in the house, need to have a lipo balance charger....

So I think (if we do go mardave) we should run with the 4-cell nimh's for the following reasons;
The 4.8v are more than fast enough
Cheaper
Safer to store and charge than lipo
Just need a basic charger - ideal for new starters

BTW, some top 12th scale racers still use high capacity 4-cell setup instead of a single cell lipo (mainly because higher voltage) but the point is that they are not old hat.

Paul

There seems to be a lot of love for the caterhams....... :thumbsup:

nimh cells are becoming harder to find, we may end up buying stick packs and splitting them
if a 5 min race takes out 1500mah then charging @ 4.5 amps will take a minimum of 20 mins to recharge
suggest you trial the mardave with micros and see how much a race takes out to determine how many sets of batteries we need to do a meeting - anyone got a mardave :woot:

I use 2300mah cell pack (3 packs split from 2 6-cell packs - as per your suggestion chris) and one of these easily lasts the race.

Russ sells HPI 4300mah 4-cell packs. I reckon these will comfortably do 2 races, so if you buy 2 of these packs, should easily do all 4 races of an evening, so you could charge up the night before and should be fine or could peak up on the night.

I take your point though, nimh's are slowly becoming harder to find.

I will race my mardave this friday with the 2 packs and see how things go......... :thumbsup:

Paul, did those HPI batteries work in your Mardave?
They were not a bad price...

Doh, you must have read my mind while I was writting that Paul!
The HPI ones would be under £30 for two sets, so that not too
bad, if we go down this road it would make life simple with regards
speedos...