User Manual

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Frequently Asked Questions

1) Why buy A123 Racing batteries?

A123 Racing batteries offer superior power, minimal charge times, durability, and safety.

2) What are the A123 Racing cell specifications?

Our A123 Racing M1 cell is a cylindrical cell battery in an aluminum canister. It has a nominal voltage of

3.3V and a charge voltage of 3.6V. It has a capacity of 2300mAh, and is capable of 30C continuous

discharges and 60C pulse (10 second) discharges. Each cell weighs 70 grams.

3) Do you need a special ESC to use A123 batteries?

You do not need a special ESC to run these batteries. The Low voltage cutoff should be set to 2.0V or in most

cases it can simply be turned off. As always be sure to use the appropriate battery pack for your electronics

application.

4) Is there a required modification to my vehicle to use A123 batteries?

Compartment Size -

When using these batteries it is important to note that the dimensions do differ from standard Sub-C packs.

Our Hypersonic 6.6V 2300mAh pack is slightly taller but much narrower. The 6.6V 4600mAh pack is slightly

taller and also wider. The 6.6V 2300mAh pack typically fits into most vehicles with little effort. The 6.6V

4600mAh pack may require more effort to install. In most cases a Velcro strap down will do the trick.

Connectors -

All A123 Racing packs are provided with a Deans Ultra Plug installed.

Protection -

There are no special instructions for protection. Follow the guidelines included in the instruction manual, and

treat it as you would any other battery.

5) Are your chargers DC only? If so do I need a power supply or a 12-volt battery?

Our charger is a 12V DC charger so a power supply or a 12V battery is necessary. This way the charger is

also portable and can use a car battery if commercial electric power is unavailable. It is capable of charging 1-

3S A123 Racing cells in 15 minutes. (15-minute charging applies to 2300mAh packs).

6) Can I use my existing charger?

There are other chargers that have been designed to charge our A123 Racing batteries. We recommend that a

charger be purchased that has some balancing capabilities, but some of these chargers do not balance the cells.

For best performance and ease of use we recommend our Sonic Charger.

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
Frequently Asked Questions 1) Why buy A123 Racing batteries? A123 Racing batteries offer superior power, minimal charge times, durability, and safety. 2) What are the A123 Racing cell specifications? Our A123 Racing M1 cell is a cylindrical cell battery in an aluminum canister. It has a nominal voltage of 3.3V and a charge voltage of 3.6V. It has a capacity of 2300mAh, and is capable of 30C continuous discharges and 60C pulse (10 second) discharges. Each cell weighs 70 grams.
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7) How important is Balancing? Balancing is an important precaution when using Lithium batteries. A123 Racing batteries are not as prone to divergence as other batteries, but we still recommend balancing the cells to keep your pack in good health and ensure maximum cycles. If you are using a charger that does not balance, you should look into a separate balancer, or hand-charge each cell individually.
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14) Will these batteries wear out my motors more quickly with the power they offer? These batteries will not wear out your motor any faster than any other RC battery. 15) How safe are these batteries? These batteries are very safe and abuse tolerant. They have many safety advantages over Lithium Polymer batteries. They are not prone to thermal runaway, which is the leading cause of fire in Li-Po battery technology. They will tolerate some amount of over-voltage before failing.
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you could take two of our 6.6V 2300mAh packs and wire them in series for a 13.2V 2300mAh pack. It is always important to ensure that you are using them within their recommended specifications. 21) How do run times compare? Because our batteries have a lower internal resistance the run time is higher than a battery with similar capacity. For example our 6.6V 2300mAh pack has runtime comparable to a Nickel Metal with 3300mAh.