Speaking of Batterys...

I've spent several years racing R/C Cars in the past, running cutting edge technology (back then) but learned a lot of useful info about battery packs and charging, building packs and getting the most out of your batteries.

NiCad - The Most common "cheap" battery, they were all that were available in my racing days, what you guys refer to as "large" batteries is known as a "sub C" battery pack and back when I first raced there were 1200mAh packs and a few 1300 and 1400 packs kicking around for about $150!

Nicads have the awful memory effect which means if you do not fully discharge them the overall capacity will be reduced, so we used some pretty acrahic means to empty batteries. One method was "the bulb" or more specifically a row of bulbs, it would really drain a pack in a hurry but was often forgotten and after awhile the pack will get over discharged and ruin it.

Many devices were built to do this job without killing the pack all together, battery cyclers were quite common.

Then new battery technology was developed, still Nicad's but better batteries, and more efficient speed controls that actually recharged your pack while driving.

We saw 1700 mAh packs then 1800's and finally when I got out of the sport there were 2000 mAh packs!

Now look today, there is a new battery on the market, NiMh (Nickel Metal Hydride) this new beast doesn't suffer the "memory" effect that it's predecessor did. I've seen up to 5000 mAh packs! (large of course) and small packs up to 1800 mAh!!!

Actually these batteries(NiMh) will be ruined if you over discharge them! These batteries prefer to have a charge on them when they are stored and will gradually discharge over time. And top up when you are ready to use them.

Investing in a decent digital peak charger will help you get the most out of your batteries, for those of you still using a small wall plug and getting a charge in 8-12 hours maybe it's time to get out of the stone age and invest in a charger.

At summit Power Tools there is a Digital Peak Charger that will work on AC or DC so you can charge in the field, it takes only 13 minutes to charge a 1400 mAh small battery and about 15 minutes for a large 2000 mAh type. A little longer if you get a 3000 mAh or more.
These chargers are Hot Bodies Brand, $39.95 so they won't break the bank, have reverse polarity protection, automatically shut off when pack is finished charging and will auto-detect if you connect NiCad or NiMh batteries. Pretty much idiot proof. My only complaint about these chargers id it has an annoying buzzer when your battery is done charging.

Hope this guide will help you with the battery blues.

Supporting articles. http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/24609792/m/382000570831/inc/-1

article describing how to condition NiMh batteries and links to pages explaing others too! http://www.rcmodelreviews.com/baffledbybatteries2.shtml
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Attack without warning, Kill without hesitation, Disappear without a trace.

There's a new battery on the block and it's getting ppl talking....

LiFePo4's ......... sweet!

http://www.rcmodelreviews.com/baffledbybatteries4.shtml

They r starting to show up in airsoft sales sites now too.
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Attack without warning, Kill without hesitation, Disappear without a trace.