# Suggested voltage????



## sidecar53 (May 14, 2006)

Quick question- we run our super g+ cars at 20v. We're also going to be running lifelikes and magnatractions. The lifelikes seem to be fine at 20v as well, but the magnas seem to be too overpowered. What voltage do you guys run magnas at?? Thanks for the read and any all responses.
Rick @ Rose City Motorplex


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## rholmesr (Oct 8, 2010)

We usually run magna tractions at 18 volts. On smaller tracks we'll sometimes even drop it to 17 volts to help reduce the carnage.

Of course you can also compensate for higher voltage with a higher-ohm controller to make the car more drivable thru tight corners.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

My track has original Aurora 20v-22v power packs, one per lane. Most Aurora AFX and Magnatractions are unmanageable using the 60 Ohm controllers, especially since I have a fairly tight road course. All lanes have a 60 Ohm controller, with one lane also having a 100 Ohm controller. The 100 Ohm controller makes the fastest cars very driveable, although some of the slower AFX are sluggish.

The hybrid AFX/MT chassis I recently put together using Aurora chassis, AW gearplates and AW or Dash magnets are faster than any original Aurora and are completely unmanageable at 20v and with a 60 Ohm controller.

So I think your choices for stock "hot" pancake cars (which include JL and AW) is either to lower the voltage or use a higher Ohm controller (up to 120). A third option is having a variable power supply which can be done on a standard supply by attaching a Router Speed Control from Harbor Freight. 

Joe


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

On a small track with tight curves and short straights, dropping the voltage down to around 16 or lower can *really* help drivability. My experience is with Tjets and AFX, but I assume it would be the same for others. 

It makes a huge difference in enjoyment. 

I was using the original Aurora pistolgrip controllers, blue (appr 70 ohm) for Tjet and golden yellow (appr 45 ohm) for AFX. However, the 100 ohm controller often recommended for Tjets begins to feel mushy and sluggish at the lower voltages.

-- D


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## shocker36 (Jul 5, 2008)

I use the BRP Nitro resistor which works great


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

I think any answer concerning maximum voltage cannot be answered without also talking about the controllers that will be used. The only way to use the maximum voltage of a power supply is to depress the controller completely. The only real limiting factor in choosing a voltage is the maximum voltage the car was designed to handle before overheating.

A high ohm controller combined with a high voltage power supply should give you a wide range of control. Just because a power supply is capable of putting out 20-22 volts does not mean you ever have to actually use 20-22 volts - it's simply there if you want it.

Using pancake cars as an example, the following combinations should probably work:

High voltage power supply (20v-22v) and high Ohm controller (90-120)
Lower voltage power supply (16v-18v) and lower Ohm controller (45-60)

And these would be a bad combination:

High voltage power supply and low Ohm controller
Lower voltage power supply and high Ohm controller

The first bad combination would cause the controller to act like an on/off switch. The second conbination would result in sluggish response.

So find the maximum voltage the cars are designed to handle and then find the appropriate resistor size for that power supply and type of chassis.

Joe


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

For SG+ and L/L, 18-19 volts and controllers ohms of 35-45 should be fine.
I like 25 ohm on the SG+/BSRT cars.


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