Team Orion released their Carbon Edition 3200mAH LiPo Battery in 2006 in an effort to offer a LiPo battery that fits in many of today’s RC cars with little to no modification. All you must to do to install the Carbon Edition pack into the XRAY T2’007 EU Edition is cut away a small portion of the battery’s case. It is less known, however, that Team Orion’s Platinum Edition 4800mAH Lipo will also fit in both editions of the T2’007 (EU and US) with only a few simple modifications! Here, we describe the steps necessary to properly install the Platinum Lipo in the T2’007 cars, as well as offer some extra tips for installing this pack in all 1/10 touring cars.

Note: These steps involve placing thin shims (EU - 0.5mm, US – 1.5mm) underneath the T2’007 upper deck. The Platinum LiPo will physically fit in the EU Edition without adding these shims, however it fits so tightly that it prevents the chassis from flexing properly (hurting the performance of the car).

Step 1: Remove the clear label from the Platinum LiPo Pack.

This is actually a very important step. Out of the box, the Platinum LiPo has a rather thick, clear label wrapped around it. The purpose of removing the label is to reduce the height of the battery by 0.25mm (the label itself is 0.125mm thick, so it adds 0.25mm to the battery’s overall height).

Step 2: Shim upper deck up 0.5mm (US Ed. 1.5mm)

The extra clearance gained by adding 0.5mm (US Ed. 1.5mm) spacers under the upper deck (combined with the 0.25mm gained by peeling off the battery’s label) will give the Platinum LiPo about 0.75mm of overall clearance from the upper deck, allowing the chassis to flex properly while being run on the track.

I cut the EU Edition spacers shown below from some sheet composite to make the installation and removal of the upper deck easier, but standard round spacers (such as those offered by Take-Off) will work just fine. If you are using the chassis posts for extra chassis stiffness, place your spacers underneath the posts to make the upper deck installation a little easier.
Once the upper deck is raised 0.5mm (US Ed. 1.5mm), the plastic bearing holder for the steering bellcrank must be spaced back down by the same amount so that the steering bellcrank maintains its original height. The shim used for this should have an opening for the notch in the plastic holder; I cut a slit in a Yokomo 10mm (internal diameter) shim, and then stretched it over the plastic holder.

After adding the shims, the bare-minimum steps for installing Platinum LiPo have been completed. You must slide the battery forward by a couple of millimeters compared to the “sub-C” position due to the layshaft mount’s location on the chassis, but this is no real issue.

Use a high-quality battery tape such as our Pro Battery Tape to secure the battery to the chassis. The XRAY T2 Battery Strap will not fit unless you are willing to modify the bulkhead and battery strap post.

Pictures showing the Platinum LiPo installed in both editions of the T2’007:

Upper deck clearance:

Weight installation tips from Nexus Racing:

LiPo batteries are light, so light in fact that the RC cars we are driving are not ready for them yet! You will often see some gaudy weight setups on LiPo-equipped cars because racers are attempting to balance the chassis. To help balance the chassis, you can use either the simple and effective HUDY Chassis Balancing Tool or the more accurate Integy Digital Weight Distribution System.

Tip 1: Secure multipurpose weights to the bottom of the pack.

One way to strategically add about 1oz of weight to the pack is to add lead to the bottom of the pack so that the pack conveniently “keys” itself into the sub-C cell slots already milled into the chassis. We are now offering some 1.25mm-thick weights perfect for this task; see Nexus Racing LiPo Lower Weight Set (6pcs):

These weights feature a decently-strong adhesive backing; for the strongest bond, however, we recommend removing the adhesive (by soaking the weights in motor spray for ~2 min and peeling it away) and securing the weights to the battery using Shoe-Goo or E6000 adhesive. The weights must be cut to the appropriate width of your car’s cell slots (you can cut them with scissors).

Installed:

Tip 2: Install weights on the battery pack and chassis for optimal balance.

The LiPo Lower Weight Set (6pcs) only adds about 1oz to the right side of the chassis. For optimal balance, you should attach much more weight; we recommend adding lead to both the battery pack and chassis. Weights from Take-Off, MuchMore Racing, and XRAY are available from Nexus Racing. I covered my weights with Parma’s Carbon Fiber Decal to make them look a little more attractive:

There you have it! Once you complete these steps, you will have a LiPo-equipped T2’007 ready to tear up the track!