How To Deal With LiPo Batteries Safely; Knowledgeable Ones Please Entre'!

[CDA 455]

So as not to impede in the 'Lance burned' thread I decided to make a new one regarding how to properly deal with LiPo batteries.


The reason why I'm interested is because my son is into airsoft combat and the high end weapons use said LiPo batteries.


So what's the good/bad/ugly of said batteries?

What to look for and what to stay away from, etc.



Ready; Go !!1!

[87manche]

good: near flat discharge voltage. Very consistent until you get to 30% of capacity or so. High discharge capabilities, while maintaining nominal voltage. Decent recharge times compared to NIMH. No "memory" effect. Lightweight vs capacity.

Bad: Maintenance whores. must be properly storage charged or will shorten cell life.
The obvious risk of fires. Balance charging. Must have some sort of low voltage cutoff to prevent cell damage. not wise to discharge under 3V per cell under a load. Sub 2.8V and it's pretty much guaranteed you'll never recover that cell.

Treat them with respect and have a little bit of knowledge and they're the best thing ever.

I'm pretty sure that the AMA has a battery guide up on the website. They published it a few months running in the magazine. I'll dig it up. It's very good for the n00bs.

[87manche]

meh, AMA stuff is only available to members, which is disappointing. We should be sharing safety information and I'm going to talk to my vice president about that.

This is a good outline
Complete Guide to Lithium Polymer Batteries and LiPo Failure Reports - RC Groups

notice post #4. hundreds of issues, and that was long before non-hobbyists starting playing with these things.

[87manche]

oh, I forgot

[s10er8]

Place in bomb shelter. Plug in charger. Run like hell.

[87manche]

Originally Posted by s10er8

Place in bomb shelter. Plug in charger. Run like hell.

yes, very useful.

let me do my best gary impression.

[Squatchy07]

I'm by no means an expert...

The rules I try to follow are, charge on the garage floor, away from anything flammable.

If I'm charging in the truck, I put the batteries through the sliding back glass in the bed.

I'm always nearby and there's a fire extinguisher under the seat.

I store the batteries between usages on top of the metal freezer in the garage.

I've never had a fire, except when tossing batteries in the trash. (I shoot them in the backyard with the rimfire, they burn like hell...)

[crawlerman79]

I always use a balance charger, even though it takes longer.

Make sure your device has some sort of a low voltage cutoff.

I charge them in a lipo bag and always charge outside. If it raining or super hot, I'll charge them in the middle of the garage, on the concrete floor.

Never leave them charging unattended, if I have to leave, then I'll stop charging until I get back.

These batteries aren't much different from laptop or cell phone battery's, minus the hard protective case. Use common sense, you'll be good.

[87manche]

Originally Posted by Squatchy07

I'm always nearby and there's a fire extinguisher under the seat.

a bag of play sand will be much more effective.

fire extinguishers don't really do shit on them.

[Squatchy07]

Originally Posted by 87manche

a bag of play sand will be much more effective.

fire extinguishers don't really do shit on them.

I meant for putting out the burning bedliner. Lol.

I'm within baseball throwing distance of the truck at our local park, but them fuckers don't burn more than a few seconds.

[DWT]

Don't charge the batteries at a 10 amp rate non balanced, always balance them and keep them charging at a reasonable rate. I use 5 amps max no matter the battery size. Always keep the low voltage cut off above 3.0 volts per cell and they'll live long happy lives.

If you discharge them at too high of a rate you'll puff the pack due to off gassing being built up in the soft case around the cells. Some people throw them away when they get puffed, I use them till they quit taking a charge.

Storage charges are fine but the biggest killer is allowing a cell to drop below around 2.7 volts nominal. That will kill it 90% of the time.

[87manche]

I always charge at 1c.

I dont give a shit if the battery manufacturer says it will go 5.
1c is the best for battery life.

[Toms97ZJ]

I spent extra and got the nicest charger I could find.

Venom used to make good stuff but looks like they got bought out or something.

The charger I had was almost $200.

[makya]

Originally Posted by 87manche

I always charge at 1c.

I dont give a shit if the battery manufacturer says it will go 5.
1c is the best for battery life.

^^^^

I also only charge at 1c. 1c means charging at the same rate as the battery is listed for, so a 5000mah battery can be charged at 5 amps and will be charged in an hour. I also charge and store my batteries in Ammo Cans.


If you decide you want to charge faster than that, MAKE SURE that the battery is rated to charge at a higher rate. It will be posted somewhere on the battery or in the documentation that comes with the battery, saying it can be charged at 2c, or higher. 2c x 5000mah battery= 10 amps, so 5c x 5000mah = 25 amps. the math is easy to do.



ALWAYS USE A LIPO BAG, OR OTHER FIREPROOF CONTAINER! That is the biggest and most common mistake I see happen, and what caused the fire to spread so quickly in Lance and Renee's RV. It's also what caused a big fire in a hobby shop I used to frequent in Carrollton Tx.

Here's what happens when you get a lipo fire in a structure:

You Tube

You Tube

[UndefinedTaco]

I charge at 3A on most of my batteries, even ones that will charge 10a no problem....
Even my 2200mah-6500, 2S-5S.
I have a few like 1300's for my 1/4th scale I think that's size and those get charged at 2A and are fine.

I also always balance.

[87manche]

Originally Posted by UndefinedTaco

I charge at 3A on most of my batteries, even ones that will charge 10a no problem....
Even my 2200mah-6500, 2S-5S.
I have a few like 1300's for my 1/4th scale I think that's size and those get charged at 2A and are fine.

I also always balance.

back those 1300's down to 1.3 and you'll get many more cycles out of them.

high current charging is what will drastically shorten the lifespan of your batteries.

[CDA 455]

Can you guys interpret what's going on here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M5ftkN9PtY

[rocket flier]

[52202]

Can anyone tell me what temperature these things burn at?

[makya]

Originally Posted by CDA 455

Can you guys interpret what's going on here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M5ftkN9PtY

what he's doing is puncturing the seal around one of the battery cells to make it catch fire. When air comes into contact with the internal parts of a LiPo battery, it catches fire.

that's why he's testing the cashbox to see if it will withstand the temperature of a LiPo fire. If it does, then the box can be used to store batteries without worrying about them burning through.

[makya]

Originally Posted by jensenkennels

Can anyone tell me what temperature these things burn at?

From what I've read, it's about 500 degrees Celsius.


here's another good list of LiPo battery care:

15 things every LiPo battery user should know | Drone Girl

[CDA 455]

LiPo batteries can be carried on planes ?!!

[Rooney77]

This thread reminds me, I need to throw out my boatload of old lipos I have laying around.

[CDA 455]

Unbalanced batteries.


Are those cheapy batteries or what?

Please expand on this topic

[UndefinedTaco]

Originally Posted by 87manche

back those 1300's down to 1.3 and you'll get many more cycles out of them.

high current charging is what will drastically shorten the lifespan of your batteries.

Fuk it....they work fine....loool..and I meant 1/14th scale...mini 8