Lipo basics

[Dustin Mustangs]

Lipos are fickle beasts. Treat them wrong and they can easily be damaged or, worse yet, catch fire. This is especially true when charging. Lots of good info here, I suggest anyone not already informed take a nice long look:

https://sites.google.com/site/tjinguytech/charging-how-tos

 

[shortluck45]

Very Nice info to read. I enjoyed the article and learned a few things. Thanks

 

[Djinn]

I have a question for you folks how often do you balance your batteries? And at what rate for said size of battery

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Balance every time you charge. It is bad for your pack and frankly dangerous not to. If you really don't have the extra 5 minutes you can always stop the charge early without any concern. Typical lipo charge rate is 1-2c. Packs will also have a manufacturer recommended max charge rate, some as high as 5-10c.

 

[Darren Wes]

I balance charge everytime...never heard about anything good coming out from the side to charge it like a nihm except an extra few less min. Of charge time...personally the risk is too high. Anyway....on a different note
Think i need to treat my lipos to some liquid tape... they do not like water at all

 

[Yorda]

I have a question regarding these small 1 cell lipos.
I have a 500mah and two 750mah 1s lipo batteries for quadcopters.
They came with usb chargers. Is it safe to fully charge them and let them rest for a while in a metal toolbox?
Or will it cause the same reaction inside the pack as it does with the big lipos?
So I guess it's best to charge them and pull the usb out halfway the charging process.

 

[Djinn]

I am glad that every thing I have done /did is what I took in.

I am saying this as sometimes I read something and do the opposite.
I evidently wrecked a pack when I switched a balance from 1c to 5c. That is why I asked, although I have run said pack from mid December until 4 weeks ago at least on average 3-4 times a week.

Thanks

 

[roger nelson]

Dumb question. Leaving a full charge on a lipo for a week do any damage?

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

I have a question regarding these small 1 cell lipos.
I have a 500mah and two 750mah 1s lipo batteries for quadcopters.
They came with usb chargers. Is it safe to fully charge them and let them rest for a while in a metal toolbox?
Or will it cause the same reaction inside the pack as it does with the big lipos?
So I guess it's best to charge them and pull the usb out halfway the charging process.

Dumb question. Leaving a full charge on a lipo for a week do any damage?

Ideally lipos should not be left charged for any amount of time. It is best to charge them just before use. I have heard pro rc heli pilots claim they can actually feel a performance decrease from leaving one of their packs charged for 24 hours. This is damage that cannot be undone and is cumulative. You will also find people that argue it really doesn't matter.

Know the recommended practices (see link above) and do your best to follow them. Life unfortunately happens at times and they cannot always be followed to a T but you certainly should not make a habit of breaking them.

 

[roger nelson]

Is it even possible to put a 3s lipo in a fury? Not can the esc handle it.can it fit in the battery slot if I upgrade to a brushless system. Just don't look possible.

 

[LunchBox]

I glad I found this.... Noob question do u really need a charge bag and stuff?..... And the break in process it say it may take 12 charge and discharges. That means charging and running it in a car Right? It says don't run past this voltage and amp but how do u know it is exactly?...... Thnx in advance!

 

[Darren Wes]

I just got a seperate reader balencer discharger from my charger in the mail today for balencing lipos after a run as well as helping store lipos properly. I don't think mine works to well so. Would suggest getting the 20 dollar one in this case. This 10 dollar one overheats and messes with the screen on 3s... my 6s almost starts melting it. It will save your batteries and you dobt have to remeber whats charged or not.

If i do discharges in 5 to 10 min incriments the lcd screen doesn't go funky... just a hassel

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

I glad I found this.... Noob question do u really need a charge bag and stuff?..... And the break in process it say it may take 12 charge and discharges. That means charging and running it in a car Right? It says don't run past this voltage and amp but how do u know it is exactly?...... Thnx in advance!

You don't need the bags but you do need to be careful. Lipo fires do happen and sometimes even to people that are following all the rules. Always stay within sight and earshot of your packs when charging. That is the riskiest time. They will get hot and swell before they catch fire so that is what to watch for. Store and charge them by a smoke detector and on or in something non-combustible. Have a plan in case something happens.

Lots of opinions on proper break-in. I do it over 10 cycles. If your charger can cycle packs, do the first handful of cycles on that in a controlled (and not quite so boring) manner. Doing it with your car can work too. The general concept is the first cycle is a slow charge (0.25-0.5c) and then a slow discharge to a storage level (50% capacity left or roughly 3.85v per cell). A slow discharge in your car would be driving at around 1/3 throttle with seldom short duration bursts of around 2/3 throttle. Then, over course of 10 cycles, you slowly transition to your typical behavior in terms of discharge rate, charge rate, and capacity used per cycle. The above would be an ideal scenario and might not be realistic, or needed, for everyone.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

I just got a seperate reader balencer discharger from my charger in the mail today for balencing lipos after a run as well as helping store lipos properly. I don't think mine works to well so. Would suggest getting the 20 dollar one in this case. This 10 dollar one overheats and messes with the screen on 3s... my 6s almost starts melting it. It will save your batteries and you dobt have to remeber whats charged or not.

If i do discharges in 5 to 10 min incriments the lcd screen doesn't go funky... just a hassel

I picked up two of these lipo cell monitors on ebay for like $5. I waterproofed one with LET and mounted it right on my truck with double sided tape. Knowing right where your cells are reading at any given time is super convienient plus it has an adjustable alarm. I normally drive (and fly) my packs to a storage charge and this makes it real easy to do without bothering with a timer.

 

[LunchBox]

I picked up two of these lipo cell monitors on ebay for like $5. I waterproofed one with LET and mounted it right on my truck with double sided tape. Knowing right where your cells are reading at any given time is super convienient plus it has an adjustable alarm. I normally drive (and fly) my packs to a storage charge and this makes it real easy to do without bothering with a timer.

View attachment 480

Awesome I believe the local hobby shop will have these for sale. What exactly did u use to make or water proof!

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Awesome I believe the local hobby shop will have these for sale. What exactly did u use to make or water proof!

LET = liquid electrical tape. It's currently the third wonder of my workshop behind only duct tape and zip ties. Seriously though, the stuff is great. Waterproofing is only one of its many uses. Best of all, it will peel off in one piece if needed and you'd never know it was there.

 

[LunchBox]

LET = liquid electrical tape. It's currently the third wonder of my workshop behind only duct tape and zip ties. Seriously though, the stuff is great. Waterproofing is only one of its many uses. Best of all, it will peel off in one piece if needed and you'd never know it was there.

Awesome I'll get me a cell monitor b4 I break in my new battery and this also to water proof one! Thnx man!

 

[LunchBox]

I think I charged my lipo in life mode do you think I messed it up..... I checked it and the cells are low but they check good....what do y'all think about it

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

It's not likely that your charger would of even allowed that to happen. Life termination voltage is 3.6v per cell and Lipos really shouldn't ever be below 3.7v per cell. Your charger would of likely errored out before even starting and no worries about your battery if not.

Be more careful though, brah. You could be hosing out the embers of your mc mansion right now.

 

[LunchBox]

It's not likely that your charger would of even allowed that to happen. Life termination voltage is 3.6v per cell and Lipos really shouldn't ever be below 3.7v per cell. Your charger would of likely errored out before even starting and no worries about your battery if not.

Be more careful though, brah. You could be hosing out the embers of your mc mansion right now.

Lmao! It def didn't charge but i got me a voltage tester and t read 3.1 per cell.........on another note I was running tonight and the truck kinda lost connection and wouldn't respond and almost took off by it self. What would cause this to happen!