Any thoughts on using lipo's?

ESK8 Electronics
1

So I saw Enertion’s space battery and was wondering about alternatives. What are the differences between them apart from price? I am thinking that im gonna have to go lipo because it’s cheaper and more flexible with my board choice. Any reasons to steer clear of lipos?

2

Lipos take a little bit more care looking after them. they are a little more volatile. if you are careful and know what you are doing there is no reason not to use lipo’s. I have used lipos on all of my builds so far with no problems.

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3

thanks gonna order some now

4

I’ve been using lipo’s in rc models for years and haven’t had any problems. Some tips that come to mind: Invest in a good balancing charger. Balance the cells regularly. Protect them from over-discharging (your esc will take care of that) Never mix different brands/capacities. If they puff up, dispose of them immediately. Be extremely careful not to short them. Protect them from punctures / mechanical damage. Charge them in something fireproof like a cinderblock, a large flower pot or one of those charging bags.

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5

I have had lots of the cheapest ones puff up, also the cheapest ones seem to have varying tolerance when it comes to building dimensions, I bought a batch of 6s 8000mah, then a few weeks later another batch of same battery and they were physically larger & slightly different shape. The first batch was better quality than the 2nd - no puff daddy. I think HK found a new, cheaper? supplier and just whack the generic ZIPPY FLIGHT MAX label on it.

In terms of puffing up, it was mostly occurring after sustained, high discharge (but still within the battery specs). Then when I started using the slightly more expensive options from hobbyking etc, they seemed to be more resilient. This is just general observations, I never deeply investigated the reason why some are more expensive than others. I am sure it has to do with the chemical composition and quality of raw materials, such as the lithium purity etc.

Maybe there is a battery chemist who will chime in…

6

what happens if u short them in accident like once?

7

Better to not short them at all. If you do, you may be able to replace the shorted balance leads. If not you may even be able to use the batteries without balancing them for awhile. But in the long run you may be asking for trouble.

8

also what is the best way to store lipos?

9

I heard that there is a proper voltage to store lipos?

10

I believe it is 3.7v per cell

11

My IMAX B6AC V2 has a storage mode which discharges to 3.8 per cell. 3.7 would work as well.

12

You might get away with shorting them only very briefly but if you short them really bad they’ll be toast.

I’ve always stored my lipo’s fully charged and haven’t really noticed any averse effects.

13

every charger I have ever seen has a lipo storage option.

14

My Duratrax Onyx 235 doesn’t. I have to discharge manually 'til the cells are 3.85 volts each.

15

That wasn’t the point… The point was it was 3.8 volts…

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17

i just received some LiPos in the mail, i won’t be using them till later this month, is it okay to just leave them in the packaging in a normal room temperature room?

18

yep. make sure it’s not near anything that can heatup.

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