I need help rewiring this old school 3s Hobbico lipo

[Peeeenuuutt]

Here’s the battery. It’s a Hobbico onyx 3s, but it’s actually 3s2p so there’s 6 cells. It’s a 6400mah. Like I said it’s a 3s and as you can see there’s only 3 wires:

I’m going to buy a replacement 3s lipo balance lead and plug, can someone tell me where the last wire goes???

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

I think it goes here?

Hard to see on camera but it looks like my wire used to be there before it broke off.

Edit: yup looks like I found it !!

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

All better good as new can’t even tell I ever ripped into it.

 

[slick2500]

All better good as new can’t even tell I ever ripped into it.
View attachment 32134
View attachment 32135

Nope not at all lol I really think the scotch tape finishes it off.

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

Nope not at all lol I really think the scotch tape finishes it off.

Lmao. By the way it’s actually balancing fine!

 

[olds97_lss]

I just redid one of the 3S packs I built out of old SMC 2S 7200mah packs yesterday. Had a cell drop in it. I had one more old 7200mah 2S pack to sacrifice, so I cut it down, separated the cells, then took the bad cell out of the old one to replace with a new one. However one of the tabs for one of the paired cells on the remaining good ones that I had to desolder wouldn't take solder again... no matter what I did. So, ended up removing 2 pairs of cells and resoldered/installed both from the sacrificial pack.

I use typical masking tape rolled up around a q-tip and squeezed to make hard backer blocks for the tabs to give them something to rest on. Then used 4-5 layers of paper masking tape over each of the leads. I don't have any of that insulating tape, other than vinyl electrical tape, which is soft.

Kind of unnerving to be fiddling with something that has so much power in it. One wrong move with a knife and I have an instant fireball of rage on my workbench in my apartment. SMC uses some sort of glue to bond the pairs of cells together, which you have to carefully cut to separate them. I use a plastic putty knife for that.

This is from when I built them the first time, I made 2 3S out of 3 2S packs:

I bought 3S balance plugs with silicone leads to use. Wish they were about an inch longer.

Then used the case halves as some sort of protection for them after wrapping the cells with masking tape over the leads and fiber tape a couple layers to hold the cells together, then a couple layers on the outside of the case halves:

The one in the middle is a hobbystar 3S 5400mah pack. I had 2 of those to try out 3S... one of which has since dropped a cell. It's 3 months or so sold with maybe 8 cycles on it.

Getting the case off is tedious. I used a dremel with a cutting disk and very light pressure to work around the seam until I see a glint of the silver pack underneath.

 

[Lazy Bushman]

Well done both of you. I’d be too scared to blowing them up and would have just junked them and bought new out of ignorance about the art of the possible

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

I just redid one of the 3S packs I built out of old SMC 2S 7200mah packs yesterday. Had a cell drop in it. I had one more old 7200mah 2S pack to sacrifice, so I cut it down, separated the cells, then took the bad cell out of the old one to replace with a new one. However one of the tabs for one of the paired cells on the remaining good ones that I had to desolder wouldn't take solder again... no matter what I did. So, ended up removing 2 pairs of cells and resoldered/installed both from the sacrificial pack.

I use typical masking tape rolled up around a q-tip and squeezed to make hard backer blocks for the tabs to give them something to rest on. Then used 4-5 layers of paper masking tape over each of the leads. I don't have any of that insulating tape, other than vinyl electrical tape, which is soft.

Kind of unnerving to be fiddling with something that has so much power in it. One wrong move with a knife and I have an instant fireball of rage on my workbench in my apartment. SMC uses some sort of glue to bond the pairs of cells together, which you have to carefully cut to separate them. I use a plastic putty knife for that.

This is from when I built them the first time, I made 2 3S out of 3 2S packs:

I bought 3S balance plugs with silicone leads to use. Wish they were about an inch longer.

Then used the case halves as some sort of protection for them after wrapping the cells with masking tape over the leads and fiber tape a couple layers to hold the cells together, then a couple layers on the outside of the case halves:

The one in the middle is a hobbystar 3S 5400mah pack. I had 2 of those to try out 3S... one of which has since dropped a cell. It's 3 months or so sold with maybe 8 cycles on it.

Getting the case off is tedious. I used a dremel with a cutting disk and very light pressure to work around the seam until I see a glint of the silver pack underneath.

Clearly you can do it a lot more professionally than me. But to my surprise I just finished a run and it was fine, now it’s balancing fine again too.

I accidentally shorted it out when I was plugging in the balance leads a few minutes ago, but it was for like a quarter second so the wires got a little warm but that was about it.

I wish I was really smart because if I was I’d go into it and wire it up into 6s1p and use it as a 3200mah.

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

Well done both of you. I’d be too scared to blowing them up and would have just junked them and bought new out of ignorance about the art of the possible

I was too but I decided to just tell myself to not screw up and that if I did it would hurt LOL. And hey, ill do a little bit to keep a Hobbico lipo on the road. This one, costed me many $ back then so that’s also a reason.


You’re definitely smarter in thinking that way though.

 

[slick2500]

Would either of you be interested in a Turnigy HD 5000mah 6s battery that has 2 puffed cells? it is brand new never been cycled came out of the box all puffy and fat. Not sure what the safest way to ship it would be however.

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

Would either of you be interested in a Turnigy HD 5000mah 6s battery that has 2 puffed cells? it is brand new never been cycled came out of the box all puffy and fat. Not sure what the safest way to ship it would be however.

I would be. Always wanted a turnigy heavy duty. Can’t you send it back?

Wait never mind I don’t own a charger that can charge 6s anymore lol

 

[slick2500]

I would be. Always wanted a turnigy heavy duty. Can’t you send it back?

Wait never mind I don’t own a charger that can charge 6s anymore lol

They told me to throw it away and sent me a new one.
Maybe I'll try my soldering skills and try to make a 5000mah 4s out of it.

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

They told me to throw it away and sent me a new one.
Maybe I'll try my soldering skills and try to make a 5000mah 4s out of it.

Which cells are puffed?

 

[bicketybam]

Graphene batteries are the best!

 

[slick2500]

Which cells are puffed?

Looks like 1 & 6. 2 through 4 have an IR of 2.

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

Psht. That pack is fineeee. My onyx (in pairs) was 15, 7, and 20. (Its been shorted 3 or 4 times plus the one today)

 

[slick2500]

This is what it was like when I first got it.

 

[Peeeenuuutt]

That’s actually a little worse than I thought. Still, I run my packs until they’re footballs.