Question about Lipo batteries….

[corneileous]

Be nice, I've only been running a battery-powered RC for the last couple years but being that I really dont have much of a play area here by the house in my little neighborhood but since I was told these batteries need to be stored on a stored charge when not in use, sometimes whenever I run my car for a little bit, I just take one of my batteries thats been store-charged and run it and when I’m done, I just plug it in the charger and hit the store charge again. Is this OK to do or should I take a battery thats been store charged and balance charge it before I use it?

 

[tntpoof]

not sure how long of run you do. or what rc your running. store charge is the safe voltage that a lipo can go to and sit for a few months .most batteries will self discharge. bad habit id correct it. even a 3 minute charge would be safer

 

[corneileous]

not sure how long of run you do. or what rc your running. store charge is the safe voltage that a lipo can go to and sit for a few months .most batteries will self discharge. bad habit id correct it. even a 3 minute charge would be safer

It’s a Traxxas Maxx that I may run for 15, 20 minutes or until the low voltage protection kicks in. Then I’ll put it back on the charger for a store charge and being that I’ve got three packs that are 5,000 mAh, if I run the car some more, by the time that second battery gets low, usually I’m done so I’ll just store charge that one too.

I was just curious if the batteries needed to be fully balanced charged before I ran them even if it was a week or two from the last time they were store charged. Now, if I hadn’t ran the car in a couple of months, I would balance charge the one I’m using first.

 

[WickedFog]

It’s a Traxxas Maxx that I may run for 15, 20 minutes or until the low voltage protection kicks in. Then I’ll put it back on the charger for a store charge and being that I’ve got three packs that are 5,000 mAh, if I run the car some more, by the time that second battery gets low, usually I’m done so I’ll just store charge that one too.

I was just curious if the batteries needed to be fully balanced charged before I ran them even if it was a week or two from the last time they were store charged. Now, if I hadn’t ran the car in a couple of months, I would balance charge the one I’m using first.

I wouldn't do it. I always charge my batteries before running. Unless I am just testing something for just a minute or so.

 

[corneileous]

I wouldn't do it. I always charge my batteries before running. Unless I am just testing something for just a minute or so.

So what could go wrong? The battery is charged, just not all the way. Store charging balances the cell voltages just like balance charging, doesn’t it?

 

[WickedFog]

So what could go wrong? The battery is charged, just not all the way. Store charging balances the cell voltages just like balance charging, doesn’t it?

Well, lets say your battery has developed a problem. Your IR on one cell has gone haywire. You put it in your RC, and poof. It goes up in flames. Without throwing it on the charger first and checking the IR, you wouldn't know you have a bad battery. If you aren't keeping an eye on the IR of your cells, you should be.

And it's good to cycle your batteries. If you just storage charge them and run them, they might develop a memory. I have never done that with my LiPo's, so I don't know if that is a problem with LiPo's, but I know with other batteries, they will, and that is not good on them.

 

[NitroR/C]

RC LiPo batteries are very delicate and must be stored properly to prevent damage and extend their life. In general, RC LiPo batteries should be stored when not in use at room temperature and with a storage voltage of 3.80 / 3.85 volts for each cell. If you store the battery in a cold environment, condensation may form during use. If you store the battery in a very hot environment or near heat sources, it could expand and make it unsafe and unusable.

Also, it is not recommended to store batteries at 100% or too low a charge for a long time. So, if you have a battery that was charged at the store and haven't used it in a while, it's best to charge it in balance mode before using it. and always charge maximum at a (C) example 1000 mAh battery charged at max at 1 Amp. some batteries I have seen that it is advisable to charge at current lower than a "c"

 

[corneileous]

Well, lets say your battery has developed a problem. Your IR on one cell has gone haywire. You put it in your RC, and poof. It goes up in flames. Without throwing it on the charger first and checking the IR, you wouldn't know you have a bad battery. If you aren't keeping an eye on the IR of your cells, you should be.

And it's good to cycle your batteries. If you just storage charge them and run them, they might develop a memory. I have never done that with my LiPo's, so I don't know if that is a problem with LiPo's, but I know with other batteries, they will, and that is not good on them.

I can understand that.

 

[NitroR/C]

Well, lets say your battery has developed a problem. Your IR on one cell has gone haywire. You put it in your RC, and poof. It goes up in flames. Without throwing it on the charger first and checking the IR, you wouldn't know you have a bad battery. If you aren't keeping an eye on the IR of your cells, you should be.

And it's good to cycle your batteries. If you just storage charge them and run them, they might develop a memory. I have never done that with my LiPo's, so I don't know if that is a problem with LiPo's, but I know with other batteries, they will, and that is not good on them.

As far as I know, LiPo batteries have no memory effect, unlike other rechargeable batteries such as nickel-cadmium (NiCd) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. Memory effect is the voltage depression that occurs when a battery is repeatedly recharged before its stored energy is used up.