SMC pack ready for retirement. Very high and apart IR.

[DavidB1126]

Welp....

After this pic, I exit out and hit enter to re read the IR. It went down alot but 1 cell is still apart. One is at 2.1 and the other at 9.1. I think it's ready for retirement? It has well lasted me over a year with bashing. And lasted my uncle about 3/4 years of SCT racing.

Which one will be better? Using the discharge function on the charger or doing a salt bath?

 

[nino]

Just discharge it...

 

[bill_delong]

I rarely had a pack last 6 months of racing in a 4WD SCT

I have never used a salt bath when tossing out a battery into the trash, I leave it discharged and junk it. Many auto parts stores and hardware stores will accept recycled batteries if you prefer them to dispose for you.

 

[ahr43]

Run a discharge cycle on the LiPo. Then bring it down to zero charge by attaching a 12v auto bulb until the light goes out. Wrap the exposed battery leads or sockets with electrical tape and trash it. That's the drill in my shop anyway.

 

[tntpoof]

1157 bulb in a old brake bulb holder works best as said many locations take li batteries an will dispose of them.air rifle also works

 

[DavidB1126]

Wrap the exposed battery leads or sockets with electrical tape and trash it. That's the drill in my shop anyway.

Well these batteries have 5mm bullets so no need for that?
A little update, the IRs went back to normal (4.0/5.0 per cell). Ill attempt to balance charge it again and if the IRs go up again then ill discharge it.
Also, when I started balance charging yesterday, I was taking the battery out of storage and balance charging at 10 amps. Maybe the high charging rate caused the high IR?

 

[ahr43]

Hey DavidB,

The G.A. LiPo's I've discharged had the provision for 4mm bullets and not a fixed lead. I taped them anyway. Probably not necessary as you allude to, but I tend to the over-cautious. Have always been short-circuit averse with my battery packs-even if they are no longer in my control, as when they are disposed of.

Standard charge rate in my shop for all my LiPo's and Graphene packs is 1C. I don't race competitively so a higher charge rate is of little benefit to my power units. Cheers. 'AC'

 

[RustyUs]

Well these batteries have 5mm bullets so no need for that?
A little update, the IRs went back to normal (4.0/5.0 per cell). Ill attempt to balance charge it again and if the IRs go up again then ill discharge it.
Also, when I started balance charging yesterday, I was taking the battery out of storage and balance charging at 10 amps. Maybe the high charging rate caused the high IR?

Charging at higher amperages will always warm things up and lower IR readings. Like I said before in other posts, chargers with the ability to do IR readings... those readings are not highly accurate, and should only be used as a tool. With your initial cell differences being extremely far apart like they were, and then things going back to normal, I'd say somthing else is on the fritz.

I would do exactly like you are doing. Do a few cycles and watch temps, voltage ramping up in one cell, and IR readings. I always have multiple chargers, or other ways of measuring IR. Charge the battery in the other port and see what readings you get.

 

[JCsRCcar]

If it’s a hard case battery then check the lead wires where they exit the hole in the plastic case. I found mine chafed on the case and exposed the conductors inside which caused high internal resistance when taking a reading and shorted one of the cells.

 

[DavidB1126]

If it’s a hard case battery then check the lead wires where they exit the hole in the plastic case. I found mine chafed on the case and exposed the conductors inside which caused high internal resistance when taking a reading and shorted one of the cells.

These are 5mm bullets. So no need to check that?

 

[Greywolf74]

These are 5mm bullets. So no need to check that?

In your case Id check and make sure your bullets are making good firm contact and theres no corrosion or excessive wear on either side of the bullets. Then cycle the lipo a couple of times and see where the IRs end up after a couple of cycles.