Storing battery for less than a week

[REVO-5309]

so i got my batteries today and there all charged up, should i discharge them or store them for the next week till the merv turns up? should i do a couple cycles?

 

[godale03]

Your Lipo's should come shipped with a "store" charge on them already, which is about 60% charged I do believe. If your merv is due in next week, I would just leave the batteries as they are. Lipo's do not discharge over time like NiMh batteries did. That is one of the benefits I love about lipos... no cycling them is required.

 

[REVO-5309]

so how do i cycle them? does this charger do it? iv had a quick look and nothing stood out saying cycle charge. or do i just have to discharge and recharge them a couple times? what rate do i discharge these batteries at? there the replacement for the merv

and i have given them all a balance charge so should i give them a store charge tomorrow night?

---------- Post added at 10:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:12 PM ----------

just finished making up all my plugs

i have a molex plug on the power and also made up a molex plug with the alligator plugs on the end for car battery use.

have changed the banana plug leads to trx plugs instead of the tx80 or what ever they are and also made up a plug to come out with alligator plugs again.

 

[HPIguy]

Keep an eye on that Molex connector, they aren't rated for very much amperage at all and will literally melt on you.

I have no idea on the functions of that charger, did it not come with a user manual?

 

[Greywolf74]

I balance charge all my lipos if I'm not going to use them for a couple days or more. and HPIGuy is right Molex connectors arent designed for high power. It will probably be ok with just a 80W charger though.

 

[REVO-5309]

Iv spread the load over all four connectors and so far has held up fine.

So what's the go
With cycling? Do I just discharge them if there is no cycle mode?

---------- Post added at 6:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 6:35 AM ----------

found this in the manual 'Charge-to-discharge & discharge-to-charge cycle NiMH/NiCd battery'

so do i do this as the nimh type battery instead of a lipo?

 

[Greywolf74]

What you to do is storage charge them. Lipos dont really need to be cycled unless the cells are way out of whack then you may want to do it a few times to get them sync more closely with one another. If your charger doesn't have a storage charge mode Then discharge them down to 3.8V/C and the manually stop it around that point.

 

[REVO-5309]

It does have a store and discharge function.

---------- Post added at 12:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:58 PM ----------

What's amps do I store them at?

 

[darkslayor24]

ik its not correct, but i always fully charge my batteries and store them, i dont want to get too fussy with mine and end up messing something up by trying to store them at a specific voltage. i have never had a problem. as much as i know as long as you dont store them discharged completely then you should be fine. dont go off my word tho

 

[REVO-5309]

Yeh iv heard else where to store them instead of complete discharge

 

[2revo1maxx]

Never do a complete discharge! They should never dip below 3 volts per cell. Also, Godale told you that cycling is not needed. My lipos get a storage charge after I use them, because I rarely use them. That way I can just top them off before use.

 

[Lessen]

Balance store them if not planning to use them for more than a week.

I NEVER balance charge my 2S packs. It's just not necessary IMO and I've gotten that from some VERY knowledgable people I race with. I think it's a good idea to use the balance function but I only do it when I store them. When I got to the track I have 4 chargers that rotate 4 battery packs. I'm not fiddling around with another connector if it's not needed.

 

[Greywolf74]

To answer your other question Storage charge mode will either charge or discharge your lipos to around 3.8V/C. you should do this at a 1C charge rate. the charger will handle the rest.

What you dont want to do is completely charge them and leave them sit if you can help it.

Heres a link to an interesting post buy a group that did an extensive 3 year study of various lipo care techniques and their effects on lipo lifespan.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15306099&postcount=991