Battery Storage

[thompso]

What is the proper way to store the lipo battery that comes with the Super Cub DSM RTF

[kenninny]

there is a lot of info on the web, and this form, about storing lipos, and no two will be the same some will say discharge down too 40 or 50% others say store fully charged. Lipos has a shelf discharge rate much slower than nimh or nicads. For the winter months I store mine
fully charged in a air tigh bag in the friged, not the freezer the air tigh bag is to keep the moisture out, remenber to let them set too room temp befor charging them.

[flydiver]

IMO fully charged in the fridge is bad idea. Better to not store lithium batteries fully charged. I have read a few reports of people that have stored charged batteries in the fridge and the batteries do poorly. Don't know why they do that.
50% in the fridge (bagged) is a really good idea. That's what I do myself. I have batteries going on 3+ years old that still work.

100% charge for prolonged time is a one of the worst things. Hotter makes it even worse (hot garage, hot car). Do that to a high C-rated battery and ruin it in short order, sometimes VERY short order. That has happened to a LOT of people and those batteries are expensive.

Do some reading:
batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batteries

It's not 'evil' to store your batteries fully charged. It DOES ABSOLUTELY increase their internal resistance and lowers their performance. Storage is less convenient, and refrigeration adds another level of hassle to the problem. It's up to the individual what their hassle index is and how to cope with it.

NOTE - without decent tools (good charger with storage function and maybe a separate dis-charger, plus voltage checker) it is very difficult to do this. You absolutely cannot do this properly with the stock charger and no voltmeter. It's like trying to fill a glass half full, in the dark, wearing gloves and ear protection. You have no idea what you are doing.

Having said that if you KNOW pretty well you say get 10" out of a battery > fly it 5" and take it home and leave it until the next use. Charge just before flying. You DO NOT want to fly to LVC and store it . Voltage will be too low and it risks going flat with permanent damage. Even flying a full battery for a few minutes before going home is better than storing it full. Minimum is to get it down below 4.0v/cell.

[hghost]

Newbie to Lipo Batteries in fact did not even hear of them until last year. Was reading some bad info about them. People losing their homes, cars, workshops do to fire. Now with a new Cub and Lipo batteries I am very concerned about handling these batteries. I have to keep them in a Fridge ? Charged, not charged ? The article presented by Flydiver was good but for me ( Newbie) it made no sense. So do I throw them on a shelf, store them in my Fridge, kept them at a certain Temp, summer and winter ? Right now Mine is in the Box with the Cub ( new of course and I am sure never charged ) What about those tiny Lipo batteries in these indoor helicopters ? Will they catch fire setting in the box with the heli ? Or do I need to get me a fireproof container and keep them buried underground ?.....I have no workshop and that only leaves my house, which I do not want to see burned down by a Lipo battery.....nor as I also read , my Cub when I do get to fly it, watch it burst into flames.....a more simple explaination would be greatly appreciated and ease my old tired mind. Thank you

[hounddog]

Apr 14, 2013 7:09:44 GMT 1 hghost said:

Newbie to Lipo Batteries in fact did not even hear of them until last year. Was reading some bad info about them. People losing their homes, cars, workshops do to fire. Now with a new Cub and Lipo batteries I am very concerned about handling these batteries. I have to keep them in a Fridge ? Charged, not charged ? The article presented by Flydiver was good but for me ( Newbie) it made no sense. So do I throw them on a shelf, store them in my Fridge, kept them at a certain Temp, summer and winter ? Right now Mine is in the Box with the Cub ( new of course and I am sure never charged ) What about those tiny Lipo batteries in these indoor helicopters ? Will they catch fire setting in the box with the heli ? Or do I need to get me a fireproof container and keep them buried underground ?.....I have no workshop and that only leaves my house, which I do not want to see burned down by a Lipo battery.....nor as I also read , my Cub when I do get to fly it, watch it burst into flames.....a more simple explaination would be greatly appreciated and ease my old tired mind. Thank you

Ideal long term storage voltage for a 3S battery is 11.4V. I just leave mine in my plastic flight box when they are not on charge.

Do not leave the house with them on charge and do not use ones which appear to be damaged, other than that don't be too worried, although I feel that you are being tongue in cheek ironic.

The trouble with internet forums is that many like to talk up a good job and go to excess. Another problem is you hear the worst case scenario without knowing the details behind it, the distressed poster may be a complete >insert own expletives here< and may have been the cause of his own downfall.

Use common sense, sort the truth from the dross and you'll be fine.

As an example, when I first bought a boat around 6 years ago, by the time I had done reading various US boating forums I was convinced the d**n thing was going to dissolve as soon as it hit the water. It didn't.

[flydiver]

Did you do any reading on the link I provided?
That's actually a reliable source of accurate information, not a bunch of internet stories. There is decent info on the net but you have to be willing to do the work.

Sometimes it seems people only read the 'shocking headlines'. Then being concerned they go ask the next person that has also only bothered to read the same shocking headlines. Then they wonder why they can never get accurate information. So they discuss why they can never get accurate information. So it goes on and on....

[renard80]

Amen to the above two posts.

FWIW, I keep my LiPo batteries in my aluminium flying box with all my other bits and pieces. The box is kept in my study, except for when I go flying.

In the three years since I moved to LiPo, none of them has exploded, caught fire or anything similarly spectacular.

As said above, I would never leave a charging battery alone in the house. And I charge them within a LiPoSafe bag. 'Puffy' or damaged batteries are discarded.

Pay attention to the wisdom of flydiver and that link he provides if you want to get optimum life from your batteries. Me, I am too lazy and spendthrift. I recharge fully after flying, so I am always ready to fly again should the opportunity suddenly arise.

I am told this is bad practice but my need to grab every opportunity for flying over-rides such considerations. When that wind drops, I gotta grab everything and get to the field - can't spend time charging, the weather might change! And if that means killing my batteries prematurely, it's a price I'm prepared to pay. ;D

[kenninny]

In a early post on this subject I said that I store my battery fully charge in the fridge, well even old dogs can learn new tricks, although storing batteries in the fridge help to slow the discharge, storing lipos fully
charged over months can speed up the chemical break down of the lipo early (before its time ) so now
I store at 50 % for winter months

[Crazy Horse]

fly's link is seriously good, if not the best IMO.

I have read and re-read it countless times (I need to now, as not everything sinks in the first time).

Myself, I am experimenting with two new batteries that I have. One is in store fully charged, the other 50%, both labelled of course.
They are currently sitting in an old biscuit tin, in a cupboard, in the dark. Room temperature reasonably constant.

When I get a chance to use them, I intend to log flight duration for each, pre-flight voltage, post-flight voltage etc., just so that I have something to compare and refer to when they do start to fade. The way the weather is going this could take some considerable time!

I firmly believe that one of the most important pieces of kit that you can invest in is a good quality battery charger. It may be an initial expense that seems excessive, but it will last you a long time with care. One that can charge/discharge and has the option of a storage facility. I have always found that buying good quality tools and kit pays dividends. The old saying, "Buy cheap, buy twice or thrice" is absolute. Please don't ask me to recommend one as it is a personal choice based on a number of factors.

To be honest, I am usually the same as Renard, keep them stored charged, ready to go, in my aluminium (please note the correct English spelling ) case, together with capacity checker and fire extinguisher! No, not really, just my little jolly jape, no fire extinguisher. Like Renard, I am willing to pay the price for my idiosyncrasies.

[flydiver]

I'm rarely that spontaneous about flying so storage is not too big a deal. I readily admit that having to pull them out of the fridge, let 'em warm up, then charge them can be a tedious process. OTOH, I have some batteries going on 3 years old that function fine. These are not top of the line expensive batteries.

There are ways around some of the storage problems if you are committed. Newer batteries and newer more powerful chargers can charge at 3-5C, no problem. They also have faster (higher amp) storage capability. The 4-button ones that are very common have very weak storage ability (1 amp or less).

For discharge you can do regenerative charging:
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1255751
I have not done this but it's on my short list.

I use an array of taillight bulbs (I have a 4 string and a single for various discharge rates), a wattmeter, and a Battery Checker/Low Voltage Alarm:
www.headsuphobby.com/Battery-Checker-Low-Voltage-Alarm-G-200.htm
You can program the alarm to go off at individual cell levels-3.7 to 3.8 is perfect for storage. It's pretty loud. Before I got it I had a couple instances of discharging with the bulbs + wattmeter that went badly.
With the assembly sitting right next to me while I pecked away at the computer the next thing I know the light bulb is dead....as was the lipo. I did that to a brand new one that I was test cycling once.
I've had buddies do the same thing. You think you won't but there you are.

[hghost]

I read the link above provided by Flydiver. Thus the reason I asked what I did. Some of us who are use to old batteries we could only charge by a car battery and have NO technical knowledge of this new technology.Some of us have allot to learn and reading some of these articles may as well be written in a foreign language . I have a few products, like an indoor Heli that states to store the battery fully charged, yes it is tiny but it is a lipo, the Cub I just bought also has a Lipo battery. I simply do not want to wake up to a fire..and yes my wording was just being funny and dramatic, but my questions were sincere and needed.There are many who read these posts whether they are members or not.Just to get the info . Every little bit of wisdom by anyone who has used and learned about these products is much appreciated and much needed. But I have heard and read many articles and how to videos and almost all are different in one manner or another so which is right, a small charge a full charge, danger at full, no danger at small ? Fridge storing or in the cabinet ? It matters to newbies like me to be precise, thus why I ask and I am sure it matters to many who never post, but just read to learn..............But why be boring a little drama spices up the post......I'll store mine in the can in the yard when not in use, seems the safest avenue to be sure....yes, I am kidding.

[flydiver]

Maybe something not quite as extensive then. This guy is pretty much spot on. Bookmark it:
sites.google.com/site/tjinguytech/charging-how-tos

[hghost]

Thanks Flydiver for the TJIN Link.....bookmarked

[renard80]

Apr 16, 2013 5:29:14 GMT 1 flydiver said:

Maybe something not quite as extensive then. This guy is pretty much spot on. Bookmark it:
sites.google.com/site/tjinguytech/charging-how-tos

Thanks for that link, fly.

Unlike some of the more technical advice on the net, even a technophobe like me could understand his plain language!

I recommend everyone to read it.

Thanks again. You really are a priceless asset to this board.

[flydiver]

Apr 18, 2013 0:03:32 GMT 1 renard80 said:

Apr 16, 2013 5:29:14 GMT 1 flydiver said:

Thanks again. You really are a priceless asset to this board.

Priceless? I thought you were supposed to send me tithes via Paypal?
;D