HELP!!! New to Lithiums

[patrol_maverick]

Hello, I just bought some lithium cells the other day but need help to decide what to charge them on. I'm only new to lithiums. I'm not sure what brand they are, probably cheap chinese ones. They have part number lir123a on them and are 600mah 3.6v.
My charger is a Swallow AC/DC EQ charger, and has the following lithium charges: LiIo, LiPo, LiFePO4 (A123).

I when to the hobby shop that I bought the lithiums from and he said use the LiFe setting because they are 123 type batteries, which would seem obvious compared to the part number. BUT... my charger LiFe setting is 3.3v per cell and my cells have 3.6v printed on them. I Googled the part number and found a chinese supplier website which says this part number is a lithium ion (which fits with my chargers LiIo 3.6v charge rate)

...So I'm pretty confused, but I'm confident that I can rule out the LiPo setting. The guy that runs the hobby shop said these cells are really safe (unless intentionally abusing them), they won't blow up or catch fire, and don't really need to be ballanced, and don't need a voltage cut off. I think he mentioned something about magnesium in them too if that helps.

Any help is much appreciated

[patrol_maverick]

BTW, The battery packs I made are just 2 cells in series and currently measure around 7.6v per pack, and I haven't charged them yet.
The packs are built for my AX10.

[nukegm426]

i'm no where near an expert but the little i read on this the otherday would say for you to use the LiFe setting. and yes those are supposed to be safer batteries. you might look to make sure the charger is truly compatabile with the 123 type battery, otherwise go for it.

[gm0688]

Originally Posted by nukegm426

i'm no where near an expert but the little i read on this the otherday would say for you to use the LiFe setting. and yes those are supposed to be safer batteries. you might look to make sure the charger is truly compatabile with the 123 type battery, otherwise go for it.

LiFe batteries are a minimum 3.3 volts per cell. This is a 2 cell battery = 6.6 volts So 3 cells are 9.9 volts. LiPO cells are 3.7 volts per cell. 2 cells = 7.4 3 cells 11. 1 volts

[patrol_maverick]

Originally Posted by gm0688

LiFe batteries are a minimum 3.3 volts per cell. This is a 2 cell battery = 6.6 volts So 3 cells are 9.9 volts. LiPO cells are 3.7 volts per cell. 2 cells = 7.4 3 cells 11. 1 volts

So if my lir123a battery packs are 7.2v do I charge them on LiIo 7.2v, or LiFe 6.6v?

[gm0688]

[QUOTE=patrol_maverick;2911260]So if my lir123a battery packs are 7.2v do I charge them on LiIo 7.2v, or LiFe 6.6v?[/QUOTE

if its a a123 pack use the life setting it reads 7 volts when its charged. Ran down it will be 6.6. I use a LiFe pack in my radio, so yes it is this way.

[patrol_maverick]

I'll give it a go on LiFe, and if no good I'll try LiIo. I only paid $4 per cell so if they die then it's no big loss.

[JohnRobHolmes]

Can you take a pic of them or link to where you bought them? It sounds like they have a 3.6v/ cell profile, and they may not be high discharge rate cells. What are these going in?

[Hulksta]

I could be wrong but won't the charger detect if your entered the wrong battery? Sorry if I'm wrong, I've never used liFe battery's b4

[JohnRobHolmes]

Maybe if the overall voltage is way off, but otherwise chargers will do what you tell them. They don't know the difference between the various chemistries, and charging a lithium cell too high in voltage is the best way to start a fire.

[Reflection]

Originally Posted by Hulksta

I could be wrong but won't the charger detect if your entered the wrong battery? Sorry if I'm wrong, I've never used liFe battery's b4

I've hooked lipos up and charged on a NiMH setting quite a few times. Although it can be very dangerous, it'll charge as long as you let it.

If I get a lipo that drops below the cut off, a few seconds on a NiMH charge will bump it back above 3v per cell. It is dangerous, I strongly recommend using a lipo sack or ammo can while doing so.

[adam83]

Those cells sound a lot like an IMR16340. IMR chemistry, or Lithium Manganese Oxide is a "safe chemistry" high power cell. I'm judging by the part# and capacity that they are 123a size (one 2/3 of an "A" sized cell) or 16mm x 34mm. The good news is that these are a high current, safe cell that you can charge with the LiIo setting (3.6v nominal-4.1v @ full charge)

The bad news is that these cells are not suitable to make a pack for your AX10. They would only deliver a peak of about 10 amps and around 5 amps continuously. And just for clarification, ALL lithium chemistries (LiPo, LiIo, LiFe, LiCo, LiMn, etc.) MUST be balanced charged and MUST have a low voltage cutoff. Life(IFR) and LiMn(IMR) will tolerate overdischarge and not being balanced, but will have a very very short and unhappy life.

Sorry I dont have more good news for these cells, they are just a bit too small for the application.

[gm0688]

Originally Posted by adam83

Those cells sound a lot like an IMR16340. IMR chemistry, or Lithium Manganese Oxide is a "safe chemistry" high power cell. I'm judging by the part# and capacity that they are 123a size (one 2/3 of an "A" sized cell) or 16mm x 34mm. The good news is that these are a high current, safe cell that you can charge with the LiIo setting (3.6v nominal-4.1v @ full charge)

The bad news is that these cells are not suitable to make a pack for your AX10. They would only deliver a peak of about 10 amps and around 5 amps continuously. And just for clarification, ALL lithium chemistries (LiPo, LiIo, LiFe, LiCo, LiMn, etc.) MUST be balanced charged and MUST have a low voltage cutoff. Life(IFR) and LiMn(IMR) will tolerate overdischarge and not being balanced, but will have a very very short and unhappy life.

Sorry I dont have more good news for these cells, they are just a bit too small for the application.

Heres what you could do is put them in your radio.

[patrol_maverick]

Originally Posted by adam83

Those cells sound a lot like an IMR16340. IMR chemistry, or Lithium Manganese Oxide is a "safe chemistry" high power cell. I'm judging by the part# and capacity that they are 123a size (one 2/3 of an "A" sized cell) or 16mm x 34mm. The good news is that these are a high current, safe cell that you can charge with the LiIo setting (3.6v nominal-4.1v @ full charge)

The bad news is that these cells are not suitable to make a pack for your AX10. They would only deliver a peak of about 10 amps and around 5 amps continuously. And just for clarification, ALL lithium chemistries (LiPo, LiIo, LiFe, LiCo, LiMn, etc.) MUST be balanced charged and MUST have a low voltage cutoff. Life(IFR) and LiMn(IMR) will tolerate overdischarge and not being balanced, but will have a very very short and unhappy life.

Sorry I dont have more good news for these cells, they are just a bit too small for the application.

Your first paragraph sounds basically the same as what the guy at the hobby store said, but he wasn't sure about using them in a crawler- he'd been trialing them in planes. I guess I'll trial them for crawling, and if they do die then I'll try something else.

[gm0688]

Originally Posted by patrol_maverick

Your first paragraph sounds basically the same as what the guy at the hobby store said, but he wasn't sure about using them in a crawler- he'd been trialing them in planes. I guess I'll trial them for crawling, and if they do die then I'll try something else.

Good idea! They were only a few bucks, right. If they fail order these http://www.cheapbatterypacks.com/ind...841&sid=751576 Good quality, good price. What other reason is there?

[patrol_maverick]

Originally Posted by gm0688

Good idea! They were only a few bucks, right. If they fail order these http://www.cheapbatterypacks.com/ind...841&sid=751576 Good quality, good price. What other reason is there?

Those prices are good. Even better for me now that the Australian dollar is so high.