why should i go lipo?

[rock-gobbler 77]

I was wandering why i should go lipo. I have heard that if you get it to where its 70 to 85% discharged it will explode and catch on fire . Is this true ?

[slipangle]

lipo will give your same setup more punch and overall consistent power. on a nihm or nicad(god forbid), the first time you pull the trigger is the fastest and most powerful itll be for that entire pack. with a lipo, the power band and punch stay fairly consistent. trust me, its a good choice, but you need to have a lipo specific charger to charge lipos, cant charge it on a charger that only charges nihm's. best if you buy a sc that has lipo cutoff, or a way to properly manage the battery voltage. once they get too low, they make pretty flames that could take down whatever is around them, but they mostly just swell up. someone asked a similar question before, check it out:
Lipo battery question.

[Scattman]

Originally Posted by rock-gobbler 77

I was wandering why i should go lipo. I have heard that if you get it to where its 70 to 85% discharged it will explode and catch on fire . Is this true ?

You need to stop listening to whoever told you that.




Lighter weight, more power, and multitudes of sizes to fit anything possible.

I have had more nimh or nicd batteries go bad than lipo batteries. You still need to respect them and don't charge indoors(which I still do)

Most of the stories you see of lipos up in flames are from improper charging techniques.

Get a lipo charger, an ESC with a LVC(low voltage cutoff) built in and you are golden. Never go lower than 3.0 volts per cell.

[rock-gobbler 77]

What kind of charger and pack do you both use? and would i need to go lipo if i get a winch and more lights ... etc?

[Scattman]

Originally Posted by rock-gobbler 77

What kind of charger and pack do you both use? and would i need to go lipo if i get a winch and more lights ... etc?

Here is the deal, seen alot of peeps here lately not understanding.

Voltage is voltage no matter the battery type. Nothing you add or change will require a lipo. Lipos are just a lighter, more powerful alternative to nimh and nicd. Plus they can be made into damn near any size and shape imaginable so the options on placement on a rig are much greater.

I run either 3 or 4S lipo on my comp rig with a 37 turn handwound. My scaler runs 5S lipo on a 35 turn cheapie motor geared as low as I can get it. Both rigs use John's BR-XL speed control.

I just have a cheapie balance charger for the batts.

[josh hayes]

ya lipos are safe when i raced indoor carpet racing ive seen more catastrofic nihm incedents than lipos for sure the one thin with lipos is that if you neglect them they are almost impossible to get back to full mili power like 5000 ma if you neglect it you will lose some ma out of it and you cant get them back but even if you do acidently store it to full or stuff like that they still last a long time usually out last the rc

[M1tch]

i went to lipo as i had enough of nimh batteries short run time and failing after just a few weeks sometimes. i use 3s on a novak rooster crawler even though its only rated for 2s.

i use an external cut off like this



run time on a 1300 mah is about an hour for about half the weight of a nimh

no way would i want to go back to nimh

the exploding/catching fire doesn't happen that much, its just bad news travels further and louder.

use a decent charger and you should have no problem

[rock-gobbler 77]

should I get one of those bags u put it in and charge it safely

[M1tch]

yep. i charge batteries outdoors if its dry, or in the garage in an old steel toolbox

[Scattman]

Originally Posted by rock-gobbler 77

should I get one of those bags u put it in and charge it safely

That or an ammo can or something.

[rock-gobbler 77]

What lipo holds charge the longest ?

[M1tch]

if you mean longest run time, then the more Mah, the longer run. although how many cells may also make a difference

[J.DUKE]

Don't let anyone scare you. Lipos are very durable. I've messed with em just for grins...

- I deliberately wired one backwards and hooked it up to a Traxxas VXL esc, and it tripled in size and smoked. But no fire! Kudos to Traxxas, the VXL esc got crazy hot, but never had an issue after that.

- I also took one that was slightly puffed and threw it against a brick wall repeatedly. It was brutally contorted, but did nothing. Then I punctured it with a nail and it smoked like a beast for at least 5-7 minutes, then melted! But again, no fire!

I can't imagine what you have to do to make one blow up...!

Just do the following:
1) Have an esc with lipo cut-off protection.
2) Use a lipo specific charger.
3) Balance charge them every few (5-10) cycles.

[TexasSP]

I have been using lipo's for 6 years and never charged them in a bag or anything of the sort. No need, the fears are uncalled for. I charge them inside on my work table. I have never had an incident with a lipo. Nimh and nicad have given me a fair share of issues though.

The chance of your lipo spontaneously combusting is about as likely as your head spontaneously combusting.

[rock-gobbler 77]

Well now I am going to go get two tomoro and I've got a winch ordered , proline Cherokee body ordered and some other dodads. Me and dad made bumpers today . I'm also going to get a traxxis water proof esc and receiver , and a waterproof servo but idk what one to get but any way thanks for the comments and help will post pics soon

[Turbo Dan-O]

I just made the switch to lipos and I am blown away at the size, weight, power, and run time! I can't beleive I did not do this sooner!!!!

Dan-O