Charger give battery voltage error

[t3yf5g]

I have 2 3s lipo packs and learned that I shouldn't have left the packs plugged into my ESC even though the switch is off. Any case, I went to charge them and my charger gives off a battery voltage error. Manual states that the battery was discharged too low. My multimeter shows 7.4v and 5.3v on the packs. Is my charger done or that really too low of a voltage for a 3s lipo?

I have an Onyx 230 charger and one Maxamps 2250mah 40-50c (?) and one venom 2100mah 20c pac.

[666]

Charge them as a nimh for a little while to get the voltage back up, and then switch over to lipo settings. Keep a close eye and don't do it somewhere they could start a fire.....

At your own risk.

[kawboy17]

great info, I've had a few packs do that and just disposed of them.

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by 666

Charge them as a nimh for a little while to get the voltage back up, and then switch over to lipo settings. Keep a close eye and don't do it somewhere they could start a fire.....

At your own risk.

+1.....usually 30 seconds to 1 minute charging as a NiCD/NiMH should be enough to get them to charge as a LiPO.

Just don't walk away until they have at least a few minutes charging as a LiPO.

[SMR 510RR]

Dude, that is really low for a 3s pack! You can try their suggestions but be very careful because that is really low.

For future reference the lowest they should go is 9v.

[greggreg2011]

never never never leave a pack plugged in even if the switch is off. just like a tv,computer...even when its off it will still draw power.

always unplug if it sits for more then a day or three

[t3yf5g]

Worked like a charm! Thanks. Both packs charged up fine after a few minutes on NiMH. So why is the cutoff voltage for ESC set at 3.7v (?) or is that per cell?

[Solitaire]

3.7v is the nominal voltage for a single cell. Charged fully it should be 4.2v
I like to use 3.3v (per cell) as the cutoff voltage just for some insurance, but many use 3v.

[t3yf5g]

Originally Posted by Solitaire

3.7v is the nominal voltage for a single cell. Charged fully it should be 4.2v
I like to use 3.3v (per cell) as the cutoff voltage just for some insurance, but many use 3v.

That makes sense then. Glad I got this figured out too. Hitting a park picnic tomorrow for Labor Day and was hoping I could bring my Wraith along. I have my 200 size heli for a backup in case

[DudeWalker]

I wouldn't expect to get too many 'safe' cycles out of those batteries. You may want to start to buget for some replacements. Keep an eye on any puffing and extra heat during charge/discharge. Lipo fires suck, especially when they take your entire truck out in flames of shame.

[t3yf5g]

Yeah, I usually keep an eye on the charger and battery. Sort of paranoid since I don't have a balanced charger. I already have expectations that my packs won't last long.

[SMR 510RR]

Dude I would dispose of those packs right away then, if your charger doesnt balance and you dropped them to 5.3 and 7.4v then those things are ticking time bombs. Dont forget that they are dangerous while discharging as well as charging and your rig to just start on fire or your house could catch on fire.

Do yourself a favor and get some new packs and a proper lipo charger that balances, take it as an expensive mistake that you will never make again.

Its not like it would even be that expensive, less than $100 and you could be back up and running with proper equipment that is safe.