Bad brand new battery?

[SHOtime]

Today I went to my LHS looking for a new battery. I wanted to make the leap from 2s to 3s and although I usually avoid this place at all costs (poor product knowledge and crap inventory) I figured how bad could it be to get a battery from em'? Long story short I've had very good luck with my duratrax onyx 2s battery so I picked up a 3s 11.1V 4000 maH soft case onyx battery. Needless to say they aren't cheap so i didnt expect to have any problems. I throw it on the charger when i get home and when i plug in the balance plug my charger wont recognize the number of cells on the battery which it always does just fine. Finally after jamming on the balance plug and wiggle it for several minutes my charger recognizes the number of cells. I set it to charge at 1C thinking im finally good to go and boy was I wrong. My charger starts beeping barely 5 minutes later indicating that the charge cycle was complete. I scratch my head and set it to charge again and it just starts beeping that its done within a minute. I took it off the charger and hooked it up to my rig (which is 3S capable) and it wouldnt even arm the ESC. Also worth noting is that when I pulled the battery out of the package it does appear that it might have taken a shot on the corner, im not sure how this is possible since its brand new but my guess is that one of the cells is damaged and causing problems. So what do you guys think? Did the hobby store sell me a bum battery or am I just missing something?

[SwampDawg]

the shitty part here is that now that its opened, charged and......a corner smashed in.....that LHS will tell you this

sorry to hear man!

[SHOtime]

Well the only thing I have going for me is that I just purchased it today and it doesnt seem to have charged at all. Ill be taking it in tomorrow to see if they will swap, and if not i'll at least raise a little hell and then get it taken care of through the manufacturer.

[SwampDawg]

wish ya luck buddie!
them damn lipos aint cheap!

let us know the outcome

[SMR 510RR]

Check it with a multimeter to figure out what is going on. Even a 1s battery should arm a ESC so IDK what is going on there, are you sure you set your charger up correctly?

[SHOtime]

Originally Posted by SMR 510RR

Check it with a multimeter to figure out what is going on. Even a 1s battery should arm a ESC so IDK what is going on there, are you sure you set your charger up correctly?

Its a really simple charger, just a dial to set the charge rate and the slot for the balance plug. Almost impossible to get it wrong. I double checked everything with my 2S battery. Just charged that battery np, and it arms the esc np.... This battery has got to be a dud, just another example of the sub par experience I continue to have with the Hobbytown by me

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by SMR 510RR

Check it with a multimeter to figure out what is going on. Even a 1s battery should arm a ESC so IDK what is going on there, are you sure you set your charger up correctly?

+1....I would check each cell voltage. Does your charger have the ability to show each cell voltage?

Good luck with your LHS. Maybe take your rig & charger to try charging a new pack WHILE AT THE LHS. This way, if there is an issue, they have seen the whole process.

What charger are you using?
What ESC are you using? I can't remember any ESC's that have an "overvoltage" circuit that may also shut you down.

[Manning]

I've received batteries that were very out of balance.

Most chargers have a very low balance discharge rate, so charging a high capacity battery at 1C might not work so well. You might try it again with a much lower charge rate. Try setting it for 1/2 amp or even less. It will take quite a while to charge.

[SHOtime]

I have a cheapo Venom balance charger, it works pretty well but is very basic. I dont have any way to test each cell or anything to that nature. The ESC is a HH Br-xl pretty much brand new other than the little bit of testing i've done on it. The big problem for me is that plugging in the balance plug doesn't seem to do anything. The charger is unable to determine the number of cells on the battery, which it has no problem doing with other batteries. This is what really makes me think something is jacked up. Im going back to the LHS today, ill see what happens.

[SwampDawg]

[spillproof]

I bought a tester/balancer/discharger off ebay for $10. I have a lipo charger that doesn't have a display, so I can use my little blue box instead. I can also discharge my lipos for long term storage with it.
I also have some of the above testers, and the lvd alarms to. All good stuff to have when you are using lipo's

[Trubble]

Yup, bad batts right out of the box is nothing new.

I bought 4 batteries and one of them was way out of balance. I just took an old battery connector and soldered on some pins. Then I went through the balance connector and charged all three cells individually on a 1 cell program. Once all three were charged, I marked the pack with a Sharpie so I'd be able to keep an eye on it. Now that all three cells are close to one another in voltage, the pack runs and balance charges just fine. Just needed to get that out of balance situation addressed. Wound up running that pack as my main comp pack last year.

As far as a dented corner, coulda been someone at the factory dropped it and just shoved it in the box, if your LHS is as you describe, coulda been some dweeb who's never seen a LiPo before finger-diddling the pack in the store and dropped it. Sadly, though, if you didn't raise a stink about it when you bought it, they're more than likely going to pin it on you for doing it after purchase. (I personally would doubt a small corner dent is what's causing your problems, though.) I'm sure the LHS doesn't want to be stuck with a bad battery that you beat up on, so expect a somewhat cool reception when you go back. As was suggested, take your charger with, and hook it up right there at the store before leaving. Best of luck to ya, hope to hear some good news from this.

[SHOtime]

Well the LHS came through, im in there a few days a week on my lunch on average so they know my face and did a "courtesy" swap for me but made it very clear that if this one didnt work Id have to go through duratrax. They really pressed me for info, i think to try and blame the problem on me, but I gave em nothing. I made sure not to point out the dent in the corner just for safe measure and challenged them to hook it up to a charger of their own to verify the problem. When all was said and done I walked out of the store with another new battery, hopefully this one works. Thanks for all the input guys!

[SwampDawg]

it would still be in your best interest to invest in a testor!
worth every penny imo

glad to hear it went well

[SHOtime]

Definitely on my list now, any tool that helps diagnose problems with these LiPo batteries is worth the investment since they are so volatile.

[theloudone]

get maxamps. they arent cheap but i've never had a problem with a maxamps battery ever

[spillproof]

I have had an interesting issue with a DOA turnigy 3s battery. I hooked it up to my charger, and it wouldnt charge. Hooked it to the RC and it wouldnt run. I bought a simple cell voltage tester, the little ebay one, and tested it. It tested fine, and at that point it would charge and discharge fine. Has stopped working once, but I just popped the tester on it, and it started working fine again!

Weird.

[RadioFlyer]

Originally Posted by SHOtime

Well the LHS came through, im in there a few days a week on my lunch on average so they know my face and did a "courtesy" swap for me but made it very clear that if this one didnt work Id have to go through duratrax. They really pressed me for info, i think to try and blame the problem on me, but I gave em nothing. I made sure not to point out the dent in the corner just for safe measure and challenged them to hook it up to a charger of their own to verify the problem. When all was said and done I walked out of the store with another new battery, hopefully this one works. Thanks for all the input guys!

Any LHS should have a charger on hand for testing purposes. I would have asked them to put a charge on it, even if for only ten minutes or so before leaving with it.

Seriously, if I'm paying $50+ for a battery pack I would want it tested before I paid for it. If the shop can't show me it's good to go I assume it ain't.


Sean

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by theloudone

Go Maxamps. They aren't cheap but i've never had a problem with a Maxamps battery ever

Other than a rather "light pocket"??

If you're happy, fine.

I would prefer to get multiple packs from another brand for the same price/performance as a single Maxamps pack.

Since I pay for multiple packs, on multiple rigs for 2 drivers, my wallet is NOT deep enough to buy Maxamps.

Not counting where they NEVER provided specs in regards to a DIRECT question of their "C" testing on THIS forum.

[SMR 510RR]

Originally Posted by Charlie-III

Other than a rather "light pocket"??

If you're happy, fine.

I would prefer to get multiple packs from another brand for the same price/performance as a single Maxamps pack.

Since I pay for multiple packs, on multiple rigs for 2 drivers, my wallet is NOT deep enough to buy Maxamps.

Not counting where they NEVER provided specs in regards to a DIRECT question of their "C" testing on THIS forum.

Lost cause man, lost cause...

If they are the most expensive, they are also the best!