Lipo Basics

[ethernectar]

Wondering if someone can give me the basics on care & feeding of Lipo cells.

Just went to charge a battery and its dead as a doornail, but I don't know why. Ran it 2 weeks ago and its been sitting since then, plugged it in and the charger won't charge it, says voltage fail/fault (something like that).

Thanks,

Matt

[Trubble]

What did you use for a voltage cutoff last time you ran it?

Did you unplug the battery when you put it away?

Are you trying to charge a 2S LiPo with a 3S program on your charger?

[chindo]

is there anyway to revive a lipo if ithe voltage is to low???

[SMR 510RR]

Originally Posted by chindo

is there anyway to revive a lipo if ithe voltage is to low???

Yes but it is a bit of a risk and if it is a cheap pack in my opinion it is better to just dispose of it and buy another pack. What are the voltages of the cells in the pack that you need to recover?




It is very important to unplug the battery after use, if you dont it will slowly drain and you will have issues with it. Also, if you are not going to use it in the next week I recommend putting a storage charge on the battery, any decent lipo charger should have this feature. The other benefit of putting a storage charge on your packs is that when you want to charge them they will only need 1/2 hour or so rather than a full hour to charge.

[ethernectar]

Originally Posted by Trubble

What did you use for a voltage cutoff last time you ran it?

Did you unplug the battery when you put it away?

Are you trying to charge a 2S LiPo with a 3S program on your charger?

it was running in a wraith with a stock esc, don't even think there's a cutoff. Just ran it till it was slow, then left it plugged in which now sounds like a bad idea.

Charger is set up properly. Sounds like its time to ditch the stock esc for something with more smarts than me.

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by ethernectar

it was running in a wraith with a stock esc, don't even think there's a cutoff. Just ran it till it was slow, then left it plugged in which now sounds like a bad idea.

Charger is set up properly. Sounds like its time to ditch the stock esc for something with more smarts than me.

Yep, NEVER leave a battery plugged in a rig. Even with the ESC on/off switch "off", stuff can still draw power.

In a safe place, hook up your pack to the charger. Set to "NiMH mode", set voltage according to how many cells your pack is (if 3S, set NiMH mode to say 7cell) at a 2A charge rate. Start a charge for 30seconds to 1 minute.

Try in LiPO again. The NiMH mode is just to bump the voltage up enough to get it to work.

[Trubble]

Originally Posted by ethernectar

it was running in a wraith with a stock esc, don't even think there's a cutoff. Just ran it till it was slow, then left it plugged in which now sounds like a bad idea.

Charger is set up properly. Sounds like its time to ditch the stock esc for something with more smarts than me.

I believe Wraiths come with the AE-2 ESC, check yours, make sure that's what you have. If so, you've already got a good ESC. I don't know why you'd make the accusation it doesn't have a LVC, is your LVC turned on? Are you on Auto-LiPo? What volts per cell did you set?


Before you try bumping the voltage on that battery, have somebody look it over for signs of puffing up or ballooning. If any of those cells have puffed at all, get it outside immediately!

[C*H*U*D]

If you were able to run it down until it visibly slowed, then it sounds like the LVC is not set. If it was, it would cut-out on you before you ran below the safe voltage.

Before you do this again, you should have someone with a Castle-link take a look at it, and make sure it's set for you. A good hobby shop should be able to do this, but a Castle-link is only about $25 and a good investment.

[BC-Brian]

In a safe place, hook up your pack to the charger. Set to "NiMH mode", set voltage according to how many cells your pack is (if 3S, set NiMH mode to say 7cell) at a 2A charge rate. Start a charge for 30seconds to 1 minute.

Try in LiPO again. The NiMH mode is just to bump the voltage up enough to get it to work.

This can bring a LiPo back but it is definitely sketchy as others have said. When he says "Safe place" he means a place where nothing will catch fire and you don't mind filling with smoke. IE outdoors on your driveway or something.

Once you bump up the voltage with the NiMH mode you should be sure to charge it using LiPo Balance mode and you want to charge it slow. Use 1/2C rate to charge (take capacity of battery and divide by two). If it is a 850mah pack charge it around 500mah. This will take longer but it will give the charger a chance to balance it properly.

If you can't balance charge then I would go with what SMR said and just buy a new pack. Especially if it is puffed.

[SMR 510RR]

Read the manual for the AE-2, it does have a LVC but it may not be enabled from the factory. You do not need a Castle Link to turn it on (you wont have all the features of the LVC or ESC without it) you can program it with blinks and trigger pulls.

[ethernectar]

Is the castle link field programmer capable of programming the Axial esc? Its not on their list of supported ESCs, so wondering if it works and is just not supported or just doesn't work. The USB version isn't a go for me, I'm a Mac user and don't want to clutter up the os/drive with bootcamp/etc.

[SMR 510RR]

Originally Posted by ethernectar

Is the castle link field programmer capable of programming the Axial esc? Its not on their list of supported ESCs, so wondering if it works and is just not supported or just doesn't work. The USB version isn't a go for me, I'm a Mac user and don't want to clutter up the os/drive with bootcamp/etc.

I dont think the field card will work, has to be the PC version. Check out your manual, I know for a fact you can make most adjustments without a link of any kind. The only difference is some of the settings will have less options and it takes a bit longer, otherwise it is good to go.

Most hobby shops have a Castle Link that you can use or they will help you set your stuff up. If you bought it at your LHS then that may be a good way to go, it may be awkward if you bought it elsewhere.