Li-po (Lithium Polymer) Batteries

[Kazzer]

I don't cut off those connectors, I just tape them to the side of the battery. There are plenty of LiPo chargers out there that do balance the cells, but our little ones don't. Vislero says its not necessary unless you are looking for high performance (like in competition aircraft), we are not.

I am starting to add LiPo Guards to all my boats, as I believe that the odd battery failure I have had is caused by running the thing down too far. I don't think it has anything to do with trying to balance the individual cells with a maximum charge.

[roedj]

I have two of the Li-Po's supplied by Caswell and I'm using the Li-Po guard, but, aye, here's the rub.

My local guru, a very seasoned "fly-guy" who loves Li-Po's, told me I should never discharge any Li-Po beyond 80% of its charge. For a 1300mAh set that means 1040mAh. I have a charger that shows me how much I'm putting back into a battery after I use it. If I end up putting more than 1040mAh back in, I discharged it too much. OK, to be safe I install a Li-Po guard. But, and it's a big BUT, by the time the Li-Po guard kicks in, when the 1300mAh set has reached 6 volts, I have greatly exceeded the 1040mAh maximum discharge.

Bottom line: the Li-Po guard is a last line of defense only. It keeps me from going to sea when my battery is totally dead. I do not use it to indicate when I should stop using my battery. I use my charger to measure how much I put back into the battery and I keep track of the time "at sea".

Dan

[junglelord]

Good to know Dan, as I was looking at Lipos and chargers in Orleans yesterday. Thanks for the heads up on discharge limits. I will go for the more expensive charger and keep track of run times and discharge amounts.

PS, the rc fly boys in Ottawa/Orleans were a wealth of information yesterday. Totally giving of their talents and experience.