Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / October 2006

Was that stated in the HoneyBee's manual or on Radd's site?  (I've
never been to his site)  If the former, I'd be on the phone with E-sky
working out a free replacement battery..  

I know it's too late, but a lot of people in the hobby make a lot of
assumptions about a lot of things.  I'd be willing to bet that
statement was done up with NiCds or MiMhs in mind.  It would be a VERY
good idea to do a little research into the various technologies in the
hobby before diving in.

The rule of thumb right now is to not discharge past 80% of the
battery's capacity.  For example, if you have a 1000 mah battery,
don't pull more than 800mah out of it before you let it cool down then
recharge.  

That Esky charger won't tell you how much charge you're putting back
into the battery, while something like a Triton will.  Again, do some
research on good, inexpensive chargers before you just plunk down $ on
what might not do what you want.  Also, most chargers today require a
10-15v power supply to use at home on the bench.

Charging LiPos is potentially dangerous and should *NEVER* be done
unattended or on a flammable surface.  Max charge rate should be 1C or
1 times the capacity of the battery.  In the example above, the
1000Mah battery should be charged at 1 amp.  A 1500 Mah battery should
be charged at 1.5 amps etc..

I have several LiPos and I've invested quite a bit of money into their
"care and feeding"  *AFTER* doing a LOT of research on how best to
deal with these things.  Most RC helicopter forums will have a section
on batteries and chargers and after doing some reading, feel free to
ask questions.  Also, look for any FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
as well.

That MUST have referred to NiCD or NiMH batteries - definitely not for
LiPo packs.

Ok, LiPo Batteries... :) To prevent deep discharging LiPo packs there
are so-called Battery Eliminator Circuits (BEC), which provide an
automatic cutoff. Some of them provide advance warning by artificially
lowering power output and/or beeping so that your heli doesn't drop out
of the sky all of a sudden - highly recommended. Others like the ones in
my planes just cut the power to the engine as soon as the battery drops
below a certain voltage. Okay for e-planes where you can glide down, but
not for helis.

Chargers... two important things: Most chargers need about a 12V input,
i.e. car battery voltage (probably so you can use your car battery to
charge your batteries out in the field), which means you'll also need a
12V power source at home. Then there are different types of chargers.
Balancing chargers are often more expensive, but better for LiPo battery
lifetime. However, the LiPo pack needs to actually have leads for such
chargers, otherwise you can't balance the cells.

And as Kevin already said... be very, very careful with LiPo batteries.
I store and charge mine out in the shed on the concrete floor, away from
anything flammable.

Remember the recent laptop fires? That's approximately what happens if
you're not careful with that type of battery. These fires burn very hot
and cannot be extinguished with normal fire extinguishers.

Jenni

We have run into problems with cells going bad in several LiPos of diff
brands. Kind of a run on em lately in fact. My father bought a balancer from
Tower Hobbies and I just bought one from the LHS that is made by
Astroflight. His cost about $40. Mine cost about $25. The supposed advantage
of the Astroflight one is that it is universal consisting of a PC board with
a series of prongs sticking out of the end. You can just line up on the
prongs you need to match whatever equalizing plug is on your particular
battery.
He hasnt received his yet and I only bought mine a couple of hours ago so I
cant say how well they actually work.