LiPo battery Safety Issue is REAL

[combat]

Having bought a battery from shelled pants last year i thought to give lipo a try.


well i have used the battery only a couple of times indoors for testing purposes

Last night i went to show my gun to a friend and and when i reached inside the gun bag i was alarmed to find one of the batteries was bloated and looked like it would burst.

If it had burst it could either have spilt toxic chemicals or caused a fire

I put it inside a metal can in case something were to happen

I noticed Mad Bull is now using a LPF technology that is lipo like with less risk

anyone have similar issues???

[Harbinger of Darkness]

Never had issue with any of my LiPo batteries. Been using them for just over a year now, as long as you're careful with them they're pretty safe.

[Brian McIlmoyle]

you can't treat Lipo batteries like "normal" batteries... I have screwed up 2 of them by over discharging them,, which is what is sounds like happened to yours.

after use they should be recharged and stored charged.

I store all my batteries in a metal container and inspect them every 2 days to monitor their condition.

tossing a lipo in a bag after using it.. and forgetting it for a month is a mistake.

[m102404]

I saw another one of those 7.4v 2xxx mAh packs bloated as well...but two out of however many doesn't indicate a trend. Definitely time to stop using it though. Better it bloat than for it to rupture!

Rapid charge/discharge works the battery hard. I'm sure there's makes that are "better"/"more QC'd" than others...but really, unless you're buying name brand how can you tell? For example, the KA 11.1v 1100mAh 15C stock tube lipos look identical to the Hot Power brand. Right down to the spec lables, wiring, shrink wrap, etc...

[ShelledPants]

I'd like to make a note that combat, Harbringer, and Brian have all used the batteries I use, because I've sold batteries to them:

I have used the same battery as combat, and I've used it at 15+ games. I balance charge it once before the game, and (sometimes) once more when I get home, in case I was close to over discharging.

I have witnessed Brian's bloated LiPo, and I believe it was from using it at a number of games and never charging it. I do not know what would happen when a bloated, under charged battery bursts- but I doubt it would case an explosion or fire as seen in the over charge nicd charger videos. Chemicals? Maybe, but remember, the lipos are not liquid on the inside, and like any battery (NiCD, NIMH, Alkaline) they all have acidic chemicals inside them.

Also, I'm not just saying this because I sold them: I don't have any market interest in lying about something, as I don't retail them.

I am curious, did you ever charge the battery? If so, was it a balanced charge? What charger are you using?

EDIT: I'd also like to state that the battery was bought late last year, and was fully balance charged upon purchase. Also, if anyone is interested in the brand of the LiPo in question, this is the 11.1v version of the same mAh , C rating, and packaging. http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...0mAh_3S1P_20C_

[c3sk]

Originally Posted by combat

Last night i went to show my gun to a friend and and when i reached inside the gun bag i was alarmed to find one of the batteries was bloated and looked like it would burst.

If it had burst it could either have spilt toxic chemicals or caused a fire

I put it inside a metal can in case something were to happen

so either dont buy crappy batteries from china or maybe buy quality batteries from a known vendor. I noticed Mad Bull is now using a LPF technology that is lipo like with less risk

anyone have similar issues???

I picked up a 7.4volt lipo from shelled, and have had no problems with it thus far... Maybe you could have avoided this incident by taking proper care of your batteries, instead of just tossing them into your gun bag.

[SHÖCK]

Lipos need to be balanced and the voltage in the cells cannot, under any circumstances, be allowed to drop below 3.3v or damage can occur. Most smart chargers will refuse to charge batteries that have a cell below that voltage. You cannot over discharge lipos. Once you notice your rate of fire drop - stop, drop, and roll in another battery because your lipo is almost discharged to the danger point.

When charging lipos, always make sure you have a balancer charger as the cells need to be balanced with each other. Also, expensive higher end chargers have a lipo-storage mode because lipos are not good to be stored at full charge or discharged state. These chargers put the lipos in the optimal mode for storage.

I would get a lipo-safe bag for lipos, and transport lipos in a hard shell case with padding. You can't just throw lipos around or carry them in pockets. R/C enthusiasts have reported lipos being scratched or bumped on keys in pockets getting damaged. Also, never get them wet.

[MADDOG]

I have this battery,

http://www.airsoftpost.com/matrix-11...r-p-24487.html

It is overkill, but it suits my nature

I charge before every game and charge it as soon as I get home.
Because it is so big the chances of discharging it too far are extremely small, but I don't take that chance.

With these smaller batteries and upgraded guns you really need to be careful to maintain the charge level if you use them multiple times without a top up.

[LouisZimmerman]

+1 to above comments: LiPo's are.... very finicky.
They are used most often in model electric air craft, where their light weight and high power density make them ideal. If you talk to the hobby stores that sell them, however, you'll find that they require proper care and attention, and proper chargers to maintain. The standard plug in wall adapter is not really adequate, as it does not balance the cells. If used properly they will work properly, but their peculiarities must be respected.

Just my $.02

Louis

[combat]

Ok before the flaming starts this is not an issue with shelled pants selling batteries as a retailer as this could be an issue with any vendor including those that sell RC batteries at the local hobby shop


the battery in question was maintained properly and has a smart charger with the balancer. I also use a led display power meter that confirms what the voltage is of the battery and the configuration

i had used the battery several times and charged it accordingly

when i left it in my gun bag it was in a pocket in a plastic bag

i may have to do what brian is doing and practice proper battery management and daily check ins to see how they are doing in their metal home

i think the batteries are great for this hobby but i was surprised by the bloating

if there was not a risk then the need for lipo bags, metal cans etc would not be required and the batteries would be treated like nicads and nimh with no real concern

so it sounds like there are issues with these types of batteries and they need to be treated with respect and proper battery management techniques

i remember a guy took a two radio battery and put it into his pocket when he was swapping the battery out and it shorted out on the keys in his pocket causing a short that caused a fire and burn his leg and right testicle somewhat. I doubt anyone would want to try that with the lipo

[ThunderCactus]

Just wondering here, does anyone run a lipo battery with a trigger master MKIII unit??
Before I bought mine I was reading up on their extra bonus features for lipo batteries, made me confident enough to run a lipo on my M4 if I wanted to

[m102404]

I built two M4's that run off of 11.1v stock tube LiPo's and TriggerMaster units. One uses a 1st gen Triggermaster (I?) and the lastest one uses a Triggermaster III.

Both work perfectly. The only issue I've run into is that if you switch between two batteries with WILDLY different ratings...your unit will get confused. But if you do a full reset/reboot on it...it works fine again with either. I'm talking about switching between a 11.1v 1100mAh 15C battery and a 11.1v 4000mAh 35C battery (which is f*cking retarded to use anyways...but it'll get your heart pumping when you pull the trigger for the first time!). Full reset and 5 semi shots to train the unit...and you're all good.

Obviously zero switch burn out. The 83% drain warning (where it buzzes to let you know your batt is down 17% from when you first plugged it in) is nice...but I've yet to hit it at a typical all day mil-sim.

Cheers,

Tys

[ginnz]

lipos will "puff" when they are overdischarged, or, overcharged..... never let them run down lower than 3.70v per cell and you'll be alright.

as far as charging, they should be charged at 1C or lower for optimum results, and NEVER let them charge higher than 4.20v per cell. if you wanna charge then as quick as possible, just remember this..... if you can adjust the charge amperage, and if you have, say, a 3S 2200 mAh pack, well the safe highest amprage to charge at would be 2.2 amps...... if you have a 3s 1100 mAh, the amps would be 1.1A..... see where im going with this?

and i suggest a charger with a balancer built in, and one that has an LCD so you can see the volts for each cell. the cheap esky, or e-flight balancer's work, but you get what you pay for.....

a good deal is the Turnigy Accucel 6 from hobbycity, or the FMA Direct Cellpro Revolution 4S......

ive seen many a puffed lipo, and have been using lipo's for years, ive never seen an actual lipo fire, but they can happen....

top of the line, is the ThunderPower 1010c with ThunderPower 210V balancer, i have one of these for the 8S 3700 mAh 30C packs i run in my Trex 600E helicopter. ;-)