Going Lipo! Quest for knowledge.

[Dirt-540]

Thinking of going Lipo at some point but dont know much .

Am considering these products: Black Magic 2S 4000mah 35C hard case batteries, maybe a Core RC charger.

Any of you guys use said products and whats your experience with them?

Also whats the real facts amongst all this scaremongering about fires and explosions?

Is there a fire extinguisher that will put out a Lipo battery fire? (I ask this beacuse after watching burning Lipos (still in car/buggy) on youtube they dont seem to be able to extinguish it once its started, no matter how much they spray it with fire extinguisher.

Cheers

James

[alfagta]

hiya man, if i was about to buy a new charger i would go for one of these http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=56482&aff=624666

with these batteries , http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=29020&aff=624666 , its a snug fit in tamiya round compartments but do fit ,,as for them catching fire /exploding , it is possible but highly unlikely , just treat them right and you will be fine , if you really are worried then go for LiFePO4 , they are harder to find in hard cases but, for cars or buggies that have a protected battery compartment the soft case ones are fine , i use these , 2s1p just fits the dt02 dt03 and all my 2wd buggies but wont fit the tamiya rounded battery slots , https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__37390__ZIPPY_Flightmax_4200mAh_2S1P_30C_LiFePo4_Pack_UK_Warehouse_.html

, this is the smaller 2s2p , https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__37388__ZIPPY_Flightmax_4200mAh_2S2P_30C_LiFePo4_Pack_UK_Warehouse_.html ,

lithium batteries are in my opinion just as safe as old high capacity ni-mh and lasts longer with a little care and also give far less voltage droop through their discharge , i have had no issues other than a puffy pack from Vapex , just use a li po alarm or voltage cut off and for the first few cycles charge them at half 'C' (capacity) and only run them for about five minutes then charge , ten minutes then charge ,15.... etc , if you do this you will have reliable, powerful and long lasting batteries .

[Dirt-540]

Thanx alfagta

[SteveU30]

What he said

[alfagta]

your welcome , meant to add , double check the connector that comes with your choice of pack and if needs be order an adaptor to suit if you are not too kean on re-soldering battery connectors ,

have fun

[Gruntfuggly]

I managed to set one on fire and it was pretty scary but it was because I was stupid. Stick to the correct procedures for charging and you should be fine.

[SteveU30]

Charging in one of these greatly reduces the risk though, very cheap peace of mind!

http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbyking/store/__24647__Turnigy_Lipo_Bunker_Lipoly_Safety_Charge_Box.html

[ChrisRx718]

As said, get a decent charger and a charging / storage bag to keep the batteries in.

Treat them with the utmost respect, always, and you'll be fine. I'm glad I decided to do it earlier this year and now have 4 Lipo batteries - making my old NiMH virtually redundant!