get a LiFe, they said... now what?

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enzo3856

enzo3856

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So I had been out of the hobby world for a few years, only nitro 1/10... The pinnacle of the battery world was NiMh with LiPo in its infancy...

So now that I am back, jumping into 1/5th Bajas, I have also jumped into modern battery life... or LiFe to be exact.
A little help, and patience is appreciated... I went through the forum to get some info and here is what I pieced together. Please correct if I missed something.

1) Make sure you have a proper balance charger that handles LiFe... they are not to be treated like LiPo
2) 6.6V nominal for a 2S. Voltage is pretty constant up to almost being drained, where it will go to 5V (2.5V per cell)
3) Safer than LiPo (so they say)
4) do not charge > 1C

Remaining questions:
A) Do I need fireproof bags when storing or charging LiFe?
B) In the summer, is it ok to leave the pack in the Baja in the garage?
C) Is it safe to charge the pack in the Baja, or should it be charged away from the car?
D) Off season, do I need to put the pack in storage mode, like a LiPo?
E) Any other tips and tricks?
 
These are great questions. Hope you don't mind me tagging along for this one. I picked up a life batery to power my receiver in a 1/8 scale hydro i'm building and I'm kind of winging it. I know My charger will do Life batteries but honestly I haven't even checked to see if I have the red/black wires to charge it . I know the balance board can handle it.
 
A) No, LiFe is extremely stable when compared to Lipo. They don't have a negative temperature coefficient of resistance like LiPo batteries do. (That's what causes the risk of thermal runaway).
B) Yes, LiFe batteries don't decompose at high temperatures.
C) I charge and balance mine while installed in the car. Given points A and B, you're perfectly safe to do so.
D) I do, just because it's what I do with all my lithium batteries. But the innate stability of the chemistry prevents it from breaking down and losing capacity if you don't.
E) Just enjoy it and don't stress. LiFe batteries may not have the voltage of LiPo, but they're super safe and can handle a lot of abuse.
 
AnubisBC said:
A) No, LiFe is extremely stable when compared to Lipo. They don't have a negative temperature coefficient of resistance like LiPo batteries do. (That's what causes the risk of thermal runaway).
B) Yes, LiFe batteries don't decompose at high temperatures.
C) I charge and balance mine while installed in the car. Given points A and B, you're perfectly safe to do so.
D) I do, just because it's what I do with all my lithium batteries. But the innate stability of the chemistry prevents it from breaking down and losing capacity if you don't.
E) Just enjoy it and don't stress. LiFe batteries may not have the voltage of LiPo, but they're super safe and can handle a lot of abuse.
Click to expand...

Good to know!.?
 
So we got our first run in with the 2 Bajas and their new LiFe packs.
I went with the Reedy 2S 1900 hump pack... Hobby Hobby in Toronto only had the newer smart Spektrum packs. These are stick packs and wont fit in the Baja. They said the Spektrum hump packs are no longer made, or at least they no longer stock them....

Anyways.
We ran a full tank each on the Baja's. Everything worked great. I took the packs out this morning and did a balance charge:
Baja1: 404mA
Baja2: 214mA

So why the difference?
1) My son drove Baja2 and he is a more conservative driver :ROFLMAO:
2) Baja2 has a stock HPI 2ch radio (2.4Ghz), a 6k rpm spring, a Spektrum throttle servo, and a Zoskay 60kg steering servo
(https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07Q3Z4SLS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
3) Baja1 has a FlySky 3ch radio, an 8k rpm spring, Savox 0235mg Steering, Savox throttle servo
4) Both have a SuperBee kill switch

I think the key is in the radio...
With the FlySky I have more control on dual rate and expo... or maybe the Zoskay servo is less hungry??
I have a Flysky on order for Baja2, so I will retest then...
In any case, I now know I can get 3-4 tanks on one and 7 -8 on the other before "having to" recharge... so 1900mAh is more than plenty for my needs.
(This was running on a grass field, semi bumpy)

ALSO, found this gem of a website... lots of good info on LiFe for beginners:
http://hangtimes.com/a123_batteries_for_giants_faq.html
 
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