How long till putting lipo's into storage mode

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Rep732

The alchemist ☠️
Community Leader
PLUS member
Build Thread Contributor
Messages
6,958
Location
Nj
So im still new to the lipo rx packs and my question is how long do you guys let a fully charged pack hangout ready to be used sit before you would discharge it to half ?
 
Good to know sean as its been about that long. The charger i have can do discharge as well and I wasn't sure when to put my battery into storage.. I still have a brand new ex pack that I've never charged yet as I was waiting for something to happen to this one
 
People didnt understand the tech. They are still able to blow up, but it's not a really a common thing if you keep after them. Shorted cells, and punctures are probably the biggest issue, next would be overcharge / discharge. But again, the overcharge is moot if using a good charger, and your low voltage cut off should be set up to kill the engine before you go below 3volts per cell. I know I sound like a witch speaking in tongues, but honestly in the real world 3 volts per cell is perfectly acceptable cut off voltage. Were overly cautious in rc for some reason. Let the witch hunt begin ?
 
Just don't let them sit too long, mabe like 2 weeks
Are you on crack? Lipos have one of the longest shelf lifes for retaining charge. Go look at your AA lithium batteries 10 year storage life. Fek I just sent batteries off with my helis I hadn't touched in years and all of them were at 3.3 volts plus. Tossed them on the charger, charges them up to 3.4 volts per sell and sent them on their marry way. You guys act like theres some sort of voodoo magic involved with these things. It's a battery, they power all consumer electronics, they have for years. If they were so unsafe why would they power everything from your cell phone, laptop, tablets, flashlights and whatever other rechargeable device you own?
 
Thats where I got confused sean so if my 2s is 7.4v then cut off at 6v im not getting atleast half of the battery on run time...maybe im wrong
 
Thats where I got confused sean so if my 2s is 7.4v then cut off at 6v im not getting atleast half of the battery on run time...maybe im wrong
Nah lipo has a very liner discharge till around 3 volts or so. At that voltage the pack will be basically empty, then the voltage drops like a rock, and some not so fun chemistry starts to happen inside the cells, then it's basically toast. 7.4 volts (or 3.2 volts) per cell is a nominal charge voltage, ie a 12 volt lead acid battery is closer to 13.2 volts at full charge wile resting. A full charged lipo is more like 4.2 volts per cell (8.4 volts for 2s) they run a very narrow voltage range, but pack a lot of power into that range. Just like a 12 volt battery you really don't want to drag below 10 volts, same more or less applies here, save the 12v battery has a chance of coming back, highly unlikely for a lipo to recover from a severe discharge, if it even will.
 
I've run Lipos for years...from 2s packs all the way up to big set ups like 12s on my Trex 700e. Where they get unsafe is when people treat them like garbage. Heavy discharge cycles well below their drop off point of 3.0v per cell, charging well past their "C" rating to get them charged faster, beating the heck out of them from crashes and not inspecting them and then leaving them in trunks of cars for days on end. I have never "knock on wood" had a Lipo let go on me. I am way ridiculous with my care. I use a good charger that balance charges them each charge, run smart Lipo alarms as some times the low voltage indicator on ESCs will let them drop too low, I storage charge them at the end of the day, to either bring them up to storage charge or discharge down to storage charge. I also keep them in a fire sack, in an ammo can that with its top closed, in my bedroom closet. However...the ammo can has 8 holes drilled in the sides at the top to "vent" preventing and issues. They can store a ton of power...I had an older 3s pack...charged it for fun and hit it with a pic axe in the yard as I wanted to trash it as its cycles were weak...that was a smoky, volatile experience that I would NOT want happening in my home lol. But to be clear, I had to wack that thing a few times to get it to let go. Since I got back into RC cars heavily in the last few years...I found SMC Racing Lipos. These things are legit, tons of power, high "C" ratings, for discharge and recharge. They sell nice hardcase packs and their prices are way better then others. They are all I use in my E word rigs and I have a SMC Racing 2s lipo en route for my Raminator set up as we speak.
In short...just use common sense with your lipo, don't overly discharge, charge at proper C rating and just monitor for puffing or damage. You will be good for a long while. ????
 
I decided to go LiFe with mine. I don't need some freak accident happening. When I do store lipo's they stay in their fireproof bag.
You do the same with your phone? You realize your chances of a having a massive heart attack are better then a lipo going up in smoke? Theres so much misinformation about these batteries its ridiculous. Far too many people literally think they are ticking time bombs and they are not, even with somewhat dismal care they hold up just fine.
I've run Lipos for years...from 2s packs all the way up to big set ups like 12s on my Trex 700e. Where they get unsafe is when people treat them like garbage. Heavy discharge cycles well below their drop off point of 3.0v per cell, charging well past their "C" rating to get them charged faster, beating the heck out of them from crashes and not inspecting them and then leaving them in trunks of cars for days on end. I have never "knock on wood" had a Lipo let go on me. I am way ridiculous with my care. I use a good charger that balance charges them each charge, run smart Lipo alarms as some times the low voltage indicator on ESCs will let them drop too low, I storage charge them at the end of the day, to either bring them up to storage charge or discharge down to storage charge. I also keep them in a fire sack, in an ammo can that with its top closed, in my bedroom closet. However...the ammo can has 8 holes drilled in the sides at the top to "vent" preventing and issues. They can store a ton of power...I had an older 3s pack...charged it for fun and hit it with a pic axe in the yard as I wanted to trash it as its cycles were weak...that was a smoky, volatile experience that I would NOT want happening in my home lol. But to be clear, I had to wack that thing a few times to get it to let go. Since I got back into RC cars heavily in the last few years...I found SMC Racing Lipos. These things are legit, tons of power, high "C" ratings, for discharge and recharge. They sell nice hardcase packs and their prices are way better then others. They are all I use in my E word rigs and I have a SMC Racing 2s lipo en route for my Raminator set up as we speak.
In short...just use common sense with your lipo, don't overly discharge, charge at proper C rating and just monitor for puffing or damage. You will be good for a long while. ????
Have to check these guys out. Last time I ordered batteries gensacearespammers was the best bang for buck (no pun intended)
 
Personally I treat it as a matter of:
Why risk a disaster if it's easily prevented?
The probability of a pack randomly shitting the bed is honestly very low, however that's just not something I want to risk with my cats around (especially my walking cloud which would serve all too well as kindling)

I've only ever had packs go puffy from excessive current draw, I won't leave them charged for longer than a day and they will be left at 3.8/cell.
I know packs can puff if left charged, I've seen it as well as a guy who wanted to buy my old charger specifically because his packs puffed and he needed a discharger.

Personally I'm a fan of Turnigy Graphene Panther/Rapid packs. Rapid packs I've pulled 280-300A according to data logs and they're still sitting pretty.
Graphene Panther packs I use in my Baja which I've pulled ~340A and they're not showing any signs of wear so far.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks