Tommygun

My Feedback: (2)

I bought one of the el cheapo "Electric Power" 11.1 2200 MAH LiPos at a swap meet back in March for my Zagi. Well, it last 3 flights before swelling a little. So I figured it was shot, and decided to at least run it through a gauntlet of tests to see what can really happen if one is misused, just as an experiment. Needless to say, this was done outside with safety goggles, gloves, fire extinguishers on hand, etc. I took it, and hooked it directly to a 12 volt battery- the old suicide charge you should never do. I braced for the worst, expecting fire, explosions, splattering lithium, etc. Nothing, really. I let it go for a couple of minutes, and it still didn't do anything. Then I took the 12v off, and twisted the LiPo's leads together. About 30 seconds later I started hearing some popping. That pack really swelled quickly. But, still no fire. I let it sit for a while, then chucked it in a can of water. Nothing. So I guess while there have been mishaps, you really have to do something insane to get a fire, because I couldn't start one. Just thought you'd find it interesting.

Jack10525

Good to know. I actually had a mishap similar to that. I am still learning to fly so I was just barely coming off the floor and the battery flew off. The blades pulled out two of the wires from the four wire connector. Of course they were the red and black wires. When I went to check the battery for damage I crossed the two exposed wires. It started to spark violently and I dropped it immediately. Lucky the wires came apart. I am going to see if it still works. Hopefully nothing burns down. If I find that the pack is bad I may do a similar test as you. Wish me luck.....

Matt Kirsch

My Feedback: (21)

Tommy,

The full-charge voltage of a 3S LiPoly is 12.6V, which is about the same as a fully-charged 12V lead-acid battery. That's why you couldn't make it do anything special in your first experiment

flyingace451

Charge it at a rate that is very stupid. Say you normally charge an 800 mAh lipo at a 750 mAh rate, you'll get the lipo safely and fully charged in about an hour. But, if you charged that same lipo at a 2000mAh setting, you'll get swelling within the first 5 minutes and the first cell will explode within 10 minutes.

A 3 cell lipo will have 3 explosions. Just if you didn't know that.

patnchris

I definately had a 11.1V 3cell 1350ma Thunderpower catch fire......While these batteries may not be as fragile as some would have you believe, you still need to handle them properly, with care.....Pat