Huckaneer

I have a Polyquest 800 mah 3 cell lithium that I am having problems with. I charge it up and my charger says that it is done, but I read it on a voltmeter and it is only reading 11.07 volts. I just had this problem this morning when I took off and noticed I didn't have power 30 seconds into the flight. I don't know what could be causing my problems. If anyone has any suggestions, they are greatly appreciated.

jdetray

It is possible that one of the three cells is weak or at least that the pack has become unbalanced (that is, the cells are at different voltages). If possible, you need to measure the voltages of each of the three cells.

- Jeff

Fliprob17

Do you have a balancer? Something like a Blinky? It will immediately tell you if one cell is under the recommended 3.2 volts. That would be the first step I would think, or individually measure each cell as suggested by jdetray. Next step would be to try a slow trickle charge at about 10% of the normal rate. So somewhere around 0.08 amps or 80ma.

Huckaneer

I will try a different charger today and see if that works. It is peaking prematurely so I think it must be something screwy in the charger

jdetray

If there is a problem with the balance of your pack or a problem with a cell, repeatedly trying to charge the pack can further damage it. If you can, it's better to check the voltage of each cell instead of charging it again and hoping for the best.

Also, there is no chance of false peaks when charging lipos. They don't work that way.

You are using a proper lipo charger, right?

- Jeff

Huckaneer

yes, i am using a lipo charger and it has worked perfectly a nimber of times before.

Fliprob17

Let's try again Do you have a BALANCER ?? Or does your battery even have a balancer connector? It is possible that the pack is out of balance and not accepting a charge correctly or as mentioned by jdetray, a cell may have a problem and is not accepting a charge. Try balancing the pack.

Huckaneer

I do not have a balancer, but the battery does have a balance lead. I just don't know what it could be

Fliprob17

You may want to pick up an inexpensive balancer like this one http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXMRZ9&P=7 really you should be balancing the pack to make sure all cells have equal voltage.

Huckaneer

Well , I charged it with my buddies charger and it worked perfectly. I went and flew and charged it using my charger and it worked perfectly. I don't know maybe 11.1 is too low for my charger or something is wrong with it. I am buying a triton jr anyways. THanks for all your help