Georges Payne

Hello all!

I have a Hobbico Accu-Cycle Elite charger with an Electrifly Equinox balancer, but I still use the E-Flite LiPo charger that came with my BCPP so I can charge two batteries at the same time.

That is, until this afternoon, when I plugged an E-Flite 800 mA/h battery in the E-Flite charger and it (the charger, not the battery) caught on fire. Right then and there, maybe two minutes after the battery was plugged in. The polarity on the power source was correct, the battery could still be charged on the Hobbico charger, and it was flown successfully for 12 minutes afterward. So the charger really is the culprit.

It's a good thing that I always keep an eye on the charging process because I am weary of LiPo batteries. But this time it's the charger that burned. And I am talking about a real fire, with lots of smoke and a melted plastic casing. The charger has been used for no more than 40 batteries, since I now have 66 flights in my log book and I had two chargers.

So this is a warning to all of you guys. Even if you have a fire proof enclosure in which to place your LiPos, always keep an eye on the whole thing while charging batteries, because the charger is not in the enclosure.

Be safe
Georges

sdmahr

Yikes ![X(]

Thanks for the heads up. Thats the charger I use !

bilboa

No fire, but my BCPP charger gets very hot sometimes. I'm in the same boat, have a nicer LiPo charger, but also use the BCPP charger so I can charge two at once. Maybe I'll just stop using the BCPP one after reading this. Thanks for the heads-up.

sportsman67

Hi Georges Payne, good thing your safety conscious sounds like things could have gone really bad had you not been checking on your batteries. Thanks for the heads up on the chargers I'll check on my batteries even more often now. Rick

peplinsk

I always charge my li po batterys in a pyrex caserole dish with the lid on. Then I put the pyrex dish in a thick bottomed skillet then i set that on a larger thick bottomed skillet. Then I set all that on top of a cutting board.

I know, sounds a little paranoid but if a lipo goes, they have been known to burn at 1000+ degrees F. That's a little scary.
never charge lipos unnattended.

never never never.

And even though i see peeps doin it the flying field all the freakin time, never charge your lipo while it is in the heli.

Truglodite

interesting story, and thanks for the heads up. unfortunately i doubt there was anything you could've done to prevent it. it's a good thing you're in the habit of supervising your charges, or things may have been worse.

i have always put both the charger and lipo in my ammo box while charging. i guess it's a good thing that i have short battery & charger leads, so i'm kind of forced to keep both in the large box. i also keep an 80mm computer fan in the box to keep the charger and lipo cooler during the summer, but i doubt that would prevent a major charger failure similar to yours.

-kev