Sunfirefoot

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So I've been doing this hobby for about 11 years and have always used Nimh and Nicd packs, I have always been curious about Lipo but never tried them because of the horror stories and videos on YouTube. I have some question that some of you awesome guys can answer. First, how is the charging process different? Second, what does #-S mean as well as the #-C? What does it mean to "balance"? And lastly, what are good but moderately priced lipo's and chargers?

Thanks in advance for the help, and please don't bash me for posting this here, I tried 3 months ago in the "Batteries and Chargers" section and got torn apart by pilots lol.

Sunfirefoot

My Feedback: (30)

Forgot one thing, what do I need to do to prevent explosions and flash fire lol that's the important question

thehuntingterminator

lol, thats a long post with lots of questions but i'll do my best to answer all of them. first off, i wanna say that i too was terrified to buy a lipo pack, for fear of burning down my house. but, after actually using them myself, they are not scary at all with todays smart chargers.
1. the charging process is a little more complicated (just a few more steps to do it properly and safely) than NIMH or NICD, but nothing that you can't handle.
2. #s means the number of cells in the pack in series. meaning if its a 2s pack, its a 2 cell lipo (7.4v). however, it can be a 2s2p pack, meaning its still 7.4v, but has an adittional 2 cells in parallel to reach the mah rating given to the pack.
3. balancing the pack means that when charging you (the charger if equipped w/ an inboard balancer, or an external balancer) are making sure that all the cells stay about the same voltage as one another. it just helps make sure all the cells have the same fitness level so your pack gives maximum performance. (most chagers have built in balancers nowadays so i wouldn't worry about it, just make sure you buy one with a balancer built in and that you always "balance charge")
4. i recommend these highly for batteries, and this charger (has a built in balancer and comes with everything you will need to charge those batteries w/out buying anything else). both are extrememly low priced for how good they are. i have used them personally and they have never failed me. you will have to solder on your own Traxxas connectors cuz they use cheap Chinese connectors, but usually your LHS can do that for you.
5. just charge smartly (never leave it alone by staying at least in a few rooms from it or in the room its in, don't charge at over 1C, always balance charge, and buy a safe charge bag)

Sunfirefoot

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Thank you for that awesome answer!! I know I asked a lot but just one more question, can you elaborate on the charging process, what are the steps?

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

Plug battery in
push button
wait an hourish
receive charged battery

thehuntingterminator

really its gonna depend on what charger you buy. but, with any charger when using lipos, you will have to selecet your charge rate, how many cells, and all the safety information. it sounds like alot but its not hard at all, and you can always aks on here for any help. on that AC6 i linked, you will need to enter all that info as a profile and save it, so you can load it later. next, you will want to plug the battery in through the main plugs and hook up the balancing board to the charger, and then plug the battery into it through the JST balance plug. then, once the profile is loaded, you will need to select "balance charge" for normal charging (it will balance while charging, this is what you want). but, no need walking you through it until you get it.