Kevin Greene

My Feedback: (85)

For every guy like you that hasn't seen anything there are guys like me that have witnessed the opposite...I was standing in the hobby shop when a customer brought in an E-Flight Blade mini heli...The customer explained that for no reason at all the heli started smoking then caught fire...All of this in his living room...[:@]....The customer stated how lucky he was that the house didn't burn down as the fire was intense...Burned himself pretty good trying to get the burning heap out of his house...The hobby shop co-owner gave the heli to the other owner and said, "Here's another one!!!"...

Kevin

KC36330

if that was the case he invited himself for 'gross negligence' for selling a known fire hazard to his customers in the first place...........

c/f

My Feedback: (1)

That single cell LiPo 110MAH in a Blade mini is in the hands of literly 1000's of total people ignorant of Lipo legends. Hobby King sells those Lipo for $2 just and few weeks ago they listed 1000 in stock and within 5 hours it said -11.

Yours is the first I heard of a fire hazard with that single cell 110MAH battery and such a potential danger. Odds are its gonna make the mainstream media pretty soon would'nt you say?

FWIW, I watched Keeping up with Kardashians and they had o'le Bruce Jenner letting is wife fly his Blade CX LiPo powered model, She crashed it luckily no fire given the filming crew would have caught it all on tape, But he said she's not flying anymore of his helis. HE was said to eat/breath/sleep RC helis.......Funny

Kevin Greene

My Feedback: (85)

Huh?!?!??...Surely you must be kidding but in case you are not you made a gross assumption...He did not knowingly sell a defective product...The day after Christmas this was one of a few that came back to him after catching fire...He still sells LiPos as his customers still want them but he has definately changed his method of storing these until the sale!!!

Regardless...These batteries have a history of going up in flames whether they are handled with kid gloves or not...Laptops spontaneously combusting, PDA's catching fire in the users pocket are just some of the instances where persons and property are damaged...Why take a chance??? Here are more instances where problems have occured as taken from another R/C forum...Some are user errors and others are undetermined...

Kevin

This represents posts that I have seen where a LiPo pack has caught fire. They have been placed in several categories.

FIRE DURING CHARGING:
Operator Error-
9s pack catches fire while being charged at 10s setting. (9)
2s pack catches fire being charged as 3s (10)
2s pack catches fire when charged at 3s setting (13)
2s pack catches fire in plane while charging at 3s setting. (22)
3s pack charged at 4s voltage ignites (27)
2s pack catches fire charged at 3s (30)
2s pack ignites when charged at 10.2V (31)
Overcharged battery (34)
2s pack charged at 11.1V catches fire. (36)
2s pack charged at 3s setting (40)
2s pack charges at 11.1V burns – (44)
2s charged at 11.2V goes off in garage – (47)
2s charged at 3s voltage ignites in garage – (49)
2s charged at 3s ignites in workshop – (52)
Another count problem – Heli burns (57)
Cell count error caused fire – (61, 62)
Pack charged on NiCd setting - (66)
Run Down pack catches fire during charge – (71)
LiPo Burns during charge on 109 charger after mode mis-set (82)
Charging slightly swelled pack causes fire (86)
Li-Ion cells catch fire from charger setting error (88)
Cell catches fire during attempt to repeak - (91)
Charging puffed cell causes it to ignite – (93)
Lipo burns during attempt to restore overdischarged cell with CC/CV PS (94)
Pack ignites during charging – smoke corrodes shed and contents (98)
Possible damaged pack burns like rocket in can – (100)
Attempt to recharge dead lipo causes plane fire (103)
Charging probably fully charged 3s pack with Astro 109 result in pack ignition. (104)
2s charged as 3s ignites in safe (109)
Restart of charger resulted in wrong charge mode – (113)
Wrong charger settings burns 2 packs – (112)
LiPo burns in modelers hand after charging - (115)
Charging slightly puffed cell causes fire, plane burns (117)
Owner forgot to change charger setting from NiCd to Lipo during charging cycle (118)

Undetermined Cause While Charging
Fire damages garage while charging pack. (7)
1500 3s pack catches fire during 1A , 11.1V initial charge. (1)
2 cell pack ignites while being charged with 2 cell charger. (11)
Car burns when pack being charged in car catches fire. (24)
2s2p pack catches fire in helicopter - possible that charger misread # of cells. (25)
2s pack ignites while on charger set for 2s. (28)
$30,000 damage to house when pack ignites during charging. (no details) (43)
3s pack burns in garage - (35)
3s pack burns at correct settings- (41)
3s pack burns at correct charger settings - (46)
3s 8000mah pack catches fire after 15min - correct settings - (53)
Helicopter and pack burns after 15min charge - (54)
Automatic cell count charger - pack catches fire (55)
Automatic cell count charger - pack catches fire (56)
Lipo rockets across room (58)
Automatic cell count charger - Lipos burn in garage (59)
Battery ignites in car seat during charging (63)
Damaged battery ignites during charge (67)
Pack balloons during charge, burns while under water (68)
11s3p pack burns during charging at correct parameters (70)
Another charging fire - (72)
Helicopter burns when LiPo ignites during charge (73)
Undetermined cause to LiPo fire during charge - (74)
Chopper burns from charging LiPo fire (76)
House fire (81)
3s Pack Ignites burning front of car during charge at correct settings. (83)
Helicopter in garage burns while charging (106)
Well used Lipo ignites under correct charging parameters (107)
SUV Vehicle burns (114)

FIRE FROM PACK DAMAGE:
Cell poked with exacto knife catches fire- (2)
Dog bites pack, pack catches fire (4)
Lexus burns after pack from crashed plane put in car. (8)
Ballooned pack ignites when punctured. (20)
Repaired pack catches fire when connected to plane. (29)
Pack catches fire after plane crashes. (37)
Pack cut while shrink wrapping (39)
Pack punctured during crash burns. (64)
Plane crashes, pack removed and 10 minutes later burns (65)
Battery pack at 1V ignites while charging (71)
Puffed pack ignites during charging – (77)
Puffed Pack smokes when punctured (79)
Nicked pack catches fire (87)
Plane crashes, battery catches fire (89)
Damaged pack catches fire – (90)
Dog chews pack, chars pillow and smokes house - (95)
Battery compartment screw penetrates pack causing loss of plane (102)
Pack balloons dring mischarge, ignites when punchured (108)
Pack ignites 20 min after Heli crash – (111)\
Nicked pack “explodes in modelers hand� (116)

BATTERY SHORTED FIRES:
Shorted pack catches fire (26)
Pack burns after shorting (15)
Possible Short (38)
Shorted when moved on table – (42)
Pack Shorted putting connector on and burns – (45)
Shorted pack burns hole in BMW seat – (48)
Crash causes 3s pack to short and burn – (50)
Pack ignites sometime after connector shorted for a short time (85)

CAUSE UNDETERMINED:
Multi cell pack catches fire in flight (5)
Possible over discharge (33)
Lipo pack catches fire in car (60)
2s pack starts house fire (84)
In flight F3A fire reported (92)
New pack partially burns sitting on desk (96)
Pack ignites with no known cause (97)
Pack ignites after soldering wires on (101)
Pack catches fire in pick up truck (105)OTHER
2s pack connected in series with 3s pack ignites in fireball (78)
Lipo burns garage (99)
Packs used in parallel catch fire in flight (110)

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Hi, I am moving all my batteries to A123, just to be safe.

Would this

#6233-ECU: 2300 mah - ECU - 3 cell 9.9 volt - 3s1p Power output lead to ECU - 30in 14ga wire out to ECU, no connectors
Max Disharge Continuous - 30C
Flight weight: 9oz
Size: 1" x 3" x 2.6"(T/W/L)

work on JETCAT 160SX, kero start?

and 2

#6232EC3: 2300 mah - RX 2 cell
6.6volt - 2s1p For Spektrum 9100 Receiver, power output lead 12" 16ga wire & EC3 connector

for RX?

Any suggestions?

Mike

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

Hi Mike,

Yes that will work, is the 30 inch wire a real requirement?

Anyway, your ECU will need to be modded for 3 cell A123 compatability. Bob just told me that early next week you will be able to order online with the A123 option.

BTW I heard you sold him a Tudor? It is always great to see him with a plane, he always has a much better time when he has one at the events.

GSR

My Feedback: (145)

Hi Mike, that is a fine set up. That is what I run in my KingCat and Rookie- 3S 2300 pack for the ECU and dual 2S direct into the 1221s. You can put 500 mAh into the pack in the time it takes to fuel and air up. THey hold charge forever and if you do screw up and overcharge it all that happens is the negative cap pops off and some of the magic goo leaks out. I even converted my Vector air pump to a 4s pack.
The ECU conversion is a simple larger MOSFET and heatsink change. On one not I did run the Rookie for 15 or 20 flights on 123s before I had the ECU converted and had no problems, but it is the luck of the draw if all the planets will line up and fry yours.
Scott

Doug Cronkhite

My Feedback: (34)

Heh.. and we all know customers NEVER lie when they destroy something right? Having using Li-Po's for several years now I've never had a single problem with them. I DO however follow some very strict rules, and use only FlightPower or ThunderPower batteries. The no-name discount batteries are just more trouble than they're worth.

1) Never charge unattended or unmonitored
2) Never charge indoors
3) Use a Li-Po only charger
4) If a pack is visibly/significantly damaged in a crash, puff or not, I submerge it in salt water and discard it.

ALL of the fires I've seen with Li-Po's have been as a result of improper charging, or salvaging damaged cells.

A10FLYR

My Feedback: (1)

I follow doug's rules #1 and #3 and have NEVER had a problem so there!!

Seriously,,,,the ONLY time I have seen a problem is when charging and it has always been because of improper charger or not checking to be sure the charger determined the proper cell count. My Astro has been giving me bad cell counts lately so it's going back to Bob!

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Thanks for the positive confirmation of using A123. I am not the type of person who can see and way for a LI-PO to charge it. I don't have the attention span.

Hi Matt,

Yes, after seeing a Tutor flying all day at the California Jet, Bob was finally convinced that he wants one of that.


About converting JETCAT ECU to A123, do we need to send all the older ECUs back for upgrade? I just bought a few new turbine engines and don't know if I should send them back again for update.

Hi Scott - OK, I will start the conversion process.

Mike

Ianshead46

Well that REALLY, TOTALLY SUX ! To say the least of matters.
Very sad to see such a beautiful model destroyed.
As remarked by others - VERY lucky the whole shed didn't go up as well.
Until I saw these photos I've always just plugged my charger into the LiPo's
while they are in place in my helis and charged them up - NEVER AGAIN !!!
Doesn't matter what the final reason was for this happening, all my LiPo's are easy to get out
of my helis, from now on they are coming OUT every time before being hooked up to the charger.
My charger is a Swallow AC/DC 2, so far neither it nor any of my LiPo's has given any trouble at all.

SimjetAU

The charger was a swallow that was used as the charger. As I said in the post I will never use them again after witnessing the aftermath. I have refiitted my PST reaction with A123 and also the Boomerang XL and I have to say they are impressive batteries. Its spooky to see the charger (hyperion duo II version) ramp up to 6 or 8 amps at first and then after that it changed and does the balance charge. It takes 8 mins to charge a pack after 2 flights so it is not any drama at all...the batteries get just slightly warm when charging at those currents. My mate is waiting on the confirmation of insurance acceptance and that should be this week. The opinon is that they will actually pay out. The owner will bide his time with it before choosing another model. My FEJ 1/7 F15E just arrived today and I have to say I am very impressed and over the moon about what I got the money and how well it is made

Mark Kyle

FalconWings

My Feedback: (57)

You also whatch that crap? pretty addictive isn't it!

That Kardashian dude must have had an artist pen for a [X(]

AndyAndrews

I keep mine in military ammo boxes. Never had one catch on fire. I always charge using a Triton JR. Although, I did buy a separate battery to charge. I used to charge using my car battery. After seeing and hearing all of the nightmare stories, I decided to stop that.