hey, does anyone know how to test a single cell 3.7v lipo? have about 6, some are e-flite and some are prkzone. i use the celectra 4 port charger plugged into the wall. all my batteries are all of a sudden going bad. is my charger jacking them up? i cant be possible that theyre dyin from old age is it? they were all bought at diff times durring the past 4 months. sooooo can anyone tell me or direct me somewhere than i can find out how to test my batteries and my 4port charger too if possible! thanks a bunch!
-kev

Well, depends on the type of charger that is. If it's a charger that detects and displays battery status, then it should say if there is something wrong with when you plug it in.

I have a new Triton II EQ charger. Once the correct battery data is selected, including battery type, capacity, charge rate, number of cells, it will begin by testing the battery connection and if it will accept a charge. Then it will begin to charge at the selected rate, but if it attempts to charge to a point that it determines that the battery is either not taking the charge, or is not charging correctly, it will stop and give a warning.

One quick point here. From your post, it sounds like you may be charging your lipo battery packs indoors. This is not a safe situation, especially if you suspect that the cells may be bad. If they overheat, they will explode, causing some rather serious problems. These packs should be charged outdoors away from anything that could be affected by any over-reaction by a bad LiPo cell. There have been many warnings posted here on RCU as well as many personal bad experiences with LiPo problems. Do yourself a favor and charge them outdoors, especially considering that you suspect they may not be good.

And, if you DO suspect they are bad, dispose of them and get new batteries. No, they do not last forever. One cell packs are cheap enough and replacing them could save you some very bad experiences if and when they should explode on you.

CGr.

I'd be afraid to use that charger, just because it doesn't give you any indication as to how full the packs may be. I feel much better using a charger that has a display and lets you know what's going on.

http://centralhobbies.com/electric_f.../celectra.html

This is a great charger, but it seems to be out of stock a lot:

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/s...w/_accessories

The Imax chargers are also really good and really inexpensive.

If your packs are only a few months old, they should still be good, but don't charge them indoors.

Good luck

CG, I have read some of the postings regarding Lipo and I have to confess they scare me a bit.  Yours is the first posting I have read saying to not charge them indoors at all.  I do not doubt what you are saying.  I have to wonder why we are buying these packs if they are so dangerous?  I do not remember reading anything on the reciever batt pack that I bought in regards to safe operation. 
Can you elaborate on the benefits to Lipo over other types of batteries?  Or should I take that question to a differant thread;forum?

I think that there is a bit too much fear of LiPos out there. If you use a proper charger that will not overcharge your packs, set it to the proper charge rate, and don't use a pack that's damaged, then you are going to be fine. Most of the explosions you see on youtube are of kids intentionally overcharging their batteries.

I keep all of my LiPos in an ammo can, and I only charge them outside, on concrete. I keep the charge rates low and use the right program on my charger.

The benefit is that they give you a ton of power for the weight. I wouldn't use them for RX batteries, because I wouldn't want to take them out of the plane to charge them, and I would never charge them in a plane.

And purposely dropping a knife point into a highly BLOATED battery while it is still too hot after being charged at far too high of a rate!


BTW: I tried the same thing with a bloated pack stuffed in a paint can, outdoors. Even after several punctures and many weeks outside, the pack is still there... I have been unable to reproduce their results.


I have however melted wires going to an Outrunner, then causing a fire, because I didn't use a large enough gauge wire for the power my system was drawing... but that is not an issue with the LiPo packs.

I have a brand new pack that I bought, put it on the charger to bring it up to peak, did this outside, ya gotta know.. . Anyway, when I went out, I found the battery about twice the normal size.. huge compared to it's original size. I have no idea what happened, but, as I said, it was a brand new LiPo battery pack. I left it outside for about a week. I still have it and use it as a little demo for what can happen, even when proper care and charging technique is used.

CGr.

Whew.  Turns out my reciever batt pack is Ni-Mah.  I havent heard anything scary about those.  Yet!

RE: HELPPPP!!!! Who's smart????

The answer is: The guy who asks the most questions, not the one who thinks he has all of the answers. I do a little of both so I guess that leaves me out.

So this is one of those times I think I have the answer, and it's not even mine.

I think the guys suggesting a different charger are putting you on the right track, I don't trust blinking lights, on a car dashboard or a battery charger. I like to see the numbers. If you are having a ball and plan on being in this hobby for awhile it might be time to upgrade the charger.

-BW