Same here. My lipos are 3 plus years old because I watch these videos. Storage charge 💯 of the time even if the pack didn't get used. Also guys. When Storage charging put a small fan on charger and battery. Remove the heat remove the possibilities of problems and it makes charging and discharging faster.
I use a strict process to help me manage all of my Lipos. 1) I'll only fully charge any particular batteries a maximum of the day before I expect to run them (i.e not sat fully charged for more than 24 hours or so) 2) I always use a Lipo alarm set at 3.4v in every car and stop running as soon as any cell hits a running voltage of 3.4v (which means within a minute of stopping it's gone back up to around 3.6v). 3) I'll never leave a used battery for more than 24 hours after a run. I either take it back up to full charge if planning on using it again the next day, or storage charge it to 3.85v per cell 4) If I have fully charged some batteries the day before, and then for some reason I end up not using them on the day, I always then discharge them back down to storage charge. 5) I keep a roll of masking tape and a sharpie in my battery box, and label each one after a storage (or full) charge with the status and the date. 6) Every 3 months I'll check every battery with a Lipo meter to see how each cell is looking, and then fully cycle, or top back up to storage charge (they usually only drop a few % at most). Hope this helps any newbies. It may sound strict but it soon becomes habit, and I've never had any of my batteries cause me problems.
24hr? You’re crazy. Leaving it on full for more than 60 minutes without use is terrible for the cells. Charge it only if you’re going to use it right then and only then.
@ngirardo86 .... Well I don't agree. I get that the time spent sat in a fully charged state will slowly do cumulative damage, so it's best to aim for as minimal time as reasonably possible (which I did still kind of allude to), but there is no hard and fast rule. It is not as definitive as you are trying to make out. I did vast amounts of research on this when I got into RC, and whilst I saw some people expressing preferences such as yours here, I saw plenty more people basically saying that up to 24 hours would still be fine with no significant effects. Not all of us have the time opportunities to only operate within a 60 minute cycle. We may have travel or work commitments that mean a longer window is necessary. I would not want a beginner to take your comment as gospel and then think "Well I can't do that, so I'd best forget about even getting into this hobby". And what about Spektrum smart batteries? They manage their own auto discharge down to a safe storage charge, and this process often doesn't start until well after 24 hours.
@@austinrhubarb do you always over exaggerate everything in your life or just when it comes to lipo packs?? Too busy with work or travel? Lmao like you charged up a pack and then were like oh man! I forgot I have to go to work? Like gtfoh. Keep running your packs like that I don’t honestly care. It takes nothing out of my day to put my packs BACK on the charger and let them storage charge for the next few hours if I didn’t end up using them. But don’t be that guy knocking a company because your packs puffed up or didn’t last more than 10 cycles. It’s YOUR improper storage and handling that ruined them.
I've been using lipo batteries since the early 2000's when FMA Direct was selling 2-3S packs that did NOT have a balance connector. This video is perfect, everyone using lipo batteries for any hobby should see this at least once! The Fire Sense product is new to me, I need to get me some of those, thank you for the introduction!
Thanks for this - I come from the nicd days, where you had to discharge packs with strings of incandescent lightbulbs, build a pack from separate cells if you wanted good power, etc., so all of this is quite new to me and very different, and I've been a bit hesitant to venture into LiPo territory since I got back into the hobby, so this helps a LOT.
Hey my man thanks so so much for this video! I’ve been in the hobby for 3 months now and first thing I did before buying my Rc was creating a playlist of the most important habits for RC safety and durability) obviously your previous video about LiPo batteries in on that playlist, this one complements perfect that one! I found pretty helpful the part when you talk about the battery converters and the different types of batteries when someone is going to use 2 packs for 4s, 6s or 8s. Anyway man, thank you again for sharing this cool and important information 😊
I’ve been doing rc for a year and a half now and my first few months sucked because I had no clue what I was doing. I wish you lost of fun and success!
@@haywirerc thank you for your good wishes and im sorry to hear that, i hope it got so much better now, i researched a lot before getting into rc cuz the place where i live has no hobbyshop anywhere near, actually i traveled 3500km to buy my granite :)
@davebird3907 im not sure but to me it seems that must be really cool to run a rc car near the beach! :D only thing is maybe you have to be more careful and dedicated to the cleaning and grooming session of the rc, specially on the bearings and pinions?
THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, FOR ALL OF THESE VERY GOOD, HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS, FOR LiPo BATTERY MAINTENANCE!!! GOOD TO KNOW!!!... i JUST BOUGHT A LARGE "AMMO BOX" (LOCKABLE, STURDY, STEEL CONTAINER), THAT I WILL USE TO CONTAIN ALL OF MY LiPo BATTERIES, AT ALL TIMES, WHEN NOT IN USE!!
I have the same GensAce IMARS D300 in the video and while I like the charger, I could never figure out why it will discharge a lipo to 0v even when it’s set to 3.8v in storage mode if you don’t immediately disconnect it.
Really good info! 1) IMO the 2 most important mistakes not to make are not storage charging the batteries and/or leaving them plugged in. I've done both and it got expensive. 2) I disagree about buying used Nitro (Glo Engines). If you know what you're doing AND are mechanically inclined, most engines can be totally rebuilt, if the block is good. I've done this multiple times with excellent results. Just sayin'.
Yuppers great vid, as a newbie made the store charged mistake. Felt awful after I figured out these weren't like nicads, that was 20yrs ago. The charger I bought at the time was completely inadequate, it balance charged and that was it. Was for the original losi mini eight. I know better now with some of the hard learned mistakes no wisdom. 100% agree forget wasting cash on used nitro engines or batteries. Unless you really know what your getting. Not worth your hard earned cash and importantly your time at all.
Hi there, I just got a deerc 1:18 truck that came with 2 20 minute batteries. I used them out of the box without fully charging them, only the charge they came with. Each battery lasted between 35 and 40 minutes, about double what they claim. So I wondered if maybe I am only supposed to use them for 20 minutes and then recharge. Can these batteries be run down until the car stops driving? Or do I need to keep track of the time and voltage of the battery while in use? Also we have mom, dad, daughter vehicles, is there a good charger out there that can charge a lot of batteries simultaneously?
Good info would have liked some specifics with timing for putting in storage mode or not charging 100%. Most my packs are used within a week of a full charge- is this too long? I now have some fancy spektrum batteries that discharge after 3 days so I guess that’s a safe bet but kind of a pain for all my lipos
just bought a thundertiger st1 with a .28 pro engine in it from ebay and it starts and runs beautifully yet its probably nearing 20 years old, I dont agree with not buying used Nitro engines because thats sometimes the only way your gonna find a classic vintage Nitro engine, if you have the experience to strip the engine down and check all the tollerances theres nothing wrong with that at all.
Usually they sell spare sleeves and pistons (that’s if you can get them), change the piston sleeve and crank bearings you’ve pretty well got yourself a “new” engine.
When you have multiple RC vehicles and all with different battery packs/connector types, it is a real pain keeping your batteries managed. This is especially true when a lot of the smaller vehicles are now being supplied with USB chargers with no visible voltage display. Isn't it about time that a battery pack was able to display its charge status just by looking at it, maybe with a tiny red or green LED?
There are some larger batteries that can do that, like these Gens Ace Advanced LiPos: www.amainhobbies.com/gens-ace-3s-lihv-advanced-series-lipo-battery-100c-11.4v-6500mah-gea65003s10e5/p1422766 Just push the button and the LED notification will provide a rough idea of remaining power. It's a pretty slick system and it doesn't take up too much space in the battery, but it does add some bulk, which may be why we don't see it in mini LiPo's, but I bet it's coming! -Brett
And if putting them in storage mode, must check every few weeks (I would not let more than two months) as the batteries slowly discharge below the 3.80 to 3.85 storage voltage. All my 3s/2s use xt60 while the higher power demand batteries use xt90. After a good bash or high speed flying my EDFs, the connectors are cool to the touch.
good thing to have an old fighter buggy rx with a NIMH battery, it's from the 90's and it still work's perfectly fine, sure it lost some of it's punch but at least I don't have to worry that my house burnes down. the massage is clear, I'll stick with the old-school stuff, thx for the advice 😅👍
Ive been slowly making all my rigs compatible with the spektrum smart lipos. They will discharge to storage voltage on their own. Makes things a bit easier.
Are there larger storage boxes like these available for our smaller solar systems, such as one around 600 (correct storage capacity notation needed here) for use with one solar panel or two? This would be one of those of a medium size.
hey AMain! I have the Gens Ace bashing lipos found at 2:18 and when I was done using my car I didn't discharge them and now I keep getting connection break error when I try to change them even know the connection is right. I've been trying to fix this problem for a while now but just can't see too. Any idea how I can solve it? are the liops dead? it has been over 6 months sine I used my car and the liops have been sitting in their flat state
Your voltage is to low for your charger to detect...you have to trick the charger by jumping power from a good battery to the low voltage battery kinda like jump starting the battery
Using two batetries depends if you go for parallel or in series conection. Parallel is good for different age and capacity, you have to match voltage before connection.
Don’t change it in an ammo box or battery bag. The reason they explode is because of a lack in heat exchange. My uncle swore by them and had a small fire. He then said I wasn’t interested the hobby anymore because lipos are “dangerous and randomly explode”. I’ve changed lipos 1000s of times without problem.
I'd recommend the Gens Ace D300: www.amainhobbies.com/gens-ace-imars-d300-gtech-smart-dual-ac-dc-charger-6s-16a-white-gea300wd300-uw/p1485998 For it's price, it offers the most value and it's very impressive. We made a video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/comyyPQGjQI/v-deo.html -Brett
What if I use two 2s 5000mah 100c spektrum ic3 batteries in series for my Blackjack 24? You said 2s is fine but what about my boat that is 4s in total? I use two adapters to go from my batteries to my boat, one for each battery. Thanks in advance for any advice
Wait... why can't the Fire Safe product be used at scale? Would it simply be consumed by any larger fire? I thought nothing could put out one of these Li-po fires....?
I live in the U.P. of Michigan and it gets cold here. I know you're not supposed to freeze a lipo battery, but what about flying in freezing weather? That would freeze the battery. How do people safely fly in the wintertime with these little incendiary battery bombs?
could you do a video on a life battery for transmitter like the one i bought from amain for my futaba 4pm+ id like to know what to do for storage mostly
Even though it's a LiFe battery, still treat it like a LiPo and remove it from the transmitter after use, and put the battery in a Bat-Box storage case, or something similar. -Brett
I left my first set of LiPos in storage at max charge for a few months. Both packs swelled after the next run, and the one ran the car significantly slower. They were cheaper batteries, so it's possible they were lower quality to begin with.
@@AMain_Hobbies I’d say; -Follow engine break in properly -Using the wrong glow plugs for different engines or worn out / not functioning properly glow plugs -Pre-heat the engine before starting -Do not let fuel sit in the fuel tank / fuel lines for long periods -Once finished running the engine, make sure the piston is at bottom dead centre (BDC) -Running engines with broken / leaking/ completely missing gaskets -Getting frustrated! - Engines only need Fuel, Air, Heat to run, take a step back and just think about what you’re missing! -Continuing to pull the pull-start when the engine is flooded! (It will break!) -Simply not checking your glow igniter is charged (easy mistake to make!) -Running an engine without the air filter! (Or not putting any air filter oil in there) -Running a nitro engine on WD40.. very bad idea, WD40 doesn’t lubricate an engine properly! -Making sure your failsafe is set up properly! Definitely don’t want any runaways! Thanks for the reply!
I just got a Spektrum G2 battery with my Losi ProMoto MX and bought the S2100 charger to use with the, new to me, G2 technology. I have old G1 Smart batteries but until now have only ever charged them on a ProQuad charger. I also have the Smart Checker cell voltage checker and servo driver. The Smart Checker will pick up voltage of each cell for my G1 batteries even without plugging in the balance connector. Now what i am getting at and the question i have is will the G2 Smart charger charge the G1 batteries correctly even without the balance lead connected or does the balance lead on the G1 still need plugged in with the G2 charger? If the balance lead still needs connected then i will continue using the ProQuad with the G1 batteries and just keep the G2 charger for when i have to charge the G2 batteries.
I have a way off topic question that no one seems to be able to answer. Hopefully someone here can. In VTA class the rules state no 1 way diffs or pulley systems. WHAT IS A PULLEY SYSTEM? Everyone online and even on the VTA Facebook page seems to run mostly belt drive cars. The track I go to says no belt drive cars because of the no pully system rule..... So is there some other type of pulley system the VTA rules are referring to or are they all breaking the rule by running a belt drive car?
So I have the Arma out cast 8s 4x4 it's a Blast,but I have a problem with it. My battery's are Charged and my controller AA battery's are good . Once I turn the car on, I'm able to drive it for like 30 seconds and then the controller starts beeping then the car won't move,the wheels move but it won't go. I turn it Off and back on it does the Same Thing 🤦🤷
There could be a number of things causing it, but it does sound like a low-voltage issue. If it's not though, you the ESC might be shutting down to save itself. If the trucks drivetrain is bound up for instance, spinning the drivetrain will be a large expense on the electronics, causing excessive heat, possibly leading to a protective shutdown. Does the steering still work in these situations? -Brett
The hard case batteries I buy all come with a heavy clear plastic 'shrink-wrap ' around them . Leave it on or remove that ? I stress , these are hard case , not soft . Some dont have that shrink-wrap, some do . Advice ? Love your channel , thanks .
That wrap may help prevent the case from cracking/splitting open? That's my guess. If the battery came that way, I wouldn't mess with it. It's kind of rare to see hard cases with a wrap of them, but there must be a reason they did it. -Brett
When stored in the ideal conditions/environment, they can sit around for years without issue. Even the voltage inside the battery will be virtually unchanged after that time. -Brett
I've ruined 2 50€ batteries just by fully charging them after an event or training session. They sat for 3 or so months like that while I fully focused on studying. I've only really started forcing myself to put them into storage voltage a bit afterwards. What do you think about storing the batteries in a fridge? Also, didn't know about the hot battery charging thing. The batteries charge slower than I drain them, so during competitions I usually put a still warm battery on charge just to have it decently ready when I need it later.
Thank you for sharing. I used to fly electric planes, but since I've moved, I can't find a place to fly that's near enough. Granted I've charged my batteries in storage mode, but I've forget about them for up to two year sometimes and then check them physically and how much voltage they have (they seem to hold around 3.8V per cell even after years of being in storage). I would then cycle them by charging each to full, then back to storage mode. Is it a good thing to charge them to full and discharge them to storage again? Or should I just leave them?
@AMain_Hobbies I'm in Australia 🇦🇺 a Eski is what you would put your beer alcohol into to keep it cold and carry it around in 🤣🦘🇦🇺😁. I don't know what you call them in America mate 🤔😆
Thanks, it is a great video for us rookies. What would you recomend the longest time from full charge to use. Is next day, of 24 hrs already done the damage?
We don't have a specific time because there are many factors. But it would be best to use the battery immediately after it's charged, or as soon as you can. -Brett
Degradation can start to happen relativity quickly, it's just a matter of what degree of damage youre comfortable with. If you leave the battery charged for 24 hours, the harm might be minimal. But if you leave a charged battery for a month, degradation will be more severe. We don't have a certain amount of time to tell you, so hopefully this helps. -Brett
I don't feel so bad now. Having gotten back into rc after a near 30 year hiatus i was concerned with taking care of my only 2 batteries. Turns out I'm doing OK. They're out of my vorteks in a battery bag, i charge them when I'm going to use them. they don't get fully charged just to sit around. The storage charge tho, I'm going to have to look into that.
The shop I go to tests them all before they put them up for sale. They will even do a cell check with you when you pay. If you have an issue they will replace it themselves.
1 mistake that I actually did Which was leaving the batteries plugged to the charger after unplugging the charger from the wall (I set them to storage charge then left them there after it was done), this has caused the batteries to deplete themselves on the unpowered charger and basically reach zero volts after leaving it like that for days
Let the battery cool if you can, because the charger may need to charge the battery up if it was fully drained. The Storage Charge mode will do whatever is needed to get your battery at 50% power. So if you put a fully charged battery on the Storage Charge, your charger will need to discharge the battery down to 50%; but if you put a drained battery on the Storage Charge, your charger will need to charge the battery up to 50%. So because of this, and wanting to avoid charging a hot battery, we recommend to let the battery cool first. -Brett
Hey Brett, loved most of what you said. But one thing you forgot. and this has been an issue for me is to make sure your charger is balancing your batteries properly. I have batteries that are close to 8 years old. some are 6 years old. but on a whim i checked my batteries and found they were out of balance. So i took a tried and true old school from back in the day when i first got in to li-pos and used that balancer. Long behold some were out of balance. now they work great and back to normal. But i have one thing i disagree with I charge my batteries and put them in the freezer. been doing this for at least 10 years. A friend of mine has been dong it for at least 20 plus years. we never have any issues with doing this. As we live in a very hot environment. during the summer we hit 115 to 120 degrees out here in the high desert of ca. also if you do store like we do which we highly recommend is to let the batteries warm up for a bout 20 mins. more if they still feel cold. I also store them fully charged. as this slows down degermation. even my heavy used li-pos still have good punch. Now another thing you can buy 2 batteries of the same kind. but you may find out that they are not the same in power. I have had that happen a couple of times. But like you said if you buy them new you can get warranty on them. but when ever i get new batteries i always charge them balance them and test them. then i charge to full power and put them in my freezer. I recommend this to any one. they keep well and still run top end power. if you want to warm them faster hook them up to a charger and they will warm up. as they might have a .2 to .5 volt difference. usually mine are 100 percent. but usually by the time you get to where your running they are a fine. Thanks for the video always glad to watch what is new or you are doing in the hobby. hey for another video, could you do something with the chargers and how to set them up. i would like to see a Hyperion charger set up and maybe a couple of others. As i have been around the block at least a couple of times i forget how to dbl check on things. just curious if you would. thanks Bret love your videos and ideas and options that you offer. thank a bunch.
I actually made the mistake of buying a pricy 4s battery and let it sit at stored voltage for a year or so. When I finally charged it, one of the cells had a completely different resistance. Don’t leave your LiPos to idle for more than a month. Cycle it and store it once a month. I know, they’ll still work, but the cells will degrade if you don’t use them.
I have a question that the comment section should be able to help me with. Me and my friend were driving our cars and when my friend took his 3s out of his car and put it aside one of the cells popped and it blew. And I don’t really understand how that happened because it was a perfectly good 3s, but…. After the fire he said that it was his fault because he threw it. Lipo’s explode when they are thrown lightly?
It's possible, but very unlikely. LiPo batteries are drop-tested from various heights to receive certification for transit; shipping companies will not transport LiPo's unless they are tested to be safe. Now, throwing a battery and dropping a battery are different things, but still, my guess is that one cell was bad or out of balance with the others. -Brett
Never fully discharge a lipo, the most you should go down to is 20%. Really good to have telemetry or at a minimum a battery alarm/monitor, cheap insurance.
At first a was pretty scared of lipo’s especially offer batteries like 6s. From my experience it doesn’t take but one mistake or lapse of paying attention to create a bad situation First off I never ever charge any batteries with out being around to watch them. I have a nice charger that can balance discharge charge & test cells it’s one of the single best RC items I purchased Do Not go cheap get a good charger with multiple features. But ya I’m a dumb A$$ sometimes when I run them in a RC sometimes not making extra sure that the battery is strapped down preferably by 2 straps especially Bashers & the faster bigger they are the more ya gotta secure the battery with more then one strap. I just took out my Mojave 6s & realized when I didn’t have the straps I really needed but was like ok I’m just gunna run it not jump it it’ll be ok. Well it’s a 6s Beast I flipped it & my $140 6s battery came flying out & broke a balance wire so it won’t charge now. I’ve now killed altogether about $500 in 6s batteries. 🤨Don’t be that guy 😂 I’m learning the hardway I guess 🤷🏻♂️
Adaptwrs are not good brent beca3of the resistance no matter what the voltage imo... maybe a 2s for motor fan yhats about it and i wouldnt even do that.... just my 2 pennies
For many years I’ve avoided storage charging my batteries as several had failed where fully charged ones hadn’t! some like the Traxxas 5000mah batteries and even futaba align and a few others after a decade are still tight! And performance is strong! I’ve always broken my batteries in and like to warm up before asking for high amps Nowadays I store them at around 4v. the batteries that failed in storage charge I’ve since figured were crap batteries and likely had a short life expectancy regardless.
I have a Traxxas lipo battery that would be over 10 years old and still going good so far my longest lasting pack, and the first few years I didnt have a clue about storage or maintenance so I wasn’t nice to it.
Another thing you forgot to mention was leaving your charger unattended / taking a nap while it's charging your lipo. I have seen a handful of users use their sheds as an rc hobbyshop, charge their equipment and leave out of its sight and not catch the fire on time. I've also seen a couple of people straight up NAP while their batteries are charging 15 feet away from them and they wake up to the smell of a battery on the verge of bursting. I've even seen peoples rigs go up in flames only because they had decided to charge their batteries while being strapped and enclosed inside of their rig because it was "cooler" to do.
Wait, people actually follow the "don't mix batteries" rule with TV remotes? I'd never do it with a LiPo or similar, but I've been doing it with TV remotes for decades with no issue, though I'm more likely nowadays to just shove a dummy slug in there to bridge the connection. Most remotes are happy to run off a single AA, even when their carriage has space for 4.
How old is this, no one uses Dean plugs any longer than they have to. I have made every mistake he is warning about and never had any trouble, and I don't have that kind of luck.
Buying used lipos is like buying used underwear. Even if you know your friend took care of them really well, you wouldn't buy used underwear from him. At least I hope not.
I let mine sit while doing turn marshell duty for the following race, then charge. It's hard when racing if you run a bunch of classes you need more spares on the bench.
In my opinion, LiPo batteries are way too dangerous. I use only NiMH for my electric r/c vehicles, and nitro-methane when I want more power. I avoid LiPo batteries like the plague.
I literally share your other lipo video on a regular basis with new RC hobbyists constantly.
Wow congratulations
Same here. My lipos are 3 plus years old because I watch these videos. Storage charge 💯 of the time even if the pack didn't get used. Also guys. When Storage charging put a small fan on charger and battery. Remove the heat remove the possibilities of problems and it makes charging and discharging faster.
I use a strict process to help me manage all of my Lipos.
1) I'll only fully charge any particular batteries a maximum of the day before I expect to run them (i.e not sat fully charged for more than 24 hours or so)
2) I always use a Lipo alarm set at 3.4v in every car and stop running as soon as any cell hits a running voltage of 3.4v (which means within a minute of stopping it's gone back up to around 3.6v).
3) I'll never leave a used battery for more than 24 hours after a run. I either take it back up to full charge if planning on using it again the next day, or storage charge it to 3.85v per cell
4) If I have fully charged some batteries the day before, and then for some reason I end up not using them on the day, I always then discharge them back down to storage charge.
5) I keep a roll of masking tape and a sharpie in my battery box, and label each one after a storage (or full) charge with the status and the date.
6) Every 3 months I'll check every battery with a Lipo meter to see how each cell is looking, and then fully cycle, or top back up to storage charge (they usually only drop a few % at most).
Hope this helps any newbies. It may sound strict but it soon becomes habit, and I've never had any of my batteries cause me problems.
This is the way ^
Great list. I do the same. Never had any problems at all!
24hr? You’re crazy. Leaving it on full for more than 60 minutes without use is terrible for the cells. Charge it only if you’re going to use it right then and only then.
@ngirardo86 .... Well I don't agree. I get that the time spent sat in a fully charged state will slowly do cumulative damage, so it's best to aim for as minimal time as reasonably possible (which I did still kind of allude to), but there is no hard and fast rule. It is not as definitive as you are trying to make out. I did vast amounts of research on this when I got into RC, and whilst I saw some people expressing preferences such as yours here, I saw plenty more people basically saying that up to 24 hours would still be fine with no significant effects.
Not all of us have the time opportunities to only operate within a 60 minute cycle. We may have travel or work commitments that mean a longer window is necessary. I would not want a beginner to take your comment as gospel and then think "Well I can't do that, so I'd best forget about even getting into this hobby".
And what about Spektrum smart batteries? They manage their own auto discharge down to a safe storage charge, and this process often doesn't start until well after 24 hours.
@@austinrhubarb do you always over exaggerate everything in your life or just when it comes to lipo packs?? Too busy with work or travel? Lmao like you charged up a pack and then were like oh man! I forgot I have to go to work? Like gtfoh. Keep running your packs like that I don’t honestly care. It takes nothing out of my day to put my packs BACK on the charger and let them storage charge for the next few hours if I didn’t end up using them. But don’t be that guy knocking a company because your packs puffed up or didn’t last more than 10 cycles. It’s YOUR improper storage and handling that ruined them.
I've been using lipo batteries since the early 2000's when FMA Direct was selling 2-3S packs that did NOT have a balance connector. This video is perfect, everyone using lipo batteries for any hobby should see this at least once! The Fire Sense product is new to me, I need to get me some of those, thank you for the introduction!
This is why I love using Spektrum smart charger and compatible lipos.
Thanks for this - I come from the nicd days, where you had to discharge packs with strings of incandescent lightbulbs, build a pack from separate cells if you wanted good power, etc., so all of this is quite new to me and very different, and I've been a bit hesitant to venture into LiPo territory since I got back into the hobby, so this helps a LOT.
Great video. A lot of education is required around lipo safety. Glad you’re taking the initiative and making users aware.
Hey my man thanks so so much for this video! I’ve been in the hobby for 3 months now and first thing I did before buying my Rc was creating a playlist of the most important habits for RC safety and durability) obviously your previous video about LiPo batteries in on that playlist, this one complements perfect that one! I found pretty helpful the part when you talk about the battery converters and the different types of batteries when someone is going to use 2 packs for 4s, 6s or 8s. Anyway man, thank you again for sharing this cool and important information 😊
I’ve been doing rc for a year and a half now and my first few months sucked because I had no clue what I was doing. I wish you lost of fun and success!
@@haywirerc thank you for your good wishes and im sorry to hear that, i hope it got so much better now, i researched a lot before getting into rc cuz the place where i live has no hobbyshop anywhere near, actually i traveled 3500km to buy my granite :)
@@arq.andresfelipemoralesvar9593 3500 kilometers?? Where do you live, Antarctica? 😮
@davebird3907 im not sure but to me it seems that must be really cool to run a rc car near the beach! :D only thing is maybe you have to be more careful and dedicated to the cleaning and grooming session of the rc, specially on the bearings and pinions?
@davebird3907 RCs vs dogs is one of the best things on earth :D hahaha
Great info, good reminder for those that are in the hobby, and perfect for someone new
Awesome tips, thank you for the videos.
THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, FOR ALL OF THESE VERY GOOD, HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS, FOR LiPo BATTERY MAINTENANCE!!! GOOD TO KNOW!!!...
i JUST BOUGHT A LARGE "AMMO BOX" (LOCKABLE, STURDY, STEEL CONTAINER), THAT I WILL USE TO CONTAIN ALL OF MY LiPo BATTERIES, AT ALL TIMES, WHEN NOT IN USE!!
I have the same GensAce IMARS D300 in the video and while I like the charger, I could never figure out why it will discharge a lipo to 0v even when it’s set to 3.8v in storage mode if you don’t immediately disconnect it.
Great video and very good explanations! Thanks from a RC heli freak relatively new in the hobby!!
Really good info! 1) IMO the 2 most important mistakes not to make are not storage charging the batteries and/or leaving them plugged in. I've done both and it got expensive. 2) I disagree about buying used Nitro (Glo Engines). If you know what you're doing AND are mechanically inclined, most engines can be totally rebuilt, if the block is good. I've done this multiple times with excellent results. Just sayin'.
I bought a UDI ink, fish jet ski from your website and it just shipped Saturday. Cannot wait to get it.
Those are all very good points.I always worry about my LIPOs.
Yuppers great vid, as a newbie made the store charged mistake. Felt awful after I figured out these weren't like nicads, that was 20yrs ago. The charger I bought at the time was completely inadequate, it balance charged and that was it. Was for the original losi mini eight. I know better now with some of the hard learned mistakes no wisdom. 100% agree forget wasting cash on used nitro engines or batteries. Unless you really know what your getting. Not worth your hard earned cash and importantly your time at all.
Thanks for the awesome video.. I'm a hobbytown rc tech..
This video will be shared !! Alot...
Learned something today Thanks
Hi there, I just got a deerc 1:18 truck that came with 2 20 minute batteries. I used them out of the box without fully charging them, only the charge they came with. Each battery lasted between 35 and 40 minutes, about double what they claim. So I wondered if maybe I am only supposed to use them for 20 minutes and then recharge. Can these batteries be run down until the car stops driving? Or do I need to keep track of the time and voltage of the battery while in use? Also we have mom, dad, daughter vehicles, is there a good charger out there that can charge a lot of batteries simultaneously?
Good info would have liked some specifics with timing for putting in storage mode or not charging 100%.
Most my packs are used within a week of a full charge- is this too long? I now have some fancy spektrum batteries that discharge after 3 days so I guess that’s a safe bet but kind of a pain for all my lipos
just bought a thundertiger st1 with a .28 pro engine in it from ebay and it starts and runs beautifully yet its probably nearing 20 years old, I dont agree with not buying used Nitro engines because thats sometimes the only way your gonna find a classic vintage Nitro engine, if you have the experience to strip the engine down and check all the tollerances theres nothing wrong with that at all.
Usually they sell spare sleeves and pistons (that’s if you can get them), change the piston sleeve and crank bearings you’ve pretty well got yourself a “new” engine.
If you were to have a cracked hard case lipo is it still useable?
When you have multiple RC vehicles and all with different battery packs/connector types, it is a real pain keeping your batteries managed. This is especially true when a lot of the smaller vehicles are now being supplied with USB chargers with no visible voltage display. Isn't it about time that a battery pack was able to display its charge status just by looking at it, maybe with a tiny red or green LED?
There are some larger batteries that can do that, like these Gens Ace Advanced LiPos: www.amainhobbies.com/gens-ace-3s-lihv-advanced-series-lipo-battery-100c-11.4v-6500mah-gea65003s10e5/p1422766
Just push the button and the LED notification will provide a rough idea of remaining power. It's a pretty slick system and it doesn't take up too much space in the battery, but it does add some bulk, which may be why we don't see it in mini LiPo's, but I bet it's coming!
-Brett
And if putting them in storage mode, must check every few weeks (I would not let more than two months) as the batteries slowly discharge below the 3.80 to 3.85 storage voltage.
All my 3s/2s use xt60 while the higher power demand batteries use xt90. After a good bash or high speed flying my EDFs, the connectors are cool to the touch.
good thing to have an old fighter buggy rx with a NIMH battery, it's from the 90's and it still work's perfectly fine, sure it lost some of it's punch but at least I don't have to worry that my house burnes down. the massage is clear, I'll stick with the old-school stuff, thx for the advice 😅👍
Ive been slowly making all my rigs compatible with the spektrum smart lipos. They will discharge to storage voltage on their own. Makes things a bit easier.
Are there larger storage boxes like these available for our smaller solar systems, such as one around 600 (correct storage capacity notation needed here) for use with one solar panel or two? This would be one of those of a medium size.
hey AMain! I have the Gens Ace bashing lipos found at 2:18 and when I was done using my car I didn't discharge them and now I keep getting connection break error when I try to change them even know the connection is right. I've been trying to fix this problem for a while now but just can't see too. Any idea how I can solve it? are the liops dead? it has been over 6 months sine I used my car and the liops have been sitting in their flat state
Your voltage is to low for your charger to detect...you have to trick the charger by jumping power from a good battery to the low voltage battery kinda like jump starting the battery
@@biffrude4981 thank you, how would i do this?
Ck voltage of the cells in your battery...you could have a balance lead broke.....if cells are below 3 volts that's when you jump another good battery
Using two batetries depends if you go for parallel or in series conection. Parallel is good for different age and capacity, you have to match voltage before connection.
Something else to consider is the fact that they are anything but inexpensive, so taking care is a must...
Don’t change it in an ammo box or battery bag. The reason they explode is because of a lack in heat exchange. My uncle swore by them and had a small fire. He then said I wasn’t interested the hobby anymore because lipos are “dangerous and randomly explode”. I’ve changed lipos 1000s of times without problem.
Great info, very informative 100% worth the watch.
Man I pulled one out from 2 years ago I never used, works great holding 92% of it's rated 4000mah rating.
would love a recommendation on a charger with a storage funcion!
I'd recommend the Gens Ace D300: www.amainhobbies.com/gens-ace-imars-d300-gtech-smart-dual-ac-dc-charger-6s-16a-white-gea300wd300-uw/p1485998
For it's price, it offers the most value and it's very impressive. We made a video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/comyyPQGjQI/v-deo.html
-Brett
I always store my lipo batteries in a fireproof safe……also store the safe in the basement….plus that’s were my RC bench is.😅
What if I use two 2s 5000mah 100c spektrum ic3 batteries in series for my Blackjack 24? You said 2s is fine but what about my boat that is 4s in total? I use two adapters to go from my batteries to my boat, one for each battery.
Thanks in advance for any advice
Wait... why can't the Fire Safe product be used at scale? Would it simply be consumed by any larger fire? I thought nothing could put out one of these Li-po fires....?
I live in the U.P. of Michigan and it gets cold here. I know you're not supposed to freeze a lipo battery, but what about flying in freezing weather? That would freeze the battery. How do people safely fly in the wintertime with these little incendiary battery bombs?
could you do a video on a life battery for transmitter like the one i bought from amain for my futaba 4pm+ id like to know what to do for storage mostly
Even though it's a LiFe battery, still treat it like a LiPo and remove it from the transmitter after use, and put the battery in a Bat-Box storage case, or something similar.
-Brett
I left my first set of LiPos in storage at max charge for a few months. Both packs swelled after the next run, and the one ran the car significantly slower. They were cheaper batteries, so it's possible they were lower quality to begin with.
Congrats on 300K!
Thanks for the tips
Great education video Amain! Would you consider a “Nitro common mistakes” video? Great to spread useful information in the hobby across all platforms!
Yea, that could be a good one! What would you add to it?
-Brett
@@AMain_Hobbies I’d say;
-Follow engine break in properly
-Using the wrong glow plugs for different engines or worn out / not functioning properly glow plugs
-Pre-heat the engine before starting
-Do not let fuel sit in the fuel tank / fuel lines for long periods
-Once finished running the engine, make sure the piston is at bottom dead centre (BDC)
-Running engines with broken / leaking/ completely missing gaskets
-Getting frustrated! - Engines only need Fuel, Air, Heat to run, take a step back and just think about what you’re missing!
-Continuing to pull the pull-start when the engine is flooded! (It will break!)
-Simply not checking your glow igniter is charged (easy mistake to make!)
-Running an engine without the air filter! (Or not putting any air filter oil in there)
-Running a nitro engine on WD40.. very bad idea, WD40 doesn’t lubricate an engine properly!
-Making sure your failsafe is set up properly! Definitely don’t want any runaways!
Thanks for the reply!
@@AMain_Hobbies oh.. pulling the pull starter too far! This will also cause issues! You don’t need to pull it more than 30cm really!
@@ajkr32Wow, you're awesome for providing so many ideas! Thank you
-Brett
Great information!
Great video. Thanks !
I just got a Spektrum G2 battery with my Losi ProMoto MX and bought the S2100 charger to use with the, new to me, G2 technology. I have old G1 Smart batteries but until now have only ever charged them on a ProQuad charger. I also have the Smart Checker cell voltage checker and servo driver. The Smart Checker will pick up voltage of each cell for my G1 batteries even without plugging in the balance connector. Now what i am getting at and the question i have is will the G2 Smart charger charge the G1 batteries correctly even without the balance lead connected or does the balance lead on the G1 still need plugged in with the G2 charger? If the balance lead still needs connected then i will continue using the ProQuad with the G1 batteries and just keep the G2 charger for when i have to charge the G2 batteries.
Good information. Thanks.
I have a way off topic question that no one seems to be able to answer. Hopefully someone here can. In VTA class the rules state no 1 way diffs or pulley systems. WHAT IS A PULLEY SYSTEM? Everyone online and even on the VTA Facebook page seems to run mostly belt drive cars. The track I go to says no belt drive cars because of the no pully system rule..... So is there some other type of pulley system the VTA rules are referring to or are they all breaking the rule by running a belt drive car?
So I have the Arma out cast 8s 4x4 it's a Blast,but I have a problem with it. My battery's are Charged and my controller AA battery's are good . Once I turn the car on, I'm able to drive it for like 30 seconds and then the controller starts beeping then the car won't move,the wheels move but it won't go. I turn it Off and back on it does the Same Thing 🤦🤷
There could be a number of things causing it, but it does sound like a low-voltage issue. If it's not though, you the ESC might be shutting down to save itself. If the trucks drivetrain is bound up for instance, spinning the drivetrain will be a large expense on the electronics, causing excessive heat, possibly leading to a protective shutdown. Does the steering still work in these situations?
-Brett
@AMain_Hobbies Ok that's good informatio thanks. Yes The steering works but the car won't move.
How many days is ok to leave the battery fully charge?
The hard case batteries I buy all come with a heavy clear plastic 'shrink-wrap ' around them . Leave it on or remove that ? I stress , these are hard case , not soft . Some dont have that shrink-wrap, some do . Advice ?
Love your channel , thanks .
That wrap may help prevent the case from cracking/splitting open? That's my guess. If the battery came that way, I wouldn't mess with it. It's kind of rare to see hard cases with a wrap of them, but there must be a reason they did it.
-Brett
Good advice
How long can I safely leave a storage charged lipo for?
When stored in the ideal conditions/environment, they can sit around for years without issue. Even the voltage inside the battery will be virtually unchanged after that time.
-Brett
I've ruined 2 50€ batteries just by fully charging them after an event or training session. They sat for 3 or so months like that while I fully focused on studying.
I've only really started forcing myself to put them into storage voltage a bit afterwards.
What do you think about storing the batteries in a fridge?
Also, didn't know about the hot battery charging thing. The batteries charge slower than I drain them, so during competitions I usually put a still warm battery on charge just to have it decently ready when I need it later.
I was told by haiboxing to fully charge the 7.4 volt 1050 mah lipo batteries that came with my 16890A to store them !!!
Thank you for sharing. I used to fly electric planes, but since I've moved, I can't find a place to fly that's near enough. Granted I've charged my batteries in storage mode, but I've forget about them for up to two year sometimes and then check them physically and how much voltage they have (they seem to hold around 3.8V per cell even after years of being in storage). I would then cycle them by charging each to full, then back to storage mode. Is it a good thing to charge them to full and discharge them to storage again? Or should I just leave them?
It's ok to leave them alone, they should be fine for a long time at 3.8V per cell.
-Brett
Hi mate thanks for the heads up with lipo batteries. Would a Eski be a good place to keep and store batteries?
Sorry, what's an Eski?
-Brett
@AMain_Hobbies I'm in Australia 🇦🇺 a Eski is what you would put your beer alcohol into to keep it cold and carry it around in 🤣🦘🇦🇺😁. I don't know what you call them in America mate 🤔😆
Thanks, it is a great video for us rookies. What would you recomend the longest time from full charge to use. Is next day, of 24 hrs already done the damage?
We don't have a specific time because there are many factors. But it would be best to use the battery immediately after it's charged, or as soon as you can.
-Brett
what's the maximum time a fully charged lipo can safely sit until you use it again? a day? a week? ect. ?
Degradation can start to happen relativity quickly, it's just a matter of what degree of damage youre comfortable with. If you leave the battery charged for 24 hours, the harm might be minimal. But if you leave a charged battery for a month, degradation will be more severe.
We don't have a certain amount of time to tell you, so hopefully this helps.
-Brett
How long is too long to sit fully charged? Overnight?
I don't feel so bad now. Having gotten back into rc after a near 30 year hiatus i was concerned with taking care of my only 2 batteries. Turns out I'm doing OK. They're out of my vorteks in a battery bag, i charge them when I'm going to use them. they don't get fully charged just to sit around. The storage charge tho, I'm going to have to look into that.
The shop I go to tests them all before they put them up for sale. They will even do a cell check with you when you pay. If you have an issue they will replace it themselves.
1 mistake that I actually did
Which was leaving the batteries plugged to the charger after unplugging the charger from the wall (I set them to storage charge then left them there after it was done), this has caused the batteries to deplete themselves on the unpowered charger and basically reach zero volts after leaving it like that for days
Will A-main stop selling old lipos?
That’s what happen with my zee 3s lipo 9000mah lol never used it and when I wanted too no good dead cell I was hella mad lol
Is it safe to storage charge after running the batter or should you wait a bit to let it cool down
Let the battery cool if you can, because the charger may need to charge the battery up if it was fully drained. The Storage Charge mode will do whatever is needed to get your battery at 50% power. So if you put a fully charged battery on the Storage Charge, your charger will need to discharge the battery down to 50%; but if you put a drained battery on the Storage Charge, your charger will need to charge the battery up to 50%. So because of this, and wanting to avoid charging a hot battery, we recommend to let the battery cool first.
-Brett
Been running my XRT with adapters from day one and no issues whatsoever.
leaving the battery plugged in and the switch on? if you do this i dont think your quite ready for RC
Im storing by batts on storage voltage but for long times in about 0-3 Celsius as im away with work alot.. Are they dead now?
No, they should still work.
-Brett
@@AMain_Hobbies Thank you.
I use adapters on my XMAXX, just connector ends no wires on them and they work just fine
Have you lost your mind? Take that truck to your local hobby shop and get proper connectors installed, Donnie.
-Brett
Hey Brett, loved most of what you said. But one thing you forgot. and this has been an issue for me is to make sure your charger is balancing your batteries properly. I have batteries that are close to 8 years old. some are 6 years old. but on a whim i checked my batteries and found they were out of balance. So i took a tried and true old school from back in the day when i first got in to li-pos and used that balancer. Long behold some were out of balance. now they work great and back to normal. But i have one thing i disagree with I charge my batteries and put them in the freezer. been doing this for at least 10 years. A friend of mine has been dong it for at least 20 plus years. we never have any issues with doing this. As we live in a very hot environment. during the summer we hit 115 to 120 degrees out here in the high desert of ca. also if you do store like we do which we highly recommend is to let the batteries warm up for a bout 20
mins. more if they still feel cold. I also store them fully charged. as this slows down degermation. even my heavy used li-pos still have good punch. Now another thing you can buy 2 batteries of the same kind. but you may find out that they are not the same in power. I have had that happen a couple of times. But like you said if you buy them new you can get warranty on them. but when ever i get new batteries i always charge them balance them and test them. then i charge to full power and put them in my freezer. I recommend this to any one. they keep well and still run top end power. if you want to warm them faster hook them up to a charger and they will warm up. as they might have a .2 to .5 volt difference. usually mine are 100 percent. but usually by the time you get to where your running they are a fine. Thanks for the video always glad to watch what is new or you are doing in the hobby. hey for another video, could you do something with the chargers and how to set them up. i would like to see a Hyperion charger set up and maybe a couple of others. As i have been around the block at least a couple of times i forget how to dbl check on things. just curious if you would. thanks Bret love your videos and ideas and options that you offer. thank a bunch.
Speaking of best practices, anybody ever bump their lipos on nimh mode to get them past low voltage alert?
Great video
the whole bl2s push by traxxas scares me as they hardly warn how dangerous lipos really are to the average consumer
I actually made the mistake of buying a pricy 4s battery and let it sit at stored voltage for a year or so. When I finally charged it, one of the cells had a completely different resistance.
Don’t leave your LiPos to idle for more than a month. Cycle it and store it once a month. I know, they’ll still work, but the cells will degrade if you don’t use them.
That's fixable
how long have you seen lipo battiers Last?
Years. They'll last a long time if treated well.
-Brett
@@AMain_Hobbies Thankyou Sir
I have a question that the comment section should be able to help me with.
Me and my friend were driving our cars and when my friend took his 3s out of his car and put it aside one of the cells popped and it blew. And I don’t really understand how that happened because it was a perfectly good 3s, but…. After the fire he said that it was his fault because he threw it.
Lipo’s explode when they are thrown lightly?
It's possible, but very unlikely. LiPo batteries are drop-tested from various heights to receive certification for transit; shipping companies will not transport LiPo's unless they are tested to be safe. Now, throwing a battery and dropping a battery are different things, but still, my guess is that one cell was bad or out of balance with the others.
-Brett
@@AMain_Hobbies ok,thanks for the help!
I don't charge to 4.20. I stop all charging at 4.15
Worst mistake I’ve made with my lipo was stabbing it with a knife. Got a bit too curious.
Wsp haywire
hey @@Nitrorcswyatt , dont mess with the lipos!
Never fully discharge a lipo, the most you should go down to is 20%. Really good to have telemetry or at a minimum a battery alarm/monitor, cheap insurance.
Ugh: just reminded me my crawler is under my bed with the lipo plugged in . 🙃
No the tv remote 1 dead battery and one new battery has worked for me in the past
Yeah im just terrified the lipo explodes
the thumb nail says he needs a vacation !!!! paid with options, ha ha ha.
At first a was pretty scared of lipo’s especially offer batteries like 6s. From my experience it doesn’t take but one mistake or lapse of paying attention to create a bad situation First off I never ever charge any batteries with out being around to watch them. I have a nice charger that can balance discharge charge & test cells it’s one of the single best RC items I purchased Do Not go cheap get a good charger with multiple features. But ya I’m a dumb A$$ sometimes when I run them in a RC sometimes not making extra sure that the battery is strapped down preferably by 2 straps especially Bashers & the faster bigger they are the more ya gotta secure the battery with more then one strap. I just took out my Mojave 6s & realized when I didn’t have the straps I really needed but was like ok I’m just gunna run it not jump it it’ll be ok. Well it’s a 6s Beast I flipped it & my $140 6s battery came flying out & broke a balance wire so it won’t charge now. I’ve now killed altogether about $500 in 6s batteries. 🤨Don’t be that guy 😂 I’m learning the hardway I guess 🤷🏻♂️
Adaptwrs are not good brent beca3of the resistance no matter what the voltage imo... maybe a 2s for motor fan yhats about it and i wouldnt even do that.... just my 2 pennies
For many years I’ve avoided storage charging my batteries as several had failed where fully charged ones hadn’t! some like the Traxxas 5000mah batteries and even futaba align and a few others after a decade are still tight! And performance is strong! I’ve always broken my batteries in and like to warm up before asking for high amps Nowadays I store them at around 4v. the batteries that failed in storage charge I’ve since figured were crap batteries and likely had a short life expectancy regardless.
I have a Traxxas lipo battery that would be over 10 years old and still going good so far my longest lasting pack, and the first few years I didnt have a clue about storage or maintenance so I wasn’t nice to it.
They're pretty easy. Always balance charge, always storage charge immediately after use, any issues are basically not your fault at that point 😂😂
Now if we could just get AMain to lower their prices...😅
“Do not charge a hot lipo” speed runners 👀
Another thing you forgot to mention was leaving your charger unattended / taking a nap while it's charging your lipo. I have seen a handful of users use their sheds as an rc hobbyshop, charge their equipment and leave out of its sight and not catch the fire on time. I've also seen a couple of people straight up NAP while their batteries are charging 15 feet away from them and they wake up to the smell of a battery on the verge of bursting. I've even seen peoples rigs go up in flames only because they had decided to charge their batteries while being strapped and enclosed inside of their rig because it was "cooler" to do.
Uh oh... I leave all my batteries fully charged...
😮
Ouch..
@@philp7884 still sitting there charged yo, lol
Wait, people actually follow the "don't mix batteries" rule with TV remotes? I'd never do it with a LiPo or similar, but I've been doing it with TV remotes for decades with no issue, though I'm more likely nowadays to just shove a dummy slug in there to bridge the connection. Most remotes are happy to run off a single AA, even when their carriage has space for 4.
How old is this, no one uses Dean plugs any longer than they have to.
I have made every mistake he is warning about and never had any trouble, and I don't have that kind of luck.
Buying used lipos is like buying used underwear. Even if you know your friend took care of them really well, you wouldn't buy used underwear from him. At least I hope not.
You have issues
Not using adapters on big power rigs is because of high AMPS, not high voltage.
I'm guilty of recharging my bats right after a race.
I let mine sit while doing turn marshell duty for the following race, then charge. It's hard when racing if you run a bunch of classes you need more spares on the bench.
Proper disposal is missing!
In my opinion, LiPo batteries are way too dangerous. I use only NiMH for my electric r/c vehicles, and nitro-methane when I want more power. I avoid LiPo batteries like the plague.
I like to charge my lipos to 4.8 a cell. So much more run time