asweeba

Hi, I'm interested in upgrading from Lipoly to Lifepoly battery packs.
But I just want to know a few more things about them.

Which one is lighter?
Which one can discharge the most?
Which one can hold the most?
And What is the voltage of a lifepo cell?

gulio

iTrader: (32)

If you are asking about a-123 or the newer rectangle cells that are 3.3 nominal voltage then these things have many variables which you have not stated.

Comparing the two (with all other variables being equal)

lipo is lighter (size and/or weight equal)
lipo can discharge the most capacity if all else is equal
lipo can discharge the most current if size/weight is equal
life can discharge the most current if capacity is equal
lipo can hold the most capacity if size/weight is equal

nazwenhome

iTrader: (33)

the major improvement in liFe battery is that, its safer.

Amoeba

iTrader: (2)

Safer, can be charged at ridiculous rates (15C anyone?) so recharge times are minimal, and unlike lipo they can be run to empty like nimh's (no voltage cutoff needed) but unlike nimh's output is consistent all the way down.

casterdriver

I ran a 1450 ma LIFE receiver pack for the first time in place of my usual 2200ma LIPO w/o regulator in my mbx6t saturday night. Aside from the safety/durabilty benefits(the reason I got them) here is what I noticed: 7.1 volts max right off the charger(balanced) vs 8.4 for lipo. The truck felt sluggish/slow in the steering dept so I had to take out all the curve (in the radio) that I normaly have to use w/lipos to slow the steering down some. Once I got rid of the curve it felt great again. Basically the lower voltage is slowing the servos down and I had to make them run at 100% speed again. IMHOthe HIgh C charge rates dont apply to the smaller receiver packs anyways cause you will burn the wires off of them. Overall I would give them a 8 out of a 10. only because of the lower voltage. Going from nimh to life you will love it, Going from Lipo to LIFE will be wondering if you made the right choice........ I know I am still wondering....... Time will tell.

I used these........... http://www.rc-mushroom.com/product_i...ducts_id=18240

In place of these...........http://www.rc-mushroom.com/product_i...ducts_id=15854

pakk

iTrader: (80)

what makes them safer? I'm not trying to jinx myself, but I have no seen a single lipo accident yet. I know they have the possibility of bursting into flames, just have not seen it any where yet but youtube.

Scott Fisher

iTrader: (28)

When you were running a lipo, were you using a voltage regulator?

casterdriver

No I dont use regulators w/LIPO

y2kgtp

iTrader: (35)

Besides the safety of the newer cells & the charge rates, I don't see much else that is a positive for me.

The packs cost alot more money & put out less voltage. 120$+ for a 4500Mah 6.6v Battery? No thanks

If you don't have a LiFe compatible charger, that is an added expense. And can only get up to 20A charge rate (as I am aware of) for just over 200$ for 1 charger.

LiFe batteries better have a faster charge rate, as I could not afford many batteries after dropping 200$ on a new charger and would have to charge the same battery all day long

racer1812

iTrader: (31)

I don't see Lipos as "unsafe" anyway. Things can go wrong but I've seen nimh blow up too, yesterday in fact. I'm not going to go from 7.4v DOWN to 6.6v either(nominal voltage)

paco62

iTrader: (1)

I am trying to make this decision as well. I run NIMH, so changing to LiFe is more appealing as I am not ready to go Lipo due to safety concerns (I know they are charged millions of times a day with no problems and I am responsible, but with kids in the house, it still makes me nervous).

One thing to keep in mind when talking about the added cost is they have the ability to cycle up to 1000 times. That's 4X more than Lipo, so the initial cost is higher, but the long term cost may even out or be cheaper. Still not sure what to do...

paco62

iTrader: (1)

But being able to charge a pack in under 10 minutes, with no limit during one day is REALLY appealing. Especially to a basher. I have an E-Maxx that I modded with a Titan 750 and I think the jump to LiFe vs NIMH is a no brainer. It's shelling out the initial start up cost. Luckily I purchased two Piranha chargers when I first bought my E-Maxx, so I don't have a lot of coin invested.

Anyone looking for two Piranha chargers?

Sam-E

iTrader: (3)

Life are great for receiver packs but shit for racing packs, simple fact is the voltage just is not there. I have seen hundreds of LIPO packs and if the pack is not abused they are perfectly safe.

thead73

i have been using lipos for 5 years never had a single prob. i was racing my t4 last week inside on carpet when one of the other trucks started belching tons of white smoke. it took a while but sombody finally threw it out in the snow and got the battery out dispite the huge fireball it turned into. his entire chassis was melted and rec and esc junk to. only motor looked like it made it. it must of shorted somehow(we have big jumps on the carpet track). thats the first incident i have ever seen with a lipo but i have to say it filled the huge building with smoke and smelled real bad for a while

j_blaze14

iTrader: (34)

actually the lipos peak at 8.4v and life 7.2v. the life are great for rx packs, i have a 1700 i have been running about a month now and it is great. i've had too many nimh packs go bad or come apart in the box and too many regulators get mangled up in there too. lipos don't awlays explode and cause a fire but they do swell and go bad way too often. i've seen too many race days ended on a swollen rx lipo or broken regulators. also nimh packs peak at about 7.8v but 1/2 way through they ar at almost 6.5v, so mid main your steering slows down from 100% to like 75%. the life stays at 7.2 for about 80% of the pack, well over an hour.