mjordan44847

iTrader: (24)

First, i hope this is the correct forum to post in.

My questions
charging, discharging, and cycling of a lipo battery. I guess you can throw in heated lipo bags now too. What’s the best practice to have the battery last the longest before needing replaced?

i currently charge my batteries at 20 amps and discharge at what ever the icharger stock setting is. On a race day I charge the battery run my rounds and recharge them after each run. I do use a lipo bag for this. I will put the packs in storage at the end of the day, that’s pretty much all I do.

I know and understand that getting a little extra punch or what ever out of the battery isnt going to help me. If I didn’t touch the pipes or wreck possibly. I’m just looking for tips to get the most out of my packs. I tend to buy the better packs to hopefully get longer life out of them.

when not running for a couple months do you check or do anything with the batteries?

thanks for all the help and suggestions in advance

Roelof

The life Lipo it is just how you treat them but also some luck.....

So no low dischrage voltage, no too high charge/discharge currents, store with storage charging and if you put them away for lets say the winter I always do once or twice a recycle to keep them in condition.

The gain of heating up the cells by a heater (not allowed with most races) or a high current charging is minimal, for sure when you are no top racer.

Alexv2024

iTrader: (2)

20a charge is pretty good for any current battery, at least for 4500-6000mah batteries. I had a thin 4100 reedy that didn't last as long, but it was the only battery I had so it got a lot of run time but it also got over discharged a few times. Even with the low voltage abuse (less than 3.5v/cell a couple times) it lasted about 10 months with most charging at 20a but a lot at 40a.

My 5000 and 6000mah full size shorties live much longer. My Reedy 6100 SG3s are 2 years old now. The 1st year I ran stock mostly and charged them at 40a and discharged at 18a. For bigger races I did 40a discharging. I've been running mod for the most part since, and usually charge at 20a but some times will go slower if I have time. They still work great but aren't competitive at big stock races. Still work great for most people and when I run stock I still have more power than a lot of people. Though my motor is awesome so that helps.

So yeah general rule of thumb if you stick to 20a charging and never over charge (above the cells rated voltage of 4.2 or 4.35v) and never go below 3.5v/cell the packs should easily last 2-3 years no issue. At least for the big name brands that are known for their quality. Brands like Zeee or other budget batteries wont last nearly as long. Also it seems higher amp discharging is easier on batteries than high amp charging since batteries are better at delivering power than receiving it. So 40a discharge into a 20a charge should lower the IRs without sacrificing a lot of battery life.

mjordan44847

iTrader: (24)

So if you don’t mind explain a typical race day for batteries.

gigaplex

iTrader: (2)

The biggest killer of LiPo batteries is leaving either charged or discharged for extended periods, and heat. Always store at a storage voltage, and avoid heat. Don't leave the batteries in the trunk of a car or a tin shed over summer etc.

If storing for extended periods (several months) it's a good idea to check their voltage hasn't sagged too much, and potentially give them a cycle.

Alexv2024

iTrader: (2)

I really don't do anything fancy. I have 4 reedy 6100s and they mostly stay in whatever they were ran in last. Practice I just charge/run. On a small race day I just recharge after I run no cycling. When I run mod I also often charge to only 4.17/cell because that 1st min of high voltage isnt consistent for mod. At the end of the day I make sure the cells are 3.75-3.85v/ea. Some times all I need to do is hit "balance only" on my Icharger 4010. Thin packs I make sure they are 3.85/cell since they are lower capacity.

At bigger races if I run stock I'll do 20 or 40a discharge cycling and 40a charging. Or like I said earlier 40a discharging and 20a charging.

Honestly as long as you don't go out of voltage range (3.5-4.2/4.35v) and dont store in hot areas like Roelof said. Modern lipos are awesome and are quite durable.

billdelong

iTrader: (33)

So many variables effect longevity, many are discussed here:

https://batteryuniversity.com/articl...ased-batteries


Basically you want to minimize the time the batteries are fully charged and only charge them at the same ambient temp they will be used.


The biggest battery killer for me are hard impacts and poorly designed battery trays. I always place the battery leads to the rear of the chassis because the internal circuitry of the pack is less likely to be damaged in a crash. I have stopped racing with cars that use velcro straps to secure the battery as they tend to allow the battery to twist and crack as well as put excess pressure on the leads causing premature internal solder tabs to fail.


I have also stopped racing the 4WD SCT class because of too many tracks limiting to 2S where the equivalent of 1/8 power is pulled from 2S when it should be more efficient 4S... that said my 2S packs would only last 2-3 months of racing 4WD SCT but a 4S pack might last a year or longer in my 1/8 cars. In contrast I would also have 4S failures in my 1/8 cars with velcro straps every 2-3 months as well.