Lipo batteries
 

I'm new to electric r/c's. I'm a little overwhelmed with all the electronics and batteries. What are some do's and dont's with lipo batteries? I had a tight budget so bought a duratrax Li-24 balancing charger. I do plan on upgrading in the future. I have two Onyx 5400mah 3s 50c batteries. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Im still learning a lot myself, but have been working with lipos for several years. These are the things I have learned. So others may have more.

Do:
- For best performance and life of the battery, always balance charge (as opposed to not using the balancing leads to charge).
- Always charge at recommend charge rate. Usually 1 C (5400 mah = 5.4amps). I realize your charger only goes to 3 Amps, just do the best you can with what you have.
- Always bring your packs back up to a storage voltage after you are done using them for the day. About 3.85v per cell, or 7.7v for the pack. With out a voltage meter on that charger it will be harder to get exactly to that. But any charge below full discharged state will be huge. Probably takes a bit more then two hours to charge your batteries on that charger. Maybe time it for about an hour on 3amps. Or turn it down to 1 amp for 2hrs. Lower amperage can help to stabilize the cells for extended periods in storage.
-Use a fireproof lipo bag if you want the highest possible safety. Chances are low that it will cause a fire, but I have seen more then one catch on fire and I like my house.

Dont:
-Run without lipo cutoff set on your ESC (check instructions, most have it on by default)
-Never discharge your pack below the lipo cutoff voltage as this can damage and ruin your batteries. If the car starts to loose power, stop driving.
-Leave your batteries fully charged for an extended period (more then 24hrs). Try to use them ASAP after charged or discharge them to a lower voltage if you know you wont be using them to help extend the life.
-use a battery that has swollen cells. Typically a sign that your cells are damaged and charging them can start fires. Some people will continue to use it if its a little "puffed" as the anode will naturally decompose with age, producing oxygen, but any significant puffage and the cell should be avoided.
-Submerge in water

These are some things I have learned. Hope they help :)

Thank you for the info. Guess I need to consider a better charger in the near future. How much of a disadvantage is it to not be able to charge at 5.4 amps?

Just ordered this Hitec X2 AC Plus 2 Port AC/DC Multi-Charger. Had a $40 credit from tower hobbies.

Nice. And no, i doubt you would ever see the difference. But just the time saved is enough. There is some serious racers that blast cycle their batteries (20-40amps) to try and squeeze as much as they can out of them. But I dont have much experience doing that and probably reduces the life of them.

Yeah I've heard that's really bad on batteries.

I got my new charger in today. Hitec x2 ac plus. I put my batteries in storage mode. When I go to use them again do I charge and balance them or throw them in the truck and go? Also, when should I put them in storage mode? If they're not gonna be used for a day or two, or if they won't be used for a week plus? Not sure what is considered a longtime that is revered to in the chargers manual.

1.) Storage mode mean about half empty. So, unless you just want test something real quick, you need to (balance)charge before use.

2.) You should see it from a different angle: when not to have your lipos in storage mode? While they're in use. Only. I would actually measure that in hours (and I'm talking small number of hours, not large), not days (or even weeks)

Good deal. Thank you.

Storage
 

I've been storing my in a lipo bag in my garage. The average temp lately has been low to mid 90's. I've been doing this for safety reasons. Is this bad for the batteries?