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There are many questions surrounding LiPo batteries and what is safe and what is dangerous. Because battery technology has come a long way in recent years, batteries are faster, stronger, and better than ever before.
Because of the recent dangers found in lithium-ion batteries, many people are wondering if a LiPo battery is safe to use.
LiPo batteries are safer than other kinds of batteries, and if used properly are not unsafe at all. However, if you charge or store your LiPo battery improperly it can be dangerous.
A LiPo battery that is handled properly won’t ever become a safety risk. However, if you treat the battery improperly (such as by hitting it, dropping it, overcharging it, etc.) or don’t store it properly it can catch fire and even explode.
You should be careful not to puncture your battery while using your device such as in a crash as that can damage lithium polymer batteries and will make it unsafe to use.
Explosions from LiPo batteries are rare but they can happen if you don’t use them properly or have the proper disposal method after the battery has reached the end of its lifespan. If your LiPo pack is showing signs of swelling or has any smoke coming from it you should stop using it immediately, place it in a safety bag, and then properly dispose of it as a precaution.
You should also be careful not to overcharge the LiPo cells in your battery. Your LiPo battery charger should have a setting to ensure that you don’t overcharge your battery but if you have a generic charger it might not have that safety feature. Each cell will hold a maximum number of volts so just be sure you have the proper connectors and battery charger and you will be fine.
How you handle your LiPo battery and the electronics, RC cars, or drones that it is in determines how safe it is to use. Under normal circumstances and with the proper handling, LiPo batteries are 100% safe.
Now that we’ve got the safety part out of the way, let’s talk about how to care for your LiPo batteries properly!
First off you will want to monitor and track your discharge cycles and make sure you stop charging when it’s full. This will help prolong its lifespan and keep it from overheating or leaking out acid that will corrode the terminals. In addition, always store your LiPo battery at cool temperatures.
If you are going to buy a LiPo charger, you will want to make sure you get one that has a fan. The final thing you can do to ensure safety is to always research the manufacturer, packaging, and content of your LiPo battery.
You should always use a battery charger specifically made for your LiPo battery. Otherwise, it can cause damage to the cell, possibly causing it to overheat. Also, you should never discharge your LiPo batteries past the 2.5V/cell low voltage cut-off point and never allow it to discharge longer than 80% of its original capacity.
If you continue discharging beyond these limits, you can damage your battery cell. These rules should be followed regardless of what kind of LiPo battery you are using.
Preventing your LiPo battery from getting discharged is very easy and simple: follow these simple rules for proper LiPo care:
1. Store your LiPo batteries at room temperature, between 60-90 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Keep your batteries charged or use a maintenance charger with a balance lead to keep them properly charged and with power while not in use.
3. Never use a battery that has been damaged, such as cracked or swollen battery packs or torn wires or terminals.
4. Never leave a LiPo battery unattended while charging; charging should be done by an adult and a fire extinguisher should always be nearby just in case of any mishaps.
If you follow these steps you will not have any issues with your LiPo batteries, and you will quickly realize they are not unsafe when they are used properly. You also have all the information you need to keep yourself safe while owning a LiPo battery!
To see the most popular LiPo batteries for RC vehicles currently on the market just click here.
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Can A LiPo Battery Explode?
I’ve read a lot of articles and blog postings about the possibility of a LiPo battery exploding but I have never heard of any instances of this happening. So you probably want to know, is it true that LiPo batteries can explode?
LiPo batteries do not explode however they can catch on fire. They may expand and begin to leak if they are not taken care of which can cause them to ignite, but they should never explode.
First, let me ask you to ignore anything you may have heard in movies, read in science fiction novels or seen on TV. Unless the author is an expert in the field they are writing about, then whatever information they give you about that subject is likely to be inaccurate or at best an oversimplification and not suitable for serious discussions on battery safety.
LiPos can definitely expand and cause a fire due to internal shorts caused by the battery being overcharged (they get hot and their internal resistance goes up) or being discharged past its safe limit (they get cold and their internal resistance goes down).
How Much Energy Does A LiPo Battery Have?
The first thing to remember about LiPo batteries is that they can store a LOT of energy. Can you guess how much energy they can store? I’ll give you a clue, it’s more than a gallon of gasoline!
A 6-cell 2200 mAh LiPo battery stores 1,983,500 joules of energy. That’s the same amount of energy in almost 20 gallons of gasoline!
That’s a lot of energy! So what do you think happens when they are not taken care of properly? You guessed it – there is a LOT of thermal energy to deal with.
This is why different batteries have different temperature ratings. Colder temps mean that you have less internal resistance so the battery can be discharged faster without being damaged. This means that at cold temperatures it is possible to damage your battery if you discharge it too far or fast.
If you don’t touch the batteries or discharge them at too high of a rate, they will be fine.This is why it is important to not try and use a bigger battery in your RC car to try and bring more power unless your vehicle is rated to handle a larger battery.
it may bring more power, but your RC car may not be able to handle it and it could cause problems.
Are LiPo Batteries Safe To Discharge?
Most people do not realize just how dangerous uncontrolled discharging is until something bad happens. If you use your battery to its full limits, it will likely overheat and cause damage. This is not a good thing!
This is why many people will discharge their LiPo batteries before they store them for a long period of time.
Discharging your LiPo batteries is safe to do as long as you are doing it properly and are not leaving them unattended.
Now, there is no way to know exactly how long your battery will last for your specific application. There are a lot of factors that will affect how quickly your battery discharges.
The most obvious factors are:
• The capacity you are using (mAh)
• The discharge rate (C or amps)
What you may not know is that there is a limit to how much current the battery and controller can safely output depending on the capacity of the pack. If you push too much current through your battery it could stop working, catch on fire or damage itself beyond repair.
LiPo safety is one of the most important things that all R/C hobbyists need to understand! When push comes to shove just follow these simple rules and you will not have any issues.
• Never leave a charging battery unattended.
• Always follow the advice of your charger.
• Don’t charge a discharged battery.
• Never jump-start a battery with power applied to it. (Putting power on a battery while it has power applied to an active battery will cause the charging process to be stopped and may damage or destroy the batteries)
What Are Some RC LiPo Battery Safety Tips?
There are a lot of different ways that you can stay safe when using LiPo batteries. There are many different tips and tricks that will help you stay safe when you are using them.
The best way to stay safe when using LiPo batteries is to never overcharge or undercharge them, and always follow the safety instructions.
Below are some other ways that you can make sure that you stay safe when using a LiPo battery.
1. Charge at 1/10th C rate (0.1 amps) for each cell of capacity rating in your pack until the pack is full and the voltage readout shows that all cells are full voltage and reading thus indicating that you have reached 100% charge in your pack.
2. The Rechargeable Battery Safety Service Manual recommends never to let your batteries sit in a fully charged state for more than 7 days. This is especially important if you leave them at full charge without using them!
3. It is recommended that you do not discharge the batteries below 50% of their capacity for extended periods of time (i.e., longer than one week). When your battery pack reaches 50% discharge, it’s a good idea to recharge it fully before using it again. Longevity may be extended by performing this recharge after a continuous period of very heavy use or by replacing it with a fresh battery pack every 3 months or so.
4. Balance charging is strongly recommended to ensure that all cells are charged to the same voltage and are at the same level of discharge when charging is stopped. Chargers should be able to balance charge or must be manually balanced by connecting unused output leads together during charging.
What Are The Different Types Of LiPo Batteries?
1S – 1 cell LiPo battery pack, this pack consists of one cell only such as in a 7.4v 220mAh LiPo battery designated as a 1S2P (1 Cell 2 Plug). The plug refers to the way the battery is connected. The first number refers to the number of cells, and the letter P at the end of 1S2P indicates it has two plugs.
2S – 2 cell LiPo battery pack, usually designated as 7.4v 220mAh LiPo battery pack with two plugs, or 22.2v 2100mAh LiPo battery with four plugs (22.2v = 4 x 7.4v).
3S – 3 cell LiPo battery pack, usually designated as 11.1V 1000mAh LiPo Battery Pack with three plugs on them or 33.6V 5000mAh LiPo Battery Pack with six plugs on them (33.6v = 6 x 11.1v).
4S – 4 cell LiPo battery pack, usually designated as 14.8V 750mAh LiPo Battery Pack with four plugs on them or 44.4V 3750mAh LiPo Battery Pack with eight plugs on them (44.4v = 8 x 14.8v).
What Is The Best Brand Of LiPo Batteries?
There are many different types of LiPo batteries that you can purchase. Since we all want the best RC LiPo battery, we want to know what the best brand of LiPo is.
The best battery brand is known as the G Force LiPo batteries. They are flawless in the most demanding conditions and have high power capacity and longer life than other brands.
The G-Force Sport Power Cell series of lithium polymer (LiPo ) batteries have been specially designed for use in high-performance RC cars, boats, airplanes, and helicopters. The Sport Power Cell series is made with 3-6 cell designs that contain between 1600mAh and 5200mAh capacities. These batteries come in a variety of voltages and capacities to suit just about any application.
Conclusion
Just like with the AA/AAA batteries, there are some cheaply made affordable ones out there that can go bad really fast and the price is right so it doesn’t matter as long as it works.
Remember, poor quality equals a shorter life span, so you will always want to go for the higher quality ones that last longer and work well. If you do end up buying one of those cheap ones, then you will have to deal with replacing it over and over again until you can no longer find it anywhere.
No matter if you buy cheap or expensive, most Lipo batteries are safe to use as long as you follow the instructions and do not use them for what they are not intended to be used for.