Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

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Sam Hough
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Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Sam Hough »

Hi,

My Dad managed to kill two new sets of nice LiPos in his UC. My guess is they got left attached and deep discharged.

Is it safe to assume no battery saver in the standard electronics?

Anybody tried any other battery types that survive less care?

Cheers

Sam

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Brian Ostlind
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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Brian Ostlind »

Lipos can’t drop below a certain voltage or it becomes tricky to recharge them. Best thing to do is get a new lipo battery and maintain it carefully, i.e. put it on a storage charge after use. They are pretty inexpensive to replace.

Derek Attree
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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Derek Attree »

Hi Sam
I also use a lipo alarm its a small pc card that plugs into the white balance socket and buzzes
when the voltage drops to about 3v per cell .
I get them from component shop about £3.50 each
well worth it.

Regards Derek
we must stop making stupid predictions

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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by DaveMacri »

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Sam Hough
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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Sam Hough »

Thanks Derek,

That sounds a good idea. Do you keep them attached permanently?

This the one you use https://www.componentshop.co.uk/led-bat ... .html.html ? Does seem clever as monitors each cell and don't need to tell it how many cells.

Cheers

Sam
Derek Attree wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:23 pm
Hi Sam
I also use a lipo alarm its a small pc card that plugs into the white balance socket and buzzes
when the voltage drops to about 3v per cell .
I get them from component shop about £3.50 each
well worth it.

Regards Derek

Sam Hough
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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Sam Hough »

Thanks Brian,

I think the 1970s Northern English part of me finds them expensive ;) I'll try my dad with new lipos with alarms. The capacity of the LiPos is hard to argue with.

Cheers

Sam
Brian Ostlind wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:14 pm
Lipos can’t drop below a certain voltage or it becomes tricky to recharge them. Best thing to do is get a new lipo battery and maintain it carefully, i.e. put it on a storage charge after use. They are pretty inexpensive to replace.

Derek Attree
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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Derek Attree »

Hi Sam
The one I use has a numeric out put that tells you the actual voltage in each cell and buzzes when the
voltage drops to low when running.
Its also useful to check the pack when in storage or before you go out to play :D :D :D

Regards

Derek
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Adrian Harris
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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Adrian Harris »

> My guess is they got left attached and deep discharged.

If you're using the motion pack wiring from Armortek, there's a toggle switch in the lead from the battery which will isolate it.

The alarms are handy for making sure you don't take the battery down to far when running but I'm thinking one isn't going to help with this as it shouldn't be left attached when the model is not being used, and the switch will remove any drain from the motion pack anyway.

Adrian.
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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Dennis Jones »

I always unplug lipo batteries in models that are using lipos when not in use. I use 12 volt gel batteries in my UC as I use 2 motors to drive it also no need to remove it to re-charge.

Dennis.

Sam Hough
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Re: Need battery saver with LiPos or alternative chemistry?

Post by Sam Hough »

I try to remember to disconnect the battery but still manage to forget sometimes. Quite an expensive mistake with the LiPos...

Cheers

Sam
Adrian Harris wrote:
Wed Mar 08, 2023 2:53 pm
> My guess is they got left attached and deep discharged.

If you're using the motion pack wiring from Armortek, there's a toggle switch in the lead from the battery which will isolate it.

The alarms are handy for making sure you don't take the battery down to far when running but I'm thinking one isn't going to help with this as it shouldn't be left attached when the model is not being used, and the switch will remove any drain from the motion pack anyway.

Adrian.

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