Batteries Battery cycling

bigone5500

bigone5500

Well-Known Member
How often should a battery be charged and then actually used. I have a couple that don't get used. One goes in my 270 CFX and the other I have no use for but don't want it going bad. LiPos are expensive and I want to get the most out of them I can.
 
Tony

Tony

Staff member
I wouldn't leave a battery fully charged over 5 days max and I would not do that more than a few times. Full charges help kill these batteries.
 
bigone5500

bigone5500

Well-Known Member
What I was actually meaning is, a battery that is not being used and has been put into storage mode, how often should that battery be charged and used? I think of how they hang on the pegs at the hobby shops and wonder how long they have been there. This causes me to think that there is nothing wrong with leaving one in storage mode for a lengthy period.
 
Tony

Tony

Staff member
I have not read any studies on that part of it, but giving how long they do sit from the time they are put together to the time they have the first charge put in them, I would assume it could be well over a year. So if you use them once a year, you should be fine. Every 6 months would be even better.
 
bigone5500

bigone5500

Well-Known Member
Tony said:
I have not read any studies on that part of it, but giving how long they do sit from the time they are put together to the time they have the first charge put in them, I would assume it could be well over a year. So if you use them once a year, you should be fine. Every 6 months would be even better.
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That shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully I can get my 270 checked out and see if it's flight worthy. After the crash, I put new parts in and am unsure about a couple things so I want someone with more knowledge to have a look at it. I can't tell you how anxious I am to fly it though...$450 for a heli and $180 for a Tx...to just look at it on the wall is killing me.
 
murankar

murankar

Staff member
The big thing is how you stor them. They should be stored at 3.8 volts per cell and put in a cold place. The more you are able to keep the heat out of the packs the better off you are. As for cycling I am not sure if you have to as long as you keep them at storage charge and chilled. I know some folks will put them in the freezer till they need them and then refrdiferate them while in rotation of use.
 
bigone5500

bigone5500

Well-Known Member
murankar said:
The big thing is how you stor them. They should be stored at 3.8 volts per cell and put in a cold place. The more you are able to keep the heat out of the packs the better off you are. As for cycling I am not sure if you have to as long as you keep them at storage charge and chilled. I know some folks will put them in the freezer till they need them and then refrdiferate them while in rotation of use.
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So the extreme cold doesn't hurt the cells? It would seem to me that the freezing temps could crystallize the polymer. I guess not as others do it. Just thinking out loud...sorta...
 
Tony

Tony

Staff member
Whatever you do, do not do your batteries like I do mine lmao. Mine are stored out in the studio where it can get to -20F in the winter and over 110F in the summer. This is hard on them no matter what the voltage of the cells. lol.
 
Geena

Geena

Staff member
I treat mine like redheaded stepchildren too....LOL. I leave them charged for a week at a time, I`ve over discharged a few of them, and I don`t always storage charge them after a day of flying. I`m getting better at taking care of them though.
 
Geena

Geena

Staff member
Tony said:
Oh the joys of having a battery sponsor lmao.
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LOL.... Yes, that definitely helps. I also do most of the testing on new packs, so they want me to beat the prototypes up, to see how much abuse they can stand.
 
murankar

murankar

Staff member
As long as your not doing a freeze thaw freeze thaw freeze back to back you'll be fine. As long as the condensation is dried up your good too
 
Tony

Tony

Staff member
I don't know if I would freeze them. When you cool them down below 40f, the voltage drops. Below freezing and it drops significantly especially in the cheaper batteries. Just watched a video on this. Fully charged battery, lithium, and at -10c is was below the voltage cut-off and would not run. So fridge may be fine, but I would not do a freezer. Granted though, when you thaw them out they voltage should rise back to around where it was, but I don't know if I would take that chance.
 
murankar

murankar

Staff member
That's that's the reason for 3.8 volts per cell. That should be about 50%. I have heard that should be safe for the batteries.
 
Tony

Tony

Staff member
The other thing that worries me is condensation. The video I watched had ice covering the side of the battery pack. If there is even the slightest rip, tear or puncture in the cell walls it could get in there, which could short it out. Just something to be mindful of.
 
Geena

Geena

Staff member
I`m pretty sure, I would not freeze a lipo. I have head of putting them in the fridge though. as long as they are not exposed to extreme heat, they`ll be fine. I keep all of mine in my hobby room, which is 75 degrees F, and I have had no issues with them so far.
 
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