Batteries Bad battery?

[sarconastic]

I just got a new battery and one cell was pretty low. I have since tried to balance it twice and see if it would self heal. but no luck. I bought it on Amazon but it was actually through HobbyKing. Here is a pic of the cells after balancing twice. is this out of line and should I request a replacement. the other batteries I have are within a tenth of each other. 4.19v,4.18v and 3.9v after setting for a little bit. But never much closer than that.




Woody

 

[Tony]

If it won't balance out, then yes, I would suggest a replacement. However, through HK, good luck with that.

 

[Lee]

If you have no luck with getting a replacement, there is a way to bring the low cell up to the others by only charging that cell. Never tried it myself.
On my new Icharger there is a setting specifically for doing that.

 

[sarconastic]

HobbyKing replied to my email and had me send a picture of the battery hooked to the charger and showing the warranty number. So either they warranty replace it or I will file a claim with Amazon. Buyer protection was used so I will get satisfaction LOL.

Woody

 

[sarconastic]

Here is their reply

Thank you for the information provided.

We have confirmed that the cells are not balanced, and we have initiated a refund on the battery for you.
You should be able to see the refund on your account shortly.

Please feel free to place a new order with us via Amazon or our website.

Best Regards,
HobbyKing


They didn't request the old battery back, and refunded the 14 Dollars I paid for the battery. However they did not refund the shipping. which was $6. Oh well, I will see if I can save the third cell, and if not I will make a 2S pack out of it.

Woody

 

[sarconastic]

Another question, I have tried to balance this pack more a couple of times, and it gets a little closer each time. Do you think it would be safe to run this on the plane and discharge it until the alarm goes off in the plane then recharge it to try and bring the balance back? or am I wasting time and risking a fire?

Woody

 

[Tony]

I wouldn't run it until the alarm went off. That is a warning that you are getting too low on voltage. I would fly it for 4 minutes, then balance charge it and see what you put back into the pack. If you are putting in more than 80% of the total mah, then lower yoru flight times. If you are putting in less than 80% of your total mah, then raise your flight times.

 

[sarconastic]

Kewl. I will try this tomorrow. Maiden flight is tomorrow barring any catastrophe. THanks again

Woody

 

[billryalls]

I have the same prob. It charges up to 12 volts but the cells are. 4.18 4.17 and 3.78. I'm told it could explode if charged like this. . Iv tried DEcharging and recharging with no success. When using it my 450 just STPPPED unexpectedly landing hard. It's an ECO Power 30c 2200 mah. Is it toast??? ;(

 

[sarconastic]

I don'5 think I would run it in anything that you value. Just too unpredictable. Might be ok for a car or truck to play with, but not something you worry about falling out of the sky. You might charge the individual cell using some creative wiring and balance it out, but not sure if it would maintain it or not. \

Good Lick

Woody

 

[pvolcko]

Yeah, that's a large voltage imbalance. Might try running itthrough multiple balance cycles to see if it can be brought up at all. I have a pack where a cell is down .1v compared to the others and even that is giving me issues (very short flight times).

 

[billryalls]

Yeah, I've cycled it several times, tried real low voltage charging, de-charging...time to toss I guess. ;(

 

[cml001]

Iv heard discharging to 3.0 or 3.1 and then balance charge it back up.. Cycling..can sometimes bring the pack back right.. I've only had one pack loose a cell as u describe, but I had that pack for a long time.. May need to trash it. Heard mixed stories on those packs... I had one and it lasted a good while tho. Try "glacier".. Those are good and price is good as well.. From Buddy RC.. They are not far from u.. Should be a quick order/shipment. "Pulse" are awesome.. I've been stuck on them for the past year or so... 7 pack and none have had issue.. Save one.. I crushed it.. My fault entirely! And as quality packs go, I don't find them too expensive.