Are lipos worth it

Deersofter

Deersofter

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I’ve been told lipos give the best performance out of aegs but when I’ve looked into them I see they have extra requirements like charge safe bags 

so I’m wondering if the extra cost is worth the increased performance 

 
I think it is, with the caveat that check your rifs have a low voltage cut off or you're prepared to check the battery throughout the day or swap to a second pack if needed. 

Lipo batteries can have much stronger output than batteries of a comparable size in other chemistries. When we want rifs to look a particular way, use particular stocks having to house batteries can be the limiting factor with lipo batteries it much less of an issue.

 
They definitely have more energy capacity and output than NiCads and in smaller packages.

The charging is more reliable and automatic.

The only downside is the initial cost but it works out over time because they last longer.

Search the forum for recommended chargers

 
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I thought the downsides outweighed the positives, so I went with a 9.9V LiFe instead.  At the time I wasn’t comfortable with the low voltage puffing or the risk of fire, and with LiFe both are reduced.

 
concretesnail said:
I think it is, with the caveat that check your rifs have a low voltage cut off or you're prepared to check the battery throughout the day or swap to a second pack if needed. 

Lipo batteries can have much stronger output than batteries of a comparable size in other chemistries. When we want rifs to look a particular way, use particular stocks having to house batteries can be the limiting factor with lipo batteries it much less of an issue.
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I have rifs that say they’re lipo compatible on the site I brought them from (patrol base)

its just when I read about how they need specifical charger’s as well as charge safe bags and you need to store them in specific ways it meant there’s a lot of changes I’d have to make and equipment I’d have to buy to switch over to them 

 
I'm not super paranoid about lipos, but I do pop them into a ceramic Explosion Containment Pie Dish while charging.

 
Deersofter said:
I have rifs that say they’re lipo compatible on the site I brought them from (patrol base)

its just when I read about how they need specifical charger’s as well as charge safe bags and you need to store them in specific ways it meant there’s a lot of changes I’d have to make and equipment I’d have to buy to switch over to them 
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You will need a lipo charger, but luckily most good chargers that are used for lipo packs will do other chemistries too. As for the rhe bags. I don't rate them at all. They aren't fire proof, and they don't filter fumes in the event of a pop. 

If you're worried about having them in the house then that's OK, in have seen big lipos go and it's not for everyone. However if you treat them well, charge in a sensible way and don't over discharge point there's not reason it should fail. 

There's plenty of lipo advise about the forum, on chargers and setups etc. But if you're unsure just ask.

 
Yes.

More energy potential, get a battery with a higher discharge rate i.e 40C or 50C.

imax b6 is an excellent budget balance charger.

Check RC websites not airsoft ones as the batteries there are alot cheaper and more varied, find a size that works for you.

 
navyvet86 said:
imax b6 is an excellent budget balance charger.
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I use one, but it's old technology now, and we have had reports of issues with them, even on the genuine ones.

As you say, RC gets the goodies, and the SkyRC S65 is what all the cool kids are recommending these days.

navyvet86 said:
Check RC websites not airsoft ones as the batteries there are alot cheaper and more varied, find a size that works for you.
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Being aware that if you're using mini-Tamiya, then the polarity is reversed.  But it's easy enough to swap the terminals, and, well... don't use mini-Tamiya.

 
Realistically, it's a lot harder to get a LiPo to combust than you'd think. A friend and I put a nail through one once. Nothing happened. I'm madly disappointed. I wanted an explosion!

I'm not a electrician, but as far as I know LiPos combust in two ways: damage to the pack followed by continued use, and pack overdraw followed by charging and continued use.

Pack overdraw happens when you use a pack that doesn't provide enough amps for your setup, so the motor keeps demanding those amps, which causes the pack to heat, puff, and other bad things. Then if you charge/continue to use this pack, you could have yourself a fire on hand. This happens a lot more frequently with smaller LiPos, due to lower discharge rates. High discharge is actually safer, which doesn't seem right, but is true.

I quit using a charging bag a long time ago. I don't do anything idiotic with my LiPos--there's no reason why they should catch on fire.

 
I had a couple of lipos go "puffy" on me, still held a charge but I thought better off not risking it, so decided to dramatically destroy them, did everything your not supposed to but they barely reacted, how disappointed was I lol. 

 
Tackle said:
I had a couple of lipos go "puffy" on me, still held a charge but I thought better off not risking it, so decided to dramatically destroy them, did everything your not supposed to but they barely reacted, how disappointed was I lol. 
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Yeah they're only dangerous when near full.

I got a good reaction driving a nail through one?

 
Thanks for the advice everyone you’ve given me a lot of good points 

but for now I’ll keep with the nickel batteries and will save for a lipo compatible charger as lipos seem more to offer more advantages for small rifs with small battery spaces 

 
Tackle said:
I had a couple of lipos go "puffy" on me, still held a charge but I thought better off not risking it, so decided to dramatically destroy them, did everything your not supposed to but they barely reacted, how disappointed was I lol. 
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Ive “made safe” a couple of lipos on site when players have asked me how to dispose of them

A quick nail through them sees a nice wee flame and a good puff of nasty smoke n fumes , always gets a wee crowd and a cheer ?

 
Lipos are far better, more energy dense and lighter, means with an ETU that allows a higher voltage input, gives better performance.

As for bags, I bought a bag for charging cells with and hardly use it, the bag is for when you are "un attended" charging.

Fact it only takes 15 to 20 minutes to charge Lipo's is a selling point.

Never store Lipos fully charged, they don't tend to last or fair well, monitor the charge once a week and then charge up before use or if the voltage drops below 3.7v or reaches 15% of its capacity, if it falls below 15% then you need to buy new cells.

EDcase said:
Yeah they're only dangerous when near full.

I got a good reaction driving a nail through one?
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Bad idea doing that because the gas given off is hydrogen fluoride, phosphoryl fluoride and CO2.

The gas is toxic...

 
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