Lipo Battery First Time

[Had0u]

Hi there, relatively new to Airsoft and new to the forum so sorry if this is in the wrong place.
I used to go to Airsoft but that was a fair while ago before Lipo batteries was a thing, but my love for the sport has been growing again and ive been to a few events. Ive now taken the plunge and purchased my first higher end gun (KWA Ronin T6) the supplier recommended a 1300mah 11.1v 25C 12wh battery and supplied a compatible smart charger so I know the charger and the battery are good together. The problem is I don't know too much about Lipo batteries. So ive been doing a good bit of research on charge cycles etc but I can't find any info on the following questions. I may just be over thinking things so sorry if this sounds dumb but my questions are as follows
1) do I need to discharge the battery after use 

2) kind of a follow on to one. I used it for about an hour today on a full charge and then had to leave game. Im going again next week so is the battery ok to leave as is or should I disconnect from the gun and discharge/charge before going next week

 

im gonna do a fair bit of research because there seems to be some debated statements about how to care for lipos especially 11.1v 

if anyone can link or tell me where to find good actual reliable info I'll be appreciated

Thanks in advance all, im just so happy to be back in the hobby again and BOY DO I LOVE THIS GUN lol

[Shamal]

Hi @Had0u

You dont really need to completely discharge your lipo after each use

Yes disconnect from gun after use. 

charge night before going to a game.

If you are not gonna be using lipo for some time then set your smart charger to storage charge and then charge night before game.👍

Regards 

[EDcase]

Welcome back to the sport

 

As Shamal said, you should not fully discharge a LiPo.  Unlike the NiCd's we had before, LiPo's do NOT need 'exercising'

Its better for LiPos to be topped-up rather than allowed to go low.

 

Always disconnect after a game. I take mine out of the guns before leaving and keep them in a separate pouch.

 

Its not good to keep LiPo's stored for long periods (weeks) at full charge.  If you're not going to be using a battery for a while then select 'Storage Charge' setting on the charger.

[Had0u]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the welcome and the info without trolling through countless websites!

Good luck in your games

[Speedbird_666]

If your smart charger has a storage mode (around 3.85v per cell) , then I would recommend you use it to get the best life out of the LiPo. LiPo's do not like to be stored at full or near full capacity, or under 3.85v for any length of time. Dead or puffed cells can ruin your day. 

 

Over-discharging LiPo's kills them. Yes, you can 'jump start' them using a nimh charging mode for a few minutes to get them back up to the voltage for the LiPo charging modes to function (not recommended if you don't know what you are doing!) , but the pack will never work as well again after. 

 

Buy a cheap (7 quid) LiPo cell check from ebay, its an invaluable piece of kit to check the usage percentage and cell voltages. 

 

 

 

[Hami]

As others mentioned don't let cells drop below 3.85v or higher than 4.20v