Storage Charging RC LiPo Batteries | Quick Tip | Motion RC
Vložit
- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- Storage charging is imperative to keeping your LiPo batteries healthy and helping them last much longer. Links to all products below:
All Battery Chargers: www.motionrc.c...
All Batteries: www.motionrc.c...
Share your ideas for new Quick Tips here: www.hobbysquaw...
#rctip #lipo #lipocharging
The 4.0 amps on the screen (which you correctly said was the 1C rate for battery you used) is the charge rate if the battery is somewhere below the storage voltage value. It is not the discharge rate. That particular charger has a discharge rate of 0.1A-5.0A, but it can only disspate 36 watts per port. If you put a fully charged 6 cell battery on it, the discharge current can be no more than 1.43 amps (36 watts / 25.2 volts =1.42857 amps). A fully charged 2 cell battery would discharge at about 4.29 amps (36/8.4=4.2857).
Key word “religiously” I’ve heard that a fully charged lipo after 24 hours the lithium begins to destabilize, it’s a slow death basically, I wouldn’t recommend anyone take that chance, I tend to charge and use my packs within a few hours or less, I have some lipos that are almost 7 years old and still balance out nicely, I keep a close eye on all of them and periodically load test them to confirm each of the cells drain equally, if I notice a significant diff in voltage drop I won’t use that pack, great to see these informative videos James 👍👍
When I storage charge my lipo can I just leave it on the charger or do I need to take it off
Take it off
Great advice to anyone who is just getting into lipo use.
I have batts a few years old as well and they're fine.
Good video James!
Thanks for this video! I balanced charged a 3s battery for the first time and didn't do the setting for storage charging right and this video helped and now its storage charging correctly! Thanks!!!!
New to LiPo batteries and you answered my biggest question. Will storage mode raise voltage as well as lowering it, automatically as needed? YES! Very good to know and will be my most go to function. Thank you for the insight.
Haha, the pressing left/right to see per cell voltages wins this video Video of the Day!!
The best video I’ve seen on the topic. Clear and concise. Thank you!
I just subscribed this is the exact info I was looking for about the storage.
I was very unclear what the storage meant so I went into my Duo charger and saw that you could not change the storage any lower than 3.8.
You're the man
Keith
Thanks for the video. Now, how about some options for discharging packs more quickly? Obviously flying a plane will do it quickly but that's not always possible once back at home with a number of packs needing attention. I devised a board with 4 - 12V, 50 watt incandescent bulbs w/sockets wired in parallel. Each bulb will draw up to ~4 amps of current. So having them all screwed down shows around a 16A - 17A load. I incorporate my parallel charge boards and my watt meter for this also, having each pack's balance plug plugged into the board. Then I use one of the cell meters with the alarms set to 3.8V. I unscrew bulbs to lessen the current draw as they near equalization, finally using a cell meter on each pack to make sure all is well before putting them away. Saves bunches of time when many packs need to be discharged. My setup, because of the 12V bulb rating are only good for 2S - 4S packs. If I'm just storage charging a pack or two I will use that function on one of my chargers but it is a slow process.
im new to RC, easy to understand :)
Thank you.
🇬🇧
Didn't even know my charger had that function ... thanks!!!
Nice! Glad this helped. Use that feature on all your packs after your done flying. Will help extend their lifespan
Great Vid. ! So when it gets to 3.8V , Unplug and put it away ? will that charge stay at 3.8V for how long ? I guess im only use to Vehicle batteries where you can just plug it in a Maintainer and leave em plugged in for say the winter etc. for storage. thats a Nice charger you got there too wow ! thanks man !
Most intelligent chargers, when using the storage charge function, will stop when the battery reaches a storage charge. I check all my batteries that I haven't used once a quarter. If any fall below 3.8, I will pop them back on storage charge quick and then re store them.
Yes. Most newer chargers will do the following if you select storage mode: your battery is UNDER 50% the charger will charge until it’s at 50% and stop. Or around 3.8v each cell ideally.
If your battery has OVER 50% left after driving your rc the charger will discharge down to 50%. So it takes it to 50 whether that’s adding or discharging to 50. I wouldn’t do discharge mode unless you’re keeping a very close eye cause if you fully discharge you will ruin the battery. Most people never use discharge mode with most new charges being able to discharge or charge when you select Storage. It takes a while though but yes get on Amazon and for like $9 you can get a little Cell checker that you can keep in pocket or close by that plugs into the balance wire on battery and will show what percentage or “capacity” is your battery is at. They also have a Cell Checker usually which will show each cell and what Voltage it’s at. Store around 3.8v ideally. Hope this helps. I use the C150 HTRC 150w charger off amazing and love it. Fits all batteries practically and it’s about $50 and does it all. It also can check battery capacity or (how full it is) if you don’t have a little cell checker handy. Good luck and always charge in a fireproof bag no matter what and on a glass, concrete, brick, or some other fire proof material away from walls. Those bags are great but I’ve seen them burn enough to burn down a garage. (Or a trailer full of rc cars in my buddies case 🤭)
Great information. Thanks
Thank you James, as always a great tip!!
Another great Tips video James 👍🏻
Like me came home from work and found my bust open with the guts hanging out, me the new rc guy.
Hi, if I just used my battery until the ESC cut it off, can I leave it at that cutoff voltage for more than 48hours?
This is actually for my RC car, I don't actually have a storage charger so currently I leave them at that cutoff voltage and then charge them before I drive the car.
Great information and tips as always James, hope to see ya tonight 👊🏼👊🏼
iSDT FD-200 discharger is the best tool to use for returning charged or partially charged Lipos to storage charge ....... and will discharge a 6s 5000mah in about 20 mins as opposed to 5 hours using a “charger”!!
Fantastic video and great piece of advice. Many thanks.
Good stuff. Thank you.
Our pleasure!
I never use the discharge mode either. I don’t know why anyone would do that over a storage charge.
how long does a storage charge last if im going on a holiday?
im using an 3s
Never knew this!!!! Thank you.
Happy to help!
Thank you for this easy to understand video, helped alot.
So a 1C rate for a 5500mah battery would be 5.5, correct? And my charger in storage mode will stop when it's complete ? Any help would be great, thank you!
Do you have to take them out of storage mode?
Do I keep them on the charger always
Should i storage charge a new Lipo battery at 1A?
Dang just got a really nice battery… it’s been sitting full charge for a week. 😅
I perchaced a Horizon Hobby plane and checked the battery and it dosn't show any power. It came by amazon. Should i charge the batt to the storage range?
Love your vids 😀
Excellent absolutely excellent
Thanks for this quick video tip👍👍
Excellent video .Thanks
Great info...thanks bro
Skip to 2:17 for instruction
My turnigy charger on storage mode put all my lipos on different voltages 3.7-3.95 is it okay to leave those lipos on 3.95
From what i have seen, the use of LIPO batteries is more complicated over the use of NIMH. Their care and use is complicated and seem to have no real advantage over NIMH. I am just a hobbyist and not dedicated RC FREAK, running TAMIYA 1/16 RC TANKS, and RC CROSS MC8 1/12 CRAWLER. I am not very technically minded but can see the use of LIPO in high performance RC, but in my case can see no real advantage for the extra care and sensitivity of LIPO. I would like your opinion as i currently have both batteries, the LIPO came with the RC CROSS KIT, so not sure whether to use it or just use NIMH. Appreciate your video. ps, i am an old fart.
Lipo batteries are more efficient, meaning longer run times and cooler batteries. They deliver more power over a longer period of time and don’t suffer from charge memory. Some other types of batteries must be fully discharged before being charged or they won’t charge back fully after so many cycles doing that.
After i storage charge and want to use them again, do i just use balance charge and it will put the battery back into normal use?
Yes. Consider a storage charge like a 40% charged battery. You will want to balance charge it back to 100% before using it. But you never want to store a battery at 100% charge or less and 40%
thank you! finally a good explanation
You're welcome!
Thank you!
So 3.8 roughly is storage. At what voltage is it recommended to come back and land?
I’m flying my first proper fpv currently after coming from Mavic @ Avata type drone where it’s easy to charge and get in the air. All this lipo business is confusing at the mo.
I just need to know what I’m looking at in OSD to tell me to come and land. Is it around 22?
Cheers.
Thank you this is a very important video for Noobs like me .
Question are you supposed to regular balance charge before use on a storage charged battery
Yes. A storage charge has the battery at about 30% charged for sitting/doing nothing. You will charge it full to use it then storage charge it again afterwards to store it
Hi friend. How to calibrate if i dont have multimeter? And want to ask , My imax b6 charger, storage mode stop in3.83/cell. Please info how to correct to stop in 3.80/ cell
Thank you for your video.
I’m using a HTRC dual charger and I can’t seem to get the amperage to move past .3A. I have it set to 4.0A. What am I doing wrong here?
How do you know what amps you use to storage charge a battery? I currently have a 6s 7000mah 100c 22.2v
Are lipo batteries ok to use after 7 years at storage voltage? They haven’t been charged for this time. Should i dispose of them? or can i test them someway to see if they are ok?
My charger is different. Amp setting?
I watched countless videos and none of them say if you have to charge a battery after you put it into storage charge? I had a fully charged battery i never got to use so i storage charged it now do i need to fully charge it again?
A storage charge is basically a battery at 25% charge. Yes, you need to charge your battery back up to use it. But storage charge it before you store it
Thanks
Good information.
Am I overthinking this? Is storage charge a charge where you drain a bit of charge from the battery before storing them unplugged?
It works both ways actually. If your batteries are 100% charged and you put it onto a storage mode, your battery will be discharged down to about 35%.
Conversely, if you've used your lipo and and come to the end of the run - like a low voltage cut off - storage mode will actually be putting charge back in - back up to about 35% which usually equates to 3.7-3.8v.
For a 6s battery, would the storage amp rate be at 6?
Does this apply to Li-ion batteries as well? If not, what's the proper storage voltage for Li-ion batteries?
i would say yes..
Like 18650s? I store all of mine fully charged, then discharge and charge with a capacity test once a year, and they never vary more than a couple % +/- over several years.
I have brand new 2S batteries, that have remained unused for about 4 years. I just checked them with my cell checker, and got capacity readings of 20 and 24% for the two batteries. Is it OK to storage charge them, or are they unusable? Also, is there a risk of a fire when batteries are left unused?
I would personally first charge them fully and use them. See that they still work and hold a decent charge under load. I have batteries much older but with much more usage still work great. They should be fine, but test them out. If they work, then storage charge them until their next use
@@MotionRC Thanks for your advice! 🙂
do you have to recharge the battery after storage charging it?
yes. before use you recharge again, but then its best practice to storage charge after your session
How to get long life of 14.8v 2200mah lipo battery
How much amps charge
So what is the rule of thumb, if your not using it everyday, storage charge ? Or can you go a couple of days if your using your car everyday? Or at the end just hit storage charge regularly? I had a new battery swell up I like a month what did I do wrong before I replace it thanks for the help
If you charge up, but then can't fly that day, but can fly the next day? then leave them. But I never leave my batteries fully charged for more than 48 hours. You always want to store them in a storage charge or they will puff
What if I dont "Storage Charge" my battery over the winter? We are new to this. nobody mentioned this or suggested it. The Battery was charged last in September of 2021. Went to use it today and the spektrum charger has a grey screen and says n/c
As I said in the video. Proper care for a LiPo is that it is always storage charged before storing it for any extended period. If you leave a fully charged LiPo to sit for more than 3 days the chemical reactions inside start the puffiness and overall degradation. Many times I have charged up 10-20 batteries set to go fly and life happened and I couldn't go, so I take the time to storage charge them before putting them away. And I have many batteries I don't use until summer (for boats and such) but every quarter I will check them as even storage charged batteries will start to fall below 3.8 and I will take them out of storage just to storage charge them and store them right back again. Basically, take care of them cause they can be pricey and you want them to last for years and years. And they can....with proper storage ;)
Hi, just purchased a traxxas lipo battery, the person at the hobby said the battery comes 50% charged . I haven’t used it in 10days . What should I do with the battery? Put it in storage mode. I need your help.
I assume you do not have a battery cell checker? I would order one ( www.motionrc.com/collections/battery-testers ). With a tester you can check the voltage of any LiPo battery. Most reputable companies (like traxxas) will sell their batteries in storage mode, so if you haven't charged it up yet then it is fine to store. But when you get a battery tester, you will know for sure where the voltage is. A fully charged LiPo will be about 4.2 Volts per cell, while a Storage charge is about 3.8 Volts per cell and a dead/almost dead battery is 3.2 Volts per cell.
When you STORAGE charge your batteries, will it go up to storage charge if below where it should be, OR go down to storage charge if it's above where it should be? Will it go either way?
It will go either way to get to 3.8
i am so guilty of leaving batts fully charged over the years... my stupidity cost me mutiple 100's of dollars over last 20 years... NO More!
Do U only have to charge it once one storage charge for the season
Batteries will slowly discharge over time. I would check them every 1-3 months when in storage. If they drop from 3.8 to say 3.7 I will put them back on the storage charge to get them back to 3.8 (wouldn't take long)
I have a charger that stops the storage charge at 3.9 v. Is this ok?
yes. 3.8 is "average" so 3.7-3.9 is fine. But also look into the settings on your charger, you may be able to change it from 3.9 to 3.8 from there.
@@MotionRC Thanks, its the Ev-Peak CQ3 and don't think it has a setting. But the fan stays on and never turns off after the battery is charged, which I dislike. Does the skyRc D400 fan turn off after the batteries are done? Thanks for your reply.
@@genes6703 I just went through the manual of your charger and looks like it is fixed at 3.85 for LiPo storage, which is fine for sure. This chargers (SkyRC) fan only turns on/off when needed
I have boats so I will be storage charging my battries on the off season
hey quick question what do i do if wanna use the battery when its storage charged
Charge it up and use it, then storage charge when your done
So it doesn't matter what size battery it is, always set it to 4a for a storage charge?
No. You always want to storage charge at a 1/1 ratio. This pack was a 4000 mAh pack so storage charge at 4.0a. A 2200 mah pack you storage charge at 2.2a, a 6500mAh pack you storage charge at 6.5a etc, etc, etc
@Motion RC thank you mate 👍
Cheers 😊
Great video, can i charge my lipos the day before the flight/ run ? Thank you! 😁
Yes, I do that regularly. But If I end up not flying that day, I will storage charge them. I never leave them charged longer than 24-48 hours
@@MotionRC Allright thank you Very much! Then i was doing the right thing haha
@@rodneybjiop6053 Better safe than sorry, especially with LiPos. Don't ever take them for granted. Treat them with respect
Not all cell 3.8, some cell 3.7..can i go first to balance charge? Then after im going to storage charge?
a .1 difference isnt unusual between cells. I'd be concerned with a .3-.4 or more difference.
storage my batteries range doubt
Li-Ion battery 3.7V 2000mah and Li-Po battery 3.7v 3000mah what is the range for long-term storage mode for these two batteries? battery similar smartphone
Range should always be around 50% capacity for long term storage. Any battery will loose charge over time so storing them near empty could kill them permanently.
@@MotionRC not range some 50%? what voltage?
I do a lot of driving for work so I take my charger and battery box and plug it into a spare battery in my car and charge my batteries while I'm working😂
How long can you leave a lipo in storage charge, in storage? I have one I haven't used in a couple of years.
I would check them periodically throughout the year. Over time batteries will lose charge just sitting there, so a storage charged battery will still lose voltage and you should put it back on the balancer to bring it back to storage charge every once in while. So if you store a battery at storage of 3.8v per cell, after a year it may be 3.7 so just storage charge it back to 3.8
@@MotionRC Thank you! That is actually exactlywhat appears to have happened; all of the cells are currently in the 3.7 range.
i can only go up to 2 amps why ??
Can I use my lipo battery's if there in storage mode?
You would want to fully charge them before use.
@@MotionRC ok, thanks 👍 on fast charge or balance charge? (Traxxas)
👍legend✌
How do you take a battery out of storage no videos telling you how. Do you recharge as normal or discharge and then recharge???
Storage is just the cell reading at @3.8. it's not a mode you need to get out of. Just charge it and go fly. But if you don't fly it for a 2 days then just storage charge back. Never let it sit with a full charge or any charge over 3.9
@@MotionRC perfect thanks
James I need some help so basically when I charge my Lipo batteries into storage mode for some reason it puts the batteries at I think 3.80 V instead of 3.08 and I’m using a B6 balance charger that I got for $25 it might be my charger but I have no idea.
3.8 is right. 3.08 would be a dead battery
@@MotionRC oh so 3.80?
@@christiansrcs7789 yes
If i dont have storage charge option ?
Get a new charger
@@MotionRC how do you check manufacture date of li-po?
My charger takes a very long time to reduce a battery to storage. I find it's far quicker to run the battery inside the plane for 5mins till the battery has ran down to 3.8V per cell. Is this wise though??
it okay, but then put it on the storage charge to finish it off.
Please keep these videos coming, for us "newcommers" it jas been great!
@@markgurney8725 Will do Mark, and don't hesitate to comment with some idea for more. These are for the people
So after you storage charge your battery (3.8v) and you want to use it ,you have to charge it to the full capacitiy. Im confused😅
Yes. Whenever you are done with a battery, pop it in storage charge then put it away at 3.8. but when needed, charge it up. It can remain fully charged for like 48 hours, but if not going to be used, storage charge it again. Leaving a lipo fully charged for more than a few days will degrade the pack and cause puffyness and less usefulness over time
@@MotionRC so I have a 25C SeriesZippy compact 5000. I don’t even know what those numbers mean. Couple you please explain the proper procedure for using and storing the battery
Can you use a parrarel board to storage charge multiple batteries? If so do you still storage charge using 1amp?
Many chargers will only storage charge using 1 amp, but the charger will only discharge at the same rate whether it is one or ten batteries. Discharging 4x1300 mAh batteries is the same as discharging 1 5200mAh battery. But of course, don't leave it alone while you do it. Always be ready for anything with LiPo's
@@MotionRC ok thanks so if I storage charge 4 1550mah lipos I set it to 1amp and 4s
@@sheapyfpv8224 1550 x 4 is 6200, so I would set the amps to 6.2 on the charger, that should discharge those at 1 amp
I´ll follow up on this one. If i have multiple batteries with more than 0,4V between them, is it ok to storage charge them together? @sheapyfpc8224
👌
How long is it ok to leave a 2s battery in stored charge please?
Depends. But check on it every other month and if it falls below say 3.7 cell, put it back on a storage charge to get it to 3.8 again
@@MotionRC is there a tool I can buy to check this please?
whats the amp of 5200mah lipo and volt to set
for a 1C charge on a 5200, I would charge at 5.2amps
Skyfly BD250
can you storage mode a fully charged lipo?
If you plan on not flying that battery for 2 or 3 days, then you of course would need to storage charge a fully charged LiPo. The storage charge will run the pack down to an acceptable storage level because leaving a fully charged LiPo sitting around will degrade it super fast.
@@MotionRC tnx bro im doing storage now weather is not great we have typho so no playing for now
@@rcboy4652 No problem my man. Same rainy weather here in Georgia as well
👍👍😊
There has to be a faster way to do this something that you can just plug right into the battery that will drop the voltage down to the correct storage mode somebody invent this
I have ruined batteries, or shorthened their life after leaving them fully charged for up to 2 days 😢
Discharge before you throw it away
So are you supposed to just sit there watching it for an hour or two haha just don’t get it
that charger, lmao. how is that currently beings sold for $200. the ONLY impressive thing about that charger is the 35 watt/5 amp discharge capability. you can get 400 watts of AC power with other chargers for significantly less. you can also get 15 amps of charging power (with the same 200 watts) for significantly less. the only time the 20 amps is an actual benefit is when your charging a 2s, at 3s the amp benefit is minimal. not to mention you can get everything i said plus wayyy more features in a package a fraction of the size
By law, lipo batteries cannot be shipped at over a 30% charge.
you talk way to fast and give way way too much info...at least you did not have background music playing and you spoke loudly enough I could hear you. WE don't need to know why you gotta do it. We don't need know what happens if you do it wrong because you are going to show us how to do it correctly I'm sure of that. Please take this critic in the spirit it is meant...I'm only trying to help the both of us...because I need to find a good video how to channel.....I'm going to subscribe anyways hopefully you can make some adjustments and I'll be a loyal fan....Aloha.....Mike McLaren
All you need to do is give a very brief outline and 2 examples the first a 1S, and the second a 3S so that we understand we are looking for 3.8 vdc per S...I'll even click on "Join" if you do it that way ;0)
@@SirRat1959 I'll do my best to slow down more Mike. Appreciate any constructive criticism. I will be the first to admit I am not an expert at RC or being a video personality. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Stick around for sure!
That.......is a battery charger phew