Damaged battery input needed.

[sikorskys76]

I Crashed and the batterie flew off and it looks like the blades hit the battery.Should i recharge and try it or throw it out?

[broke-again]

If in doubt - throw it out. Id throw it out and i wouldn't leave it in the house. Chances are the cell pack will have been split or weakened, though its hard to see with the heatshrink, is it worth risking your heli or home over?

It sucks i know, but really better to play safe.

[CTR]

Derik, you got me wondering when a lipo is really bad and what exactly happens to a puntured battery.

I just got done reading this on another forum and thought I would post it here.

This is what someone else did
QUOTE:
Well, I can now say from experience that burning lipos are no bid deal. Unless of course they are on your kitchen table or in the back seat of your car at the time!! I have (had) a Commonsense 2100mah lipo that had a bad cell that was getting progressivly worse. This afternoon it only gave me 4 mins of flying time so guess what? Yep, I poked it I took a welding electrode and poked a hole in the middle of one of the cells. The lipo immediately started to smoke like crazy and within 5 seconds started on fire! The fire blew out of the hole like a small propane torch with flames reaching about a foot out for about 10 seconds. Then the foil opened up and the flames got alot smaller. Within about 10 secs more it caught the next cell on fire and it did the whole thing over again. Then the next cell and the same. So there was a little excitement for about 2 mins total and there was no danger whatsoever to the ten of us watching. The lipo is now officially "safe". I was very surprised at how fast it starts to burn from just a 1/8" hole poked in the side. I am definately more aware of how these things can start a fire in your house if your not carefull. Anyhoo, good luck!!
END OF QUOTE

[kgfly]

My (hextronik) lipos have taken a lot of mechanical damage from crashes without any apparent affect on performance or safety so far. My approach after any crash:

a) Isolate the battery in a fire proof location for at least 1 hr (often over night)
b) If no signs of puffing then check voltage and if OK, charge in a fire proof location under close supervision
c) If all OK then hover for a few minutes and check temperature. If all OK I consider the pack safe for normal use.

I always charge and store my packs in a fire proof container (pyrex dish)

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So I would say inspect it, test it, charge it carefully, use it carefully and if there is no sign of puffing and no obvious reduction in capacity or performance then it's probably OK.

[Gary JP4]

I had the same problem 9 months ago.

http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?p=147314&highlight=#147314

It has been abused in many ways and I am still using it. It is certainly not my best battery.