Overdischarged Zippes

[gpach]

Went out flying last night with the G550. I have multiple sets of zippy 3500 mah batteries market in sets to keep the cycles the same. I always leave whatever set was used last in the machine and charge them in place ready for the next flight (or almost always).

First flight seemed normal and owing to wind and people in the area, my flying was more of a hovering with some scooting around close in. As normal, I forgot to start the timer on taking off so had to land to start that. I got about 5:30 seconds into my flight when the power faded away.

I realized once the low voltage protection kicked in what happend. Battieries appeared normal when i changed them out for a charged pair. One of the batteries took back 3740 mah, the other battery took 3680 mah. They didnt appear to puff in any fashion and have about 15 total cycles on them so far.

Not sure how the set didnt get charged as its normally the first pair I do when I get back from flying.

[mysticmead]

accidents happen...

[gpach]

Plugging the heli in the ground is an accident that is unavoidable. Forgetting to charge a $120 set of batteries is a sin. Was just posting to share the mistake. Need to get my routines more automatic including proper pre and post flights.

[michael88997]

the way i keep mine in track is i store the charged batteries in my dx7 case... the ones that are used are sitting on the top of the case or a table for cooling/waiting to be charged... once you charge i either put them onto my heli or put them into the case... then i fly out all my batteries at the end and go home and charge them all

[Graeme67]

Your right mate, it's all about getting into a system that works for you. Personally when I bring the Lipo packs to my charging bench I lay all discharged packs on there wide side & when I charge them I lay them on the narrow side. It's a quick visual check for me.

Cheers
Graeme

[mysticmead]

you can always add a piece of tape to each pack and then use a sharpie to make a check mark each time you charge them. then it's a simple matter of making sure the number of check marks are the same on all packs.. either way.. life's way to short to get pissed at a simple mistake like forgetting to charge the packs....it happened... now try not to repeat it..

[Graeme67]

the way i keep mine in track is i store the charged batteries in my dx7 case...

For convenience I have considered carrying packs in my Tx case - there is plenty of room. But I didn't feel comfortable with that. Any problem with a pack takes out your Tx with it. So I have a seperate case for the Lipo's. It is always the last thing packed in the car & is placed in a position where it can be reached quickly. It also has a long carry strap that I can grab on to for a quick flick out of the car if ever required. Lets hope I never have to!!

[vicrc]

I always check my voltage before I fly, kind of like a routine. Even though I know I charged them all last night.

http://www.commonsenserc.com/product_info.php?cPath=45&products_id=548&osCsid=q18bnri115elnqk0t6410c89i6

[mjdee14]

I bought one of the below meters from HL.....I have to admit, It's one of the best products I have ever purchased. I use it more than I ever imagined. I keep it in my pocket and check the remaining charge left in the packs after landing, and many times can make another flight before discharge.....

It shows voltage on all cells at the same time, it will switch to percentage of charge and percentage of balance....

You can check each battery before installation.....you can leave it plugged in while charging and watch the cells as they come up....

I love it.....it's a little pricey compared to the one above, but this does so much more....

if you break down and buy it....you'll wonder how you lived without it...


http://www.hobby-lobby.com/cellmeter.htm

[mysticmead]

WOW... for the price of the one that would display a 6s you could get a Eagletree and display...

[mjdee14]

WOW... for the price of the one that would display a 6s you could get a Eagletree and display...

Your right....it is expensive..... but with an ET you have to hook up the lipos....

I have 7 sets of 550 lipos.....that's 14 batteries to keep track of and charge..(real pain) but I get over 35 mins actual flight time and charge a few while I'm flying.....

I can tell in a second the voltage, charge remaining, and state of balance. Maybe they will come down a little.....

And had I seen common sence rc $12.95 one....I most likely would have gone for that.....it will at least tell you the voltage...

if I save ONE lipo....it paid for itself...

[gpach]

"if I save ONE lipo....it paid for itself..."


I like this saying. This is the reason I use as high a quailty components as I can afford on my larger helis.

I have 4 cellpros set up in my charging box and I can tell the voltage and balance of any battery by just plugging them in. I think I need to make a habit of checking all the batteries as I load up to go out flying, for all the machines. May take a few extra mins but will eliminate any partial charged cells.

Wish they would hurry up and develop a new battery technology that had the weight of the standard lippos and the recharge/discharge capabilities of the A123. Then a guy could just have one set of batteries mounted in the machine and not worry to much about charging.

[Drew816]

Just ordered one of the Common Sense CELL SPY's for my kit, $13+ it's cheap insurance for sure. Plus like today, my Lipo alarms go off, I bring the bird down and land and call it a successful flight and I go to re-charge the batteries 30+ minutes later to find I've only used 40-60% of their available power; I could have FLOWN longer darnit! This isn't a major crisis mind you but since it's hard for me to get out to fly when I finally do I want to get as much time in as possible if you know what I mean.

I keep my charged and need to be charged batteries in two different areas and if I'm not sure I put them on my Cell Pro 4s before heading out to fly. Plus I run Lipo alarms as another backup just in case; there's another cheap investment that can save you some heartache down the road (which was discussed recently in a Lipo Alarm thread by the way).

Happy Flying!