Author Topic: Li-ion and Li-Po batterys  (Read 1349 times)

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Offline Jak24Topic starter

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Li-ion and Li-Po batterys
« on: August 16, 2010, 08:05:48 AM »
Hi!

I have been searching for a new battery and i have realized that Li-ion and Li-Po battery's are
light and best suited for  my requirements, but i also realized that Li-ion battery's have PCB's in that limit the current (at 4-8 A) but i would need more like 40 A (to handle the stall torque of the motors)  so i deiced to go with Li-Po battery's that don't have PCB's and can handle lots more current, but everywhere i look they all say "consider Ni-Mh instead" cause they are apparently dangerous and explosive if not handled properly and require special attention while charging.
Reading these made unsure... :-\
So my Question is: Could someone with experience with these battery's tell me would it be safe
for me to use these batterys, what precautoins should i take, and can I travel with it via Airplane or would the air pressure mess it up or something, and how can these battery's handle being hit ? (in my robot, as my robot collides and crashes with the wall fairly often)

Thanks

Regards

Jak24
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Offline Razor Concepts

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Re: Li-ion and Li-Po batterys
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2010, 08:48:05 AM »
The only times they will explode is if the cells get punctured, overly fast discharge, or overcharging.

They will be fine in airplanes, its just a matter of if the airline will accept lipo batteries. A good idea is to ship the lipos to your destination before you fly over

In high impact situations, look into hardcase lipos, they have a plastic shell over the normally soft and easily squishable cells.

Finally, for general storage, buy a lipo sack, it will save your house from burning down
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Offline Admin

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Re: Li-ion and Li-Po batterys
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2010, 02:18:47 PM »
The circuit is a protection/balancing circuit to prevent overcharging and damaging voltage drops. Many types out there, one may have the rating you want.

If you're afraid, try out LiFe batteries. Not as good as a LiPo in terms of energy density, but definitely much safer and easier to work with, and they last longer too.
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Offline klims

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Re: Li-ion and Li-Po batterys
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2010, 11:40:50 PM »
I've had a bit of experience with both LiPo's and Li-Ions and I don't think you should be scared off using either. I used LiPos in RC cars that take an absolute beating and they have come out ok. You just need to make sure you check the packs after a big crash.
Like Razor said go for something with a hard case if your scared. Some of the RC car packs have a stiff plastic tape around them that helps.

I have only ever had one Li-Ion fire and it was pretty insane. No where near as bad as if it would have been LiPos though. I was so glad I assessed the situation and put some thought into which chemistry I would use.

What cell setup are you looking at using? How many volts/mAh are you looking for?
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