MAAA Wingspan - Quarterly Magazine

26 If there’s one thing that I’ve found that separates hobby- grade RC vehicles, helicopters, planes and boats from the toy grade of similar types, it’s probably the batteries we use. By this I don’t mean in terms of speed or power but the level of danger given the type and capacity of our batteries. Using LiPo batteries can be especially risky, and improper battery care really is amajor cause of fire incidents in our homes/workshops, car and even trailers when charging. Many of our members have found this out themselves over the years and it is one thing that certainly concerns me. It’s all very well thinking that these things always happen to someone else, but when your car or home is burnt (and believeme I have seen and spoken to guys who this has happened to!) you won’t be so keen to talk lightly about battery care. The amount of power we pack into our hobby-grade batteries is always going tomake it a volatile thing; and I don’t think there’s a way around it. So, ensuring you do your best to treat yours properly, handle themwith respect, spot the warning signs and dispose of them safely is the best advice one can take on board. Battery care can be a little confusing and is certainly a steep learning curve to get your head around, so here is a list of my top tips, (follow these, and you should be okay!): 1. Ensure you’re using the correct charger in the correct way for your batteries. Charging is themost dangerous phase of hobby battery use, and it’s crucial that you get it right. LiPo batteries must be charged using a specialised charger, and nothing else. This charger must be set up correctly for the voltage and number of cells in your battery. Mistakes in this area are themost common cause of battery problems. 2. Keep your batteries in a safe place. Investing in a LiPo Kevlar bag is a good tip, but by itself won’t be enough. The batteries need to be kept and charged in a completely non-flammable place (e.g. on concrete), that has good ventilation. Keeping a bucket of sand nearby and on hand in case of emergencies is another way to ensure the area is safer. 3. Use the hand test. You don’t need any fancy or expensive equipment to tell you if your battery is overheating. All you need to do is try and hold it in your bare hands, (be careful as it may burn!). LiPo batteries should never warmup when being charged. If they do, something’s wrong. You should stop using or charging a warm LiPo battery. Place your battery in a fire-safe place to cool down before trying to figure out what is wrong. All this will do in a NiCAD or NiMH is reduce efficiency. However, if your battery overheats like this often, it may be faulty, so look into getting a replacement. JOE ‘WISE’ WANGID: LI-PO BATTERIES