Safety First

            Let’s start with Batteries. The battery is most likely to be the first thing you will have to deal with. In researching Battery charging and safety, (due to a hard learned lesson) it is important to know your battery type and charging requirements. I know this is the dry read part of the Heli world but bare with it, you’ll be happier and safer in the long run.

 All batteries should be placed in a fire safe container (i.e. Metal or tile lined box, Pyrex works well) (get your wife permission for the Pyrex) the area should have good ventilation. READ and follow the battery and charger directions. It is my recommendation, if your can afford to do so, buy a high end charger with all the safety bells and whistles and be sure it’s the right charger type to match your battery. Never charge a battery with the incorrect charger, it can and will explode or start a fire.

 Never charge a battery in your RC, believe me on this one I have first hand knowledge and a pissed off wife to prove it. Research has shown me that, Li-ion is the most likely to burst and start a fire. (Here is that first hand stuff again) Li-pos are somewhat safer, but still have high risk factor. So don’t chance it, do it safely.

             Knowing your battery and the requirements is very important. The Voltage (v), milliamp hours (mah), and  C ratings, these are the factors used to set up and charge a battery safely. I’m no pro at this so, I’d suggest you do your own research for the battery(ies) you use.                                                      Written by CaptKDS

Getting personal with your battery!

Getting to know your battery types is the first step to you being safe and getting longer battery life. The information I’m about to pass on to you here is right out of owners manual for the Ice Intellipeak charger. Using the right type of charger for your battery is so important to your safety and your batteries well being I can’t even began to make a joke of it. In my personal experience even using the mini chargers that come with most RC kits can be risky.  I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again; if your wallet can handle to cost buy a top of the line computerized smart charger. In addition a charging system with a temperature  probe, is a smart idea. These chargers will not only be safer, but will give you the best battery life and with some batteries costing near $80.00 it worth getting all you can out of them.

Never and I do mean never us Ni chargers on LI batteries. It can and will cause a fire and/or explosion!  Now most of us know there is a difference between NI and LI batteries. Here are some of the things to know, NiCd and Nimh batteries are in cell packs with each cell having 1.20 volt per cell. So if you have a 7 cell pack 1.20v x 7 = 8.40v a 4 cell pack 4 x 1.20v = 4.80v. Li-po pack works this way 3.70v per cell, so a two cell equals 7.4v and so on. Li-ion are 3.60v per cell, so when you do the math a two cell Li-ion equals 7.20v

Mah (milli-amp hours) is your batteries capacity and is also known as C rating and should be listed on the battery. Mah works like this a 3300mah battery would have a 1C charge or discharge rating of 3300ma or 3.3 amps. A 2C rating for this battery would be (3.3 amps x 2) or 6.6 amps. Another example would a 700 mah battery has a 0.7 amps 1C rate. With this knowledge you can setup your charger. You must always follow your battery and charger instructions!

To review here’s a list to make it easier

Mah = capacity and C rating

Ni Cd and Nimh are 1.20v per cell

Li-pos are 3.70 per cell

Li-ions are 3.60 per cell

Mah or C rate is a matter of moving dismals.

There are many good web sites with much more detail on batteries and charging systems. Take the time to check out batteries and charger you maybe be using, it’s not only smart but just plain safer. 

                             Written by CaptKDS