Are Lipos Bad for My Airsoft Gun

Proper Option, Care and Use for Your LiPo Batteries

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LiPo batteries (short for Lithium Polymer) are a blazon of rechargeable battery that has taken the hobby earth by storm. LiPos have three main things going for them that brand them a perfect power source for your AEG, over NiCd or NiMH batteries.
• They are lightweight and can exist made in merely virtually whatever shape and size.
• They have large charge capacities; capable of holding much more energy than the same size NiCd or NiMH batteries.
• They have high discharge rates with the capability to supply more ability to fifty-fifty the most enervating AEG.

There are some mutual myths regarding LiPo batteries that I want to address in this article.

MYTH NUMBER I – LIPOS ARE Dangerous

LiPo Battery Myths Exposed

The kickoff, and probably the most mutual myth is that LiPo batteries are very dangerous to use and tin easily explode. This is not really a myth, as improper care and feeding of these batteries tin, indeed, crusade them to explode. While the same thing can agree true with NiCd and NiMH batteries, nosotros take all seen the drama unfold on YouTube videos where a LiPo pack unleashes a ball of fire while spewing shrapnel upon failure. While these videos are ever cool to watch, they practice instill fear in many people who are thinking about making the switch, specially when the batteries are to exist installed in a weapon that is held close to your body.

Fear non! The key to fugitive your own personal fireworks prove is to invest in a good charger, understand the charge and discharge capacities of your battery and always visually audit the packs before using, charging or storing.

LiPo batteries have iii main ratings to tell you lot what the battery chapters is; number of cells (i.e. voltage), C-rating and current capacity. You volition commonly hear a LiPo bombardment being referred to every bit two, three, 4 or more "jail cell" pack. They can also be noted every bit sure number "S" battery, i.eastward. "2S" or "3S". Each LiPo jail cell has a nominal voltage of 3.vii. So a typical two-cell or 2S battery will accept a voltage of vii.four and a iii-cell or 3S pack will take a voltage of eleven.1. If you are used to using a typical NiMH or NiCd 8.iv volt battery, then you demand to make up one's mind if you should use a 2S or 3S as a LiPo replacement. In theory, a 2S (or 7.4V) LiPo should produce a slightly lower charge per unit of fire whereas a 3S (or 11.1V) pack should demonstrate a higher rate of fire than the viii.4V battery. However, since LiPo batteries have a lower internal resistance and have the ability to unload current more speedily, in many cases you volition not run into a performance loss when moving from an viii.4V NiCd to a 2S (or 7.4V) LiPo bombardment; in fact you might meet a performance improvement. Withal, moving to a 3S (or 11.1V) LiPo volition almost likely requite you a higher charge per unit of burn. Because of this, I always propose you verify that your gun'southward mechanics are acceptable to handle the increased load. In my experience, most are, particularly since you are not increasing the voltage by that much, but if your AEG is pushing the limits with an 8.4V bombardment, so I would not move to a 3S LiPo.

LiPo Battery Myths Exposed

MYTH NUMBER TWO – LIPOS ARE Too POWERFUL FOR MY AEG
This brings me to the 2nd common myth I hear; LiPo batteries are also powerful for annihilation but a heavily upgraded gun. To fully understand this myth and why it is simply not true in merely about all cases, we must talk near and sympathize the "C" rating, or discharge rate of the LiPo bombardment. The "C" rating refers to the belch capacity of the battery pack. I like shooting fish in a barrel analogy for understanding this is to think of the battery as a water pipe. The college the "C" rating, the larger the inside diameter of the pipe is, which ways it can handle a larger menstruum of water. In our case, we substitute water for current. To amend understand the "C" rating, we tin can convert the "C" rating to current (in amps) using this simple formula:
C Rating x Battery Capacity (in amp hours- Ah) = The Discharge Rate in Amps.

If we have a 2S 7.4V 2700mAh 30C LiPo battery, we tin can use the above formula to larn that this battery has an 81A rating (30C x 2.7Ah = 81A). This is non a number to freak out about every bit information technology is merely telling you the chapters. It does not hateful that in one case yous connect it to your gun you are forcing 81A of current through it. To compare, let'south look at a typical 8.4V 1600mAh NiMH bombardment that might come with an AEG. Well-nigh NiMH cells have a "C" rating of upward to 12C. Again, using the formula to a higher place, we can determine that this NiMH battery is capable of discharging 19.2A continuously. When y'all consider that the physical size and weight of both batteries mentioned are going to be very close, yous can encounter that the LiPo can give you lot much more blindside for your buck (pun intended).

Let's taking a await at my MK46 which requires about 23A to bulldoze the gearbox. This particular gun houses the mini NiMH battery that I mention to a higher place. The problem is that the gun requires 23A just the bombardment simply has a capability of producing nineteen.2A, which leaves the gun underpowered by close to 20%. To improve this, I can step up the battery to a ix.6V NiMH, provided at that place is room for the extra cell. However, in this example in that location is not. And then my only alternative is to look for a bombardment that has more than capacity for the same given size. Enter the LiPo!

Since the AEG requires 23A of current to run at its full potential, it will simply draw a maximum of 23A equally it cannot and will not use more current than it needs. Nonetheless, it volition try to pull as much as it needs. So with the stock battery, the motor and battery are overtaxed considering it is trying to draw 23A out of something that cannot mayhap supply information technology. Using the LiPo battery, I have 81A of available current and the MK46 volition only be using about 30% of its capability, allowing the gun to operate at its full potential while not overtaxing the system in any way. Besides notice that we are only using a 7.4V (2S) bombardment to operate the gun.

As you can see from the case above, the myth that your gun needs to be heavily upgraded to handle a LiPo battery is simply untrue, equally information technology is but going to use the maximum amount of current required to operate at 100%. In fact, there is an increased strain on your motor when you are forcing it to operate at its would-be full potential but you are non giving it the electric current required to exercise the job. Where this myth can possibly hold true is if your AEG internals are maxed out with an viii.4V battery and you determine to replace it with an eleven.1V (3S) LiPo. This increased voltage will cause the motor to spin faster and if your internals are not upwardly for the increased strain, you lot tin end up dissentious it. This really has nada to exercise with a LiPo battery though, every bit the same damage can occur if you put a college voltage NiMH bombardment in as well.

LiPo Battery Myths Exposed

MYTH NUMBER 3 – LIPOS Require A LOT OF SPECIAL Attention
The tertiary myth about LiPo batteries is that they require a lot of special attention and you demand to handle them with child gloves. First, a LiPo battery is not a baby and it's not fabricated of glass! You are non going to break if you handle it in the aforementioned style every bit a NiMH or NiCd pack. While LiPo batteries practise crave a little more attending to maximize their output and apply, you volition find that the long term benefits vastly outweigh whatever actress "attention" you demand to give them.

The starting time thing that I always recommend with any LiPo battery, even if make new out of the package, is to inspect it. When a LiPo cell starts to go bad it will tend to puff upward a little. Don't think that if it is make new that information technology should exist ok, considering I have seen LiPos that were going bad correct out of the box. If your battery pack has a rounded or puffy expect to information technology, then don't employ it. Send information technology dorsum to the manufacturer to take them inspect it. Additionally, and this holds true for whatsoever battery chemistry, be careful not to puncture it, brusque out the wires, prepare them on fire or drop them.

CHARGING
This is one area where I tend to overemphasize investing in a skillful charger. Yep, you tin can get by with a simple wall charger, but many times these chargers can take upwards to two hours to fully charge a LiPo and they usually practice not have any protection circuitry built-in to monitor your battery. A higher end charger, like the Dynamite Passport UltraForce, has the ability to fast charge a LiPo safely, polarity bank check and store multiple bombardment profiles in retention. The UltraForce charger comes with Tamiya, Deans and EC3 connectors too as an integrated balance excursion. Information technology has the capability to charge many types of battery chemistries in addition to LiPos, such equally NiMH and NiCd packs.

The balancing circuit is the key feature on whatever college-end charger. This circuit uses the smaller, multi-wire connector to monitor the condition of each jail cell independently from the pack equally a whole. Information technology makes certain that each cell is charged to the aforementioned level. Operation is unproblematic, just plug in the bombardment and the charger does the rest.

Permit's talk about accuse electric current for a second. In the aforementioned mode there is a "C" rating for the discharge capacity, in that location is likewise a recommended "C" rating for charging the LiPo. As an example, if a LiPo pack has a chapters of 2000mAh and it has a charge "C" rating of 5C, that technically ways that the battery tin handle an input current of 10A (5C x 2Ah). I personally similar to err on the side of caution and never charge any of my LiPo batteries at more than 2C. But because the label says yous tin can, does not mean information technology is the all-time practise, and charging a LiPo at its max "C" rating can lower the lifespan of the pack. Accuse "C" rating is also a handy mode to point estimated charge time. For example, a 1C charge rate would signal that you charge the bombardment at its rated capacity. With the battery in a higher place, if I was to accuse it at 1C, or 2Ah (2000mAh), I can estimate a charge time of ane hour. I am charging information technology at two amp hours, or two amps per hr. If I increment the charge charge per unit to 2C, or 4Ah (4000mAh) then I can estimate a maximum charge fourth dimension of thirty minutes. I know a lot of people that are impatient and will crank the charger to the max charge rate. I personally adopt to have more than one pack on mitt so I can charge them at a safer rate and yet savour the hobby with no downtime.

I also strongly propose investing in a LiPo sack for charging. This is just a precaution considering if your LiPo is damaged and you lot are unaware of it and trying to accuse it, there is a chance it could ignite. Because a LiPo ignites and then violently, these charge sacks volition contain the fire while venting out the excessive gas without risk to items or people around information technology.

LiPo Battery Myths Exposed

WHEN TO Charge?
LiPo batteries do not like to be discharged below 3V per cell. Doing so excessively will damage the battery. While I understand that you are not going to have a voltmeter on during the rut of battle, my best advice is to finish using the bombardment every bit soon as y'all feel its performance decrease. A LiPo will maintain pretty steady performance and then drop off suddenly as the pack depletes, so as soon every bit y'all feel the rate of burn decrease, terminate and charge or swap the battery out with a fresh pack.

LIPO STORAGE
Storing a LiPo battery is pretty much the same as any other bombardment. However, virtually higher-end chargers will have a feature to charge your LiPo for storage. It volition balance the cells and leave the pack at a safe voltage. If you belch your battery and and so leave it for a long period of time, there is a gamble it will not recharge to its full chapters, so the storage feature on the charger is invaluable. I besides advise leaving LiPo batteries in a metal ammo tin or in separate LiPo sacks if y'all intend to get out them unattended for a long period of fourth dimension. There is always the fear that if i pack goes up, it will take the rest with information technology, and so this trivial precaution will allow you to sleep better at night.

IN SUMMARY
Now that yous know what you lot can await in terms of increased performance by switching to a LiPo battery, your side by side job is to find one that will physically fit your gun. In that location are a lot of options out there and since LiPos are becoming more commonplace, you volition see many manufacturers in the time to come providing LiPos in all shapes and sizes for a variety of AEG applications. Just remember to read the characterization and invest in a charger that will safely monitor and balance your LiPo while charging.

LINKS
Dynamite, dynamiterc.com, 217-352-1913

Words By: Erick Royer
Photos: Walter Sidas