Ok, I took the plunge a 3 cell and a 2 cell Etech and a Triton with a temp probe.

Now where do you guys charge? I know the horror stories.

Do I charge in the garage, leave 'em out in the driveway! Or charge them in my building room, while I am in the room? Which is safer...close supervision or out of the house?

I am planning on using an old pyrex dish as my vessel.

input?
David

I put mine in a coffe can while charging.just dont leave to go the the store or anything and keep a eye on them to make sure they dont get hot.
luke.

I charge mine in my dorm living room, on my desk, with a homebuilt charger, while I'm in class... no problems EVER. The only way I've managed to kill these things is to feed them way too much voltage for too long (I sent 20V at 3A into a 1020 2s pack for 3 hrs one day, and still no explosion). I run kokams almost exclusively if you're wondering

I keep mine in a "Sentry" portable fireproof safe ($19.00 Looks like a small lunch box from Office Max) on my basement floor away from everything.

Leaving it Unattended on a desk is just asking for trouble. Eventually you will pay the price.

Ed

Li-Poly fires can burn through metal and I do not recommend a metal container for charging. The Pyrex is a good idea but make sure you find some kind of lid to keep a possible explosion from throwing burning hot debree out of the container. The only charger I have for charging my Li-Poly's is the little BEL and it does a good job but I do not have a power supply to charge with so I have to charge in my vehicle while it is running in order to provide the voltage and amps necessary to fully charge 3s1p packs. Some people have questioned this and don't think it is very smart but I built a ceramic box out of high quality ceramic tile that the heat of a Li-Poly fire or the force of an explosion cannot penetrate. Ceramic tiles are what the outer armor on the M1A1 abrams tank is and they can defeat depleted uranium armor peircing projectiles so I am confident that my setup is safe from fire or explosion.

Errrrr, I kinda doubt you've obtained any ceramic near as tough as the chobham armor on the Abrams. It's true make up is a closely guarded secret.

The interior of the Sentry has asbestos sandwiched between the case and the inside. Really a pretty slick setup. There is no bare metal exposed to the battery.
Ed

O.K. so I'm not going to be stopping any anti tank rounds but ceramics can withstand heat that would make steel turn to a molten liquid that would flow like water. That is why the tiles on the space shuttle are ceramic, so what do you have to say about that, huh!

Ed

That sounds pretty safe (pun intended ) I have read several posts where people have used simple metal boxes or a safe without any kind of fire proof liner and if they do experience a fire they may be in for a nasty surprise since Li-Poly fires sometimes have a "blowtorch" type of flame, and I have even heard of packs flying off of work benches onto a floor where they could ignite combustible floor coverings. I happened to have some ceramic tile laying around and before I used it I used an acetylene cutting torch to test it's fireproof properties. Didn't cost me a dime but not everyone has ceramic tile laying around so your safe is a good idea and I would highly recommend that anyone deciding to use Li-Poly's get something like the Sentry you recommend.

You guys are all wusses. I charge mine under my pillow when I sleep!


Well seriously....I charge on the basement floor away from everything. Maybe I should get some kind of container though after reading all of this?

I've been using Kokams for almost as long as they have been available and haven't had any problems.

Mike

I had $30,000 worth of damage done to my house from a LiPo fire. There wasn't any structrual damage, just smoke and soot damage. It was a three month ordeal to get the house back to normal. The wife and I even had to move out for three weeks while work was getting done to it. Not a fun thing to go through.

Charge your batteries outside the house away from any combustable materials if you can't watch them continually while they are charging. The smoke damage alone can be more than you realize or thought about if anything around it catches fire.

Typically I charge mine on the patio with everything else cleared off around it.

I'm moving this to the batteries and chargers forum.

Martin

Blue Max,

Check out this 15V Wall Wart from MECI:
http://www.meci.com/default.asp?mode...s&category=216
MECI Part Number: 600-0413

$3.95. You have to replace the plug on the end with one from RadioShack to fit the BEL, but it works a treat! Even though MECI's minimum order is $20, it's still cheaper than paying for gas to run your car all the time...

Charge Lipos in a Pyrex baking dish which sits on a welding/ceramic tile, topped off with another Pyrex dish, upside-down on top. Packs are stored in a Sentry safe, as mentioned above, on a concrete floor (shed) outside of the house.

Yes, the horror stories are not just stories, real people suffered real trauma, and lost not just property, but also a sense of security; in many ways an irreplaceable element.

First, always make sure your settings match the pack you are charging. Never exceed 1C charge rate, and never charge a 2 cell pack on the 3 cell setting. So far, every li-po accident I've read about was due to wrong charger settings or a pack being damaged in a crash. One of these days the manufacturers are going to have to step up and dummy-proof the chargers. Anyone can get distracted while putting a pack on the charger, and that can lead to disaster.

As for location, I personally charge in the garage and monitor the packs (check temps by hand) every 10 minutes or so. I double or triple check charger settings for every pack charged.

On the power supply, I highly recommend a regulated supply. The voltage can fluctuate substantially on an unregulated supply leading to a damaged charger and/ or packs. I got my 3 amp supply at Radio Shack that I use to run my BEL charger and SC-2 (2 port) charger simultaneously. Works great!