PDA

View Full Version : Sending lipos back to HK for warranty work



syncronized77
10-04-2010, 02:20 PM
One of my hardcase 5000mah 20c lipos just went belly up and its only been 4 months since I got it from HobbyKing.

It still charges and balances but there's no power coming through the powerleads...so I'm guessing a loose solder somewhere.

And I just got a quote from Canadapost to ship via the absolute cheapest way and its $40!!:cursing: That's twice as much as I paid for it!!!

Lesson learnt....is there such a thing as a US supplier of cheap lipos? :Praying:

Doby
10-04-2010, 02:55 PM
Why even try,,,so a 20 dollar battery died...so what, either try and repair it yourself (if you feel confident enough) or toss it and order a new one.

Come on, its a 20 dollar LiPo.........

JMSCARD
10-04-2010, 03:01 PM
Why even try,,,so a 20 dollar battery died...so what, either try and repair it yourself (if you feel confident enough) or toss it and order a new one.

Come on, its a 20 dollar LiPo.........

Yeah... just my thinking.... I have a dead cell in each one of my $260 6s 5000mah 30c polyquests that I just got in Feb. of this year... I didn't run them only 5 cycles...left the sitting at storage level and cycled a couple times but now this last time one cell wont charge above 3.8 volts in each of the two packs.... So I am out $520.... but I am just gonna try and turn them into 5s packs instead.... but anyhow.... any pack can go bad...heck they are lipos....just be happy its a $20 one...lol... I run alot of turnigy and zippy packs... when they finally do go bad I smile and think how reasonable it was to "pitch" compared to a big dollar pack...

LiPo Power
10-04-2010, 07:06 PM
FYI, Hk warranty on LiPos:

Each battery brand has it's own warranty time limit. Our standard Lipoly warranty limit is 30 days, unless otherwise stated in the product listing.

...so Doby is right, just get another one, or two, or three....
..or get Thunder Power... :smile:

Robert





One of my hardcase 5000mah 20c lipos just went belly up and its only been 4 months since I got it from HobbyKing.

It still charges and balances but there's no power coming through the powerleads...so I'm guessing a loose solder somewhere.

And I just got a quote from Canadapost to ship via the absolute cheapest way and its $40!!:cursing: That's twice as much as I paid for it!!!

Lesson learnt....is there such a thing as a US supplier of cheap lipos? :Praying:

syncronized77
10-06-2010, 07:40 PM
Well I opened it up and here she is....looks like there's no loose soldering points...I checked each cell and one is sitting at 4.17V the other is at 4.18V. So I tried playing with the wires just to see if I could get a spark...nada nothing...BUT

when I tried connecting some wires to the PCB where the wires terminate...I got the infamous electrical *CRACK*...scared the beejesuz outta me! LOL

So it looks like the pos/neg wires are bad....is it possible for wires to go bad?

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy171/syncronized77/Brushless%20Boats/IMG_2170.jpg
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy171/syncronized77/Brushless%20Boats/IMG_2171.jpg

Rumdog
10-06-2010, 07:44 PM
Check the connectors. Are they the Generic Deans? I've had some of those on smaller models that were brand new and no good.

syncronized77
10-06-2010, 08:09 PM
I don't think its the dean connectors...and I don't have a voltmeter to measure the voltage across the solder points...but when I tested it by touching it with a couple of 5.5mm bullets...that's when it gave the big *CRACK*

What I'll most likely do is unsolder the old wires and put new ones on to see if that works, because like I said earlier...I'm able to charge it and balance it through the balance connector....weird

LiPo Power
10-06-2010, 09:13 PM
Well, go for it but make sure you remember about:flashfire:
Lipos are crazy man......
Robert

Fluid
10-06-2010, 10:29 PM
Maybe I'm just lucky, but of the twenty LiPo packs I have, the only problem I've had was a couple of broken balance wires in one pack. That's going back 3+ years and unknown hundreds of cycles. A few got wet, but I opened them up and dried them...and they work as well as before. Lucky?

None of the packs had cheap Chinese cells, most were Enerlands. Brands - ThunderPower, FlightPower and Hyperion. All were well cared for, none ever discharged below 3 volts, none over 150*F, all stored at ~3.8 volts. Lucky? You be the judge.

Quality LiPos are not crazy, only the owners are...;)
.

Doby
10-06-2010, 10:54 PM
Maybe I'm just lucky, but of the twenty LiPo packs I have, the only problem I've had was a couple of broken balance wires in one pack. That's going back 3+ years and unknown hundreds of cycles. A few got wet, but I opened them up and dried them...and they work as well as before. Lucky?

None of the packs had cheap Chinese cells, most were Enerlands. Brands - ThunderPower, FlightPower and Hyperion. All were well cared for, none ever discharged below 3 volts, none over 150*F, all stored at ~3.8 volts. Lucky? You be the judge.

Quality LiPos are not crazy, only the owners are...;)
.

So they had "expensive" Chinese cells.................:confused2:

syncronized77
10-06-2010, 11:01 PM
soldered on new wires....we're back in BUSINESS!!!:rockon2:

Doby
10-06-2010, 11:05 PM
Excellent!

Fluid
10-07-2010, 07:40 AM
So they had "expensive" Chinese cells.................:confused2:
Enerland cells (the cells used by the makers above) are/were made in Korea, not China. Sadly it seems that the LiPo market may be going the same way that nickel cells did. NiMH cells were originally made in Japan(Sanyo) but Chinese junk undercut them and in a few years most all were made in China. NiMH cells of today are nothing like the ones we got 5 years ago....

And yes there can be "expensive" Chinese cells, compared to "cheap" Chinese cells. The manufacturer of any cell has a range of quality in each lot of cells. Some are much better than others. (Modelers are fooled by thinking that just because something is made in a certain factory that all the products are identical - not so.) The pack maker pays more for the better cells, the packs he makes are better, and he sells them at a higher price. In spite of rationalizations some modelers make insisting that it doesn't matter how much or how little one pays for a pack, they are all the same - there is a difference. You do get what you pay for. Caveat Emptor.


.

Doby
10-07-2010, 07:53 AM
One factory in China ..."LiPos R Us" supplies all the brands.......

Fluid
10-07-2010, 04:29 PM
Really? Then this page is all BS?

http://energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byP/batP/batt/btora/bType/lipoly/byB/mfg/byGeo/byC/byC.shtml

:doh:

.

Jeff Wohlt
10-07-2010, 06:16 PM
With all the brand name scamming and this one selling that and vice versa...I do not trust any names anymore. I seriously doubt a U.S. manufact supplies any of LIPOS....kinda like the Castle brand of motors...CHINA! Castle connectors..CHINA...and the list goes on and on and on. Just because a USA company lists them as lipo manufac still does not conclude anything. Smoking mirrors.

My bearing struts ARE made in the USA....yes...at my home...but the parts are from china! I can legally say the bearing strut is made in the USA and can't be touched.

Follow the money and you will find your sources.

I trust results. Jay knows how to care for packs. He may have gotten the same results from cheapo packs if maintained like he does...who knows.

Jeff Wohlt
10-07-2010, 06:24 PM
For instance. Read below...see any issues? Facilities in CHINA that actually make them. BUT they ARE A USA company and tout they are...and list under USA battery company.

Valence Technology use strategically located facilities to service customers globally.
Austin, Texas Corporate Headquarters

North & South America Sales, Marketing, Finance and Administration
Corporate Management
Applications Engineering Support
Product Engineering Group

Mallusk, Northern Ireland

Europe, Middle East and Africa Sales and Marketing
Applications Engineering Support

Suzhou China (Valence Energy Tech)
Established in May 2004 with an initial investment of $15 million, two facilities located in close proximity provide over 100,000-square-feet of manufacturing space for U-Charge® and employ over 400 people.

LiPo Power
10-07-2010, 07:48 PM
Ohhh, no, no ,no... Not all China products are made from China parts, check this,
Few words from HK website description of T-180 ESC;

TURNIGY marine ESCs are built with USA IR mosFETs for long run times and less heat. :w00t:

Doby
10-07-2010, 08:18 PM
Really? Then this page is all BS?

http://energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byP/batP/batt/btora/bType/lipoly/byB/mfg/byGeo/byC/byC.shtml

:doh:

.

If people are gullible enough to belive everything they read,,,,then yes.

norbique
11-02-2010, 06:26 PM
Ohhh, no, no ,no... Not all China products are made from China parts, check this,
Few words from HK website description of T-180 ESC;

TURNIGY marine ESCs are built with USA IR mosFETs for long run times and less heat. :w00t:

I wouldn't take for granted that IR actually manufactures those mosFETs in the USA...

tiqueman
11-02-2010, 07:01 PM
Sync, past the conversation and argument of who makes what, because frankly, who cares, to possibly help your situation in the future. Next time you get batteries.. and I run nothing but Turnigys now for a year and out of about 16 ive had one go bad, so for the price, I dont think you can beat them, get a higher 'C" rating. My first set of lipos were Reedy 20C 5000mah 2S packs for my BJ26. I puffed one when I went to a 642 and they would come in at 140-147F. I went to Turnigy 30 and 40C and they come in around 100-105F. Im in no way saying "C" rating caused wire failure, just recommending a higher C next time you order.

syncronized77
11-05-2010, 12:30 AM
Yeah I'm running Turnigy 5000mah 40C hardcases with the stock 5.5 bullets...I'll most likely have a hard time puffing these

domwilson
11-05-2010, 01:15 AM
In case anyone was wondering... http://www.enerland.com/ETC/overview.asp

tiqueman
11-05-2010, 01:31 AM
No No No, Hobby City makes them in thier basement :blah::blah::sarcasm1:

Krowbar69
11-05-2010, 03:14 AM
What about Max Amp batteries??

syncronized77
11-05-2010, 08:32 AM
Also, I figured out why it cost so much to ship back to China (not that I would've anyway)... the box I used was too small....once I put it in a bigger box, the shipping cost went down to $6+ LOL go figure?

I just can't wait until HK gets their act together and allows Canadians to purchase out of their US Warehouse!!

steve-b
11-15-2010, 09:55 PM
WOW, that was quite the read.
I would like to see HK sell to Canada from US aswell.

GP73
11-15-2010, 10:38 PM
Also keep in mind that mailing Lipo batteries is probably illegal.

I just checked Canadapost regulations on the following page, section 6: http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGnonmail-e.asp#1378311



Also, I figured out why it cost so much to ship back to China (not that I would've anyway)... the box I used was too small....once I put it in a bigger box, the shipping cost went down to $6+ LOL go figure?

I just can't wait until HK gets their act together and allows Canadians to purchase out of their US Warehouse!!

LiPo Power
11-15-2010, 10:51 PM
Just say HOBBY PARTS GIFT USED Etc and hold your breath... :tape:

BakedMopar
11-16-2010, 12:10 AM
According to hobby citys lipo return policy, even if you buy from USA you need to send them back to hong kong for warranty claims.

syncronized77
11-16-2010, 01:24 PM
Also keep in mind that mailing Lipo batteries is probably illegal.

I just checked Canadapost regulations on the following page, section 6: http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGnonmail-e.asp#1378311

I totally got busted by the Shoppers Drug Mart mailing clerk…he straight up asked me, "Is this some sort of lipo battery? The ones you put in RC Cars?"

I was like, "ummmm…its NIMH actually" :Praying: And then he said…"well it's a battery, I don't think I can ship it." :cursing:

hookedup
01-13-2011, 09:18 PM
i just ordered and recieved 8 2s 5000"s (40c) from the USA warehouse of HC. the box arrived in 4 days to hawaii. all packs read 7.5-7.6 volts with each cell at 3.80-3.82 EXCEPT one pack which reads 1.9volts (.985 per cell). i started to file a warranty claim, but realized i would have to ship the pack to china. is it really worth it? after all, like its been stated here, its only a $20 pack. i'll just try to "rescue" it.

tiqueman
01-13-2011, 10:49 PM
I had one do the same thing. Try placing it on a NIMH charge at .2A. Stay near it to make sure all stays safe. Let it go for 5 or 10 minutes, then check it. Once it gets up to a certain voltage (around 2.8per cell I think it was) your lipo charger will recognize it. Give it a slow full charge. HOpefully it will be fine. Mines now a year old and balances out perfectly every charge.

Hope that helps.

LiPo Power
01-14-2011, 12:05 AM
No! If you only have one to sent it back it is not worth it.
Purchase another few or try what the above post is saying. I have done this in the past and it will work... Keep your eye on it...





i just ordered and recieved 8 2s 5000"s (40c) from the USA warehouse of HC. the box arrived in 4 days to hawaii. all packs read 7.5-7.6 volts with each cell at 3.80-3.82 EXCEPT one pack which reads 1.9volts (.985 per cell). i started to file a warranty claim, but realized i would have to ship the pack to china. is it really worth it? after all, like its been stated here, its only a $20 pack. i'll just try to "rescue" it.

hookedup
01-14-2011, 03:19 AM
thanks Tiqueman, i'll try that first thing tomorrow.

Insaniac
01-20-2011, 07:37 PM
With all the brand name scamming and this one selling that and vice versa...I do not trust any names anymore. I seriously doubt a U.S. manufact supplies any of LIPOS....kinda like the Castle brand of motors...CHINA! Castle connectors..CHINA...and the list goes on and on and on. Just because a USA company lists them as lipo manufac still does not conclude anything. Smoking mirrors.

My bearing struts ARE made in the USA....yes...at my home...but the parts are from china! I can legally say the bearing strut is made in the USA and can't be touched.

Follow the money and you will find your sources.

I trust results. Jay knows how to care for packs. He may have gotten the same results from cheapo packs if maintained like he does...who knows.

You might want to check this:
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard

hyrulejedi86
01-20-2011, 07:57 PM
If it makes any difference I was on hobby king's website and they had a pop up when I was looking at batteries and they said that a US warranty center is going to be in place soon!!!!


:thumbup: