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Decided to clarify my past approach to lipo safety. The following procedures I used, I believe has provided me with the highest level of protection against personal injury or property damage. And while reviewing these procedures against what was being promoted and practiced, I believe I met my goals. These procedures were specific to Radio Control Race Boats and did not apply to other RC vehicles. I of course will be eventually changing to a metal box to meet the requirements of the battery manufacturer for insurance and litigation purposes. Even while I believe this increases the chance for an incident I understand how insurance and litigation processes work.
WHY I BELIEVE CHARGING IN THE BOAT IS/WAS THE SAFEST PROCEDURE:
The boat became the hard case for my Lipos. The mounting in the boat satisfies the concerns associated with the frail construction of the Lipos as identified by Mr. Ling. This provided a much reduced repetitive handling issue that the cells are not designed for. This reduces significantly the pulling of the wires, damage to the edges and general flexing of the many thin anode and cathode layers within the cell. In the case of a fire the boat itself by its design, would have directed the flames upward and not outward. The boat provided a vessel for which to contain the fire long enough for immediate remedial action. Remedial action was to be: fill the boat with sand, spray the open boat with approved fire extinguisher, cover the boat with a weighed down fire-retardant blanket or remove the boat to safe ground or a steel drum. While charging Lipos in the boat I am able to monitor them for electrical cross connection, temperature increases, puffing and any other damage that may be showing. This monitoring alone increased the safety level to a level far above what is currently being promoted or practiced. I could do this monitoring without exposing my hands or face to the dangers. Because I have my cells in the boat and ready between heats on race days I don’t have the hurry up high stress level that I have witnessed with other racers trying to slam their cells into their boats when the CD is yelling at them to hurry up. I have witnessed a lot of dangerous incidents from this “hurry up-stressed” environment alone. This hurry up issue on race day will need to be addressed.
RC RACE BOAT CONSTRUCTION:
The section of the boat that accepts the Lipos for installation is constructed in way that does not allow the Lipos to move out of position or displace themselves during aggressive running. The area that holds the Lipos is free of sharp edges and contains stuffing type materials that reduce the vibration of the Lipos during boat operations. Heavy duty Velcro or other mounting apparatuses are used to lock the Lipos in place. One of my boats take as much as 10 minutes to remove the cells and 10 minutes to re-install due to the protective structure.
LIPO CARE AND INSPECTION:
My Lipos are cycled prior to all organized venues and at least twice per year. This cycling indicates to me which packs are becoming weak and or which pack to keep an eye on. All packs are physically checked all the time for damage and puffing. Any puffed packs showing more than a slight puff are removed from my inventory. Once I get back from a race I pull the packs from the boat. This allows the boat and the Lipos to dry thoroughly. Also gives me a chance to better inspect the Lipo. After a heavy weekend of running, I again cycle my Lipos looking for any suspect cell. Cyclying involves starting at the 60% storage level and charging up full. All the while tracking the time it takes and watching the individual cell balancing. The cells are then discharged down to 30% and then charged back to the 60% level. Again watching for any cell that is not balancing out. Any suspect cell found goes through a repeat process. Packs that do not cycle properly are pulled from my inventory. Damaged cells (physical, over-disharged, over-charged, out of balance, high resistance) are the dangerous cells. Monitor this and you have addressed 90% of the safety issues. I know my cells - do you know yours?
LIPO STORAGE:
All my Lipos are stored at the 60% storage level as recommended. I am currently revising my home storage system to include metal compartment containers so I do not have more than 4 packs stored together. They will be in a fire place we do not use so they will also stay in the cooler air conditioned environment.
Disclaimer - I do not represent any organized racing association.
Doug
WHY I BELIEVE CHARGING IN THE BOAT IS/WAS THE SAFEST PROCEDURE:
The boat became the hard case for my Lipos. The mounting in the boat satisfies the concerns associated with the frail construction of the Lipos as identified by Mr. Ling. This provided a much reduced repetitive handling issue that the cells are not designed for. This reduces significantly the pulling of the wires, damage to the edges and general flexing of the many thin anode and cathode layers within the cell. In the case of a fire the boat itself by its design, would have directed the flames upward and not outward. The boat provided a vessel for which to contain the fire long enough for immediate remedial action. Remedial action was to be: fill the boat with sand, spray the open boat with approved fire extinguisher, cover the boat with a weighed down fire-retardant blanket or remove the boat to safe ground or a steel drum. While charging Lipos in the boat I am able to monitor them for electrical cross connection, temperature increases, puffing and any other damage that may be showing. This monitoring alone increased the safety level to a level far above what is currently being promoted or practiced. I could do this monitoring without exposing my hands or face to the dangers. Because I have my cells in the boat and ready between heats on race days I don’t have the hurry up high stress level that I have witnessed with other racers trying to slam their cells into their boats when the CD is yelling at them to hurry up. I have witnessed a lot of dangerous incidents from this “hurry up-stressed” environment alone. This hurry up issue on race day will need to be addressed.
RC RACE BOAT CONSTRUCTION:
The section of the boat that accepts the Lipos for installation is constructed in way that does not allow the Lipos to move out of position or displace themselves during aggressive running. The area that holds the Lipos is free of sharp edges and contains stuffing type materials that reduce the vibration of the Lipos during boat operations. Heavy duty Velcro or other mounting apparatuses are used to lock the Lipos in place. One of my boats take as much as 10 minutes to remove the cells and 10 minutes to re-install due to the protective structure.
LIPO CARE AND INSPECTION:
My Lipos are cycled prior to all organized venues and at least twice per year. This cycling indicates to me which packs are becoming weak and or which pack to keep an eye on. All packs are physically checked all the time for damage and puffing. Any puffed packs showing more than a slight puff are removed from my inventory. Once I get back from a race I pull the packs from the boat. This allows the boat and the Lipos to dry thoroughly. Also gives me a chance to better inspect the Lipo. After a heavy weekend of running, I again cycle my Lipos looking for any suspect cell. Cyclying involves starting at the 60% storage level and charging up full. All the while tracking the time it takes and watching the individual cell balancing. The cells are then discharged down to 30% and then charged back to the 60% level. Again watching for any cell that is not balancing out. Any suspect cell found goes through a repeat process. Packs that do not cycle properly are pulled from my inventory. Damaged cells (physical, over-disharged, over-charged, out of balance, high resistance) are the dangerous cells. Monitor this and you have addressed 90% of the safety issues. I know my cells - do you know yours?
LIPO STORAGE:
All my Lipos are stored at the 60% storage level as recommended. I am currently revising my home storage system to include metal compartment containers so I do not have more than 4 packs stored together. They will be in a fire place we do not use so they will also stay in the cooler air conditioned environment.
Disclaimer - I do not represent any organized racing association.
Doug
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