Martin Whybrow Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 In Homebase yesterday and noticed they're doing a special on toolboxes; amongst the piles of boxes I spotted some metal toolboxes that look to be ideal for LiPos and a bargain at only £4.65; it's not listed on their website, but the description is 38cm tool box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Yes, I think I saw that one There are some seriously cheap storage options there for modelling "bits and pieces* at the moment This one for £1.50 **LINK** Larger version for £3.96 **LINK** This for £6.57 **LINK** Edited By IanN on 22/05/2016 21:30:26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 In case any newbies read this........... Plastic containers are not suitable for LiPo storage and defiantly not suitable for charging containers A steel (not ali) container is required - and if its an Ammo box or similar sealed container drill a 3mm gas vent hold in it somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Absolutely, Dave - very good point. I wasn't implying that the examples I linked to are suitable for LIPO charging. Just seriously good prices for some handy general storage solutions Edited By IanN on 22/05/2016 22:29:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Posted by IanN on 22/05/2016 22:20:45: Absolutely, Dave - very good point. I wasn't implying that the examples I linked to are suitable for LIPO charging. Just seriously good prices for some handy general storage solutions Edited By IanN on 22/05/2016 22:29:54 I fully understand that you were talking about the useful bits and pieces we accumulate (or rubbish as SWMBO refers to them as) - as would 99% of the readership, its the 1% that might mis-understand I was aiming at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 There is also an interesting (if not so cheap) solution called Bat-Safe being readied for production after a successful Kickstarter appeal earlier this year... RCGroups thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essjay Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 If you're using a metal box to store lipos, it might be a good idea to put the the lipos in a plastic container INSIDE the metal box, or cover the inside of the metal box with foam or plastic to prevent the batteries from shorting against the metal surface. It's very unlikely that they would short out, but it does give that extra piece of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I wonder what the postage would be to the UK for the Bat-Safe? I like the idea of containment while charging, but it would also make a good transport box by the look of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 And so the lipo safety campaign gets a boost again. The Bat-Safe being another scaremongering tactic simply to try to mitigate what does not happen from ever happening because we all know that lipo's are so generically unsafe that even looking at them harshly or charging them on halloween means they'll blow up and take out half the street. If anyone was to look at this objectively lipo's would be seen as completely safe and explains why model shops store them, and my LMS charges them, on wooden shelves in the shop. If they really were that unsafe they would never be allowed to be for sale. Also you'd never have lipo's in any electronic device that exist today; mobile phones, kindles, ipads, laptops, MP3 players, GPS units, tiny helicopter toys that take 1S batteries, etc, etc, etc, they all have them installed. Yes, some do catch fire, but that is almost always under controlled conditions overcharging a shorted battery for the purposes of "fun". Proof of which was a recent poll on this very forum revealed that almost no-one had ever seen one catch fire (they don't blow up) but there's always the story of a friend of a friend who had! The advice is the same with all batteries under charge be they nicads, lipo's, life or any other kind; be nice to your batteries, don't charge a damaged one, don't leave it unattended, don't overcharge them, don't short them. Everything else is just scaremongering based on rumour and gossip which gave birth to a legend. Edited By John F on 23/05/2016 09:24:17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 That's certainly a view that also occurred to me. My LiPos live in the shed, and get transported to the field, in plastic toolboxes similar to the ones linked to above I've only ever had one incident, when one LiPo "spat" when I plugged the balance lead in. Turned out there was a fault (short) on the cheapie parallel charging board. I got it unplugged quickly enough to prevent things escalating but it could have been worse. Certainly makes you jump! There was clearly absolutely nothing inherently wrong or unsafe with the LiPo involved but it demonstrates that accidents can happen, and I guess that's where those that advocate metal storage or other containment devices are coming from. I'm far from convinced that these expensive solutions that get marketed from time to time are necessary, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manish Chandrayan Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I store LiPo in old used ammo cans procured for scrap. The LiPo's go into a LiPo bag and then into the ammo can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trebor Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Have you seen the price of ammo cans, they used to give them away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 John F - yes, LiPos are by and large pretty safe. My house doesn't have a habit of falling down either, maybe I should stop insuring it? Seriously, it does happen that people have a brainfart and charge on the wrong cell count, wrong chemistry or whatever and if you aren't watching closely bad things happen very quickly. Seeing as most of us are happy to admit to having senior moments, whether it's forgetting where we put a screwdriver the instant we let go of it or flying models on the wrong memory, it seems prudent to take a little bit of a precaution with LiPos in view of their energy capacity. I charge batteries on the coffee table in front of me for the most part, hence I caught my senior moment charging LiFe as LiPo before anything too bad happened. You can bet your life that if I nipped out to the loo it would be while trying to charge 3S on a 4S setting so I for one would be happier with an extra layer of insurance. It doesn't have to be a 'burn the house down' event, a bit of collateral damage to the coffee table would cover paying for a box. The more likely failure mode would be from shorts caused during transit to the field or back, where numerous packs are bundled together. It's not likely but the consequences are amongst my 'guaranteed to spoil your day' list entries. Bat-safe - unit cost $49 = £34, carriage $49 so a total of £68 + ~£14 import taxes + £8-12 Royal Mail 'customs handling' charge - shame about that. £34 I could accept but the carriage and taxes kill it. Edited By Bob Cotsford on 23/05/2016 17:01:02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Posted by John F on 23/05/2016 09:22:34: And so the lipo safety campaign gets a boost again. The Bat-Safe being another scaremongering tactic simply to try to mitigate what does not happen from ever happening because we all know that lipo's are so generically unsafe that even looking at them harshly or charging them on halloween means they'll blow up and take out half the street. If anyone was to look at this objectively lipo's would be seen as completely safe and explains why model shops store them, and my LMS charges them, on wooden shelves in the shop. If they really were that unsafe they would never be allowed to be for sale. Also you'd never have lipo's in any electronic device that exist today; mobile phones, kindles, ipads, laptops, MP3 players, GPS units, tiny helicopter toys that take 1S batteries, etc, etc, etc, they all have them installed. Yes, some do catch fire, but that is almost always under controlled conditions overcharging a shorted battery for the purposes of "fun". Proof of which was a recent poll on this very forum revealed that almost no-one had ever seen one catch fire (they don't blow up) but there's always the story of a friend of a friend who had! Sorry, I can't agree. Yes storing lipos at nominal voltage is not fundamentally dangerous, but whenever they are changing charge state (be that charging or discharging) there is a small chance of fire. I have seen a well used lipo vent in a plane after too aggressive prop was selected for that powertrain combination, and I have seen a fire on the ground caused by incorrect setting of a charger. I know of two others who have had accidental fires caused by impact damage or overcharging that I did not witness. The fire during charging would appear to be the most likely failure type; I myself set a lipo to charge on the NiMH setting in my early months of handling them, but luckily I noticed the issue before overcharging the battery. Your analogy with them not being allowed in consumer electronics if they were not safe is also flawed - those devices normally use 1S batteries (many in a hard rather than pouch case), and are charged using "dumb" power supplies with the charge circuitry onboard the device. This makes charging them dramatically less susceptible to human error than the pouch cells we use that are charged with high power, highly configurable chargers. They are also generally smaller batteries too, certainly compared to the large 6S and above packs many of us are now using in our aircraft. At the end of the day to each their own, but I will continue to charge on hard surfaces in containers designed to prevent or slow down the spread of fire (liposacks for small packs, and ammo boxes with sandbags over the open lids for the big ones). I would certainly never criticise someone for using a device like the Bat-Safe - if it prevents an expensive fire caused by human error I'm sure it would look cheap at the price. Edited By MattyB on 23/05/2016 18:25:58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcaddict Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I like to think Im safe - I store my Lipos in a Lipo bag inside a 12" metal cash tin - with a smoke alarm in there as well !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxG Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Posted by Manish Chandrayan on 23/05/2016 14:01:47: I store LiPo in old used ammo cans procured for scrap. The LiPo's go into a LiPo bag and then into the ammo can I use one of these and have lined it with some scrap mdf I had. I then made some dividers from an old thick cardboard box in a grid style and each liposuction slots into its own pocket. By the way do not forget to insulate the lid as well as sides and bottom. Maxg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Whybrow Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 Posted by MaxG on 23/05/2016 20:41:44: I use one of these and have lined it with some scrap mdf I had. I then made some dividers from an old thick cardboard box in a grid style and each liposuction slots into its own pocket. I've never heard of anyone storing liposuctions before? Spell checker by any chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wright Stuff Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 I use one of these and have lined it with some scrap mdf I had. I then made some dividers from an old thick cardboard box in a grid style and each liposuction slots into its own pocket. By the way do not forget to insulate the lid as well as sides and bottom. Maxg Yes, I do similar. I've used foam to divide and secure the batteries vertically within the box. I also put small resealable plastic bags over the connectors, to prevent them from shorting on each other or the box lid. I'm with Bob on this one. This is just 'insurance' against me doing something stupid, rather than a fear that they are fundamentally dangerous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manish Chandrayan Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Posted by trebor on 23/05/2016 15:45:00: Have you seen the price of ammo cans, they used to give them away I still get them cheap, and even if I have to spend a bit more, the price is still worth the peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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