Lithium-Polymer (LiPo) Battery Primer

[EscapeArtist]

Darn, oh well, it was cheap anyway. Do you think I'd be safe charging it on the LiPo setting through the balance charger?

[hawaiianjuggernaut]

Coming stright from evike.com: http://www.evike.com/index.php?cPath=31_171

 

Li-Poly / Li-Mn Battery 101

 

Li-Poly batteries are the most advanced technology in compact, stability, lightweight and powerful batteries for your Airsoft and RC application.

 

Safety & Buyer Responsibilities:

- General Rule #1: Monitor and charge / store your Airsoft battery on none-flammable surface only.

- Charge with Li-po chargers only. Never discharge it with a discharger.

- When noticing power low, stop usage and charge battery full. Do not over-drain (abuse) a li-po battery.

- LiPo batteries are best stored fully charged.

- All sales are final on battery packs.

- Buyer assume full responsibility for all damages and liability result from using any Airsoft batteries.

 

Why Li-Po:

- Most AEG will never be able to fit a 10.8V or 12V battery unless you utilize Li-Po.

- Trigger Response Time: "Instant" trigger response time. Perfect for snipers!

- High ROF (Rate of Fire): Higher discharge rate and power. Achieve "Stream / Line of bb" without high speed gears and motor. Immediate "high speed" upgrade.

- Duration: Tired of running out of juice in the middle of a game? Li-Poly lasts much longer.

- Often, once you use Li-Poly, you can never go back. The increased rate of fire and performance will get you addicted to using them.

- Li-Po batteries we offer are customized to the specifications of an Airsoft AEG's need. You may find Li-Po in many outlets, but are they the right size, adapter, chargers and power output?

 

Will a "Li-Poly" break my AEG?

Myth says that Li-Poly batteries causes higher wear and tear to internal gearbox parts such as piston or gears. Truth is, it is a "battery / power source". In a perfect world without other factors, if your piston's life cycle is 50,000 rounds, a Li-Poly will reach that limit faster due to the higher rate of fire. The gaming advantage is however, priceless!

AEG motors can handle power under 12 Volt.

Li-Poly provides much higher rate of fire, tactical advantage, resulting higher rate of wear and tear on your piston / gear set.

Evike.com is here to help offering the biggest selection of replacement parts keeping your AEG working forever!

 

What is a "Li-Poly Ready AEG"?

An AEG that has a reliable gearbox and 400+ FPS (M120 spring or higher. Note some short barrel AEG may result lower FPS due to short barrel.). For AEG with weaker springs, we recommend a 7.4V li-poly, 8.4V or a 9.6V battery pack.

An AEG with a owner that knows his/her gearbox is a Li-Poly ready AEG. Most advanced players nowadays only use Li-Poly battery packs. An AEG will virtually never break as we offer all the wear and tear parts you'll need to keep it running.

How to prevent wear and tear on your AEG? (Answer = Never fire it.)

 

 

So as long as your gears are shimmed and lubricated and everything can handle the extra stress of 20-30Cs in juice, you should be fine.

[infected]

Coming stright from evike.com: http://www.evike.com/index.php?cPath=31_171

 

Li-Poly / Li-Mn Battery 101

 

Li-Poly batteries are the most advanced technology in compact, stability, lightweight and powerful batteries for your Airsoft and RC application.

 

Safety & Buyer Responsibilities:

- General Rule #1: Monitor and charge / store your Airsoft battery on none-flammable surface only.

- Charge with Li-po chargers only. Never discharge it with a discharger.

- When noticing power low, stop usage and charge battery full. Do not over-drain (abuse) a li-po battery.

- LiPo batteries are best stored fully charge. For long term storage (2+months) they should be stored at a half charge

- All sales are final on battery packs.

- Buyer assume full responsibility for all damages and liability result from using any Airsoft batteries.

 

Will a "Li-Poly" break my AEG?

Myth says that Li-Poly batteries causes higher wear and tear to internal gearbox parts such as piston or gears. Truth is, it is a "battery / power source". In a perfect world without other factors, if your piston's life cycle is 50,000 rounds (That's it??? That seems pretty low to me. 50K bbs), a Li-Poly will reach that limit faster due to the higher rate of fire. The gaming advantage is however, priceless!

AEG motors can handle power under 12 Volts. And Over 12v too!

Li-Poly provides much higher rate of fire, tactical advantage, resulting higher rate of wear and tear on your piston / gear set.

Evike.com is here to help offering the biggest selection of replacement parts keeping your AEG working forever!

 

What is a "Li-Poly Ready AEG"?

An AEG that has a reliable gearbox and 400+ FPS (M120 spring or higher. Note some short barrel AEG may result lower FPS due to short barrel.) OR LESS THAN 400 FPS. For AEG with weaker springs, we recommend a 7.4V li-poly, 8.4V or a 9.6V battery pack. WHY????

An AEG with a owner that knows his/her gearbox is a Li-Poly ready AEG. Most advanced players nowadays only use Li-Poly battery packs. An AEG will virtually never break as we offer all the wear and tear parts you'll need to keep it running. Wouldn't that imply that something will break?

How to prevent wear and tear on your AEG? (Answer = Never fire it.)

 

 

So as long as your gears are shimmed and lubricated and everything can handle the extra stress of 20-30Cs in juice, you should be fine.

 

Seriously not impressed with their "101" article.

[hawaiianjuggernaut]

They are talking to people who dont know much about lipos.

[infected]

They are talking to people who dont know much about lipos.

 

I get that, but they are still perpetuating myths. Why can't you run an 11.1v lipo on a lower fps spring? I just built a gun for a customer with a 1J spring and use an 11.1v 30C 3300mah lipo on it. Why should your piston only last for 50,000 rounds? Why can't an airsoft motor handle higher than a 12v power source? Oh that's right, they can.

 

Stuff like that just infuriates me.

[hawaiianjuggernaut]

Well if you run an 11.1v lipo on a stock chinese gun, (jg or cyma) you run the risk of screwing your gears over if they arent shimmed. If you reshim the gears and keep it lubricated, it should be fine. I get what you mean, but the 101 is meant for beginners of people who just got their 1st aeg

[hawaiianjuggernaut]

so would most aftermarket motors be able to take a 12v+ battery?

[LordElpus]

depends on the motor. some high speed motors are not rated for over 9.6v by the manufacturer. They probabyl will take more than that but how long is the question.

[infected]

Well if you run an 11.1v lipo on a stock chinese gun, (jg or cyma) you run the risk of screwing your gears over if they arent shimmed. If you reshim the gears and keep it lubricated, it should be fine. I get what you mean, but the 101 is meant for beginners of people who just got their 1st aeg

 

You could just as easily toss those gears if you run a large 9.6v battery too. Just because it's for beginners doesn't mean you should spread inaccurate information like only being able to use an 11.1v battery in applications over 400 fps. That's just not true.

 

 

so would most aftermarket motors be able to take a 12v+ battery?

 

Yeah. Just about any motor out there right now would be fine. Remember, RC guys used used to brushed motors with greater than 12v systems. Most of them have gone to brushless motors these days. Even JG motors (the nicer torque ones), run great on a high voltage battery.

 

depends on the motor. some high speed motors are not rated for over 9.6v by the manufacturer. They probabyl will take more than that but how long is the question.

 

I haven't ever seen a "voltage rating" on an airsoft motor. I guess some retailers might make a suggestion, but most airsoft companies don't give any specs on their motor aside from "high torque" or "high speed".

[Triggerhappychappy]

It's worth noting that a fully charged 3s lipo is actually 12.6v; 11.1v is just the nominal rating ( and since these 540 sized motors don't tend to draw a massive amount of current, and only in short bursts, that voltage is going to remain higher for longer ).

 

Describing their AEGs as 'lipo ready' is a bit of misnomer too, any decent built gun can run a lipo battery- being lipo ready means that the lipo is protected from over discharge via either an electrical cutoff ( LVC ), or a warning buzzer or led alarm eyc. They put that responsibility on the buyer/user however so the gun is not 'lipo ready' at all- bad marketing & terminology in my eyes...

[scorch]

Quick question for the lipo gurus.

 

A friend of mine just got a support gun. Which lipo, if any, would be suitable?

[hawaiianjuggernaut]

The best lipos are turnigy nanotechs IMHO. They last over 250+ cycles compared to firefox ones that only last 150 cycles max.

 

You can get them really cheap on hobbyking.com they have airsoft lipos that have small tamiya plugs already on them. They are very reliable and have not let me down. I own like 20 of them (12 11.1 and 8 7.4s)

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__476__85__LiPo_LiFe_NiMH_Battery-Airsoft.html

 

They also have very good chargers for very reasonable prices. Shipping worldwide is also another perk they have

[scorch]

So there's no special requirement for a high speed sustained usage then?

[hawaiianjuggernaut]

Not really. Most guns are lipo ready. Just depends on how long they last. CA JG CYMA Dboys, Echo1 and a lot of those brands can take an 11.1 for a long time before you have to open the gearbox.

[urza]

Hi All,

 

I'm having an issue with my CA M15A4 and I'm wondering if it could be LiPO related. The rifle has a solid stock, which has extension wires inside it with a fuse assembly and Tamiya Mini Connectors. When I hook up any of my LiPOs (either 7.4v 20C 1450mAh or 7.4v 22C 2200mAh), and pull the trigger the rifle will cycle once or twice and then the gearbox will jam with the piston pulled right back. Any further trigger pulls have no effect on the gearbox, but the extension wire gets hot and the fuse glows - although not enough to actually 'blow' the fuse.

 

However, if I remove the stock and extension wire and connect the LiPO directly to the gearbox/motor, it fires perfectly OK.

 

The LiPOs all work in both of my other rifles (G&P M4 Sentry & STAR L85A2).

 

I guess my questions are:

 

1) Is it safe fo me to remove the fuse extension on the CA M15A4 and just have the battery plugged directly into the gearbox/motor?

 

2) All of my rifles & LiPO batteries have Tamiya Mini Connectors. Is it worth me replacing all of them with Deans or XT60 connectors? And if I do this, will I then also run the risk of arcing across my trigger contacts? (none of my rifles have MOSFETs currently)

 

Obviously I don't want to introduce problems to my two working rifles, but I'd like to be able to use LiPOs in my CA M15A4 as well, as I no longer have any NiMHs.

[Tommygunn]

Your first priority is to ditch the Tamiya plugs and replace them with bananas or Deans. The Tamiya connectors are very poor electrically and have a high resistance.

You need to remove any of these plugs and check the rest of the extension for any dodgy soldering or plug configuration that could be causing a resistance bottle neck.

If you are going to be keeping the AEG as it is then it would be a good idea to ditch all interconnect plugs etc and re-wire so that you have a continuous, unbroken wiring harness to the battery.

 

From what you have described you can take it as a dead cert that it is the extension and that the batts and gearbox are fine.

 

From a personal perspective, I would keep the fuse in place. However, eliminate all crimp connections and solder the wires in place. If you do have crimp connections make sure they are clean and tin over the top of them.

 

Is your soldering up to scratch?

 

It doesn't matter what plugs you have fitted you will get arcing wherever you have poor switching of the circuit. A mosfet will eliminate this and reduce the resistance.

 

My personal setup (a CA M4) has 18AWG wire throughout, 4mm banana/Corally plugs, a mosfet and I use 7.4V Lipos with a minimum of good, solid soldered joints and a 15Amp fuse.

 

What rating do you have on your fuse?

 

Tom.

[urza]

Is your soldering up to scratch?

 

It doesn't matter what plugs you have fitted you will get arcing wherever you have poor switching of the circuit. A mosfet will eliminate this and reduce the resistance.

 

My personal setup (a CA M4) has 18AWG wire throughout, 4mm banana/Corally plugs, a mosfet and I use 7.4V Lipos with a minimum of good, solid soldered joints and a 15Amp fuse.

 

What rating do you have on your fuse?

 

Tom.

 

Hi Tom,

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

To be honest I hadn't checked to see if the wiring was properly soldered or just crimped into the Mini Tamiya Connectors, the wiring extension came with the CA rifle which was bought brand new so I just assumed it would all be properly soldered. I'll check that out tonight.

 

My soldering skills are fairly good, so I should be able to solder/re-solder any dodgy or crimped connections.

 

The fuse that was in the rifle was the standard transparent one that originally came with the rifle. I think it's an 11Amp. I have also tried a standard 13Amp and the same thing happened - which leads me to believe that the problem is more to do with resistance from either the quality of the extension wires or the Mini Tamiya Connectors.

 

Where did you get your 18AWG wire from?

[WhiteHawksan]

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/

 

They do reasonably priced silly-cone wire. I use 16AWG but it's all about what fits, silly-cone wire is very flexible, I like this because I can thread twist etc through tough spots, some people like other types that are stiffer so they can be bent into shape and will stay there. Just personal preference.

[urza]

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/

 

They do reasonably priced silly-cone wire. I use 16AWG but it's all about what fits, silly-cone wire is very flexible, I like this because I can thread twist etc through tough spots, some people like other types that are stiffer so they can be bent into shape and will stay there. Just personal preference.

 

Fantastic, thanks! Do you use spade connectors to connect to the motor, or do you solder the wires directly to the motor?

I was wondering if these spade connectors are the same type as the ones already in my CA M15A4:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150787567724

[WhiteHawksan]

I don't own any queer AEGs ;D

 

My AK's are all soldered, I rarely change motors though, only when they die on me. I use deans connectors.

[Tommygunn]

On an Armalite type AEG I wouldn't recommend soldering the wires to the motor, although there is no harm in it, but if you ever want to strip the motor/grip/gearbox in a hurry then you could be in a fix. I just stick to spades.

However, some G&P motors have the brush spring mounts threaded internally which allows you to terminate the wires with ring terminals and screw them to the motor.

 

From what I recall of my Spetsnaz soldering the wires to AK motors is not an issue by virtue of the different grip/gearbox design.

 

I used to use 16AWG in all my AEG's but since I converted to using Mosfets I needed the extra space in the gearbox channels and 16AWG was too fat. Going down to 18AWG is really neither here nor there in terms of resistance.

I got my 18AWG from Hobbyking.com.

 

 

Those spade connectors are the correct size. You can get them at any Auto factors, DIY, garage etc etc.

 

 

Tom.

[urza]

I've just ordered a load of 18AWG and 16AWG wire & a bunch of connectors from Component Shop. I'm planning to strip out all of the wiring from my M15A4 Gearbox and run a single set of wires from the motor, through the gearbox (via the trigger) and out of the back of the gearbox, leaving enough wire that I can pull it out of the back of the solid stock when I want to connect a battery. I'm undecided as to whether I will install the fuse capsule onto the new wiring, but if I do I will get some 15Amp fuses for it.

 

Hopefully the new wires and connectors, plus the removal of any extension leads etc will sort the problem out!

 

Thanks everyone!

[hawaiianjuggernaut]

Yeah id ditch the tamiyas. As for the fuse thing, if you get a good fet, you should be able to cut it out of the system just fine. Go with extremefire ones. They are really good from what ive heard.

[T3CH]

Has anyone used 9.9v lifepo4's yet? Been eyeing up a couple on component-shop

 

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/vpfe3s20c1000as.html <-- for guns using stick batteries (AKs, mp5k if it'll fit (which I doubt))

 

and

 

http://www.component-shop.co.uk/html/vpfe3s30c3800hc.html <-- for pretty much everything else.

 

Good idea, bad idea?

[Stinky]

Haven't tried them but I sure want to. I like that 9.9v I have been looking for some option between 7.4v and 11.1v, if you get one let us know how it goes.