Lipo LIfespan

There may be varying opinions on the lifespan of lipo packs but this is my opinion for what it is worth. May also depend on the brand and therefore the quality. I have at least three flight cases worth of lipos and some have not seen the light of day since the Sea of Gallilee parted. After a dying battery on Saturday in my Beast Bipe which could have ended in tears, I decided that Sunday and Monday would be check 'em all period. I weigh and date my packs and some go back to 2015. The NanoTechs (well overly rated - well crap in my opinion) bulge in no time but were okay for Hobbyking motor gliders and similar ilk. But now many will be trashed. The quality GensAce were still usable but most are 3 or 4 cell packs once powering planes long gone. Turnigy and Zippy's? I must admit I get varying views on these packs, some keep going and some start losing oomph in a short time. Luck of the draw here I think!

Most were at half charge (storage level) so using my iCharger I checked cell levels and differences and the internal resistances of the cells. Results are four so far for the bin, 26 are still usable (but not in nice valued planes that need ample power) and 20 in good condition. Unfortunately a couple of the 5 cell 3300 maH packs (dated 2017) in the "useable" grade were for the B25 bomber so that plane needs new packs. :ohmy: More £££'s.

I have created this post so that you may consider going through your packs during downtime or avoiding a dying pack at just the wrong moment. If you are not sure and do not have charger capable of resistance of cells, just ask someone up the field who has.

LiPos certainly do vary, I have two 4s batteries from the days of "Giant Shark", they're made by a company called "Loong Max". No ballooning, only go to 85% on full charge. Several 3s and 4s packs puffed up during the winter, all were brand new and were storage charged, all were Nano-Tech. All in all its a bit of a lottery.