- Wed May 17, 2006 2:37 am
#13597
In short, lipo batteries:
- should not be discharged to less then 3V
- should not be charged higher then 4.2V
- Should not be discharged at rates higher then xC, where x is specified by battery manufactury (see below for an example)
- Should not be charged at higher amps then 1x capacity
When using a lipo battery for a project, you should take note of these rules in your design. Not following these rules can cause the battery to 'balloon', catch fire or even explode.
The manufacturer of the lipo battery will specify the maximum discharge rate for their batteries. If they specify a 300mah battery for maximum of 5x discharge rate, then you can discharge the battery at 5x300mAh = 1500mAh.
Also, when charging batteries that are connected in series, there is a possibility to overcharge one of the batteries. Especially for radio control airplanes we use so called balance charging to avoid overcharging batteries in a pack.
I hope this helps.