UPGRADING : understanding (Li poly) Batteries

Subject: UPGRADING : understanding (Li poly) Batteries Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:43 pm

UPGRADING : understanding (Li poly) Batteries

Well here's how (AEG) batteries work anyway. If a battery's voltage increases, so does the rounds per minute in an AEG motor, thus an increase in your rate of fire (ROF). All standard AEG batteries are 8.4 volts and the only difference between the different sizes is that a large battery has a minimum capacity of 1300 mAh, while the other small standard batteries have a capacity of 600 to 1100mAh.

mAh stands for Milliamp Hour, a technical term for how much power a particular battery will hold. This means that a battery with 1200 mAh will last for about twice the amount of shots than a 600mAh batt.
So in basic terms, your voltage is your power, and mAh is your battery capacity.

Upgrades inside a gearbox often reduce the rate of fire (due to the increased spring resistance) but if you then use a battery with a higher voltage like 9.6 V or 10.8 V, the rate of fire wont drop as much or even increase! But take note, according to AEG experts like mang domeng, a higher voltage also wears a motor down faster and more maintenance is required. According to sir Tupa, the maximum voltage an AEG motor can ideally take is 12 Volts, so it is possible to use 12 V to power an AEG but this isn't to recommend since the wear is increased very much; the contacts in the trigger is faster worn out and the overall lifespan of the internals is sharply reduced.

In addition : aside from modified stock batteries, some players from CAMP 7 use 12volts scooter/ motorcycle batteries enclosed in 6" by 4" aluminum casings to power their AEGS. aside from being self maintaining, this kind of set-up is way cheaper than buying Firefox batteries. This is also an economical but more technically advanced way to upgrade your power source.

take note : Li poly (lithium-ion polymer) batteries are considered the newest technology in terms of rechargeable batteries. This type of battery is considered to be the High-end and the ideal power source for AEG's. According to my references, Lipoly batteries are now being much preferred by all electronics companies because they are more economical / low-cost to produce. It is ironic thought that most manufacturing companies sell these kinds of batteries for a higher price.

to conclude : Try to research and understand concepts regarding mAh, torque, voltage, rounds per minute, Li poli, Li ion, Ni cad ... etc; these will help you figure out what battery to buy, or in some cases, what alternative battery to use. Ü

more power to BAG!!! Ü

thanks to Dimespine, Sir Tupa, and Mang Domeng for helping me do this research, NAKS!!!
wala lang kadi magawa, hehehehe... Ü

lol!

more reviews regarding lipolly batt especially charging and using the batt.....

thnx for posting! :lol!L

abis wrote:: more reviews regarding lipolly batt especially charging and using the batt.....

thnx for posting! :lol!L

yeah! especially since nokia recalled their batteries supplied by matsushita. and to think these are lithium ion batteries...

something to definitely consider when buying batteries for your AEGs. Smile

abis wrote:: more reviews regarding lipolly batt especially charging and using the batt.....

thnx for posting! :lol!L

A Guide to Charging Lithium Polymer Batteries

Charging LiPoly BatteriesLithium polymer batteries are expensive. How you handle yours will have a big effect on how long they last. Therefore, it is worth taking the time to learn about proper charging procedures.

Lets say you just finished using your lithium polymer battery. It can be charged again without delay, as long as it isn’t hot. If it is hot, you will need to wait until it has cooled down; preferably to below 35° Celsius (95° Fahrenheit).

Your battery isn’t hot, so let the charging begin. The first steps are to power up your charger and connect your battery charge cable to the charger. You should plug in the charge cable before connecting it to the battery, because charge cables usually terminate in exposed bullet / banana connectors, which are easy to short to each other directly or via anything metal (i.e. the charger). Now you can connect the battery to the charger via the charge cable.

It’s time to set the charger’s settings. Whatever the input method, there are two important settings: charge voltage and current. The correct voltage setting is determined by the lithium polymer battery you are charging. Most batteries say their nominal voltage, with the common ones being 7.4V and 11.1V. This number is calculated as

Correct Voltage Setting = 3.7V * Number of Cells in Series

How to Charge a Li Poly Diagram

On small to medium sized lithium polymer batteries, the number of cells in series is simply the number of cells in the battery. However, on large batteries, some of the cells are wired in parallel and as such do not contribute to the correct voltage setting. The standard for writing the number of cells in series is Xs. For a small battery, like the Thunder Power Pro Lite 3s 1320mAh, we see that X=3. For this battery, correct voltage setting = 3.7V * 3 = 11.1 V.

Correct voltage setting now determined, all that remains is current setting. Current setting is largely up to the user. The most common and always correct setting is:

Standard Current Setting = Battery Capacity / 1h

Continuing with the above example, the battery capacity is 1320mAh. Therefore, standard current setting = 1320mAh / 1h = 1320mA = 1.32A. This is known as a 1C charge, because C is defined as 1 / 1h.

Some like to charge slower than 1C to be gentle with their batteries. However, there is no scientific evidence of slower charging leading to longer battery life. There are also a few chargers that charge faster than 1C to save time These chargers are usually very specific about when this fast charging is safe; please follow the instructions and warnings they come with.

With those two settings set, you are ready to start the charge. Once the charging process has started, the charger takes care of everything. It will end the charge when the battery is full, at which time you can use it again. There is no need to wait between the end of a charge and the start of a discharge.

There are two ways of increasing the safety of your charges. One is to use a balancer. The balancer will fight cell imbalance, and provide some a warning if the cells are dangerously imbalanced. The other is to place your battery somewhere nonflammable. Ask yourself, if this battery ignites, will anything nearby ignite as well? Leaving the battery on a wood counter or in a wood airplane is more risky than isolating it on a bare cement floor.

para madali.. gumamit ng balancer na me auto cut-off, tama ba?

correct me if i'm wrong... i've noticed the chargers which accompany the lipoly/li-ion batteries are not variable, hence, no possibility of adjusting the voltages.

and at least dapat ang lipoly pinapabalance kay sir dods/TUPA airsoft...mahirap na...mahal rin ang liplolly noh lol!

tnx for the added input disease! kay dime kaya pwede din magpa balancer? hehehe
lol!

[color=purple]Batteries 101

A primer on cells, batteries, and battery packs…

What is a battery?

Generally speaking, it is not difficult to understand the basic theory behind how batteries and battery packs work. Once you understand these fundamentals, you will be amazed at how easy it is to answer most of the questions you will face in your role as a Sales/Service professional.

Put more simply, a battery is a device that generates an electrical current by means of a chemical reaction. Or, a battery is a thing you use in another thing to give it the power to work!

The statement in the dictionary definition is that a battery is a combination of things…of cells. That’s right, a battery is made up of things called cells. So, what do we sell, batteries or cells? Well, actually both.

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How Do Batteries Work?

With a basic understanding of what, exactly, a battery is, we can move on to how they work. There are, fundamentally, two general categories of batteries.

Primary – A primary cell or battery is one that cannot be recharged and is generally thrown away or recycled after one use. Examples are alkaline AA and AAA cells (remember, not batteries!!), carbon zinc cells (often labeled as “heavy duty”), and button size small photography lithium cells.

Secondary – A secondary cell or battery can be recharged and used again and again. They do eventually die, but most can be charged and discharged many times. Examples are car batteries, NiMH rechargeable “round cells,” most cordless telephone batteries, and lithium-ion notebook computer batteries. In daily use, the word “rechargeable” is used instead of “secondary.” But this is a matter of preference.

Other “buzz words” and concepts need to be touched here. Such as a little lesson in electricity as it relates to batteries…

Voltage – This is an electrical measure of electrical force, or “pressure.” If there is no voltage, electrical “current” will not flow. Voltage (V) is an important concept in batteries –

The voltage of a battery pack MUST match the voltage requirement of the device in which it is used. Not enough, or too much, “force” or electrical “pressure” and the device won’t work properly. Keep this in mind!

Simply put, you do not replace an 8.4V battery with 12V battery if the device wants an 8.4V battery.

Here is an important concept.

When they are connected in series, the number of cells used in a battery pack directly determines the voltage of the battery. More cells, more voltage. And it is a straight-line, arithmetic relationship.

So, an 8.4V NiCd battery pack is normally comprised of 7 cells.

7 cells x 1.2V per cell (NiCd) = 8.4V battery

Current – Current is the movement of electrical charge, the flow, through the circuit. Current is measured in Amperes, or Amps (A).

In circuits involving batteries, current is often expressed in thousandths (1/1000) of Amps, or “milliAmperes (mA).” But a battery pack is not measured or expressed in Amps.

The battery supplies the voltage (pressure) that creates current flow. In batteries, we are far more concerned about HOW LONG it will provide that voltage (pressure). Thus, we measure cells and battery packs in terms of “capacity” … a measure of how long they will last.

Capacity – The capacity rating of a battery is usually expressed in milliAmpere-hours (mAh), and is basically…

How long a battery will last in a circuit (or a device) while supplying current of the stated amperage. A battery rated at 1000mAh will last 1 hour in a device that draws current of 1000mA (or 1 Amp).

Confused? Some examples will clarify this.

Primary and Secondary Battery Types

The concepts of primary (throwaway) and secondary (rechargeable) batteries were explored in earlier discussions. But, of course, we won’t stop with just knowing the difference!

How, why, where, and by whom are primary and secondary batteries used? For your reference, a grid is included in this handbook that bullets the practical differences in form and use. But some discussion of the differences is probably in order at this point.

Common Primary Batteries

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) – More recently developed than NiCd, NiMH cells have come to replace NiCd in certain applications. The initial momentum for the development of NiMH was concern about the Cadmium found in NiCd batteries. However, there is a movement in place now to call for the recycling of NiMH batteries, as well.

NiMH cells are slightly lighter in weight than NiCd and typically higher in capacity where sizes are the same. For example, a typical NiCd AA cell might have a capacity of 1000mAh, while a newer NiMH cell may be 1500mAh or higher.

Characteristics of NiMH cells include

ü ü Higher in capacity, but lower in cycle life than NiCd cells.

ü ü Exhibit voltage depression (memory), but less pronounced than NiCd cells. Battery conditioning can reverse this effect.

ü ü Not suitable for applications where high and low temperature operating environments are found.

ü ü Not as friendly to extremely high discharge as NiCd.

ü ü Prefer a rapid charging system.

NiMH cells are widely used in cellular telephones, notebook computers, camcorders, and now in some consumer cordless power tools.

Rechargeable Lithium – Lighter in weight than NiCd and NiMH, and very high in “energy density”, rechargeable lithium batteries are now being widely used in cellular telephones, notebook computers, data collection and transfer devices, and other emerging technologies.

Their advantage is more voltage (3.6V) per cell and much lighter weight. There are two types of rechargeable lithium batteries now in general use, lithium ion (Li-ion) and lithium polymer. As of this date, lithium polymer is still an emerging battery chemistry and is not yet being widely used. The cell construction used in polymer cells makes it extremely small and lightweight.

Characteristics of rechargeable lithium include

ü ü Much more unstable than other rechargeables, special safety circuits must be used to protect against overcharge and overdischarge conditions. This helps to make lithium batteries typically more expensive than NiCd, NiMH, or SLA.

ü ü Use a different charging method than NiCd or NiMH. Lithium ion batteries cannot be charged in chargers designed for only NiCd or NiMH batteries unless sophisticated circuits are used to “translate” the system for the batteries.

ü ü Do NOT exhibit a memory effect that can be conditioned out of the batteries. Capacity loss, when experienced, is permanent.

Lead-acid – These are still the most common type of secondary or storage battery in use. Lead-acid and sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries are inexpensive and commonly used in applications where weight is not a significant consideration.

SLA batteries are typically used in standby power applications, such as uninterruptible power supplies and emergency lighting. These are also referred to as gel lead, lead-calcium, and lead-tin batteries.

Characteristics of SLA batteries include

ü ü Good long-term charge retention.

ü ü Must be charged slowly…typically 8 to 16 hours.

ü ü Do NOT exhibit a memory effect that can be conditioned out of the batteries. Capacity loss, when experienced, is usually permanent. However, “sulfating” can be corrected with some newer accessory charger systems.

The term “SLI” is an abbreviation for “starting, lighting, and ignition.” These are lead acid batteries used in motor vehicles, for example. Characteristically, they are much the same as SLA batteries.

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navyseal33 wrote:: tnx for the added input disease! kay dime kaya pwede din magpa balancer? hehehe

ket wen ah.. anytime. sabihan niyo lang ako.. Smile

viperxyz
> thanks for the inputs sir

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