Lipo repair

[lincpimp]

I figured that I would start this thread as I have had quite a few questions recently about lipo repair.

Most lipos can be repaired, such as having a bad cell removed or physically repairing damage to the wires (main or balancer wires).

I can combine cells from different packs to make a higher voltage pack, but I will say that they may not stay in balance if the cells were not factory matched. If one cell is older or had more use (cycles) than another it may not hold the same capacity or voltage. Generally I find that cells from the higher quality packs (enerland cells) do not mind being mixed and matched.

If I am making a larger pack from 2 seperate packs I will individually charge the cells before assembly, and cycle the pack to make sure it works correctly.

For example: If you have a 4s packs and want a pair of 2s packs that would not be an issue. I can also make a 4s pack into a 2s2p pack, half the voltage but twice the capacity. Also I can take a 2s and 3s pack and make them into a 5s pack. These are both examples, but should cover most of the requests I receive.

Also, if you have a pack that has dropped below 3v per cell, and the cells have not puffed, I can most likely get it to work again. I will not gaurantee this, but I have had good success so far.

IF THE CELLS ARE PUFFED THEY ARE GONE, DO NOT TRY TO CHARGE A PUFFED CELL! Sorry for yelling, but that is important.

I have also found that a pack with a dead cell (0v on that cell) that still reads voltage on the main wires may have other issues due to the dead cell still being connected to the reat of the pack. Leaving a dead cell in there does not seem to be good for the other cells, may even pull their voltage down. So if you have a problem pack, and want me to fix it, quickly sending it to me is your best bet.

Also, I have never had a lipo catch fire, explode, or do anything other than puff. I have never over charged a lipo, which seems to be the method to make one explode. So don't do that either. Also do not try to "jump start" a pack by using a timed charger or other dc power source. Leave that to the pros (me) who are stupid enough to do it

If you plan to ship a lipo to me, wrap it up in a good amount of foam or bubble wrap and put it in a sturdy cardboard box. Make sure it is a tight fit so it does not rattle around during shipping. Lipos are not fond of dents and dings...

Hopefully this will answer most questions... If you have any questions please post here, as the info will help others. I will have a link to this thread in my signature. If you would like to send me a lipo for repair please PM me for address info. I do keep a decent stock of shrink, wire, and balance connectors, so repairs can usually be done in a few days.

[TexasSP]

Good info linc!

[lincpimp]

Also I will list the brands of lipos I have already repaired, and should not have any trouble with.

Any enerland cell based pack (ie, polyquest, polyrc, flightpower, neuenergy, hyperion, etc)

Maxamps (all)

Zippy

Thunderpower

Venom

Most chinese packs

All of these use aluminum or copper tabs and I have the required products to solder to them.

I generally protect the ends of the lipo with something solid, such as thin sheet plastic. I also completely wrap the pack in clear tape. This holds everything together, prevents cell shifting, and gives the pack a bit more protection. I use black shrink as I can get it easily, and most like the look of it.

Note: I recently had a protek pack sent to me with a puffed cell. They encase the contact end of the lipo with some sort of nasty glue. I was able to remove enough of this stuff to access the solder tabs and balancer wiring, but it was a bitch. So I charge a bit more for those packs and cannot gaurante that I can fix them, as the glue is much stronger than the al tab. This is delicate work and that glue needs a bit of muscle to remove.

[auto2]

i have a 4s 3700 i got from mike that says anyrc.com on it that has a strange proble,
everything seems normal.pack is hard and flat,charges corrctlly and is in balance butit has no power at all. if buggy is geared for 40 mph with this pack it will go 10mph full throttle. wont even rev up enough to have trouble making full speed turns on the street it is that slow. what you think?

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by auto2

i have a 4s 3700 i got from mike that says anyrc.com on it that has a strange proble,
everything seems normal.pack is hard and flat,charges corrctlly and is in balance butit has no power at all. if buggy is geared for 40 mph with this pack it will go 10mph full throttle. wont even rev up enough to have trouble making full speed turns on the street it is that slow. what you think?

Do you have another lipo to try? May not even be the battery.

How do you charge the lipo? What balancer and charger do you use? Do you have a volt meter? Also what motor and esc are you using?

lincpimp ygpm

[lincpimp]

Just figured that I would update this thread with my recent repairs.

I have now repaired all of the various hard cased lipos. So I am familiar with how they are setup internally, and most inportantly, how to get the cases open with out damaging the case or internal wiring. So heres a list,

All losi hard cased lipos

Enerland hard case

Orion/kokam hard case

Trakpower

And the cheaper ebay chinese cell hard case lipos

Not sure that I put this anywhere else, but please post info here or pm me. I leave pricing to pms, but repairs usually take a day or so and I can ship back the lipo. Payment can be made via paypal or thru MO/cash.

And as always I am interested in buying damaged packs that you may not want, I only ask to have a look at them before we settle on a price. I will also pay shipping for this.

Thanks for all the interest, and I hope I am providing a somewhat useful service...

[ilpufxit]

I just got my lipos back. I'm impressed, they look like new, they're balanced and ready to use.

I spent under $70 with shipping and the repair, easily worth it when my other option was to junk the packs at over $200 each.

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by ilpufxit

I just got my lipos back. I'm impressed, they look like new, they're balanced and ready to use.

I spent under $70 with shipping and the repair, easily worth it when my other option was to junk the packs at over $200 each.

Looks like I got something right....

[Jeremy1976]

Very cool that you do this for the forum here! Just sent you a pm regarding rewiring a pack for me. Jeremy

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by Jeremy1976

Very cool that you do this for the forum here! Just sent you a pm regarding rewiring a pack for me. Jeremy

No prob, hate to see people throw away good cells, and money!!!

[himalaya]

Originally Posted by lincpimp

Also I will list the brands of lipos I have already repaired, and should not have any trouble with.

Any enerland cell based pack (ie, polyquest, polyrc, flightpower, neuenergy, hyperion, etc)

Maxamps (all)

Hi Linc, are Neuenergy Packs actually using Enerland cells? Note their capacity numbers are completely different to the ones listed on Enerland's website for their XP XQ cells.

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by himalaya

Hi Linc, are Neuenergy Packs actually using Enerland cells? Note their capacity numbers are completely different to the ones listed on Enerland's website for their XP XQ cells.

I always thought they were enerland. They are assembled similar from the outside, and they definitely have tabs on each end, and only enerland and elite do that.

I have not pulled any neu packs apart yet, no dead cells so far.

In fact I have not dealt with an enerland based pack that had anything other than physical damage, no qc issues, tabs falling off or much else.

I did have one trakpower pack that smoked a bit during a charge, turned out a balancer wire must have been bad (maybe pinched and cut thru most of the strands?), and it got hot and melted the insulation. I popped it open and changed the wire out, no issues since...

Otherwise my experience with enerland cells has been great. I have made and reconfigured a ton of packs by them, with great results.

[himalaya]

Originally Posted by lincpimp

I always thought they were enerland. They are assembled similar from the outside, and they definitely have tabs on each end, and only enerland and elite do that.

I have not pulled any neu packs apart yet, no dead cells so far.

Surely they are great packs, but seems like there are more good cell manufacturers than just Enerland.

I just paid some small attention to the details, what I found is FlightPower, PolyRC & Hyperion's packs all have capacity numbers accurately match Enerland's cell series, say 30C XQ series, 700/1200/2000/3200/4500 mAh，or twice the number for a 2P config. But NeuEnergy has 800/1500/1800/2100/2500/3300/4100/5000, none of them match Enerland's cell.

Also there are some Chinese LiPo maker do their cell's having tabs on both ends.

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by himalaya

Surely they are great packs, but seems like there are more good cell manufacturers than just Enerland.

I just paid some small attention to the details, what I found is FlightPower, PolyRC & Hyperion's packs all have capacity numbers accurately match Enerland's cell series, say 30C XQ series, 700/1200/2000/3200/4500 mAh，or twice the number for a 2P config. But NeuEnergy has 800/1500/1800/2100/2500/3300/4100/5000, none of them match Enerland's cell.

Also there are some Chinese LiPo maker do their cell's having tabs on both ends.

Enerland do offer quite a few different cells. I have found that the 5000 30c cells are offered in different lengths, a short and a long. These cells are the same with all of the mfgs that offer them.

As far as the tab on each end goes, I pulled my first rhino pack apart last night. It certainly has the enerland style cell layout, but is assembled differently. None of the std enerland markings on the foil either.