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Lipo Safe/Bag

BryanD

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Do you guys charge your Phantom batteries in a Lipo bag? I am guessing that these Intelligent batteries might be less likely to catch fire but I am not sure. I had a Lipo fire in my house in the early years so I recently purchased a bag big enough to put my charging hub in. But I am just curious what others do.
 
The only caution in the official DJI guidance on batteries is to not let them charge unattended. Nothing about bags or metal containers being required or recommended.

Well, I wouldn't rely on a Chinese manufacturer to tell me all of the dangers of a product they are selling. This is the same country that allows manufacturers to make things out of lead for kids. Common recommended good practice when dealing with any rc LiPo batteries is to charge them in a fireproof bag. One certainly doesn't have to, but I'm not a gambler when it comes to my house possibly burning down.
 
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My "conventional" LiPo are charged inside of Cinder Block cells. My DJI batteries are charged on a custom portable charging station with no fire/explo protection.
 
Thanks Maddog. I keep the lid on loose because the wires to the charger have to leave the box. I've drilled four 1/2" blow-out holes in two side walls (covered with a round piece of stick-on felt that I have scored in quarters) to allow pressure to release when stored closed should an ignition occur. Still would be a mess as a result of all the smoke. I usually keep them in my garage when not flying.

I've seen the videos. They don't exactly light up like a birthday candle. More like a blow-torch. I've heard of placing a plastic bag full of sand over the charging box while charging so if a fire were to start, the bag would melt and fill the box with sand.
 
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Thanks Maddog. I keep the lid on loose because the wires to the charger have to leave the box. I've drilled four 1/2" blow-out holes in two side walls (covered with a round piece of stick-on felt that I have scored in quarters) to allow pressure to release when stored closed. Still would be a mess as a result of all the smoke. I usually keep them in my garage when not flying.
Sounds good- just trying to keep everybody safe. You're right about the smoke!
 
.....I've heard of placing a plastic bag full of sand over the charging box while charging so if a fire were to start, the bag would melt and fill the box with sand.
This is going to sound VERY conceited (but I'm going to say it anyway) but I might be the person who started that trend a few years ago. If not the first I do have to say I came up with it on my very own. We still charge our "Conventional" LiPo like this as well. I've never had one "Go Off" in the cell so I can't say for sure how much it will stop or slow down the reaction but it gives me an extra level of "feel good" that I'm doing all I can to be safe.

I've had a conventional LiPo go WHITE HOT on me. I put some LiPo in the back floorboard of my wife's car as she picked me up from work a few years go (I had been charging packs all day for evening flights). I accidentally allowed exposed charge leads to touch together and they immediately welded together causing a total discharge issue. Luckily I "heard" it and jumped out, opened the door, grabbed the box they were in, and dumped it onto the asphalt. Fortunately the "inferno" only damaged one additional pack (and it did not cause that pack to ignite but did ruin it). The wild thing is the amount of HEAT that was produced in mere seconds. The pack swelled up MASSIVELY and the resulting white/blue flame (like a blow torch) literally melted asphalt. The whole episode went dead in about 15 seconds but the smoke (and it was NASTY smoke too) kept rolling for a couple of minutes until we put several shovels full of dirt on the pack.
 
This is going to sound VERY conceited (but I'm going to say it anyway) but I might be the person who started that trend a few years ago. If not the first I do have to say I came up with it on my very own. We still charge our "Conventional" LiPo like this as well. I've never had one "Go Off" in the cell so I can't say for sure how much it will stop or slow down the reaction but it gives me an extra level of "feel good" that I'm doing all I can to be safe.

I've had a conventional LiPo go WHITE HOT on me. I put some LiPo in the back floorboard of my wife's car as she picked me up from work a few years go (I had been charging packs all day for evening flights). I accidentally allowed exposed charge leads to touch together and they immediately welded together causing a total discharge issue. Luckily I "heard" it and jumped out, opened the door, grabbed the box they were in, and dumped it onto the asphalt. Fortunately the "inferno" only damaged one additional pack (and it did not cause that pack to ignite but did ruin it). The wild thing is the amount of HEAT that was produced in mere seconds. The pack swelled up MASSIVELY and the resulting white/blue flame (like a blow torch) literally melted asphalt. The whole episode went dead in about 15 seconds but the smoke (and it was NASTY smoke too) kept rolling for a couple of minutes until we put several shovels full of dirt on the pack.
That's a great idea.

I don't think you can appreciate the heat & smoke generated unless you see it first-hand.
 
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This is going to sound VERY conceited (but I'm going to say it anyway) but I might be the person who started that trend a few years ago. If not the first I do have to say I came up with it on my very own. We still charge our "Conventional" LiPo like this as well. I've never had one "Go Off" in the cell so I can't say for sure how much it will stop or slow down the reaction but it gives me an extra level of "feel good" that I'm doing all I can to be safe.

I've had a conventional LiPo go WHITE HOT on me. I put some LiPo in the back floorboard of my wife's car as she picked me up from work a few years go (I had been charging packs all day for evening flights). I accidentally allowed exposed charge leads to touch together and they immediately welded together causing a total discharge issue. Luckily I "heard" it and jumped out, opened the door, grabbed the box they were in, and dumped it onto the asphalt. Fortunately the "inferno" only damaged one additional pack (and it did not cause that pack to ignite but did ruin it). The wild thing is the amount of HEAT that was produced in mere seconds. The pack swelled up MASSIVELY and the resulting white/blue flame (like a blow torch) literally melted asphalt. The whole episode went dead in about 15 seconds but the smoke (and it was NASTY smoke too) kept rolling for a couple of minutes until we put several shovels full of dirt on the pack.
Telling people about a great idea you had is not conceited- there's nothing wrong with innovation and excellence.
 
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Aren't these the same batteries we use on are cordless drills, laptops, and cell phones?

No not really. We are demanding much higher performance than you are from your hand tools and such. The draw required from our multirotors is insanely high. Remember we are pulling power for 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 (possibly more) motors at the same time compared to a single one in a drill. Also phones and laptops don't pull near the amount of juice we are from multiple motors.

Can you imagine if your cell phone, laptop, or cordless drill only had a lifespan of 15+/- minutes and could only weigh a few ounces to boot?
 
Storage between jobs is one thing... but long-term storage or during charging I wouldn't keep them in the case. I like for my batteries to be able to "breathe" and also if something does go wrong I don't want one battery taking the whole system out with it.

Just my 2 cents.
 
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thanks for all the great comments guys. I had never heard about the sand in a plastic bag - sounds like a great idea!

I am still not sure if these intelligent batteries and the charging system are any less susceptible to fires. Bottom lines is I guess it doesnt hurt to be on the safe side while charging. Having had a fire in the past I can't believe that for over a year that I charged my Phantom batteries in a spare bedroom unattended and not in a bag. Now I am starting to question if storing my batteries in my backpack is a bad idea.
 
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And even though DJI batteries may be considered "smart batteries" because of built-in electronic charge monitoring of some sort to prevent overcharging, I keep in mind those electronics can fail and turn a DJI battery into a dumb battery.
 
I had an 18650 (Li-Ion) battery catch fire in my pocket. Luckily, it happened while I was (*embarrassed*) on the toilet and my pants were around my ankles.

I screamed like a girl and ended up with second-degree burns on my foot and burned patches on my bathroom floor. As stated above, the amount of HORRID smoke is tremendous and they do indeed burn like blow-torches, right down to the sound.

Take a look at my pants after-the-fact as well as the bathroom floor and you'll see just how scary it can be.
 

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