LVC setting question
 

Hi all
Not been running electric and brushless very long.
Just like to get an idea from some more experienced users as to what low voltage cutoff people are running.
I did some reading and see that quite a few set it higher to extend life of the cells etc. So I set mine to 3.3v.
I know when under load the voltage will droop, but whn I put my packs on charge after depletion, all cells are at 3.58v, seems consistant across both of the packs I am using, which are 4500mah 30c turnigy packs.
When I charge them they both seem to take 4200mah to top up.
So will I be safe to lower the LVC to get a little more run time?
Has anyone had any probs leaving the LVC on its default 3v?
Thanks in advance
Jon

Cells will stabilize and "rebound" after a run, so they might be at 3.3V when the LVC kicks in, but by the time you get them on the charger they will rebound back to 3.6V since the load has been removed from them.

I run my LVC at 3.0V/cell and have never had any issues. Cells are usually back at 3.3V after the rebound.

turnigy cells do not like the lvc set too low. when set at less than 3.2v/cell, they start to lose their balance at the end of the charge. besides, you would get only about 30 seconds more run time if you set the lvc to 3.0.

We always recommend to follow the battery pack manufacturer's recommendations. It's better to error on the side of caution and set it higher than normal if you're not sure. The pack manufacturer knows their cells better than anyone, so who better to go by than them?

Historically it has been 3.0 volts per cell, but more and more companies are suggesting/requiring higher and higher voltages. 3.2 volts per cell seems to be the norm for a lot of manufacturer's, some are even recommending 3.3 or 3.4 volts. Never go lower than what your pack manufacturer recommends, you will usually degrade the packs quicker than normal and could void their warranty (if any). High cut-offs will yield shorter run times but longer battery life, so you need to balance these two based on your needs.

As far as the actual cut-off voltage, the battery will drop voltage under load, so if you set a 3.3 volt per cell cut-off, you'll probably end up with a pack around 3.5-3.7 volts per cell when not under load. The better the battery, the lower the battery will be able to drain before you hit the cut-off.

Thomas Porfert
Castle Tech Support

For longest life of your lipos, you should only use 70-80% of the capacity; you are using much more than that now.