What do you think of this charger?

[TruckBasher]

I agree Rene...but it doesnt charge li-ion....right?i am definitely going for a123 cells so i need a charger for li-ion...

[pinolelst]

From what I've read the manufacturer doesn't suggest using a lipo charger as the cut off voltages are different. I guess if you chose a cell count that was close to the a123 cells cut off you'd be OK.
Curious why you chose a123 cells over lipos though?? Please educate me on their superiority (beyond the fire hype please :mad:1 )

Thanks

pinolelst:dft003:

[BrianG]

The fire "hype" is one of the bigger benefits. They are also more forgiving on charge rate, have a larger C rating without "puffing", have an aluminum case for ruggedness, and if they do get punctured, they don't flame. Downside is they have less mAh to weight (and physical size) benefit.

[pinolelst]

Originally Posted by BrianG

The fire "hype" is one of the bigger benefits. They are also more forgiving on charge rate, have a larger C rating without "puffing", have an aluminum case for ruggedness, and if they do get punctured, they don't flame. Downside is they have less mAh to weight (and physical size) benefit.

Lipos do not flame simply because they get punctured.I know..I drove a 16d nail through one trying to get it to flame up..nada..zip..nyet..

It takes severe over charging/discharging or a dead short to flame them.In any case I remember back when all we had was 1200 mah nicads to use as power cells and leaving the room once while charging at 5 amps and coming back to find the cells shrink wrap gone and the cells venting furiously.I still have nightmares of my efforts at getting those dangerous nicads out of the house while not suffering 4th degree burns on my hands:mad:1


my point is...anything can be dangerous....I should get the developers pack of a123 cells from maxamps and do a destructive test on them by hooking them up to a 12 vlt car battery direct...just like they do in all the sensationalistic lipo fire videos..and see if I can't cause a little uproar myself...:005:

ymmv

pinolelst

[BrianG]

I too have heard of some lipos not flaming on puncture, but I've seen videos that do. The demo on A123 website shows this as well. Maybe the lipo technology has matured enough, but I've seen enough videos to know to be careful. It seems that the lipos flame enough to do considerable collateral damage. Granted, it's all about proper care and handling, but accidents do happen. Of course any cell can cause damage, it's just that some seem to be more tolerant than others.

Question: what was the charge level of the lipo you punctured?