GRAUPNER Micro Star 1000, Manual

Page: 5 / 36

Micro Star 1000
5
Instructions and warnings relating to the use of LiPo batteries
General information
Lithium-Polymer batteries (generally abbreviated to ‘LiPo batteries’) must be handled with particular care and
attention. This applies both to charging / discharging, and to storage and handling generally. It is important to
observe the following points at all times:
Mishandling these batteries incurs a risk of explosion, fire, smoke and poisoning. Ignoring or neglecting the instructions
and warning information can also cause loss of performance and other forms of defect.
The capacity of all LiPo batteries diminishes with every charge / discharge cycle. If they are stored at excessively high
or low temperatures they may also suffer a gradual loss of capacity. In modelling applications the batteries are sub-
jected to motor induction currents as well as high discharge rates, with the result that you can expect their performance
to decline to around 50% to 80% of the capacity of a new pack after fifty charge / discharge cycles even if you observe
all the instructions regarding charge and discharge procedures.
Except in exceptional circumstances, LiPo packs must not be wired in series or parallel, as the packs may have differ-
ent cell capacities and be at different states of charge. For this reason battery packs supplied by us are carefully se-
lected before sale.
Please store these instructions in a safe place, and pass them on to the new owner if you ever sell the product
Special notes regarding the charging of Graupner LiPo batteries
Since we at Graupner GmbH & Co. KG are not in a position to ensure that you charge and discharge the cells correctly,
we cannot provide any guarantee on the cells if you fail to charge or discharge them using the proper procedures.
When charging LiPo batteries it is essential to use approved battery chargers and the associated charge leads. Any
modification to the charger or charge leads may result in serious damage to the battery or the charger.
The maximum charge capacity must be limited to 1.05 times the battery capacity.
Example: 700 mAh battery = 735 mAh max. charge capacity
LiPo batteries must never be charged or discharged using equipment other than Graupner chargers / dis-
chargers designed specifically for the purpose. These include the LiPo Charger 4, Order No. 6437, LiPomat 4
Plus, Order No. 6438, Ultramat 10, Order No. 6410, Ultramat 12, Order No. 6412, ULTRA DUO PLUS 30, Order
No. 6416 (in LiIon, LiMn or LiPo mode (late versions only)), or GMVIS-Commander, Order No. 94401 - software
version V2003 or later.
You may need an adapter lead (available separately) for connecting the pack to the charger.
Ensure that the number of cells, the final charge voltage and the final discharge voltage are set correctly on the
charger. If you are unsure of this, refer to the operating instructions supplied with your charger / discharger.
The intended purpose of the white multi-pin plug (cell-count + 1 terminal) attached to each LiPo pack is for
connecting the battery to the battery charger, Order No. 6438, or the LiPo Balancer, Order No. 6491; it can also
be useful for charging individual cells manually in order to balance a pack. Once again it may be necessary to
obtain an adapter lead (available separately) to connect the battery.
Supplementary notes on battery handling
The pack to be charged must be placed on a heat-resistant, non-flammable, non-conductive surface for charg-
ing. Remove inflammable or volatile materials from the area around the charging station. LiPo batteries must
always be supervised when charging is in progress.
As a basic rule LiPo batteries consisting of series-wired cells may only be charged if the voltage of the individual cells
does not differ by more than 0.05 V. If the voltage of individual cells varies by more than 0.05 V, it will be necessary to
charge or discharge individual cells in order to balance the cell voltages as accurately as possible.
Provided that these conditions are satisfied, Graupner LiPo batteries can be charged at a maximum rate of 2C (the
value of 1C corresponds to the cell capacity). Once the cells reach a maximum voltage of 4.2 V, the charge process
must continue at a constant voltage of 4.2 V per cell until the charge current falls below 0.1 to 0.2 A.
It is essential at all times to avoid cell voltages of more than 4.25 V, otherwise the cells concerned will be per-
manently damaged, and may even burst into flames. To avoid overcharging individual cells in the pack we rec-
ommend that you set the cut-off voltage on the charger at 4.1 V to 4.15 V per cell, as this ensures a longer use-
ful life for the batteries.
After each charge process it is important to check whether any individual cell in the pack exhibits a voltage of more
than 4.2 V. All the cells in the battery must be at the same voltage. If the voltage of the individual cells varies by more
than 0.05 V, the cell voltage must be matched by charging or discharging individual cells. We recommend that you
charge cells individually at regular intervals in order to avoid overcharging them after protracted use in pack form.
Never charge battery cells with reversed polarity. If you connect and charge a LiPo pack with reversed polarity, abnor-
mal chemical reactions take place which will render the battery unusable; at the same time it may burst or split, develop
smoke and even go up in flames. The permissible temperature range when charging and storing LiPo batteries is 0°C
to 50°C.
Storage : LiPo cells should be stored with a residual charged-in capacity of 10 to 20%. If the voltage of the cells falls
below 3 V during storage, it is absolutely essential to top them up again to the 10 - 20% point. Deep-discharging LiPo
batteries, and storing them in the discharged state (cell voltage < 3 V), invariably renders them unusable.