[NSRCA-discussion] Li-Po Battery disposal - Best way

Mon Apr 18 13:50:00 AKDT 2016

Interesting, never heard that analysis before….I’m going to be discharging some old 5S packs down the road and after a day or two in the bath, I’m going to open them up and see if that amount of time will cause issues leading to a false reading.  I would assume the volt meter would show an open circuit and not some sort of voltage, 0 or otherwise if the leads were in fact corroded and non functional.

Thanks,

Jay

From: NSRCA-discussion [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of Keith Hoard via NSRCA-discussion
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2016 11:48 AM
To: 'General pattern discussion'
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Li-Po Battery disposal - Best way

Not if the internals are all corroded away.  They’ll show 0V but the pack is still charged.  

-Keith Hoard

-klhoard at outlook.com

From: NSRCA-discussion [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of Jay Marshall via NSRCA-discussion
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2016 10:45
To: atwooddon at aol.com; 'General pattern discussion' <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Li-Po Battery disposal - Best way

Old info.

You can check each cell at the balance connector …..

Jay Marshall

From: NSRCA-discussion [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of atwooddon--- via NSRCA-discussion
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2016 11:09 AM
To: jaysgerber at earthlink.net; tewalker10 at yahoo.com; nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Li-Po Battery disposal - Best way

The salt water bath approach has been floating around for quite some time, however, there is a possible issue with this approach.  Here is a section of an article from a club newsletter describing the possible issue.  

YMMV
Don

Salt Water Bath.... NO!!!

There has been a discharge approach for lipos floating around the internet for quite some time. Somehow, it just won't die and go away so we will cover it here and maybe help someone reading this that thinks this will reliably discharge a lipo. Notice I said 'reliably'. The salt water bath approach 'might' work but there is no easy way to check whether it worked or not and you might be disposing a lipo you think is fully discharged but isn't.

The theory..... Pure water will not conduct energy, in fact has almost infinite resistance. BUT, add some chemical like salt and it will conduct current very well. So, if we take water and add salt to it, drop a lipo pack in the salty water it should gradually/safely discharge the lipo to zero voltage over time by allowing current to flow between the positive and negative leads of the pack. Sounds good, right? Theoretically it should work... BUT it ignores the fact that the salty water will also cause a oxidation/corrosion process to occur as the energy flows across the connectors of the pack, including the aluminum connectors inside the pack. Over time, this oxidation/corrosion process eats away at the aluminum of the internal connectors of the lipo gradually dissolving it. Now, as soon as this process erodes the connector(s) to the point there is no connection between one or more of the cells of the lipo it will open the circuit and you will get a zero volt reading when you check the pack using the main leads. You can't see the internal connectors so you have no idea the reason you are getting a zero voltage reading externally is there is an 'open' in the internal circuit of the lipo pack. Of course, this might not occur and the salt water bath would be successful but you have no way of determining if it was actually successful without opening the pack up to verify each cell is zero voltage. So, that is the reason you shouldn't rely on the salt water bath to discharge lipo packs.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jay Gerber < <mailto:jaysgerber at earthlink.net> jaysgerber at earthlink.net>
To: 'Terrence Walker' < <mailto:tewalker10 at yahoo.com> tewalker10 at yahoo.com>; 'General pattern discussion' < <mailto:nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>; atwooddon < <mailto:atwooddon at aol.com> atwooddon at aol.com>
Sent: Mon, Apr 18, 2016 6:39 am
Subject: RE: [NSRCA-discussion] Li-Po Battery disposal - Best way

For whatever it’s worth….If you can’t get to a battery disposal facility like Lowe’s, etc…..

I have discharged batteries using a glass bowl (not metal) filled with a concentrated salt water solution.  2- 5S 5400 ma Lipos took about 2 days for them to get to 0.01 volts.  Yesterday I discharged 2 4S 2200 Lipos in a day to 0.00 volts with the same process.  No danger, just let them sit and maybe refresh the solution for the bigger batteries.  Leave a little longer and they will go to 0.00 volts

Strip the leads staggered and watch that the positive lead doesn’t get caked up in a day or so.  It’s neat watching the bubbling taking place as the “electrons” flow out of the packs.

Jay

From: NSRCA-discussion [ <mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org?> mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of Terrence Walker via NSRCA-discussion
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2016 12:44 AM
To:  <mailto:atwooddon at aol.com> atwooddon at aol.com; General pattern discussion
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Li-Po Battery disposal - Best way

Hello Don,

Long time no see. So I have an old 5000 10s flight pack that I want to fully discharge. How can a single 12v taillight bulb discharge this flight pack?

Enquiring minds want to know ...

Terry 

  _____  

From: atwooddon--- via NSRCA-discussion < <mailto:nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
To:  <mailto:ldiamond at diamondrc.com> ldiamond at diamondrc.com;  <mailto:nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org 
Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2016 6:44 AM
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Li-Po Battery disposal - Best way

The process I use is to fully discharge the pack using a automotive tail light bulb, strip the mail leads back a couple inches and twist them together then dispose of if in the trash.  Fully discharged, lipos pose no environmental dangers.

Don

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Diamond via NSRCA-discussion < <mailto:nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
To: 'General pattern discussion' < <mailto:nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Sent: Sat, Apr 16, 2016 6:24 am
Subject: [NSRCA-discussion] Li-Po Battery disposal - Best way

I have a LiPo 5s 5000mAh pack that has a dead cell (1.6v).

What is the best way to dispose of this battery?

Larry Diamond

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