How to Charge a LiPo Battery for the First Time?

The Lithium Polymer Battery is very popular for consumer electronic devices. They are also rechargeable batteries which use a polymer electrolyte instead of liquid electrolyte. These batteries are much more efficient in providing higher specific energy than any other Lithium battery types. It is especially useful in the fields where the battery weight has a critical role to play like radio-controlled aircraft or mobile devices.

lithium polymer battery Charging Tips:

As you are learning how to charge the LiPo battery for the first time, you should go through the tips. Here are some useful tips that will come in handy for the charging cycle.  From charge, discharge, storage, maintenance, to handling the batteries, if you keep these things in mind, the batteries will be of some good for you.

Note: Never charge, discharge, use, or store a battery inside the house which is puffy or damaged. Instead, follow out the proper disposal methods and get rid of the battery immediately.

1: Never buy the LiPo batteries from an unreliable company. Some local shops keep the used batteries which are damaged. So, make sure that you don’t fall prey to a scam and buy an inappropriate battery.

2: Always use a battery balancer for the LiPo batteries during charging and discharging. It is crucial that all cells of the battery remain at the same voltage at all times. If the voltage deviates too much, then the battery will become unstable and dangerous. But you don’t have to worry about this factor if you are using a single cell LiPo battery.

3: Always use a fireproof LiPo safety bag or container while you are charging, discharging, or even storing the batteries. Even though there are very few cases of LiPo batteries catching fire, but it is possible. And these batteries can do a lot more damage than you realize. All it takes for these batteries to explode is an internal short-circuit. This will set off the battery and the entire battery will go puff within a minute or less maybe. Plus, the scenario might arise during overcharging or while being discharged. So, you have to keep the level of maintenance up with these batteries.

4: It is advised not to leave the LiPo batteries on charge unattended. Walking away for just a few minutes might cast a spell on the battery and it will go bad leading to other major problems.

5: Never ever leave a battery sitting around for more than 2 to 3 days. If you are not going to use the battery today and today is the 3rd day, then you better discharge the battery and then store it until you are ready to use it again.

6: Keep in mind that heat is the number one enemy of the batteries. The hotter the batteries get during charging, the shorter will be their lifespan.

Look out for all these things if you want to make sure that the LiPo batteries are used precisely. In addition, as they are high-maintenance, it gets more relevant to take care of the batteries throughout the life cycle.

Do You Have To Fully Charge LiPo Battery The First Time?

Just like all other batteries, LiPo batteries work on a simple principle of intercalation and de-intercalation of Lithium-ion. The ions travel from the positive electrode to negative where the electrolyte acts as a conductive medium.

It is important that you use a LiPo compatible charger to charge the batteries. As these batteries require specialized care, a specific CC/CV charging system is used. It stands for the Constant Current/Constant Voltage. This charger makes sure that the charge rate or current rate is kept constant until the battery reaches the peak voltage. After that, the battery maintains the voltage while the current is reduced.

For charging, you need to follow the below procedure:

· When you purchase a new LiPo battery, it is important that you know what chemicals are inside of the battery. It is the chemicals that enable the battery to live longer shelf life.

· All chargers for the battery come with a balancing feature which is important for safety and battery life both.

· The operating system voltage of a typical Lithium Polymer battery is a 3V to 4.2 V when it is fully charged. Discharging cells below 3 Volts will cause irreversible damage. And charging the battery above 4.2 V is also dangerous.

· As you have selected the LiPo function, the charger will be set to peak and the charger will cut off when it reached the peak.

· If you set the wrong type of battery, the pack will swell and eventually catch fire, that’s why you have to be vigilant while setting your charger.

Do You Need To Discharge LiPo Battery Before Charging?

Now, it is time to discuss discharge rates. It is a common myth that every battery needs to discharge completely to keep up with the charging and discharging cycle. The batteries offer plenty of power and runtime but these things come at a price. We all know now that the LiPo batteries are capable of catching fire. The problem lies in chemistry.

Lithium-polymer batteries contain Lithium which is an Alkali metal that can react with water and combusts. When the battery is heated, Lithium combusts and react with oxygen. So, remember that a LiPo battery should never be discharged below a 3.0V. Discharging the batteries to a minimum level will have drastic results. This might result in physical damage and reduces the overall lifespan of the batteries too.

To make sure that you get the high-quality Lithium-polymer batteries, you can rely on large power. They manufacture and distribute the batteries to a wide array of the platform. They not only have quality in their products but also provide assurance for safety. But keep one thing in mind, after a battery is sold, the user determines how the battery works. So, you have to be careful to ensure that your Lithium-Polymer battery has an ideal lifespan.