Battery Safety Guidelines
This section outlines safety guidelines for Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries used on IFT vehicles during regular use, charging or storage discharging.
Last updated
This section outlines safety guidelines for Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries used on IFT vehicles during regular use, charging or storage discharging.
Last updated
Before using your batteries, check the power and health status. Ensure the batteries aren’t leaking, bulging, or damaged. If the battery has been in a low temperature environment (below 5ºC/41ºF) prior to use, preheat the battery by charging or discharging with a small current to above 5ºC/41ºF (nominal temperature is 20ºC/68ºF).
Let the battery connectors contact metal or carbon fiber, or any other conductive material that may cause short circuiting.
Short or reverse the positive and negative electrodes.
Pull the battery charge/discharge cable.
Disassemble/reassemble a battery on your own. This is dangerous and could cause harm or fire.
Do heavy duty operations when first starting use of a cold battery. Allow the battery to reach normal operating temperatures before hard use.
Over-discharge the battery. Single cell voltage should not be lower than 3.3V. Over-discharge will cause damage to the battery, such as puffing or bulging.
Allow the electrolyte to get on your skin or in your eyes. Flush affected areas with water and seek medical attention.
When charging, ONLY use a Li-Po battery type smart charger. Keep the batteries in a temperature range of 10ºC (50ºF) - 45ºC (113ºF) while charging. Only use a table or surface that is heat-resistant.
Before charging batteries check each cell to ensure they are in the safe operating area. Batteries should not be charged at higher than a 1C rating. This means for a 16000maH battery the current should not exceed 16 amps while charging (7000maH @ 7 amps, 22000maH @ 22 amps).
NOTE
Charging should take approximately 60 to 90 minutes.
NOTE - Balancing Cells
The flight batteries used in the IFT aircraft contain multiple cells. Differences in the voltages between cells can degrade the performance of the batteries, and shorten its life. The Tattu battery charger has a function for balancing the voltages of the cells. Read the included manual to implement this function.
DO NOT
Leave charging batteries on or near a flammable surface (carpet, drapes, wood, etc.).
Charge Overnight.
Leave charging batteries unattended.
Charge the batteries in parallel.
Unplug the battery cable from the charger while the battery is charging. This may result in electrical arcing and could cause injury.
Unplug batteries from the charger without pressing the Charge button BEFORE unplugging.
If a battery is not used for more than 5 days, discharge to 40% ~ 70%. This will extend the life of the batteries. If the batteries are fully charged, they will automatically turn on the Intelligent Storage Mode which will discharge the battery from full power to a suitable storage voltage. The battery temperature will increase during this time, which is normal.
If a battery is to be shipped or will not be used for long periods of time, it is recommended to put the battery in Storage Mode. Depending on a battery’s state of charge, putting the battery into storage mode will either charge or discharge the battery to a voltage that is most stable for shipping and sitting for long periods of time.
The manufacturer recommends that the batteries be cycle charged (charged and discharged to storage voltage) every 3 months to ensure the best service life of the batteries.
Always store batteries in a dedicated, fire-proof or fire resistant container.
Always ship batteries via Ground transport, and never ship without a dedicated, fire-resistant battery shipping container.
DO NOT
Ship fully charged batteries.
Allow batteries to come in contact with liquid, and do not store the batteries in a humid place.
Keep the batteries where children can reach them.
Store the batteries in an environment where temperatures can exceed 25ºC (77ºF).
Stack batteries in storage.
Lithium-Ion Polymer batteries need to be disposed of properly. They need to be taken to a local facility that can handle the proper disposal of lithium batteries. Hold any batteries in need of disposal in an adequate, fire-resistant container, until they can be properly disposed of. Contact your local waste management to inquire how to dispose of LiPo batteries safely.
DO NOT
Dispose of batteries in the trash.
Do not incinerate or subject to temperatures in excess of 70ºC (158ºF).
Critical battery percentage is set on the Herelink blue for the aircraft to RTH when it reaches critical battery life voltage.
Critical Battery Voltage on the 16000maH is between 3.0-3.3 per cell.
IFT programs Tattu batteries with customized CAN data / firmware. Batteries purchased from outside sources will NOT communicate properly with IFT aircraft.
| STEP | ACTION |
|---|---|
| STEP | ACTION |
|---|---|
1
Plug in and turn on the charger
2
Plug the black, balance cable into the charger and the battery
3
Plug the yellow connector from the battery into the keyed port on the charger
4
After 10 seconds the battery will begin charging
5
When a battery is done charging, the charger will beep and display “Done” on the LCD screen
6
Press the Charge button, unplug the yellow connector from the charger, and then unplug the balance cable from the battery
7
Place the battery in an appropriate storage container if it won’t be used right away
1
Plug in and turn on the charger
2
Plug the black, balance cable into the charger and the battery
3
Plug the yellow connector from the battery into the keyed port on the charger
4
Hold the Storage button for 5 seconds
5
The charger will beep, the fans will spin, and the LCD display will indicate that Storage mode charging/discharging has begun
