Fromeco lit ion Winter Storage questions.

[SleepyC]

Hey guys,

Unfortunately for me, the OHIo flying season is coming to an end... and in a few short weeks, I'll have to pack up the planes for the winter.

What is the process for winter storage of the Lit Ion cells so they survive the winter?

Should I charge them.. and then un plug them (I will be unpluging them) and let them sit?

Is there a procedure I need to follow so that next year they will still be functioning?

Thanks in advance!

[macanaw]

SleepyC,

Here is what I know about storage of these packs.

Unplug them
Don't let them freeze
Best to store them at 80% capacity
Charge them up a bit every 3 - 4 weeks
Occassionaly "exercise" them: Discharge, then charge.

These are the things I know off to get the best life from the packs during extended storage. For more information call Kurt at Fromco, he's a good guy and may have additional info for you.

David Fox

[SleepyC]

	Quote:
	Don't let them freeze

CRAP... so I'll have to take all the packs out of my planes.

Unhappy LAZY modeler...

[exeter_acres]

Store planes?????

FLy them mister!
I always thought they made them a bit weaker down there in Ohio!

[SleepyC]

I fly during the winter, but not my big planes...
too many variables... especially the ground snow...
if we had a plow at the field maybe.. but I'm not shovling a 70 x 1000 foot runway!!!

[exeter_acres]

OK...that whole shoveling thing is a valid point....
and I too am not quite ready to put skiis on a 40% airplane!

[Bunky F. Knuckle]

Sleepy, you just SUCK, PERIOD!!!! Not shoveling MY runway... tisk tisk.....

I always charge my packs up to FULL capacity, and let them ride. Right now, I'm in somewhat of a climate controlled atmosphere, aka, basement. I cannot unplug the packs, as they are tied up and away, and connections are heat shrunk.

Kurt/Mike, I'll be placing a really small order in the future with you guys, for only a 4800 pack....

Cheers guys!!

Chris~

[Fromeco]

Hey Guys sorry for the late reply. This is a good question, that we get asked alot.

Here is a chart that we go buy for recommendations it is a little dated however it still applies to Lithium Ion batteries, the Data was put together by Battery University.

Storage Temperature40% Charge100% Charge0 °C (32 °F)2% loss after 1 year6% loss after 1 year25 °C (77 °F)4% loss after 1 year20% loss after 1 year40 °C (104 °F)15% loss after 1 year35% loss after 1 year60 °C (140 °F)25% loss after 1 year40% loss after 1 year








Also you may want to check out our Knowledge Base where we have an article on this. http://www.fromeco.org/instantkb/art...7&cNode=1R3R8S

Our advise for longest battery life is, discharge packs to "7.7-7.4 volts" or to about a 1/2 to 1/3 charge. And then put them away for storage, check on em every once and awhile to make sure they are not at too low of a voltage.

If you find that your packs have discharged to a 7.0 VDC after 6months pop them on the charger for about 15min to 30min. This will bump them up to about 7.7 to 7.4VDC.

As for temperature you can see the charts above the cooler the better but don't freeze them that is bad.

I hope this helps a little.

Kurt Cook
Fromeco Scale Avionics LLC

[SleepyC]

THANKS!!!!
That helps a lot!