Battery charging and storage
Safety notice
Use a specific Lithium Polymer battery charger only. Do not use a NiCd or NiMh charger - Failure to do so may cause a fire, which may result in personal injury and property damage.
Never charge batteries unattended unless you charge inside a LiPo Safe. When charging Li-Po batteries you should always remain in constant observation to monitor the charging process and react to potential problems that may occur.
If at any time you witness a battery starting to balloon or swell up, discontinue charging process immediately. Disconnect the battery and dispose of it safely. Continuing to charge a battery that has begun to swell will result in fire. Likewise, never use a battery if you find it swollen or ballooned.
Since delayed chemical reactions can occur, it is best to observe the battery as a safety precaution. Battery observation should occur in a safe area outside of any building or vehicle and away from any combustible material.
Wire lead shorts can cause fire! If you accidentally short the wires, the battery must be placed in a safe area for observation for at least 1 hour. Additionally, if a short occurs and contact is made with metal (such as rings on your hand), severe injuries may occur due to the conductibility of electric current in such objects.
A battery can still ignite even after 1 hour.
A battery that makes a hissing sound is almost certain to ignite. Consider your own safety and that of your environment before attempting any action
In the event of a crash, you must remove battery and dispose of it safely.
Charging the LiPo
If you have ordered the DeltaQuad with a LiPo battery it will come with a plug & play charger. This charger can charge an empty DeltaQuad main flight battery in approximately 6 hours. To charge the battery insert both the power and balance plugs in the charger, it will commence charging automatically. When the LED light on the charger turns green the LiPo will have been charged.
The DeltaQuad LiPo can also be charged using a third party charging solution and is capable of charging in approximately 1 hour if your charger is capable of providing 20 Amperes. Charging at this rate can be convenient but may limit the durability of the LiPo, it is recommended to charge the LiPo at no more than 5 Amperes for maximum life time.
Remove the battery from the vehicle. The battery should never be charged inside the vehicle.
Never charge batteries unattended unless you can charge them inside a LiPo safe.
Charge in an isolated area, away from other flammable materials.
Let the battery cool down to ambient temperature before charging.
Never charge the battery at more than 23 Amperes, as this will reduce the number of charge cycles and efficiency of the battery.
Operating the LiPo with your vehicle
The DeltaQuad can measure Voltage and Current from the main battery. To estimate the total amount of energy available in a battery it will use both of these metrics. The Voltage can give some indication of the state of charge but this is not always accurate. New batteries maintain a high voltage even when their capacity is low. The vehicle will also measure the amount of current that has been drawn from a battery, and knows the total capacity of the DeltaQuad LiPo. If the battery is fully charged it can use this accurate method of estimating the state of charge.
To prevent any situation where the vehicle may incorrectly estimate the state of charge of the battery, it is required to start every flight with a fully charged battery.
Storing the LiPo
When storing a LiPo for a period longer then 1 week make sure to store it at approximately 50% charge. This will increase the lifetime of your battery. The LiPo should be stored in a safe and dark location between 5 and 25 degrees Celsius and never left exposed to direct sunlight for a prolonged period of time.
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