Are LiPo batteries safe for HW robots?

**archie2000** · 1st June 2012, 20:33

if you have your own.safety stuff.then no fee
if.you.don't then if.a.couple.of.people get together with a.bit of money then.they can go joint

**PJ-27** · 1st June 2012, 20:52

why.so.many.full.stops........

**typhoon_driver** · 2nd June 2012, 08:50

You should have your own lipo sack etc anyway. I would also suggest that someone that has blown many packs and not learned from previous mistakes should not run them

**robotwars** · 2nd June 2012, 09:00

Doesn't this come back to my original point, here's a classic example.

Not being disrespectful, but ...

What if we allow everyone to use hw lipos, What if they become standard like in fws and any Tom dick or Harry uses them.
What if he was doing that in the pits, anyone can make a mistake !! what if we do end up with a fire? to short batteries out I'm assuming, it's in a robot and trying to connect them.
This wouldn't be in a sack.... Bang we have a nasty fire in a crowded pits, in a leisure centre !! Not good in my opinion.

It's the what if scenario I don't like !!! And that's what we base our risk assessments on !

**typhoon_driver** · 2nd June 2012, 09:18

lipo sack inside the robots and to be honest, from the sounds of things, if you are likely to short batteries full stop then you shouldn't really be playing with the big stuff

**kane** · 2nd June 2012, 09:22

The battery packs should be fitted with a fuse and connector that prevents that sort of mistake. Any battery could cause injury if it exploded. Of course we need to determine if LiPo is more or less destructive than other battery types.

**Marien** · 2nd June 2012, 09:38

I've done stupid things with 7,2V NiCd-packs, in the past.
I've seen a mistake with a 15V LiPo-pack in our pits.
I know what to do with NiCd and so on, but am not sure about Li-batteries. I've heard about poisenous gasses and hydrogen coming out of those, or form it because of the wrong firefighting medium. What is true there?
Are there LiPo bags big enough to contain 24 or 36V packs? Should a LiPo-bag be a fixed part of the battery-pack?
How about overheating, even without shortcircuiting or fire? What is worse?

**Mouldy** · 2nd June 2012, 11:58

Salt works well on lipo fires... Use co2 to displace oxygen to limit the fire should you get one, then smother it in salt or just let it burn out.

SLA batteries give of more hazardous gasses when ignited.