LiFe-Po4 Battery and RIS Questions

[cyclopso]

Since I plan on adding an RIS to my front wired M4 I will have to get a PEQ box to house a battery. The only catch is that I don't like how large PEQ 2s are and I really don't like the idea of a lipo exploding in my gun. At first I thought I would have to ditch getting an RIS until I came across this.

airsoft-club.com/shop/batteries-bbs-gas/9-9v-battery-lithium/flame-9-9v-1000mah-15c-lifepo4-lfp-battery-for-peq-15-box

From the research I've done it fits my needs as it does not require discharging and is safer than a lipo battery. Has anyone had any experience with these as it seems to be the perfect option for my standards? Also, will my stock King Arms M4 be able to handle the battery?

Here is the link to my M4.
www.airsoftpost.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_44_485&products_id=33573

Another question I have is will this RIS fit my M4? I'm not sure if it is compatible.

www.airsoftglobal.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6043

Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Thor]

Lipo's only explode from one cause: user error. Improper charging and use is the only reason why you would ever have one explode. Buy a proper balancing charger (which I am 99% sure you would have to do for a LiFe PO4 battery anyway), unplug your battery when not in use, and make sure your wiring doesn't have any place it can short or anything to cause unnecessary resistance (motor having to work extra hard due to improper shimming of gears, etc).

Also, for that battery you'll still need a PEQ, but you can run a PEQ-15 or PEQ-16 replica instead of a PEQ-2, as they are much smaller. I have yet to find a lithium battery that properly fits within a standard KAC-style RIS.

As for that RIS, I believe it should fit, but not owning either that replica or that RIS, I cannot be 100% certain. However, nothing about either of those leads me to believe that they shouldn't fit together.

[cyclopso]

Thanks for the response Thor. Are you pretty much saying it would be better to get a lipo? Would I have to reshim the gearbox if I were to use a lipo? Since I don't really feel comfortable opening a gearbox would it be better just to use a lower voltage lipo?Sorry for all the questions, I just want to be confident in what I am purchasing.

[Thor]

Since you've got a decent quality replica, your wiring and shimming shouldn't be an issue. It would be in a lower end replica that I would be more concerned with that.

I don't claim to be an expert on Lipo's, but from what I do know, the C rating is as or more important than the voltage. From what I've seen most people seem to recommend a 15 or 20 C lipo. As far as voltage goes, I run an 11.1v in mine, but I also spend most of my time in semi-auto. Basically the difference between 7.2v and 11.1v is the difference between 8.4 and 9.6 in NiCad or NiMH batteries, although it seems like I've seen someone say that an 11.1v with a high C rating is actually going to perform more like a 10.8v or 12v standard battery.

I know we've had some informative threads on here in the past about lipos, and there's definitely a few players on here that are much more knowledgeable about them than I am, but basically what I'm trying to get at is don't be afraid of lipo's, just learn about them. It's just as easy to burn up a NiCad or NiMH battery if you don't use the proper equipment.

[cyclopso]

Thanks again. From what you have said I have decided that I will buy a lipo and try to use it carefully. As of right now I have this battery and charger picked out.

airsoft-club.com/shop/batteries-bbs-gas/11-1v-battery-lithium/hot-power-11-1v-1300mah-15c-li-po-li-polymer-battery-peq-15-type
www.weaponblender.com/index.php?productID=2651

I was wondering if you have ordered from Airsoft Club before. From the reviews I have read they have their bad orders but mostly good ones come from them. I really do not want to get scammed so i'm trying to be careful about this.

[Overkill]

I did some research on this topic and can now answer your question. For one, a LiPo is much more dangerous than a LiFePO4 battery. If your short the leads of a LiPo, it WILL probably explode. The same goes for a Lithium Ion battery. An LiFePO4 battery, due to the ferrite, is actually much much more stable than a LiPo or a LiIon battery. This is because the ferrite, during loading, is much less likely to oxidize as compared to other lithium battery types (although yeah, it can still happen with a very high chance, its just less than the normal for lithium type batteries).

As with all battery technology, there are trade offs. LiFePO4's have a separate charging technique (comparable, but slightly different that other lithium batteries). I am unsure if you can use a typical LiPo charger, but I would not try it unless a vetted source says so, else it could explode. Also, for an identical size cell, LiFePO4's have both a smaller voltage output and a smaller current density (mAh) compared to other lithium batteries. This means that you will need more cells (larger battery essentially) to have the same capacity or voltage output. Interestingly enough, the cells tend to be around 3.3 to 3.8 volts, so a battery of 3 cells yields a nice 9.9 to 11.4 volt battery, which is great for airsoft and comparable to LIPO's. I am NOT familiar with the performance of LiFePO4's under load, and do not know their loaded performance characteristics, so the method for usage (burst vs. sustained firing possibilities) is unknown to me at this time.

The choice is yours really. With LiFePO4's you gain 1 thing: safety, while losing capacity and voltage (OR suffer increased size to maintain capacity and voltage levels).