LiPo Battery Question

[nemo]

What type of LiPo battery could - or should - I use in my M1 Garand? My rifle (not my gun, cuz that's for having fun) currently uses a 9.6 volt 2000 mAh. It has a full metal gearbox with 400+ fps. Thanks for any advice offered!


Sent By Me, From Me.

[Gimpalong]

A general rule of thumb is that a 7.4v lipo performs similarly to a 9.6v NiMh. So if your gun can handle your 9.6v, it should be able to handle a 7.4v lipo at a minimum. That said, most folks recommend the installation of a MOSFET to help spare your trigger contacts from the increased amperage of a lipo battery. Not totally necessary, but might be worth inquiring about.

The key to selecting a good lipo is making sure that the discharge rate (referred to as the "C" rating) is enough to reliably provide enough amps to your gun's motor. Necessary amperage is a bit hard to figure out, but most folks recommend a lipo battery with a "C" rating of no less than 25 (so, "25C" is how it will be advertised).

Infected did a great 5-part guide on lipos a while back that you should definitely read.

You should also remember to buy a decent lipo charger/balancer. I've used lipos for 3 or 4 years and have never had an issue with batteries catching fire or otherwise malfunctioning. That said, lipos are more dangerous than NiCAD or NiMh batteries and need to be treated properly and with care.

You should also consider the connector type that you're using on your gun. Many airsoft-specific lipos come wired to tamiya connectors. There are two problems present here. First, airsoft-specific lipos are generally way, way overpriced. You can find better and cheaper lipos at RC Hobby websites than from airsoft websites. Second, tamiya connectors don't provide a very energy efficient connection between the battery and the gun. Most lipo veterans will suggest you re-wire your gun to Deans Connectors.

Now, I'm not advocating cheaping out on when buying lipos. If you've got three 7.4v 1000 mAh 30C batteries made by Brand A ($10), Brand B ($15) and Branc C ($30), you might want to figure out why they are priced so differently. The $10 battery could be a bargain, or it could be low quality. Remember, the battery that powers your gun is a major factor in how your gun performs. A shitty lipo that isn't supplying enough amps to your motor is going to make the gun underperform and you'll be disappointed on the field. A quality rifle should be able to provide a crisp trigger response in semi and a nice rate of fire in fully-automatic. For an M1 Garand, you're going to want something that can really turn that motor over quickly since you're limited to semi auto only.

In order to figure out which lipos will fit, you should measure your current battery or battery space and then take a look at some common dimensions for lipo batteries. Most sites list these dimensions in the advertisements.

I have purchased lipos from Value Hobby.

[Snarf]

^good link; you can find ones that are wired to deans on that site.

I bought mine from Hobbyking, but theirs are sadly wired to tamiya connectors.

www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__476__85__Batteries_Accessories-Airsoft.html

[zephurah]

Sept 20, 2014 12:20:18 GMT -5 Snarf said:

^good link; you can find ones that are wired to deans on that site.

I bought mine from Hobbyking, but theirs are sadly wired to tamiya connectors.

www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__476__85__Batteries_Accessories-Airsoft.html

I usually just re-wire my lipos. I haven't had an issue with the connection yet, and it seems that the price for Li-Pos with tamiya connectors is significantly less than that with deans. 

As for Li-Pos in general, I have never had one fail on me. If you take care of them, you can get a really long life span out of em'. 

[Snarf]

I killed my first lipo, and it wasn't from a normal reason. I had my smart charger, and I had a low voltage alarm (80% rule). The way it died was from pulling it out of the charger when it finished, which pulled the banana plugs out of the charger then they short circuited the battery. So don't do that.

Do get a smart charger though, and I'd recommend a low voltage alarm (they're only a buck or two) as well as a lipo safe bag (another buck or two).

[nemo]

Thank you for the advice. My rifle does have a MOSFET installed, so I should be good to go with the li-po.