Last flight of the Tiny Trainer, and battery damage

dylanbeaudette

Active member
Out flying on a windy evening, gusts probably 6-8 knots. This old plane had been crashed and rebuilt about 5 times, but this last crash was probably her last.

79494E4C-27B3-41CE-B2D9-33795767C01A.jpeg

We were able to get two more flights after field repairs using packing tape, but that lead to a catastrophic nose dive which may have damaged the battery. Any suggestions on what to look out for… or maybe we just retire the battery?

ED1D80B5-D0AE-40E3-BF21-198621B5D94B.jpeg


Will definitely built another TT. Flying 3cel is a ton of fun and does an OK job in the wind.
 

Hondo76251

Legendary member
The propper answer is to dispose of damaged lipos
But...
I usually try to get all the goodie i can out of them. I mitigate the risks by storing the sketchy ones separately, in a metal container, only charging them in a good battery bunker, and only flying them in models that wouldnt make me cry if they came to a flaming end.
But that's just me.
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
I agree with @Hondo76251, I'd treat that battery with caution. But that's the way you should treat ALL lipos.

Don't charge them unattended. Charge and store them in a fire resistant container, away from anything flammable. I use a metal box, lined with drywall. I keep a plastic bag of sand on top of my batteries. If there is a fire, the bag will melt, releasing the sand, hopefully containing the fire.

ALL lipos are dangerous, use them with caution.

 
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dylanbeaudette

Active member
The propper answer is to dispose of damaged lipos
But...
I usually try to get all the goodie i can out of them. I mitigate the risks by storing the sketchy ones separately, in a metal container, only charging them in a good battery bunker, and only flying them in models that wouldn't make me cry if they came to a flaming end.
But that's just me.

That was my inclination... this battery is only a year old, with about 30-40 charge cycles through it. The cells are deformed, but appear to be intact. Given the wildfire danger around here, flying something like this may be too risky.

Thanks for the tips!
 

dylanbeaudette

Active member
Any suggestions on protecting LiPo battery packs that are exposed to crashes? The TT and DR1 have the batteries mounted just below the prop, usually the first thing that hits the ground during a hard landing...
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
Any suggestions on protecting LiPo battery packs that are exposed to crashes?...
Most anything soft will work, a hunk of bubble wrap is perfect. Make a small roll and a little tape to hold the shape. Light weight and will absorb a lot of force. I have used plastic sandwich bags either filled with squishy foam or just a little air for odd shaped places.
 

WillL84

Active member
I agree with @Hondo76251, I'd treat that battery with caution. But that's the way you should treat ALL lipos.

Don't charge them unattended. Charge and store them in a fire resistant container, away from anything flammable. I use a metal box, lined with drywall. I keep a plastic bag of sand on top of my batteries. If there is a fire, the bag will melt, releasing the sand, hopefully containing the fire.

ALL lipos are dangerous, use them with caution.


That seems a little....extreme....
 

Bricks

Master member
That seems a little....extreme....


Everyone has there comfort zone and situations vary, someone living in a apartment may be more concerned about safety then someone keeping there battery's in a in an old shed out back.

I have only ever had one battery fire that was from a crash and forgot to put foam between the battery and the screws from the motor mount being to long. That was cool it burst into flames looked like a crash from a full size plane.
 

dylanbeaudette

Active member
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I decided to discharge and dispose of the battery. Not worth a garage fire or even destruction of our other batteries. We keep those in a 30 caliber ammo can with Velcro strips to organize.

This battery powered many exciting flights in our wrecked TT and DR1. Looking forward to our next build.
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
That seems a little....extreme....
Maybe I am extreme, I’m happy to take few precautions for the protection of my family. I’ve had a couple of lipo fires, fortunately no serious damage. After seeing a couple of them go off, I treat ALL lipos with caution. I used to store all my lipos is a single bag. When one went off, I lost all of them.

Now I store each lipo in an individual compartment. I’m not sure if this will save them or not only time will tell.
I’m not telling you what you need to do, I’m just warning you what happened to me.
 
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dylanbeaudette

Active member
I think it's best to just buy a new glider, because if you fix the old one, then its flying characteristics will deteriorate a lot. If I were you, I would also think about how to dispose of this flying machine. I would contact my city's garbage and recycling service www.zerowastegroup.co.uk, I'm sure they know exactly what to do with it. But that's all up to you to decide.

Thanks for the tips! We took her out for one last flight after breaking the body in half, thanks to some packing tape in our kit. That is what lead to the battery damage. We salvaged the electronics for the next TT. I made a automotive-light bulb battery discharger and safely took the pack down to 0 volts. About time to rebuild our trusty DR1 as well, most of the struts (?) that connect the three wings are now either broken or repaired with popsicle sticks. The rudder is also very floppy due to a botched z-bend. Next up: a new TT, a DR1 speed built kit waiting in the closet, and maybe even a FT Explorer.

PS: having great fun with an FT Tutor!
 

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Elite member
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Rhinopilot

Member
Out flying on a windy evening, gusts probably 6-8 knots. This old plane had been crashed and rebuilt about 5 times, but this last crash was probably her last.

View attachment 225677

We were able to get two more flights after field repairs using packing tape, but that lead to a catastrophic nose dive which may have damaged the battery. Any suggestions on what to look out for… or maybe we just retire the battery?

View attachment 225683

Will definitely built another TT. Flying 3cel is a ton of fun and does an OK job in the wind.
Sorry