Lipo Batteries in Ebays

[terryg]

As part of the process of converting my upscale Solar Flare to its intended role as a night flight rocket I am getting a 5000 mAH lipo battery to mount in the ebay to provide power for LED strip lights mounted on the outside of the vehicle. Are there any electrical interference issues with larger lipo batteries and altimeters (I use a Perfectflight stratologer). The altimeter will have its own independent 9 volt battery.

 

[Tonimus]

There shouldn't be any issues. You're not broadcasting with it, or running a motor, so you should be fine. Still wouldn't hurt to ground test.

 

[terryg]

Thats what I thought also. I will run tests with all lights running and the altimeter setup with ematches or Xmas tree bulbs to test it before I fly it.

 

[Ravenex]

Edit: deleted

 

[BEC]

Do the strip lights have some kind of flashing pattern or such or are you just lighting them? If there is a a pattern-making flasher device, that might be a source of RF since those seem to be done using cheap microprocessors. The battery is not a concern.

 

[KenECoyote]

Just a note that larger lipos may be more prone to the stress of rocket launches and if you have a hard landing, it would be good to check the lipo pack since if damaged, they can burst and start serious fires. I've read cases where people used them in RC aircraft and they had issues after a crash, so extra caution would be good since many of us also often launch on farms.

Others may say I'm nuts or plain wrong, but I'd much rather err on the side of caution and save someone some grief if I can.

 

[apburner]

Just a note that larger lipos may be more prone to the stress of rocket launches and if you have a hard landing, it would be good to check the lipo pack since if damaged, they can burst and start serious fires. I've read cases where people used them in RC aircraft and they had issues after a crash, so extra caution would be good since many of us also often launch on farms.

Others may say I'm nuts or plain wrong, but I'd much rather err on the side of caution and save someone some grief if I can.

For just this reason they make a hard case Lipo. Slightly heavier than the regular but designed to take the shock of a crash. They were originally made for RC cars and trucks. Hobby king has a bunch of different sizes.

 

[terryg]

A valid point about damaged lipos. I plan mounting them on sleds and adding foam to cushion the batteries. I launch at desert locations so the fire threat is minimal, but we always have fire extinguishers on hand at our launches. The only flashing RBG LED's are in the nose section which is at least four or 5 feet from the ebay. The middle and lower sections are a mixture of solid color non-strobing 3528 5050 and 5630 LED's. This it's flight at NARAM on an K695 redline. It will fly on a K540 metal storm for it's first flight at night.

 

[KenECoyote]

A valid point about damaged lipos. I plan mounting them on sleds and adding foam to cushion the batteries. I launch at desert locations so the fire threat is minimal, but we always have fire extinguishers on hand at our launches.

Kudos for being so well thought out and prepared!