How to salvage/save your damaged LiPo Battery

[@ledbetter2472]

Just did it. wouldn't have attempted this without the vid. Thx. what was a damaged unusable 4 cell is now a working 3 cell! awesome.

[@Sully365]

Yeah, i was able to salvage mine this morning with the help of the vid. I was ready to try it last night before searching around but i was worried there was something 'magical' about how the connections were. All in all, easy repair....one i hope to not have to do often....

[@kywatch69]

Just used this video to remove a dead cell on my 4s... Batteries are to expensive to toss so now I can use my 4s converted to 3s for my 130mm build. Thanks Stu as always great knowledge.

[@KittFPV]

So I just came here after watching another super long but super detailed and perfect video going over repairing bad lipos. He didn't actually remove / replace and cells tho so I figured I'd see what Stu had to say. I feel TREMENDOUSLY more confident about playing lipo surgeon today after watching this, mostly because the whole time I'm thinking "NO STU, don't chop that off short there, or ahhhhh that tiny connection to the tabs, you want a good 1/4 inch" and then I realized I was ready for the job. CHeers mate ;)

[@MadDragon75]

I got to 7:30 and started thinking about what you bring immediately after that. You're absolutely correct that could be a horrifying yet comical situation to find yourself in.

[@maxfpvaustria9433]

super video, i had 2 damaged 4s (by each is one of the middle cells down) and with your help i now have 2 working 3s lipos to rip 😀👍

[@dennis.laman9472]

Dude, you rock!!Using your method I just saved 3 batteries! I had three 4cell, 4000 mah batteries with each one having a bad cell that I was just going to pitch but now I have three new 3cell, 3000mah batteries. Amazing. They all balanced out at 4.20v per cell so now the real test will be in the field. I'll update this comment when fully tested.Thanks for the video lesson.

[@UAVfutures]

+Denny Laman thats awesome danny. Exactly why I make these vids : ) Happy Flying

[@scheve332]

3000 mah? size of cells determines mah, number of cells determines voltage... correct me if I'm wrong here (not 100% sure)...

[@UAVfutures]

Toon Homble you are correct.

[@calaisdv8]

It was suprising to see my charger didnt have a issue with doing this, it just showed 0.00 volts for cell one then the rest are normal. Thanks Stu, other vids were suggesting you change the balance leads to 3s but this works fine. Two thumbs up bro

[@kwak_rc9792]

Thanx Stu. Managed to save my 4s battery with the help of this video

[@Sully365]

Awesome video. I finally received my x220 and i was alllll happy with it...then i crashed and tossed the 4s battery into the propellers...not so good. so i was looking at the battery and thought...that's just simple wiring, i wonder if anyone has better instructions than just my fumbling... And Lo and Behold, here you are again. Awesome stuff.

[@phototec]

Great video, but why couldn't you have purchased a NEW 4th cell and made it a good 4-cell pack again?

[@00011theman]

I was able to complete this with a 4s to a 3s. It was a bit trickier because it was a middle cell so I had to flip the end cell and wire a jumper to reach the tabs in order to get the correct polarity but in the end everything works well and the balance lead all reads correctly.

[@idonwannagiveitup6161]

Instead of using the wire lead to see if you get an arc, why not use your meter? We talk a lot about safety in this hobby but some practices I've seen are really unsafe. I think having your meter on the bench to verify the voltage potential and NOT using your meter is a really bad idea. While the electrical potential isn't that high, the arc flash that can occur from a shorted connection can and has caused blindness, and 3rd degree burns. That's not even getting into the potential for a lipo fire. In general you have some awesome information and it's really easy for me someone watching the video to make observations and criticisms. I just want those who aren't familiar with the hazards of electricity to know a less hazardous practice is out there. There are tons of us who use KZbin and you guys making content are heavily scrutinized. And I like that you do continue to make meaningful content even against the keyboard critics.

[@Rick-yf1lt]

I was perfectly safe and an absolute waste of doing it the other end is not connected to anything so there was no risk of a short Unti it was connected to a charger

[@GrassPossum]

I don't think anyone needing to have this explained, would have a multimeter or know how to use one.

[@gregorydahl]

You would have to burn your retina to go blind . A welder arc can't hurt you 60 feet some laws say .

[@Dav2112]

Nice one Stew, I've got a damaged 4s pack here that I removed the bad cell from, but I wasn't sure how to wire it up to make it 3s, this video was helpful, glad it showed up in my suggested videos!! Thanks man.

[@mattmoyer1912]

It would be useful to mention that the battery tabs have nickel plates welded to them. You want to keep the plates on the battery connections, otherwise its really hard to solder to the aluminum tabs of the battery.

[@scooterpie1143]

Just want you to know, this was my first UAVFUTURES video. Hooked ever since.. Thanks guys,

[@ThePlaneguys]

Haha, the old green Myki :D love watching the old videos!

[@speedsquadracing6090]

Charge the Lipo on a nicd charger on the lowest charge and then put it on a Lipo charger if it is just dead and not ruptured

[@mohammedawad6806]

..All right, nice video..now i repair my Phantom battery..2 are swolling up, and no power to start motor..thanx .. great idea, safe me money:)

[@MrSmith336]

Stew, thanks for the tip. How do you properly balance charge the 4s to 3s lipo with the 4s balance plug still attached?

[@snapkofpv3979]

depends on charger, if you are able to set 3S program on your charger it will balance charge it as 3S even with 4S balance plug (because last red wire is not connected anywhere anymore), it is because in this case it was the last cell that got damaged, if it was one inside you had to rewire balance plug to have it correctly charging. Hope this helps

[@beenheredoneit.4381]

I cut the wire and partial of the balance plug. Use good wire cutters and cut just before the next wire in balance plug. Test fit it in your balance charge. If needed cut little more off but should fit fine. I made 12 3s batteries out of damaged 4s and had no issues.

[@arjunmelwani4788]

Jonathan Hunt why not 9 4s’ 😜

[@arjunmelwani4788]

Jonathan Hunt jk

[@gregorydahl]

The balance lead goes into 4s ? I never knew that . I have a new 5s that belly flopped messin up the disarming/ throttle cut to land sequence . Mine went zeeeeeee click ....................... bop

[@Marcus-xl9kr]

Where do i get a cell checker like that😮

[@rtoebak76]

At the end of the day you saved some people not trying to burn their house down, and try to make it work.

[@alanrowan4926]

A have a eachine 52 on way was wanting to get 2 extra batteries am a newbie to this what is better lithium or lop or whatever there lipo am I better getting lithium or there was another like it was a funny name hulk or something a was half asleep when reading it please tell me if to what would be best thanks if you get time to answer cheers,✌️

[@AndrewSmith-lj6xq]

Best use of a Myki ever.

[@UAVfutures]

+Andrew Smith hey mate. How have you been? you were the first ever person I spoke to about this hobby. Thanks so much for all your support at the start of this and all the silly questions I had. Have you been flying much? We really should catch up for a fly one day. yeah my miki card has never been so useful hahah

[@sheabutter173]

nice video.... can we salvage a liop that the balance plug has been broke apart by a propeller ??

[@UAVfutures]

yeah, just order some new balance leads off ebay and you are good to go

[@sheabutter173]

oh thats easy ...thanks

[@ChristianWilhelmsen]

+ST Logan that happened to me, and it worked after putting a new plug on... for a couple of times. when the propeller broke it, sparks flew out, so I knew I had shorted a couple of cells and unfortunately it didn't last too long after such a discharge :/

[@slothFPV]

I got a f*cked Lopo and used a lead of that, cut the leads at different lengths so they won't short while soldering

[@UAVfutures]

bo holland and cut and solder one at a time

[@luket.s.4577]

What can u do about a 2s lipo that still shows it's good and still takes a charge, but it only last about 3 minutes when it should last 15 minutes

[@leofitzpatrick380]

How do you charge it with the beggar banence lead

[@Bournefort]

When converting from a 4S battery to a 3S, does the C-rate change? I would imagine that the capacity would drop by 25% as well.

[@Bournefort]

Just found the answer myself: Neither Capacity nor discharge rate change when wiring in series. mAh only add when wiring in parallel. C rating never changes.

[@darainmann]

That's the best use of a MYKI card ever...

[@JerryCalverley]

Do you still use balance lead? Do you need to put a 3s balance connrctor on it?

[@Bournefort]

I used the original 4 cell balance connector and it works fine on my charger. It charges up to 12.6V (4.2 V/cell)

[@GrassPossum]

This is thoroughly covered in the video.

[@QQTrick1QQ]

I was hoping you could help me out on decoding the different letters on a 3.7V 300mAh LiPo Li-Polymer Battery. After an extensive search online I came up empty. I have seen FP, HYP, XJDZ, PZY, LP, etc. on 602030 batteries and have no idea what they relate to. I need professional help! lol

[@EG-vy2lm]

Will your balance charger still be able to Read how many cells you lipo has true the balance cable? IT would suck if i couldn't balance charge anymore. A former 4s lipo pack Will still have a 4s balance connecter

[@corneliudoc]

you capitalists are so stupid, the whole world is laughing on you - you change the connector, or cut the unneeded part of the balance connector, to look like 3S, in this case The charger doesn't give a fu../sh.. how many cells were before, there's no chip in lipos to say that here were more or less cells than right now, the charger just reads the state of existing cells

[@andresherrera3649]

i did it to convert a 3s 300mah into 3 individual 1s. Howewer when I plugged into my tinywhoop the motors started rotating immediately as opposed of just lighting up a led. I think they are missing some kind of protection board. Do you have any guidance for this?

[@johnmarklucing7106]

Sir how to fix slow charging lipo battery?. I charged my 2s 2000mah and it not fully charged when i charge 3hrs... What is the problem with that..?

[@jaspreetsidhu5708]

I do this to save some money. I buy 3s lipos and then make them into 4s lipos :p as 3s ones go on sale quite a bit.

[@arjunmelwani4788]

Jaspreet Sidhu plz tell me this is a joke

[@Bournefort]

Smart man!

[@faiqthefreak]

should make a video of it. did the same with my 2cell batteries when they went bad and salvaged them to make 3cell and used my old 3 cell connectors. than used shrink wrap and bam looks like my 3 cell

[@jeremyreandino]

Great video! If only I had seen this before I had disposed of my 4s battery! Anyways, cheers

[@brutallindigo]

How did you learn all this stuff? Great vid!

[@dagdernit572]

Don't you need to change the balance connector to a 3s?

[@evilsmith957]

As long as the wire in right order it dont mater the conector thats is being used

[@adamgalmor]

Do you need to use a special solder wire, or the regular one would be good enough?

[@UAVfutures]

rosin filled led/tin solder, that is what I use for all my soldering.

[@situbes.972]

Hello, i have questions with lipo. Flying the emax tinyhawk. I crashed. Than the quad turned off. I hooked up lipp to battery voltmeter (no charge or anything.. It was at 2.88 and it started to climb very slowly within a minute it was 3.00v and kept climbing 0.01v evey few seconds. Look like it quit climbing around 3.18. I only flee this battery maybe 4 times. Anyone came across something like that?

[@hc100]

great video! always informative. btw, couldn't you use your tester instead of tapping on the wires and see if spark appears?! :p

[@UAVfutures]

yeah but that would be too smart for me

[@rtoebak76]

UAVfutures Sparks on a non connected wire. Lol

[@DroneEclipseLLC]

How easy would it be to solder a new cell on there to maintain 4s rating? I have 2 lipo's, both with 1 bad cell. Is it possible?

[@UAVfutures]

+Drone Eclipse this is a really good idea. Just make sure they are the same types and sizes of cells. and about the same amount of charge cycles. Also be careful with which way you connect the cells to each other. I recommend a multi meter just to be safe

[@GrassPossum]

Of course. This is what I do.

[@Channel-tr1hx]

was expecting some kind of enchanting that would deflate the compromised cell and make it shine again :(

[@kanarimentos7056]

wen i havelipo 1 cell week how do i know witch cell both nompuff

[@jasonbrown1295]

my 4s lipo got damaged on the other side next to the small black wire, is the small black wire the damaged cell or the red one next to it?

[@snapkofpv3979]

both, that black wire is negative/gnd, all red wires are positive, you will have to rewire it

[@BonemysterFPV]

Some lipos are stamped to each other instead of soldered and if you cut them the metal that is exposed on one bat doesnt accept solder. I have been salvaging lipos for like 2 years now but the turnigy graphenes use the stamp method. Does anyone know how to salvage these.

[@rollis97]

Bonemyster FPV its still metal, maybe theres some kind of a coating covering it. Maybe try to grind it off with a sandpaper, use some flux and it will probabbly be solderable

[@erikiacopelli451]

where did you get your cell checker from?

[@thehightechhermit1143]

wont your charger have an issue with the 4s balance plug yet only three cells live. I get that the 4th has been terminated, but does it still properly balance the remaining 3s?

[@UAVfutures]

+David Colby it does but my charger still knows its a 3 s even though it is in the 4s balance port. Sort of like how a para board plugs into the 6s port but has lots of ports off that to charge a variety of batteries. If your charger doesn't like it you can always solder on another 3s balance plug instead. Just be careful

[@DelQuad4X]

+David Colby You could actually have a 1S on a 6S balance lead, and if your charger is "smart" enough, it will only read the 1S even though you're using a 6S plug and port. The port (plug) only supplies voltages from the LiPo packs and the charger reads or looks for voltages on the pins. There is nothing in the port or the charger that determines the cell size. Only the number of batteries the charger is sensing on each input balance port. Ever plugged in a 3S or greater to have it read 1 cell less? Probably because the balance lead broke off inside the plug of the battery pack or worse case like this video shows. So it's not the physical rating of the battery, but the electrical size that is the determining factor.

[@Kawasancho]

Dang fixed my 60$ battery using this information so I owe you at least 30$ do you have a patreon?

[@jrcabral3215]

Can i salvage bad 4s batteries to make a good 4s battery? Thanks

[@stickboyfpv4742]

I asked above🤗 Im gonna try it anywho. Illl keep yall posted.

[@SharkyMoto]

Andrew D you should not do that, except its from the identical type of battery with the same wear on the cells. if you connect a different cell it can cause huge problems if e.g ones internal resistance is lower, this would lead to massive overcharging of the cell

[@chandrakanthasharma6147]

I tot of saving my 3 cell but for my bad all three cells are puffed😢

[@jeremygalloway1953]

Good demo vid...but Safety. Use meter to make contact, not wires to check. Like you did previously lol. Also, why not just desolder the 4th cell balance to main instead of trimming the end off and having the main +/- wire lengths mismatch...making it harder to connect and easier to tear apart in a crash/in use? Also...use a solder wick and remove the preexisting solder instead of just soldering to it. Even an expensive lipo can be made with sub par components...including the solder used by the manufacturer. Mixing a known solder compound to an unknown compound in itself is a bad idea...don't know what extra fumes you'll be releasing...or how well the joint will be in the end. Completely (or as completely as you can) removing the existing solder, then soldering a new healthy and proper joint is the best way to do this portion. Any portion really...Safety first...for you and spectators....but also the craft this will be flying next as a 3s pack. Great way to salvage crapped out batteries...but properly done will last a lot longer and be a lot safer.

[@gregorydahl]

I mixed solder and it ate a hole as big as a manhole cover in the concrete swimming pool bottom after my dad died tossing the fuming connection and irons into the water . No. Not really . Someone said the factory connections are aluminum/ brass or some hard to fix connection if overheated when moving the red lead shown and come apart .

[@benyaron5068]

hi sir, thank for the video, if i have 3s battery and i have 6 cell so its mean each two cell is 1 cell ,this is correct? and when i do this i need to replace two cell? after i do that when i charging i plug it to the imax in 3 cell or two cell how i reconzie it? thank you if you can help me.

[@snapkofpv3979]

If you have a 3S battery (11.1V) and you physically have 6 cells in it, that means you have three sets of two parallel connected batteries (when you connect cells in series Voltage goes up, when you connect them in parallel mAh capacity goes up) .. and to your question, no, you don't have to change both parallel connected batteries, you just need to identify the bad one, but assuming your battery is showing something less than 11.1V it means both are wasted. Anyway, and by any means I don't want to offend you, if you are not sure what are you doing and you have to ask questions like this, never try to repair/salvage LIPO batteries, they are potent AF, you could burn yourself or your house down. Hope this helps

[@Tetra84]

this seems like it'd be more difficult to do if your bad cell is one of the two inside ones.

[@Bournefort]

Yeah, you would have double the soldering.

[@carlosj.castillo254]

how do you solder the anode with aluminium...?

[@GrassPossum]

You can get special solder. However, if you put a drop of oil on it, then use the soldering iron to scratch the aluminum while under the oil, it will not be able to oxidize instantly as it normally does and you can solder under the oil. A good sized soldering iron or tip is good, aluminium sucks up a lot of heat so you want to apply it fast enough to solder before the heat starts dissipating.

[@nomusicrc]

What’s a bat tree lol how are you going to balance it with a 4s lead on a 3s battery

[@stephencraig8578]

What temp do you use for the soldering iron?

[@GrassPossum]

That depends on the size of your job, and your tool. Very few people have variable temperature soldering irons anyway. The size of the tip ends up carrying the right amount of heat for the appropriate jobs. Temperature for melting solder is standard, but the volume of heat sink will decide how big a tip, how much heat is needed.

[@IzakGt]

Is that wintergreen gum?

[@UAVfutures]

+IzakGt nah hahah its called bluetac here in AUS. like a sticky putty that you use to put up posters on walls

[@IzakGt]

+UAVfutures, HA! "I thought, that is kind of gross; never got to the point of spitting my gum out to hold some wires but if it works!" The bluetac is a pretty good idea though.

[@peabodybuilt7469]

My 3s 2100 mah 3rd cell is shot. If I take the bad cell off how would I know the mah

[@UAVfutures]

if you took the 3rd cell out it would be a 2s 2100mah lipo

[@ShaunHusain]

the s in 3s means series since the three cells are wired in series it adds the voltage but amperage capacity isn't added, if instead the batteries are in parallel the amperage hours get added not voltage... basically what uavfutures said

[@jeanouellet5512]

Hmm... risk to set the house on fire to save 30 $ ? I'd say I'll pay 30 $. Best insurance deal you'll ever had.

[@stickboyfpv4742]

Hey stew! Wjat iffff you have 2 bad 3 cell lipos.... coouullld I make a 4 s with them?!😅🤣 Real question tho..!

[@rcalert1731]

if they are the same mah amd c rating you can.

[@yangliu3905]

hi, anyone know how to add/replace the connector? thanks.

[@UAVfutures]

cut it off and solder a new one one ( cut the wires one at a time and dont let them short)

[@oBseSsIoNPC]

I never noticed this before, I will keep watching your videos, but this thing you got going with "sort of" this "sort of" that is a weird habit :P

[@Bournefort]

Awesome video. Thanks!

[@banditfpv]

i would be too scared to do this

[@prime-eight]

your videos are very informative. If you would just stop saying... "just here" after everything. narrate the video after it has been recorded and overlay the audio.

[@francoisBonin-phils]

How could a wire connected nowere give you a spark????

[@gordondrummond2033]

hey man.. if I want to use a lemontx receiver what's the cheapest controller to get in AU's?

[@hateeternalmaver]

What happens to the capacity?

[@brendongyde]

Shit, saftey gloves and saftey glassess recomended lol

[@FabioKastro]

When i get bored of 3S i could use 4 of them and make 3 4S Lipos. And save money!

[@UAVfutures]

remember you will need the balance lead too for 4s

[@drewhodge3820]

Great video. Cheers.

[@amriamri6732]

hadir mas

[@dooseyboy]

the fuck around with batteries has put me out of the hobby for weeks, i nearly have my quad air worthy and going and then i go to try charge my 3s lipos and my charger wont charge it! so annoying and frustrating. whats the point of have a battery with 11.1V if i can only actually use 2 volts before its fucked?

[@jstro-hobbytech]

Thanks for the info but you need to take better care of your iron lol

[@alexoliver9201]

Thanks stew!

[@andymouse]

what's you and ya gang call a decent curry ?

[@chriscrashfpv]

but who wants 3s batteries?

[@kensingtenlulu2689]

looks like a homemade bomb :)

[@gilbertproductions4754]

Personally I'd rather pay $30 for a new one than to potentially burn my house down lmao

[@GrassPossum]

If you actually think this seems risky, I think you'd be best advised to buy a new one too. I've had dozens of LiPos cook off on my bench over the last few years and even a bit of fire a couple of times was about as severe as a party sparkler. You should be able to put it out before the fire brigage arrive.

[@DronesAhead]

that´s perfect. thanks

[@victorsaari1393]

probably should be wearing gloves.

[@quad55555]

holy rusty blade!!!

[@jesser2592]

That could have been done much cleaner.

[@UAVfutures]

+Jesse R probably

[@7sonero7]

Good job .... but batteries are pretty cheap ... someone gonna blow up ...

[@tomsa34]

I love your videos. however, you should really have explained how dangerous what you are doing can be. these batteries pack a tremendous amount of energy and can be quite dangerous to someone without the proper skill set. not to be too critical, sorry. great job on the video besides that edit. I suppose you did issue a warning, I just must have expected more extreme of one. must be a cultural thing. lol

[@UAVfutures]

yes, be careful kids

[@MrSmith336]

Were you they guy that got lawn darts and the 3-wheeler ATV banned??

[@XwpisONOMA]

Again what you are doing is wrong and potentially dangerous. Removing my comments will not make this any better. Do not be selfish, act responsibly, respect the others. Always cater to the lowest common denominator, there are a lot of idiots on the internet and you are a perfect example. If you continue to remove my comments I will report you to YT. It's your choice!

[@crash75naz]

yeah that's the way to do it, test a highly volatile battery by potentially shorting it, safely dispose of the battery do you even know how to do that? Tossing in your house hold garbage is not a safe way to dispose of a lipo. A land fill worker was severely injured when several lipos caught fire and caused an explosion

[@kahnkretefpv7594]

crash75naz he specifically mentioned to throw it in a salt water solution for before disposing the battery.

[@rmiklosh]

Thanks for this video. I have a question. I have two 3s lipo batteries and one 3s had a shortage. I checked sells and one seems to be dead. If I remove that sell, can I have one 3s + 2s connected = 5s, instead of 6s (3s + 3s), as I had before?