Damaged Lipo plug?

[Nightshade]

Hi Guys,

I just went to clean my car after last meeting. I picked it out of it's box and there was a little crackle and a puff of smoke from the balance lead of one of my lipo's. It looks like the plastic part of the balance plug has come off during the last race and two of the 3 balance wires were touching each other.

I pulled it straight out of the car and put it outside, then snipped one of the balance wires further down so they were no longer shorting. Do I need to just bin the whole battery? It's a turnigy one where all the wires disappear into the hard case, so they can't be changed. Can I solder a new balance plug on, or use it without balancing and seal the wires somehow? Or should I just bin the whole thing?
I have no idea about lipo's...

[leeleefocus]

The wires shorting will not of done any damage to the lipo. The wires are not big enough to put a load on the cells that would cause any damage.

I would definatly solder another balance connector on unless you are going to manually monitor and balance your cells.

Hopefully they havn't desoldered from the cells.

[NeilRalph77]

I think Panks got some plugs coming, should be at cullingworth friday save you buying one.

[Nightshade]

Sounds good - that's my good battery don't ya know?
Give him a nudge if you see him, and I might call on your expert soldering skills (was that an offer??)

[leeleefocus]

It's a Turnigy hard case so the balance wires should be 24awg with silicone insulation giving it a maximum current carrying capability of about 10A. This is the absolute theoretical limit of this wire.

If dead shorted the current will spike higher than this before the wire goes open circuit but it will be long before it reaches the maximum current the lipo is capable of.

[dobber]

Originally Posted by leeleefocus

It's a Turnigy hard case so the balance wires should be 24awg with silicone insulation giving it a maximum current carrying capability of about 10A. This is the absolute theoretical limit of this wire.

If dead shorted the current will spike higher than this before the wire goes open circuit but it will be long before it reaches the maximum current the lipo is capable of.

The maximum continual rating may be 10A. This means the cable can handle 10A without damaging it or the insulation. In a short circuit situation the cable will act like fuse wire. It will carry the full load fault current until the cable basically melts and therefore breaks the circuit.

[mark christopher]

Originally Posted by leeleefocus

The wires shorting will not of done any damage to the lipo. The wires are not big enough to put a load on the cells that would cause any damage.

I would definatly solder another balance connector on unless you are going to manually monitor and balance your cells.

Hopefully they havn't desoldered from the cells.

so how many amps will those wires carry?