On the Fly - 2004/08
Jim McNeill: 1923-2004
District V Vice President Jim McNeill passed away at his home on May 21, 2004. Our condolences to his family and friends.
Jim served as a member of AMA's Executive Council for the past 33 years. Read more about Jim McNeill in next month's issue of Model Aviation. —MA
Correction
The AMA Membership Department's toll-free telephone number was incorrect in the July 2004 "On The Fly." The correct number is (800) 435-9262. Our apologies for the error. —MA staff
Emergency Safety Alert
Lithium batteries are becoming popular for control and power systems in our models because of their very high energy density (amp-hours/weight ratio) compared to Ni-Cd and other batteries. But with high energy comes increased risk in their use.
The principal risk is fire, which can result from improper charging, crash damage, or shorting the batteries. Vendors warn their customers of this and recommend extreme caution during use.
In spite of this, many fires have occurred during the use of Li-Poly (lithium polymer) batteries. A lithium-battery fire is extremely hot (several thousand degrees) and can easily ignite surrounding materials.
These fires are caused by contact between lithium and oxygen in the air. They do not need any other source of ignition or fuel to start, and they can burn almost explosively.
These batteries must be used in a manner that precludes additional fires. The following is recommended:
- Store and charge them in a fireproof container; never charge them inside your model.
- Charge them in a protected area devoid of combustibles. Stand watch over the charging process. Never leave the charging process unattended.
- In the event of damage from crashes or other impacts, carefully move them to a safe place and observe for at least a half hour. Physically damaged cells could erupt into flame. After sufficient time to ensure safety, discard damaged cells in accordance with the instructions that came with the batteries. Never attempt to charge a cell that has physical damage, regardless of how slight.
- Use chargers that are specifically designed for charging lithium cells, preferably with a fixed setting for your particular pack. Many fires occur when using selectable/adjustable chargers that are improperly set. Never use chargers designed for Ni-Cd batteries to charge lithium batteries.
- Use charging systems that monitor and control the charge state of each cell in the pack. Unbalanced cells can lead to disaster if a charger permits overcharge of a single cell. If the batteries show any sign of swelling, discontinue charging, remove them from the charger, place them in a safe, noncombustible area (preferably a fireproof container), and follow the manufacturer's instructions for handling or disposal.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
