What's the difference between NiMh an Lipo

Difference between Lipo and Nimh batteries.

One of the common questions we get asked online and in store is "what's the difference between lipo and nimh batteries?" Let’s take a look at the typical differences between the batteries.

NiMH batteries

NiMH battery packs are composed of cylindrical 1.2-volt cells, similar to the AA, C, and D batteries that we install in devices such as a camera, TV remote etc. They are usually rolled-metal construction of the individual cells, which makes the NiMH battery very rugged. NiMH batteries can be ran to empty completely without harming the battery, and unlike Lipo batteries, they do not need to be charged before storage. NiMH batteries have one lead coming out of it, the most common battery connectors on NiMH batteries are below:

• Tamiya
• Tamiya Mini
• Deans
• Traxxas

Generally, Nimh batteries are used on brushed motor vehicles. They are also cheaper to purchase compared to a Lipo battery.

Lipo batteries

LiPo battery packs are composed of flat 3.7-volt cells. So a 2 cell battery is 7.4-volt, 3 cell 11.1-volt etc. The cells are stacked and enclosed in a wrap. Lipo batteries do come in hard case or soft case, which soft case are generally smaller in size compared to a hard case lipo battery. LiPo batteries have greater “energy density” than NiMH batteries, and because of this it means they have more voltage and capacity than a NiMH battery would have of the same volume. Lipo batteries have a much greater “punch” when using your RC vehicle than a NiMH pack. Unlike NiMH, you do need to keep an eye on Lipo batteries before they low voltage. When you notice a drop off in power and performance with the car using a lipo battery, you need to stop the car and take the battery out and put it on charge. If you carry on using the car till the battery goes flat, it will seriously increase the chances of the low voltaging the battery, making the battery unworkable. This is one of the common things that causes a lipo to stop working.  Lipo batteries have 2 leads coming out of the battery. This is your main lead to plug into your vehicle’s ESC, and also a balance lead. You only use the balance lead when you are charging the battery.

There are a lot more commonly used connectors on Lipo batteries which includes the following:

• Deans
• Traxxas
• EC3
• EC5
• IC3
• IC5
• XT60
• XT90

Regardless of which battery you own, there are a number of battery do’s and don'ts:

• Never

  leave a battery unattended while charging

• Never

  charge a battery that has melted, swollen or looks to be damaged

• Always

  charge Lipo batteries in a Lipo safe charge bag or box. These are fire-retardant items which stop the fire escaping from the bag or box the battery is in.

• Never

  charge a Lipo battery with a NiMH charger or in NiMH mode selected. 

• Never

  keep the battery plugged into the vehicles ESC, as even though the car is turned off, it can still drain a small amount of power from the battery.

Hopefully the above helps, but if there is anything you would like to know about any batteries we sell, by all means contact us through our email or phone details and we will do our very best to help.