LIPO for Unmodified VFC Scar L?
 

Just wondering if any VFC SCAR L owners have been using LIPO's and if so what brand and "layout" fits into the stock (without modification). Ive been doing my homework and read a crap load of reviews but no specifics are given on the actual configuration of the LIPO or even a brand name being used with success (again without modification).

Thanks

Yes, I'm using Rihno 7.4 V 1750 mah without any problem. I used to have 2 VFC SCAR-L, each of them went through at least 10 000 rounds each. Internal still hold it well.

KND

I've been using Zippy LiPo for over a year with great success in a 350fps M4.

Cold weather performance is amazing.

I highly recommend against it without a protection circuit board. If you over-discharge the battery, it'll go up in flames when you charge it.
A 7.4v 20C LiPo will give you close to the same ROF as a 9.6v NiMH mini battery

For ALL LITHIUM BATTERIES, you should be using a PCM (Protection Circuit Module). You do not want to overcharge/overdischarge/overcurrent ANY Lithium battery. Dropping the voltage too low will collapse the entire graphite anode structure, making the battery lose all capability to hold charge. Overcharging will cause Lithium metal to form on the surface of the anode. If you know your chemistry, you know how dangerous and reactive Lithium metal is. Any of these will cause bulging (the formation of hydrogen gas) within the cell, which is extremely flammable. Explosions can also happen. Lithium batteries are VERY dangerous if you don't know the proper precautions.

Just a warning. Be sure you know what you're doing.

By the way, I just got a VFC SCAR-L too! It just got delivered to my house. I can't wait to go home and shoot it! It's my first gun. :X

It's not likely it will turn to flame suddenly when you over discharge. The best way to notice is the ROF, If it's slow then swap a new battery right away. Lipo cell diagnostic meter is a good investment to consider as well.

Circuit board is good to have but not really necessary. Get a good pack of Lipo, it won't be flame and explode easily because it's build with quality parts also a good charger as well. The worst parts is probably damage the battery.

What I said was, if you over discharge a LiPo, it will go up in flames WHEN YOU CHARGE IT
You shouldn't EVER use a damaged LiPo. Most often, people burn LiPo's while charging them, that's why there's a fire resistant charging sack, and they highly recommend you never leave a LiPo charging unattended. Infact the only 2 common ways you can get a LiPo to burst into flames outside of charging a damaged battery are by puncturing the pack and by over current draw.

I'm not saying you NEED a protection board, but it's a really freaking good idea.
And with the money you save buying LiPo batteries over NiMH, you can definitely afford a PCB.

That's reason you need a decent charge with balancer. Get something from reputable company and probably the one with a monitor that let you know the voltage of each cells.

By the way, always check your Lipo cell either with Lipo cell diagnostics meter or Multimeter before you charge them. The point is you don't want to charge an damage cells ( damages cell mean it drop below 3 V almost reach 2 or 2.5 V )

I paid almost 200 $ alone for just my Lipo charger.

also www.hobbyking.com is a good place to look for. They are pretty decent.

Thanks for the advice. Im aware of the issues with LiPo batteries in terms of care and maintenance. And I was not really concerned with that aspect of the battery as I am very fastidious about proper care of my stuff. I was just curious if anyone has been using a specific brand and configuration with success and I got my answers. :)

I will probably just get a few NIMH 9.6 mini's as they fit in the stock gun just fine and frankly Im familiar with them in terms of avaliability. And frankly after reading more into it Ive not really come across anyone that has seen a mark able performance increase (in terms of longevity) when using LIPO in the stock VFC SCAR.

Now I just gotta decide who to order from. :)

Thanks again for the advice.

I'm thinking of one of these for mine, http://www.airsoftparts.ca/store2/in...oducts_id=1532 I find that it's just not that happy with minis, even the +1 cell ones.

Ive read good things about them, but Im unsure if they will fit in the stock without modification. If you pick one up let me know if it did.

Again thanks.

In terms of longevity (capacity?) there IS a marked difference between the 9.6 minis and a 7.4 lipo. First the 9.6 mini will behave ..well like a mini. Whereas the 7.4 ipo wiull behave like a large as far as trigger response and rof is concerned. Secondlythe capacity of the minni sub-c cell is about 1600ish mah. For the same price you can get a pair of 7.4 lipos with 2800 mah each. Both are the same size (in fact the lipo is a tad smaller) and this will make the difference between possibly having enough juice toplay all day and definately having enough.

I see, well that does change things then. From the information given (in terms of this specific aeg) no one has stated comparison tests. I have read the info on LIPO's but having never physically held one Im at a lost for their general size and shape. And personally I have never liked butchering my AEG's to shoe horn in batteries.

Is there a specific brand you use or recommend? Ive heard that Rhino and Madbull are both good brands. And Ive gotten mixed reviews with Hot power and G&P brands.

Gives me more to think about I guess. The battery technology sure has changed from when I last played.

LFPs are theoretically much more abuse tolerant than LiPos while having comparable/better life cycle, charge/discharge rates, etc.

I'm not too familiar with airsoft LiPos. I do know about LiPos though. Since it is a polymer, they are kept in bags as opposed to Lithium Ion which are stored in metal shells. This way, LiPos can be manufactured thinner than Lithium Ions. Just be careful not to puncture the bags though. That would be very very bad.

ROF test with the Lifepo battery: 12.8v

YouTube- Airsoft GI - Madbull Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery

Are you even reading my posts?
Instead of running the risk of trashing your LiPo batteries everytime you use them in a long game, spend 30$ on a PCB instead of a multimeter so your guaranteed that you NEVER overdischarge your batteries.

Trigger master FTW.

Mines acting wierd but im working on it. Either the gun is foobared or the lipo has dropped to low that my TM isnt even responding to it. I doubt that as I only used it once guess it's back to the drawing board. damn rifles. lol

The problem your having is you didn't do a factory reset before you plugged the LiPo in. I know because the same thing happens to me when i switch from a 9.6v batt to a 7.2v batt.
How it works, is the old TM's (the one you have), detect low batteries by a percentage of input voltage. The input voltage of a 7.2v lipo is actually 8.4v, 80% of that is 6.72v where the triggermaster will tell you your battery is low and stop the gun from firing. That's good since under 6v your LiPo is over-discharged.
NOW, one would ponder, well what happens if you plug in a NEAR DEAD LiPo? Say one at 7v? Wouldn't the cutoff be well under 6v? Well that why the TM has a memory. It remembers that you use 7.2v batteries with an input voltage of 8.4v, so it's naturally set cutoff voltage will be at 6.7v. This is specifically to prevent overdischarge from plugging in a half dead LiPo.

So YOUR issue is, because your used to using 9.6v batts, with an input voltage of around 10.5v, the TM's cutoff is 8.4v. Therefore as soon as you plug in your fully charged 7.2v LiPo the triggermaster thinks your battery is already dead!

So the solution is to do a factory reset, and use your 7.2v LiPo to setup the TM. Typically if you plug in a 9.6v battery afterwards, you have to do another factory reset to be able to use a 7.2v LiPo :)

I have been using Lipos for many years (not in airsoft but RC cars) and it baffles me that some company has not come out with really good cut off's yet.

Its good that we have what we have but if we could get the quality of the RC ESC's into airsoft many it would be deadly

Well most AEG manufacturers are, for lack of a better term, "Chinese businessmen". They will do anything and everything to get as much as your money as possible with no regard for screwing you big time in the long run.
Most AEG's I've seen that are "LiPo Ready" are actually fairly dangerous to run off LiPo batteries, especially those that take buffer tube batteries.
Some companies, and reliable individuals DO produce electronics for airsoft guns to make your gun 100% LiPo ready. This includes SW-comps, PCBs, and other such devices.
The only problem is it's HIGHLY doubtful that any manufacturer outside of Japan would ever put these electronics in as OEM parts, and if they did they'd likely be of such poor quality you'd have to replace them anyway!
Thus far the only airsoft gun I know of that comes stock with electronic components is the systema PTW line.

Marui did an electronic burst for their SIGs years ago. Apparently it burnt out fairly often.

TSI Tavor has a FCC, but apparently it's completely crap. Takes seconds to switch between firing modes.

The upcoming ICS MP5X and FNC both have an electronic burst.

Systema took years to work the bugs out of their PTW design, it'll be interesting to see how long it takes the increasing number of PTW clones to do the same, or if they will leap frog Systema's past problems.

Those are the ones off the top of my head.

yeah i agree u dont need one. airsoft may have been using lipos for short time but they've been out for RC helis and planes for donkeys... used to be big into them and ur safe as long as u switch batteries as soon as u notice a drop in ur ROF or if it starts fast and slows very quickly - the best way to protect ur LIPO is simply to drop the 150-200 bucks on a good multicharger with a battery diagnostics program and it'll monitor ur battery for signs of damage and let u know if it's safe to charge - never once had one go off on me and i've been using them in mu guns for over 3 years now :P 11.1's and 7.4's - tried a 14.8v once - lets just say i may as well have doused the gun in napalm and lit it whistling to the tune of "we'll meet again" ...

not saying a chip is a bad idea but unless u really run ur battery into the ground ur pretty safe

and on another note I'm using 7.4v 2600 mAh 35C batteries on my scar with a madbull 120 spring in it - standard 9.6v NiMh just wouldn't push it properly although the stock is interestingly big enough for 10.8v NiMh mini batteries - I know not many people use them but they give u a good ROF and last nice and long hehe. - LIPO's still last longer but if ur not comfortable then the 10.8v mini's are ur friend there - would give a stock scar an insanely crisp trigger response and more than capable of pushing an upgraded spring as well :)

Also just a quick warning - I installed my own gearbox in the SCAR the day i bought it but I've had a few who upgraded springs alone or used lipos on em stock in my workshop for gear replacements - the metal seems to be a little brittle I guess - although knowin my luck im just one unlucky sod lol

Alot of great advice and clarification. Ive done alot of research on these batteries and frankly the size difference, available power and cost is a great benefit when used correctly. And installing a PCB is a low cost way of ensuring that your battery will enjoy a long life.

Thank you to everyone that posted helpful information and first hand experience.