Lithium ion batteries do not require any forming protocols.  We tend to ask a few questions when a load checkers is showing a normal fully loaded voltage but an unusually depressed loaded voltage. 

• Is the battery installed in a system?
• Where is the battery in regards to the charging lug, in other words are you tapped directly off the battery or are you going through a switch?
• How long is the lead from the switch to the battery?
• How long is the lead on your load checker? 
• What is the make/model of load checker? 
• Has the load checker been confirmed to be functional (i.e., different checker => same results)?

These are all things that can give a significant amount of voltage loss in a system.  This is due to resistance or "line loss".

We do like to work with our customers directly with this sort of issue, because damaged cells (e.g., stored in high heat) also exhibit more of a drop than normal under load.  This is one reason why routine load checking is so important; given a properly functioning load checker they will give early notice of any problems in the electrical system.

After reading some of the questions in the knowledge base Im somewhat confussed at the discharge limit of a Li-ion battery. Some indicate to recharge at no less then 7V and some posts indicate that cycling can be performed to 6V.
I have been following the rule to recharge prior to battery reaching 7V. How low can the battery be discharded to and is the rule of recharging at 7V a general safty margin.

• Discharging to 7.0VDC
  This is for normal use and should be used 99% of the time.  7.0 volts under a 1amp load is what Fromeco considers out of gas under conditions where loads are unknow and flight times may vary, (every day flying).  This is the limit for discharging under flight conditions.  It is very important to not confuse this with doing a very controlled discharge test.  Yes the 7.0VDC is slightly conservative, however with Lithium XXX chemistries the discharge curves for the end of charge are very steep, (read little to no warning when pack is empty).  It is very important to respect this under flight conditions.  7.0VDC @ 1amp for 7 to 10 seconds.
• Discharging to 6.0VDC
  This is for doing testing~Fromeco recommends this should only be done by folks that have experience with discharging batteries. Why can you discharge a Lithium Ion pack to 6.0VDC for testing and not in flying conditions?????
  Discharge tests are done under controlled conditions, the rate of discharge is controlled, the Voltage that the packs is being discharged too is known.  There is not RC equipment at stake. 
  Caution must be used when doing discharge tests. 
  1.) The pack should not be discharged lower than 6.0VDC, there is no usable data gained from going any lower.
  2.) This should only be used to check the Capacity of a Battery Pack.  Do not do these tests to test the Maximum out put of these batteries, we have done these tests under contolled conditions, we can tell you what this is. 
  3.) The rate of discharge should be less than 500mAh to ensure accurate readings. 
  4.) Tests should only be done when absolutely required. 
  5.) The pack needs to put on charge as soon as the test is completed!!! <---VERY IMPORTANT

What voltages should I be seeing when the pack is fresh off the charger?  The charger terminates @ 8.4v and the pack
quickly stabilizes to 8.25v.
What kind of voltages are expected w/ 0.5A and 1.0A loads?

The Voltage you are seeing off a Fresh charge is a little low, however this really depends on the charger, how old your batteries are, and how you have treated them since you put them into service. 

• If it is our charger, please remember the chargers light goes out when the battery has reached a state of about 92% capacity.  With our charger it is a good idea to rock the "rocker switch" one more time after the green light goes out.  Let the charger run for another hour, if you have the time.  This will give you the fullest charge; your readings will be about 8.32 to 8.35volts for both a 2400 and 4800 Relion/Peerless.
• Our charger ("Reliacharger") terminates at 100mA for the 2A setting, and 25mA at the 1/2A setting.  Use the 1/2A setting to "top off" a charge, if you desire to top off the battery as far as it will go.
• Not all chargers terminate alike.  The basic principles are the same but there can be subtle differences between charger brands as far as termination.  When a New battery is pulled off a charger that is indicating full charge, and the battery does a very sudden slide down to 8.25volts.  This is a good indication that the charger terminating at 8.4V while still putting in significant current (e.g., 100-200mA).  This is not a bad thing, this just means when you pull that battery off the charger there will be a little slide in VDC.  Another thing to keep in mind is, putting amperage, or current into a battery drives up the voltage, if you have a small current going into the battery when the charger says 8.4volts and you take this away, the VDC will slide just a slight amount.

What Voltages are expected at a 1 amp load.  (We only recommend a 1amp load) The figures below can be swayed by temperature, load duration, and instrument used to take readings.  8.3VDC was used as a starting point, the check duration is approx. 7 seconds. Batteries are "New".

• Relion 2400 at full capacity 7.9X under a 1 amp load
• Relion 4800 at full capacity 8.1X under a 1 amp load
• Peerless 2400 at full capacity 8.0X under a 1 amp load
• Peerless 4800 at full capacity 8.15 under a 1 amp load

I have a triton charger. Is that any good for your batteries or should I be looking at the fromeco one?

The Triton will work.  Use the 2s/7.4v lithium setting, and set the charge rate between .5 and .8C for optimal battery life (they can be charged at a max rate of 1C).
Be aware that the Triton does a cell impedance check (and will prorate the charge rate accordingly, based on LiPo, not Li-ion cylindrical characteristics), so please use relatively short, thick charge leads for best results.

If I charge my 2400 Relions using the 2A setting, after the green light goes out can I set the toggle switch to the 1/2A setting and let it go until the green light goes out? I want to top off the packs after the 2A charge is done.

That's right.  The charger's green light goes out when current reaches 100mA on the 2A setting, and 25mA on the 1/2A setting (C/20).  Selecting "1/2A" to do a topping charge works well.

The charger does continue to charge at a low rate for about 45 minutes after the green light goes out, as well.  There's no indication, though. The green light going out is intended mainly to be a "full-enough-to-fly" indicator, and represents about 92% of charge.

Please be aware that the charger also has a timer; charger will turn off after 3 hours whether the battery is full or not (safety feature).

...I did not find the recommended charging current for the 2400 batt. I know that It´s not recomended to charge it with more than 1C and the cell documentation in your site shows the numbers for 0.5C but is there a minimum current? What will be the best for battery life? (I´m using an Apache 2500 charger).

You are correct in all your statements:  1C max charge rate, .5 to .8C charge rate for longest life & reasonable charge rate.  The cell manufacturers specify .5C charge rate for cycle testing, incidentally.

There isn't a minimum allowable current, but you still must follow the CC/CV algorithm, i.e., the charger should reduce current to maintain termination and must shut off the charge when the pack voltage is 8.4 volts or less, and when the input current is 25mA or more (no problem with the Apache).

Hi I have a couple of Relion 4800mah batteries. When I fully charge them, one of them reads 7.8v and the other 8.1v. Is the one reading 7.8v is still good to use? They are about 2 years old.

Fromeco recommends replacement of batteries after 2 years of service.  This is a recommendation that comes from the OEM of the cells.  Packs that are properly cared for through out their service life can and many times do last longer than 3 years.  Once the 2 year mark is reached on a pack, Fromeco recommends that packs are monitored more closely for degridation of capacity.  This can be done by doing a capacity check.  (Please refer to Knowledge Base Article on Battery Care).

Safety is First, if you think you have a pack that is past its service life or you know you do.  Do some testing on the pack make sure it is fit to fly. 

When you receive you new battery packs always remember to write down the date you put them into service somewhere on the pack.

I recently finished building an Aviation Models 33% extra and used 3 of your Peereless 2400 battery packs. My question is about the volatility of these batteries. It seams a little difficult to remove the cowl to get to the ignition battery for charging. Is this necessary or can the battery be charged in the plane. I dont want to risk the plane, so if this is not possible I will have to go to a Nicad or NiMH pack for ease and safety. Thank you for your help.

Fromeco chooses to recommend the conservative policy of removing batteries from the aircraft for charging, and keeping a half an eye on them during the charge cycle (please see the "instructions" section of our web page for full set of cautions and disclaimer).

We do acknowledge that this has rather more to do with tort than engineering...with a properly functioning charger and following standard charging parameters, the actual chances of an event are negligible.

Comment response:

The Badger switch is not just for our batteries, it is a suitable switch for NiMH and NiCD as well.  What Mike is trying to say in the comments above is, we understand that there are  quite a few pilots out there charging their batteries in their planes.  For Liability reasons Fromeco has to error on the side of safety.  The chances of something happening with a proper charger, are slim and next to none, (for Lithium Ion only, not Lithium Polymer.)  Ultimately the decision is yours on how you choose to charge your systems. 

Are the two leads on my new Peerless pack (JR lead w/20ga and Deans w/ 14ga) both connected via the safety/balance circuitry?

In other words, can i charge/check the battery safely via the JR plug even though I plan to use the deans for powering the heli?

Our Peerless batteries' circuitry is designed to be completely transparent to normal use, and both sets of wires do go through the circuit.

Do I need to wrap the batteries with foam??? Thanks

No, they don't need to wrapped with Foam, we do suggest that you put them on a Foam Bed, and then properly secure them to protect them from Vibration. 

NOTE: Wrapping them in Foam will not hurt them either, if this is a standard practice for your set ups and you feel most comfortable wrapping your batteries in foam then go for it.

Attached below is a Knowledge Base Article about the installation of Fromeco Regulators, if you have questions about those please read this article as our suggestions for Regulators are quite different than batteries.