Battery Safety & DG Shipping

LiPo batteries power everything we fly — and they're the most dangerous thing in your gear bag. This page is the deal we make with every battery customer: we ship them safely and stand behind them properly; you charge, store and retire them by the rules below.

When you buy a [DG] item you'll tick a box confirming you've read this page, and that acknowledgement is recorded on your order. Following these instructions matters legally as well as practically: misuse — over-discharge, incorrect charging, physical damage — voids the express battery warranty and is excluded from warranty claims. Your Australian Consumer Law rights always apply; a pack that fails because it was abused isn't a failure of the pack.

How batteries ship (and why yours can't go Express)

Lithium batteries are Class 9 dangerous goods. Australia Post's rules:

WhatHow it can travel
Spare/loose LiPos (most FPV packs) Road only, within Australia — “Road Transport Only” label on the parcel
Batteries installed in a device (RTF drone, radio) Air OK — max 2 batteries or 4 cells per parcel
Packs over 100Wh or 20Wh per cell Can't ship via post at all
Any battery, overseas Never — no international battery shipping
Swollen, punctured or damaged packs Prohibited entirely — never post one, including back to us

That's why: battery orders can't be upgraded to Express, take 1–2 extra days (more rural), and tracking may show “Dangerous Goods declaration was not signed” — normal for road freight.

Your 7-day battery check (the warranty that works on photos)

Check every new pack within 7 days of delivery:

  1. Put it on your charger and read the cells.
  2. Good: 3.60–3.90V per cell, all cells within 0.05V of each other.
  3. Anything else: photograph the charger screen and the pack's label and email hello@phaserfpv.com.au.

Confirmed DOA packs are replaced or refunded on that photo evidence — you never post a battery back. If the pack is damaged or swollen, dispose of it locally (below) and we'll still sort your remedy from the photos.

Why only 7 days? After first use we can't verify charge rates, discharge depths, parallel-charging practices or crash loads — the variables that kill packs. The 7-day check is an express promise in addition to your Consumer Law rights.

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

Not covered: cells taken below 3.5V under load / 3.3V resting, fast-charging beyond 1C, crash or water damage, puffed packs from heat or abuse, packs run beyond their C-rating (yes, we can tell), reverse polarity.

The Golden Rules of LiPo

Charging

Never leave a charging LiPo unattended. Ever. House fires happen — a 6-month-old pack took out an Australian home. Charge inside a LiPo bag or Bat-Safe, on a non-flammable surface, with a dry-powder extinguisher or bucket of dry sand within reach.

  • Always balance charge, always at 1C (a 1300mAh pack charges at 1.3A) regardless of what the label claims is possible.
  • Testing a new charger or parallel board? One battery first. Don't bet your whole fleet on brand-new gear.
  • Double-check cell count and current on the charger every single time.

Storage & handling

  • Storage-charge to 3.80–3.85V per cell if a pack sits for a week or more.
  • Never charge or store packs in a car, or anywhere above 60°C.
  • Inspect before every charge: tears, dents, puffing, damaged leads = retire the pack.
  • Carry packs so the terminals can't short (no loose packs in a pocket with keys).
  • Keep away from kids and pets.

In the field

  • Land before cells sag below 3.5V under load — below 3.3V resting is permanent damage.
  • A pack that's been in a hard crash is suspect even if it looks fine — storage-charge it and watch it in a safe place for 20 minutes before it goes back in the bag.

Retirement & disposal

  • Puffed, punctured or crash-damaged: do not charge it, do not fly it, do not post it.
  • Discharge as far as possible (a lightbulb rig or your charger's discharge mode), tape the terminals, and take it to a battery recycling drop-off (B-cycle bins at most supermarkets and hardware stores take household batteries; council hazardous-waste centres take damaged packs).
  • Never bin a LiPo in household waste — bin-truck fires are how councils learn what FPV is.
  • If a burning pack can't be avoided: don't touch it, don't breathe the smoke, use dry sand or a dry-powder extinguisher — never water. Electrolyte on skin: wash with soap and water; eyes: rinse and seek medical help.

Quick spec reference

A 1300mAh 4S 65C pack: 4S = 16.8V fully charged (4.2V/cell) · 65C = up to 84.5A discharge · charge at 1C = 1.3A (about an hour). If any of that reads like another language, ask us — helping beginners buy the right pack is half our job.

FPV radio gear & the law

Video transmitters and some radio gear may require an amateur radio licence to operate legally in Australia, and rules differ overseas. Checking and complying with your local regulations is your responsibility — if you're not sure, ask us before you buy.

Phaser FPV 1/80 Somersby Falls Rd, Somersby NSW 2250 · hello@phaserfpv.com.au · (02) 4311 9090