By Peter Dennis
Flying Sites Editor

Andrew Gibbs' User Friendly Guides have been on the market for a couple of years now. They are now known as Gibbs Guides. And the latest edition to the extensive range is Andrew's guide to Lithium Batteries.

This new guide covers the range of Lithium batteries including both Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer. As With all Andrew's guides, he starts with all the basics and in this case this covers all the electricity basics form voltage, current, resistance, Watts, internal resistance, on & off load plus much more.

Moving on to connecting batteries and their characteristic Andrew soon gets onto the main subject by introducing us to Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer cells. The book always has safety in mind and describes the do's and don't of charging, and gives the causes of lithium battery fires. Something that is at the forefront of everyone's mind these days after hearing several horror stories about Li-Po batteries! But as with all new technologies Andrew suggest new habits to learn.

In fact everything and anything you wanted to know about these types of batteries is covered in a well-written way. From charging rates, using part charged cells to flight testing new cells and what happens to the cells as they discharge.

As Li-Po batteries have become more popular modellers have realised the importance of having balanced cells, cells that perform equally. Andrew once again has covered all the bases with a chapter devoted to this operation.

In fact there is so much information contained in this guide it would make compulsory reading for any electric expert, not just the newcomer to electric flight. The guide is well illustrated through out with explanatory diagrams and photographs, it's full indexed and contains forty-four pages. Explanations are simply written for the uninitiated, yet detailed enough for even the avid electric flyer.

At £7.75 it's good value for money and a fine companion to the rest of the Gibbs Guides series of books.

Other Guides in the series include:
Gibbs Guide to the Super Nova Charger. £6.00
Gibbs Guide to the Mercury EX Charger. £6.25
Gibbs Guide to Nickel Cadmium & Nickel Hydride Batteries. £6.75
In development:
Gibbs Guide to Lead Acid Batteries.

All Guides are available from Sussex Model Centre, Al's Hobbies or Flitehook.
Alternatively you can buy direct from the author by sending a cheque for the value plus 75p postage to:

Andrew Gibb
33 Aldwick Gardens
Bognor Regis
PO21 3QR
Email:
mrandrewgibbs@yahoo.com
Web:
www.gibbsguides.com.