Originally Posted by
socalrider
These batteries are not like aa nimh
That much is true -- these are LiPo/Li-ion, not NiMH ...
do not just leave them on the charger until needed.. Once you get the green light for a full charge, promptly take them off of the charger..
... however, this is wrong. Well, it's not bad advice, but it's not needed.
Lipo/Li-ion chargers stop charging when the battery is fully charged. Once they hit 4.2 volts/cell, no more charging. So the batteries can stay in the charger forever. Anything else and the battery will be quickly ruined (within minutes) and it could even cause a fire.
NiMH and NiCd cells can be overcharged at a low rate and they will be fine, as long as it's not done for days or weeks. Good fast chargers can detect when the batteries "peak" and will turn off at that point, often switching to a trickle (slow) charge. Cheap chargers just charge at a low rate forever, or turn off after X hours.
Overcharging a NiMH/NiCd cell at a low rate won't hurt it for a few hours or even a day or two -- but keep it up, and it will slowly damage the battery. But LiPo/Li-ion chargers MUST know how to turn off, or they'll ruin the batteries FAST and could start a fire. Therefore, ALL LiPo/Li-ion chargers shut off at the proper time, and leaving the batteries in them for an extended period does no damage.