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LiPo batteries are an unimaginable energy supply for FPV drones, offering a considerable quantity of vitality storage and supply capabilities. Nevertheless, if not dealt with accurately, they will pose security dangers. This information will cowl the fundamentals of LiPo batteries for FPV drones, together with secure charging practices and correct storage strategies when not in use.
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Disclaimer: The data on this web page is meant as basic recommendation. Making certain battery security is your accountability, and you need to use the knowledge supplied at your personal threat.
Battery Suggestions
When selecting LiPo batteries, all the time go for respected manufacturers to make sure efficiency and high quality. Select the smaller packs if you’d like a lighter, extra agile drone; select the bigger packs for those who prioritize flight time over dealing with. Word {that a} bigger pack can ship extra present at the price of barely larger weight, so there’s a commerce off to be made.
5″ Freestyle and Racing Drones
The most typical LiPo batteries used on 5″ FPV drones for freestyle and racing are 4S and 6S voltage. To grasp the variations between 4S and 6S, go to: https://oscarliang.com/6s-mini-quad-racing-drone/. If you’re on the fence, I like to recommend going with 6S, it’s just about the trade commonplace in 2025. Typical battery capability for 4S 5inch is round 1500mAh, and for 6S that’s between 1000mah and 1300mah.
For 3″ FPV Drones
For micro drone batteries suggestions (Tiny whoops, 2″, 3″, 3.5″), try this put up: https://oscarliang.com/whoop-toothpick-lipo-battery/.
Dogcom 4S 850mAh / 6S 650mAh:
Tattu R-Line 4S 850mAh / 6S 550mAh:
Are LiPo Batteries Protected?
When dealt with accurately, LiPo batteries are completely secure. Nevertheless, LiPo batteries might catch hearth on account of improper dealing with or bodily injury. Making certain security includes cautious therapy and vigilance in dealing with your batteries. Retailer and cost them in a fireproof place to reduce threat.
Understanding LiPo Battery Fundamentals
Lithium polymer batteries, or LiPo batteries, boast an distinctive power-to-weight ratio, making them a really perfect selection for FPV drones.
To pick the suitable LiPo battery, it’s essential to learn to interpret its specs and change into acquainted with important terminology, which might be defined within the following sections.
LiPo Battery Voltage
LiPo batteries encompass particular person cells, every with a nominal voltage of three.7V, which is indicated on the battery label.
A LiPo battery is designed to function safely inside a selected voltage vary, usually between 3.0V and 4.2V. Overcharging a LiPo battery above 4.2V is harmful and should result in a hearth. Discharging under 3V might lead to irreversible efficiency degradation or battery injury. This minimal voltage can be known as the cut-off voltage. It’s typically advisable to cease discharging when the battery reaches 3.5V per cell to increase its lifespan.
Cell Depend
LiPo batteries might have a number of cells. The ‘S’ ranking on a battery refers to t±±he variety of cells it has. So, a 6S battery has six cells, a 4S battery has 4, and so forth. As a result of every cell has a nominal voltage of three.7V, a 4S battery has a nominal voltage of 4 x 3.7V = 14.8V, whereas a 6S battery has a nominal voltage of 6 x 3.7V = 22.2V.
Battery voltage immediately impacts motor pace, so utilizing a better cell-count battery can improve your drone’s energy (assuming the drone helps the upper voltage). Nevertheless, including extra cells additionally makes the battery heavier and dearer.
Within the interest, we usually seek advice from batteries by their cell depend or “S” designation:
- 1S = 1 cell = 3.7V
- 2S = 2 cells = 7.4V
- 3S = 3 cells = 11.1V
- 4S = 4 cells = 14.8V
- 5S = 5 cells = 18.5V
- 6S = 6 cells = 22.2V
For instance, we name a 14.8V battery a “4-cell” or simply “4S” battery.
Attention-grabbing details:
- Connecting two an identical batteries in sequence doubles the voltage however doesn’t change capability (e.g., two 2S 1000mAh batteries in sequence change into a 4S 1000mAh battery). Connecting them in parallel doubles capability whereas sustaining the identical voltage (e.g., a 2S 2000mAh pack).
- LiPos may use a “P” designation for voltage, with “P” indicating the variety of cells in parallel. 2S1P means “2 cells in sequence and 1 cell in parallel.” If a battery doesn’t have a “P,” it’s assumed to be “1P,” so 2S1P and 2S are the identical.
- 3S2P means “3 cells in sequence and a pair of cells in parallel.” This battery has a complete of 6 cells, with 2 parallel teams of cells, every containing 3 cells in sequence.
Capability
The capability of a LiPo battery, measured in mAh (milliampere-hour), signifies how a lot present you possibly can draw from the battery repeatedly for an hour till it’s empty. Word that 1000mAh equals 1Ah.
For instance, with a 1300mAh LiPo (or 1.3Ah), it might take an hour to be utterly discharged for those who draw a continuing 1.3A present from it. If the present draw doubles to 2.6A, the period could be halved (1.3/2.6=0.5). In the event you draw 39A of present continuous, the pack would final solely 2 minutes (1.3/39=1/30 of an hour).
Rising your battery capability may supply longer flight time, however the tradeoff is a heavier, bigger battery. Weight considerably impacts an plane’s flight time, so it’s important to decide on a battery with an optimum stability between capability and weight for optimum effectivity.
Greater capability batteries may additionally present increased discharge currents, as defined within the subsequent part.
C Score
C Score is an indicator of the utmost present you possibly can safely draw from a LiPo battery with out inflicting injury. In principle, this may be calculated by:
Most Present Draw = Capability x C-Score
Drawing extra present than specified by the C-rating is just not advisable, because the battery can overheat, improve inner resistance over time, shorten battery lifespan, and even trigger thermal runaway (catching hearth) in excessive instances.
Batteries with increased C-ratings are typically heavier and bigger even on the similar capability. For instance, these two 4S 650mAh batteries proven within the picture have totally different weight and sizes on account of differing C-ratings.
Though C-rating might be a great tool, it has change into principally a advertising software lately, so take it with a grain of salt. Manufacturers may inflate C-rating numbers, making it meaningless for comparability between manufacturers. Nevertheless, it could nonetheless be useful for selecting a battery from the identical model, assuming they observe the identical commonplace. So long as you choose batteries from our suggestions, C-rating shouldn’t be a significant concern.
Inner Resistance
All electrical elements have resistance, together with batteries. The resistance inside a battery known as inner resistance (IR), which signifies how a lot the battery resists present stream. Inner resistance can be utilized to measure LiPo battery efficiency. Decrease IR means the battery can ship energy to your FPV drone extra successfully.
Monitoring IR over time can be helpful for figuring out when to retire a LiPo battery. LiPo cells’ IR will increase slowly with time and utilization, an inevitable and irreversible course of. The next dangerous practices can speed up battery getting old:
- Over-discharging and over-charging
- Pushing the battery too arduous by discharging at a better present than it’s rated for, for an prolonged interval
- Overheating
The most important issue affecting a battery’s most discharge fee is its inner resistance. Excessive IR results in extra noticeable voltage drop as you improve throttle, a phenomenon generally known as “voltage sag”. As voltage decreases, motors lose RPM, and the drone feels much less highly effective and responsive.
Some batteries are designed for low-current purposes (e.g., 8C or 10C ranking for powering a radio), which inherently have increased IR. 18650 Li-ion batteries even have increased IR than typical LiPo batteries, which is regular.
For extra info on when to retire a battery and the way to measure inner resistance, try our devoted article on the subject: https://oscarliang.com/when-retire-lipo-battery/
Discharge Connector
All LiPo batteries include two units of wires/connectors: the discharge connector (predominant lead) and stability connector (stability lead). Nevertheless, 1S batteries solely have a discharge connector since balancing is just not required for 1 cell.
The discharge lead usually consists of two thicker purple and black wires used to energy the FPV drone.
One other set of smaller wires connects to a white connector; that is the stability lead. The variety of wires relies on the battery’s cell depend.
The most typical discharge connector is the XT60, primarily utilized in 5″ FPV drones or bigger. For smaller drones, the XT30, a smaller model of the XT60, is commonly used. They’ve related shapes however differ in sizes and present scores.
Different battery connectors generally utilized in FPV drones and tools embrace:
For extra info on electrical wires and connectors, seek advice from our in-depth article on the subject: https://oscarliang.com/wires-connectors/
Stability Connector
LiPo batteries with a couple of cell will all the time have a stability lead, which is for monitoring and balancing cell voltages. The official title of the stability connector is JST-XH.
You will want to attach the stability result in the charger when charging. This permits the charger to test and stability the voltage of every cell throughout charging. Importantly, all the time plug within the stability lead earlier than charging!
The variety of wires in a stability lead begins at 3 for a 2S LiPo, and that quantity will increase by 1 for each increment in cell depend:
- 2S – 3 wires
- 3S – 4 wires
- 4S – 5 wires
- 5S – 6 wires
- 6S – 7 wires
It’s not unusual in your stability result in be broken by spinning propellers throughout flight. To learn to restore a damaged stability lead, seek advice from our detailed tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/fix-balance-plug-lipo-replace/
If the stability lead is lengthy, think about using a rubber band to strap it down, it could additionally reduces the vibrations brought on by the dangling cable.
Retaining Battery Balanced
It’s vital to ensure the cells in a battery are inside related vary earlier than utilizing it, in any other case you possibly can threat over-discharging the cells with decrease voltage. Additionally if a battery pack persistently change into unbalanced, the cells in all probability have totally different inner resistance and must be inspected extra carefully.
Simply plug within the stability lead right into a voltage checker and it’ll show the voltage of all cells. Get a voltage checker right here: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-tools/#LiPo-Voltage-Checker
Battery Varieties
LiPo
LiPo stands for lithium polymer, it’s the usual battery chemistry used for racing and freestyle FPV drones. LiPo has a completely charged voltage of 4.2 V and storage cost voltage of round 3.85V.
LiHV
LiHV is a particular kind of LiPo battery, with HV standing for “excessive voltage.” They’re extra energy-dense than conventional LiPo batteries and may be charged as much as 4.35V per cell (versus the usual 4.20V). Nevertheless, there are blended evaluations relating to the longevity of LiHV batteries, as they could expertise a lower in efficiency before common LiPos. In our put up, we in contrast a LiHV battery with a LiPo by way of efficiency. Regardless of these issues, LiHV batteries have change into a preferred selection for 1S Tiny Whoops as a result of the influence of the upper voltage is critical.
Li-Ion
Li-Ion stands for Lithium ion, usually have a a lot increased capability in comparison with LiPo of the identical weight. Due to its increased capability per weight, Li-Ion batteries are nice for lengthy vary flying. Nevertheless it has a lot decrease discharging efficiency, making it not appropriate for aggressive flying. Study extra about Li-Ion batteries and proposals right here: https://oscarliang.com/li-ion-battery-long-range/
Selecting the Proper LiPo Battery
In the event you observe my LiPo battery suggestions, you possibly can keep away from worrying about calculations I’m going to point out you under. Additionally be sure that to keep away from “no-name” batteries, and persist with respected manufacturers resembling:
- GNB (Gaoneng)
- CNHL (China Pastime Line)
- Lumenier (GetFPV)
- RDQ
- Tattu R-Line
- Dogcom
Right here’s I’ll present you the way to decide on a really perfect battery in your drone.
How Many Packs Ought to Rookies Purchase?
You possibly can actually purchase as many battery packs as you need, however I feel 4 packs is an effective quantity in case you are simply beginning to fly FPV. Assuming every flight lasts round 5 to 10 minutes (bearing in mind the time you stroll to choose up your crashed quad, preflight preparation, and quick breaks between flights), you’ll have as much as 40 minutes of flying time with simply 4 packs. When you’ve got a method to cost your batteries within the subject, you possibly can prolong your flying time considerably. Study extra about subject charging right here: https://oscarliang.com/field-charging/
Weight
As a rule of thumb, the battery ought to weigh roughly half the load of the freestyle or racing drone (excluding the GoPro). In the event you observe my battery suggestions, the efficiency must be ok, and also you gained’t want to think about the rest. For lengthy vary and cinematic FPV drones, a bigger battery could also be used to maximise flight time, the place responsiveness and energy isn’t the priorities, the battery may be as heavy because the drone itself or extra.
In case your drone has a distinct dimension or weight class, you possibly can observe the extra guidelines under.
Figuring out Drone Present Draw
After deciding on motor and propeller sizes, you need to be capable to discover thrust information in your motor, in addition to the present draw for supported propeller sizes. For instance, with this motor and 5040×3 props, it attracts as much as 36.74A at 100% throttle.
The entire most present draw for a quadcopter with 4 motors could be 36.74 x 4 = 146.96A at 100% throttle. If you wish to play it secure, you should utilize this quantity to discover a battery with a excessive sufficient C-rating. Nevertheless, I often scale back it by 30-40% for 2 causes: firstly, we not often fly at 100% throttle for various seconds (I personally principally fly at round 40-60% throttle); and secondly, motors draw considerably fewer amps in actual life than in static thrust exams on account of transferring air.
Though different elements additionally draw present, their influence is insignificant in comparison with the motors, so you possibly can often disregard them.
Selecting optimum battery capability
I’ve a desk right here that can assist you resolve what battery dimension you want for specific setup: https://oscarliang.com/table-prop-motor-lipo-weight/
Now you should work out the acceptable battery capability, which relies on the dimensions of your quadcopter, and C ranking required. Right here is the final guideline I personally observe for a freestyle/racing drone:
For 4S LiPo:
7 inch: 1500mah - 2200mah 5 inch: 1300mah - 1800mah 4 inch: 850mah - 1300mmah 3 inch: 650mah -1000mah
For 6S LiPo:
7 inch: 1200mah - 1500mah 5 inch: 900mah - 1300mah 4 inch: 550mah - 900mmah 3 inch: 400mah - 650mah
From there, we are able to calculate the C ranking requirement utilizing this formulation:
C Score = Present Draw / Capability
Easy methods to Cost LiPo
Choosing A LiPo Charger
To cost LiPo batteries, you’ll want a charger particularly designed for them on account of their strict charging necessities. You possibly can learn to select a high-quality LiPo charger on this purchaser’s information: https://oscarliang.com/choose-lipo-battery-charger-power-supply/
The next info applies for those who select a charger from my suggestions.
Connecting a LiPo to a Charger
Charging LiPo batteries with most fashionable chargers is kind of easy. Sometimes, you simply must plug within the XT60 and stability connectors, set the cost mode and cost present, and also you’re good to go.
Charger Modes
- Stability Cost: Whereas charging the battery, the charger displays the voltage of every cell and retains them balanced. That is the most secure and most advisable methodology of charging your LiPo battery.
- Storage Cost: The charger brings every cell to storage voltage (which is round 3.80V to three.85V).
- Discharge: The charger makes an attempt to empty the LiPo battery (this course of may be extraordinarily gradual, relying on the discharging energy of the charger).
The Significance of Stability Charging
At all times plug within the stability lead earlier than charging, this enables the charger to learn the voltage of every cell.
The cells in a battery are slight totally different in inner resistance, and after a flight, you may discover some cells have increased voltage than others. Charging a battery with imbalanced cell voltages with out utilizing the stability lead may result in some cells ending up under 4.2V and others exceeding 4.2V, which is harmful.
Most fashionable LiPo chargers have stability charging as the one charging mode. When you’ve got an inexpensive or outdated charger that permits charging with out the stability lead, discard it instantly and spend money on a correct charger. Charging with out the stability lead is unsafe!
Charging Pace: How Quick Ought to You Cost?
Charging LiPo batteries at 1C or decrease is advisable, because it places the least pressure on the battery. This implies setting the cost present to 1 occasions the battery’s capability. For instance, for a 1500mAh LiPo, charging at 1C means setting the cost present to 1.5A (1C x 1500mA), and for a 900mAh battery, that’s 0.9A, and so forth.
Enjoyable Truth: Charging at 1C will take roughly one hour to totally cost the battery from empty, regardless the dimensions of the pack.
Many batteries now help sooner charging, resembling at 3C and even 5C. Make sure you perceive your LiPo’s specs earlier than charging at increased charges. If doubtful, simply cost at 1C, as charging your battery at increased C charges will increase the chance of LiPo overheating or inflicting a hearth.
Select a Protected Charging Location
It’s essential to cost your batteries in an space freed from flammable gadgets and supplies. If you’re charging indoors, attempt to do it close to a window or door so to rapidly throw the battery out in case of a hearth.
I personally retailer and cost my batteries in an ammo field (obtainable on Amazon). Don’t rely solely on “LiPo Luggage”; they could decelerate a LiPo hearth, however they gained’t utterly comprise it. At all times preserve a hearth extinguisher close by when charging batteries.
By no means Depart Charging LiPo Batteries Unattended
Don’t depart the room whereas charging your batteries. Many LiPo-related fires happen as a result of folks depart the charging course of unattended. You must all the time supervise LiPo batteries throughout charging. Commonly test their temperature; they need to stay cool. If a battery turns into heat or begins to swell, cease charging and examine. It might be a defective LiPo that must be retired, an overcharging situation, or just charging too rapidly.
Different Security Guidelines
Incorrect dealing with of LiPo batteries can probably trigger fires. Please familiarize your self with these security guidelines earlier than dealing with or charging batteries:
- Decide up LiPo batteries by the physique, not the wires, which may be pulled off from fragile solder joints.
- Permit batteries to chill down utterly after a flight earlier than charging them.
- By no means use or cost a broken or swollen battery.
- Confirm the variety of cells and battery kind are set accurately in your charger earlier than charging.
- Keep away from overcharging. Whereas good chargers can usually handle this for you, it’s smart to test cell voltages commonly.
- Maintain batteries out of direct daylight.
- At all times take away the battery from the machine it’s powering and place it in a secure space earlier than charging.
- By no means quick the outputs of a battery at any time.
Parallel charging
Parallel charging is probably not the most secure methodology for charging LiPo batteries, nevertheless it affords a fast method to cost a number of batteries concurrently. I’ve a complete tutorial that explains the way to safely carry out parallel charging: https://oscarliang.com/parallel-charging-multiple-lipo/
Charging 1S LiPo batteries
Charging small 1S batteries could be a bit totally different than charging bigger packs. One possibility is to cost a number of 1S batteries utilizing a parallel board, which basically combines them as one massive 1S battery. Nevertheless, the best methodology for charging 1S batteries is to make use of a devoted 1S battery charger or serial cost board. Try my suggestions for 1S battery chargers right here: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/#Finest-Tiny-Whoop-Chargers
Easy methods to Use LiPo Batteries Safely
Storage Cost
In the event you don’t plan to make use of a LiPo battery for an prolonged interval (for example, longer than 2 weeks), you need to:
- Storage cost it to three.80V to three.85V per cell
- Retailer the battery in a fireproof place (in LiPo luggage, ammo metallic bins, and so on.)
- Retailer it at room temperature – excessively chilly or scorching situations can influence battery lifespan and security
When a LiPo cell is round 3.80-3.85V, it has roughly 40% to 50% cost remaining. That is probably the most secure state for a LiPo battery, your battery will last more and it’s safer. That’s additionally why model new batteries usually arrive at this voltage.
Most fashionable LiPo chargers have “Storage Cost” perform, which is able to put your battery within the appropriate storage voltage for you.
How lengthy you possibly can depart LiPo batteries absolutely charged?
It’s okay to cost your batteries the day earlier than your flights. Nevertheless, personally, if I don’t fly the following couple of days, I all the time return my batteries to storage voltage (e.g. 3.8V per cell).
Keep away from leaving them absolutely charged or empty for prolonged intervals. Batteries not at their storage voltage will degrade sooner over time. Usually, most individuals discover it acceptable to go away batteries absolutely charged or discharged for a number of days. Nevertheless, for those who don’t plan to fly for greater than a few weeks, it’s finest to place your batteries at storage cost. Most fashionable chargers can do that simply, however discharging may be gradual. You may wish to take into account getting a devoted discharger for those who do that often: https://oscarliang.com/discharge-lipo-batteries/
Working Temperature
FPV drone LiPo batteries carry out optimally between 30°C and 60°C. Chilly climate negatively impacts LiPo battery efficiency, leading to worse voltage sag and decreased flight time. Maintain your batteries heat earlier than a flight (e.g., by putting them in your pocket). Listed below are some extra recommendations on the way to fly FPV in chilly climate: https://oscarliang.com/fly-fpv-winter/
LiPo batteries additionally undergo in extreme warmth, as they will swell and even catch hearth. Ensure to not depart them below direct daylight in the summertime!
When to Land
You must land your drone when your battery voltage reaches 3.5V to three.6V.
Though you possibly can proceed flying with decrease voltages, doing so places additional pressure on the battery and should shorten its lifespan. All cells in a battery are totally different, and through a burst of throttle, the battery will sag with some cells sagging greater than others. This can lead to cells going under the secure restrict and inflicting injury. Touchdown at round 3.5V reduces the chance of this occurring.
Another excuse to land early is that voltage drops considerably sooner under 3.5V. Persevering with to fly may lead to over-discharging your battery earlier than you possibly can land safely. Over-discharging may cause everlasting injury and shorten battery life.
With that stated, for tiny whoop 1S batteries, it’s fairly frequent to land at a lot decrease voltage, e.g. 3.2V and even 3.0V. that’s as a result of the voltage sag is so nice on these small batteries, they are going to finally get better above the secure voltage when landed. Additionally this lets you get probably the most flight outing of them. Moreover, 1S batteries are comparatively low-cost so folks don’t thoughts abusing them.
LiPo Protected Luggage
LiPo luggage are made of material, typically with a metallic compound woven into them, and usually have both a zipper or Velcro fastener. They supply light-weight, cheap storage for battery transportation. Whereas LiPo luggage might decelerate a battery hearth, they aren’t efficient at stopping or containing one. For long-term storage, a metallic ammo field is advisable. Nevertheless, LiPo luggage are comparatively reasonably priced and nonetheless higher than nothing.
Get your LiPo luggage from:
Ammo Field
Earlier than utilizing an ammo field to retailer your LiPo batteries, take away the rubber seal on the lid (simply pry it off with a screwdriver). If attainable, drill a few small holes to permit air to flee within the occasion of a hearth (or make sure the field is just not tightly shut) to forestall strain buildup inside an hermetic metallic container.
Get your Ammo Field from:
Bat-Protected LiPo Field
The Bat-Protected field safely accommodates battery fires, vents scorching gases, filters flame and soot, whereas guaranteeing simple battery charging and transportation. It’s just like the upgraded model of the Ammo field. See my full assessment right here: https://oscarliang.com/bat-safe-lipo-battery-charging-box/
You could find the Bat-Protected Field right here:
What to do with over-discharged LiPo
Fully discharging a LiPo battery can lead to oxidation of the cells over time, inflicting a everlasting discount in efficiency. Nevertheless, if detected rapidly sufficient, you possibly can often save the battery with out important injury to its efficiency.
Chargers might not acknowledge an over-discharged battery on account of low cell voltage. In such instances, it’s advisable to discard the battery. There are methods to rescue an over-discharged LiPo, however proceed at your personal threat.
Touring with LiPo Batteries
Many airways and airports permit LiPo batteries in passengers’ carry-on baggage. Maintain the next factors in thoughts:
- At all times test together with your airline about touring with LiPo batteries
- Don’t carry LiPo batteries in your checked baggage
- Place your batteries in storage cost
- Tape or cowl the connectors and retailer them in a LiPo secure bag
- By no means journey with broken batteries
For extra info, see my information on “Easy methods to journey with mini quad and LiPo batteries”: https://oscarliang.com/travel-fpv-drone-lipo-plane/
What to Do if a LiPo Battery Catches Hearth
- Don’t panic; if attainable, unplug all connections first
- Use a hearth extinguisher
- If that’s not an possibility, sand can successfully put out a LiPo hearth; cowl the burning LiPo with sand
- Keep away from inhaling smoke and anticipate the hearth to exit and the battery to chill
- Do NOT use water
What’s the Lifespan of a LiPo Battery?
For an in depth clarification, try this put up: https://oscarliang.com/when-retire-lipo-battery/
Abstract:
- Gradual Efficiency Degradation: LiPo battery efficiency step by step degrades over time and utilization. It has no expiry date.
- Efficiency Loss: Primarily based on my testing, you possibly can anticipate a lack of about 3.8% in efficiency over the primary 100 cost cycles for normal LiPo batteries (5.4% for LiHV batteries).
- Alternative Timeline: Personally, I exchange my LiPo batteries each 200 to 300 cost cycles or each two to a few years, whichever comes first.
- Prolonged Use: You possibly can proceed utilizing a LiPo battery so long as it’s secure to take action. Nevertheless, it’ll expertise extra voltage sag on account of increased inner resistance, and its capability might be decrease, leading to decreased flight time.
LiPo Disposal
When to Retire a LiPo Battery
LiPo batteries have a restricted cycle life, with every cost and discharge counting as one cycle. A well-maintained LiPo battery for RC fashions may probably final over 300 cycles. Nevertheless, for a lot of customers, damaging the battery bodily earlier than reaching that time is a typical incidence.
There isn’t a selected rule for when to get rid of a battery, however LiPo batteries can lose their “punch” and capability as inner resistance builds up over time. Inner resistance is an effective indication of battery well being. You must positively get rid of a battery if it turns into dented from a crash or if it’s swollen like a balloon.
Study extra about when to retire or get rid of a LiPo battery on this article: https://oscarliang.com/when-retire-lipo-battery/
Easy methods to Get rid of LiPo Batteries
Outdated and broken LiPo batteries must be disposed of correctly. Study concerning the alternative ways of disposing LiPo batteries on this article: https://oscarliang.com/dispose-lipo-battery-safely/. By no means to puncture LiPo batteries, as doing so may cause a hearth.
FAQ
Listed below are some frequent questions from hobbyists.
Q: Are swollen (puffed) LiPo batteries harmful? A: Sure, swollen LiPo batteries should not secure to make use of or retailer.
Q: What causes LiPo batteries to change into swollen? A: LiPo batteries swell when fuel will get trapped contained in the cells. This could happen naturally, however bodily abuse (resembling injury, overheating, or over-discharging) may cause the battery to generate extra fuel.
Q: Can I repair a puffed LiPo battery? A: No, you possibly can’t. As soon as a LiPo battery turns into swollen, it’s irreversible. Get rid of it correctly as quickly as attainable.
Q: How can I keep away from swollen batteries? A: To keep away from swollen batteries:
- Don’t over-discharge – use a voltage alarm or monitoring system
- Don’t overheat – keep away from leaving batteries below the solar or near warmth sources, and don’t overload the battery
- By no means overcharge – arrange your charger correctly and monitor it whereas charging
- Retailer your LiPo batteries correctly, as talked about earlier on this article
Q: Do new batteries should be damaged in? A: Break-in procedures for brand spanking new batteries are a controversial matter within the FPV neighborhood. Some consider that new batteries ought to undergo a sequence of gradual cost and discharge cycles earlier than being absolutely utilized. Others, like myself, have tried this methodology and located no noticeable distinction. For extra dialogue on the subject, see this discussion board thread.
Technical Phrases
- Reduce-off voltage – the voltage at which a battery is taken into account discharged utterly; For LiPo it’s 3.0V
- Cycle life – 1 cycle is while you cost and discharge a battery. The cycle life is the overall variety of cycles the battery will final
- State of cost – the vitality degree of a battery from 0% to 100%.
- Burst C-Score – the utmost discharge fee over a brief time period (usually inside 10 seconds)
Conclusion
Congratulations, you made it!
Hopefully, you’ve realized one thing about LiPo batteries and the way to use them safely. Nevertheless, this information doesn’t cowl all the pieces you should know. In the event you’re unsure about something, proceed researching to make sure you’re dealing with your LiPo batteries as safely as attainable. Completely happy flying.
Edit Historical past
- 2017 – Article created.
- 2018 – Added product suggestions.
- 2019 – Up to date Clarification of Cell Depend and IR, added data on “the way to cost”.
- 2023 – Up to date information.
- Might 2024 – Up to date information and product suggestions.
