How to FPV (Part 6) LiPo Battery Management | Make your LiPos last longer!

[@jasonvoorhees4873]

this man freestyled everything, not one single cut, respect

[@TheFlyingKiwiNZ]

clearly a sign he knows his shit. Like seriously knows it. Eat breathe sleep walk FPV

[@jakubunold5750]

perhaps he was recording on a drone and battery life was limiting length of the video :P

[@bobscott117]

Have you asked him out yet? That mustache is calling ya buddy

[@PhillGraaf]

CRAZY!

[@minkorrh]

When your hobby is your passion, you can talk about it all day. All the learning was never 'work' and was absorbed considerably easier than algebra I'm sure. Get me on topics like FPV, Electronics or guitar and you'll be looking for the door lol.

[@angelobao7494]

You have been contributing to the community for so long now !! Thank you for your hard work and thank you for passing on all that knowledge. Cheers Steele

[@IshamPadron]

One of the most comprehensive videos on LiPo batteries as it relates to RC Aircrafts that I have ever seen. Thank you!

[@ken-kamm]

It’s really awesome of you to make this video series. I’m a relatively experienced pilot and builder, having been into FPV for almost 4 years now. Like yourself. But I still enjoy watching the videos, and it’s really cool to see that you are willing to share all of your knowledge. You are helping to bring new pilots into our hobby, and that is priceless. The more the merrier.

[@PolD33]

1st thing: I love that you know your shit and explain it in an easy way ..2nd: There are no cuts in this video. That's rare today. Another guy mentioned it below and I wanna emphasize this: This is so so good, compared to cuts every 5-10 seconds.. Keep it up my man. I'm just starting my fpv journey .. Love your content!

[@dialaprohq]

got into fpv about 30 days ago. watched 100s of videos and learned a lot. Somehow you havent popped into my feed yet I have heard your name a dozen times. This was my first video and feel like I messed up by not watching your video's sooner. Great video !! Ill definitely will be watching more.

[@lgv2069]

Steele is the shit

[@christiandestradis1263]

The best video on Lipos on KZbin so far. That was very helpful. Thank you very much 👏👏

[@scottmarshall6766]

For new flier that wants to "future proof" (and have the "hot setup like Steele") of 6S, they can build/buy a 6S and limit the throttle to 70%. The bonus (besides being able to "turn it up" when ready) is about 25-30% more flight time. That's a very nice thing all by itself, and you will get longer battery life because you are babying them flying like that. Good video!

[@jewishjitsu]

I want to try that. Whats a good 6s grade motor for freestyle? I fly a 5", with 4s, HT Cricket 2450s + 5×4×3s. Looking for smooth maneuvering with good punchout for flicks.

[@scottmarshall6766]

@@jewishjitsu The Xing 2208 1700kv on the Mamba Stack is my go to setup turning 6" (or larger) props on a Iflight long arm frame with DJI video (it's worth the weight and money IMO). If you're new to the game, or just enjoy proximity and flying thru the air like me, consider the 6" setup. With good batteries (RDQ 6S1250) you'll get super smooth flight and long flights as well as a rugged package that you can fly more than fix. On 4S you'll lose quite a lot of flight time, but it'll still fly fine although not so "punchy" on the hit. 6" on 6S is my favorite and it'll still do the flippity flip thing, but a tad slower (and easier to master), but is much more enjoyable if you just enjoy flying and aren't making videos for the youtube gang. If you're looking for 5" extra light, extra full speed stuff - The Xing 2207 1800 (you can get them in 1700kv or 1800kv) would probably be better for a strictly 5" setup like yours. A Mamba stack on Betaflight defaults ought to fly great if you limit the throttle to 50 to 75%. Make sure you don't just chop the top off, you need to reset the span so you get full range throttle control. Looks at Oscars rundown on setups like this (oscarliang.com/best-motors-props/). The 2207 is a great motor, I'm using them on 6" machines on 6S, and they work hard, but pull plenty hard, and still live. For strictly 6" I run the wider 2208. Smooth thru the middle with a top on that comes on plenty hard, but not so abrupt it's just a moonshot. You can play with betaflight and smooth things out a bit if you want to go more cinematic. I'd bet if you use the 2207 1800kv in your setup with throttle set to top out from 50 to 75% (depending on how new you are and how smooth you'd like it) You'll find it flies great on defaults. Hope that helps. Try the 6" 2208 setup if you have the budget, you won't be sorry. It's a bit bigger and still rips, but slows down nicely, which is fun, especially if you have High def video. If you need to know more hit me back again. Happy flying!

[@jewishjitsu]

@@scottmarshall6766 Thank you for the detailed response. Ill look into buying a Armattan 6" tonight. Thanks! Sidebar, a 2208 would be taller than a 2207, not wider, wouldn't that only help with high end?

[@ze2004]

i like the ducky in the corner XD

[@DynamixTV]

@@caseharley6509 Wooowww damn, you are like the lowest tier of scammers then?

[@pavelkolomiyets4487]

Your depth of knoweledge is very apparent in your videos. Thank you for sharing your advice with us. There's something about your demeanor that tells me you would rather be flying and this makes you more convincing.

[@marsmachine1156]

Might just be the best video on Lipos 🔋 on the interweb! ...runs 🏃🏻‍♂️ home in a panic to put lipos on storage voltage! 🤣 Keep up the great work!

[@whiteknight7wayne493]

The guy can speak! Thats always endearing.

[@kingfpvmobilefpv3210]

Excellent info. Only 2 people i trust for battery info & thats you & joshua bardwell. Not even manufacturer. Thumbs up, dromie! I feel good ive gotten 2 years out of most of my batteries

[@ledchickenfpv7164]

Holy hell! It's Steele from the future! I'm watching this in January 2019, but for him in the video it's already Febuary 2019! Boom. Mind blown.

[@karmakazi219]

I'm just moving from off the shelf "toy" quads to starting my own build(s). These videos are super-helpful. Thank you.

[@illpro2]

Congratulations!!! Sorry I'm a little late but I just realized you passed 200,000 subs. Probably the only drone guy I follow with that many subs.

[@ruizinkpt]

S means cells in a series configuration (most common) - used to increase overall pack voltage. P means cells in a parallel configuration (less common) - used to increase overall pack capacity.

[@quantumguy9659]

Series is used to control voltage delivery. It's easier to lower voltage than to rise it. Parallel is for delivering large currents.

[@dmalovic]

Mário Rui Santos and capacity is exactly the same, 4 1000mAh cells have the same capacity either in series or parallel.

[@jewishjitsu]

@@dmalovic but it draws more amps because of less available volts, yes?

[@playmatee1]

When to read this voltage numbers ? 1in flight ? 2 if landed and motors are spinning air mode ? 3 when dissarmed ? I believe 3, so inflight u can go a bit lower in volt

[@Enderkruemel]

3.7 after flight, in flight i drain my lipos down to 3.1/3.2 v per cell.

[@Enderkruemel]

What should be right? i use them for over 3 years now and I had no Problem whith this, the capacity is only slightly reduced becourse they are old. (

[@0815name0815]

Just finished my first build yesterday and wanted to charge my first lipo at the weekend. Perfect timing for this video 🙌

[@coincoinfpv9503]

Yeah!!!! I love the duck on your side :D Duck power! Coincoin! Thanks Steele for all those info. One additionnal thing is: they don"t like cold, and reach the down limit very fast when you pull on them.

[@marinehm]

Who doesn't have a duck? I do! Hahahaha

[@opossumfpv]

I'm a noob in the fpv community. What's up with the duck??

[@canadiangemstones7636]

@@opossumfpvSame meaning as an upside down pineapple.

[@WildpixFPV]

I'm still happy on 4S lipos, and you are the first pilot to confirm my handling with them, not over-discharging and taking care of the babes made them live long and healthy! 😂😅 No, I don't give them names!

[@MrSteeleFPV]

Hahaha. Naming packs would be funny though

[@acroquad1407]

The best video on LiPo care I have seen. Cheers.

[@NielGuilarte]

Being totally new to fpv I was super happy to find this video! It really helped me to learn the basics especially battery storage and I even ordered a lipo bag for added safety. Thanks for the great video!

[@toddspeck9415]

You always inspire me in this hobby. Really dig how you take care of your equipment. That sponge bob trick was sick. Peace out Mr.Steele.

[@marinehm]

This is great! You summed up everything I needed to know in one video. -1 topic. Charging amperage for 4s, 6s, 1300mah, 1500 mah, 70C vs 100C batteries. Never mind. You did! Watching that 1 next.

[@GigawattsFPV]

Superb video, really informative and well put together. You’re knocking it out the park with this ethix stuff my dude! I have to say loving the S3’s man, there so responsive and have proven to be really durable. I didn’t expect any prop to drag me away from my long standing cyclone addiction!

[@denniskatinas]

Awesome series, FPV needs this content so much. Cheers!

[@yuginoty65]

Great vid Steele! I'm a destroyer of 1S batts in brushless whoops. Charging the 1S batteries at high currents just as to not run out of charged batteries for the next race. Batteries are almost hot after a race in my son's Blade BL. My HVs, 4.35V, last less time than another BL running 4.2V 1S batts. Keeping up with charged batts per race, with three chargers, my Bets 75 Pro and my son's BL, making it through a two minute race, just seems to be a recipe for battery death. My 4S Ghost though gets great battery life. I think for the reasons you mention. More voltage overhead. Luckily 1S whoop batteries are cheaper, yet I purchase quite a few at a time. Aw, the early days of Inductrix flying! Little kwads, cheap easy batteries, long fun flight times..... Peace...Guy

[@stu22uk]

I second that... Fly until cruise or hovering touches a steady voltage of 14.0 - 14.2v, once unplugged the battery will rest at 14.8 - 15.0v. My batteries have a longevity and never puff even though I fly em' hard. Happy flying to all.... 😎

[@bluelinefpv559]

Legit info from a professional pilot! What more could anyone ask for?

[@1MIC2GO]

Thanks for the great info and all your efforts in helping the community!

[@MrSilvervw]

As a beginner these videos are very helpful thank you for taking the time in doing them.

[@balint133]

You've nailed it man... I fully agree landing at nominal voltage (14.8V) although it's quite hard to comprehend for a beginner. Well, at least it was for me :D I tend to keep flying until it show 14.3-14.4 on the OSD while slow cruising that's roughly 14.8 after landing. Your video is super helpful, I've learned it the hard way though :(

[@billybbob18]

I have something to say about the Rotor Riot Practice Battery. It great! It's the first battery I bought for my hawk 5 and it's still like new in the way it performs. Sure it's a heavy 1500mah tank, but the cells are especially good. No joke. I'm not affiliated with RR in any monetary way. It's that good. I've ran it down to 11v multiple times. No puffing or loss of capacity. Slight volt sag is all I saw. Battery stays cool no matter what and it's the only battery that I never had to repair the balance leads on.

[@fpvgreybush9317]

Great video Steele

[@PilotNefron]

The episode i was expecting the most! thanks dude!

[@villadante]

I came back a couple of time in the last year... Very valuable stuff! Thanks

[@DougEfresh.]

Really great advice. I never knew how long to really wait after they've been charged, thanks.

[@griffinfpv7750]

THANKS STEELE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE VERY INFORMATIVE ANSWERS ALL OF MY QUESTIONS THAT I HAD ABOUT LIPOS 🙏

[@MrSteeleFPV]

🙏🏼. Super glad I can help man. Video coming out soon about charging :))). Maybe tomorrow evening.

[@jtroutt19]

Great video man very good information. A lot of people don’t care of their packs. I learned a lot about what it means to care for lipo packs when I started buying 12s 5000mah for my helicopters 300 bucks a battery hurts when they go bad early because you didn’t take care of em.

[@richardwatt911]

Good Video. Spot on advice. Just the facts, without all the Technical jargon, that goes right over the head of most newbs anyway.

[@acme1273]

Very helpful video Mr Steele, as usual more info than expected and really nice tips! Thank you :)

[@martinmacdonald2010]

Thanks... you've confirmed I'm doing the right thing. I stop at 3.5 in flight which is 3.7 resting. Not because I can't get more but because the thing flys terrible.

[@natemanafter]

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to the 4S/6S video.

[@xxO2Plusxx]

Thx a million for this video. Helped me a lot :) High five from Norway

[@0815name0815]

I was hoping so much for this video!!!! Thank you!

[@AlbeeSoaring]

Its funny to hear your opinion on this. Ive started trying to be landing my kwads at 3.7-3.6 per cell if possible. The only time I go lower then that is if Im trying to get back to myself from a long-rangish flight. Ive had friends tell me its fin to go down to 3.5-3.4 per cell but I like to be on the safer side and thats probably why I get about a years worth of life from my batteries vs their 2-4 months of life.

[@Andrew-FKF]

Comparable power setups for 6s vs 4s please. Looking forward to that video

[@Umsterdam]

Hey, I've been doing it right since I started fpv😁. I heard only go to 80% of mAh when I bought my first batteries, forget who/where. I also charge to storage voltage after using them, don't know if I should or not. Maybe Mr. Steele covers this in the video. Thank Steele for the info, I will now finish watching.😎

[@NukeFPV]

Love the random LiPo rubber duck..... hahaha Cheers :)

[@drewschultzfpv1454]

Fresh packs means more trix`s... and good recoveries.. am glad your teaching fellow hobby est... cheers steel dog🐾

[@BenDavis2]

Since videos 3-5 got through whoops, as a beginner I'm not flying a 5" yet, I was expecting this video to talk about basic lipos, chargers, how they work, safety, fire risk, fancy bags, and maybe even something about 1s batteries, since that's what came with the whoop you recommended. I'm going to have to come back and watch this one later. Edit: lol, all that stuff is in the next video, part 7.

[@marinehm]

This was perfect to share on my Facebook group today.

[@cj691]

I was able to revive a pretty new LiPo that was connected to a flyaway that was found some days later. That battery was flat. I charged it on a NiCd setting at 100mA until the cell voltage was high enough that lipo mode would accept the battery.

[@poppad10]

Can you PLEASE do a follow-up discussing the amps at which you charge/discharge based on mah of batteries? And using a parallel board with do's and don'ts. THANK YOU.

[@MrSteeleFPV]

Less that 24 hours away :). Video going live at 10:30am Friday

[@fiendleon]

Thanks again for all the help in getting this info out there

[@paulgeorge1069]

Thanks for the easy lesson lipo. I fried all the original packs I got in a couple weeks. It's all clear now

[@sinnedfpv5333]

Wish i had seen this video when i bought my first set of lipos. Thank you, very instructive and well explained! 🚀🙌

[@krazykyle85]

Dope dude . Learned a lot watching all these videos 🦅

[@Saint756]

Concise and to the point. Thanks as usual!

[@therustyfareye]

...thank you from sparing us from trying to verbalize all that....good work good sir. 🤘😎To those watching, set playback speed to 0.5...😁

[@opossumfpv]

Great advice to put the date on the batteries. Thanks!

[@Phrancis5]

What about 1S tiny whoop lipos? Those sag to 3.5v not long after take off...

[@diverspudph]

Very practical and easy to understand. Thanks!

[@topcatgc1]

Thanks Steel, always good to get a reminder👌

[@frankmarkovich5642]

Once you put the lipos at storage level, how long should you re-check the battery? For those long winter months.

[@MrSteeleFPV]

They should just chill there and not change No need to check at Storage voltage. Do make sure they are kept in s climate controlled environment. Maintained within a range of 60-85 F degrees

[@frankmarkovich5642]

@@MrSteeleFPV Good to know, also very informative video....not as fun as chasing race cars though but just as needed.

[@nathanparker9692]

I love how you have a para glider in the background

[@Pernicuz]

best video about lipo´s, thank you! :)

[@elis51501]

Batteries in A quick nutshell, thanks so needed this info!

[@in_novikov]

Nice video, ths! Please, make video with storage lipo batteries. Bags, bunkers or something else. Safe charging, discharging. Im new in this hobby and i afraid of fire from lipos

[@MrSteeleFPV]

Charging video coming Friday 10:30am EST

[@rebelquadronfpv1065]

Nice insulated garage door!!!

[@--JohnDoe]

Steele you are my hero.

[@boactech3076]

Tnx for all this information. Could you tell more about the lipo pack for your transmitter? Why not use the default pack of your transmitter? Did you modify your transmitter for the lipo?

[@MrSteeleFPV]

No mods needed. It’s a 3S 2200mAh pack from lumenier. Lipo just lasts a hell of a lot longer. Doesn’t come with a Lipo because they are highly regulated when it comes to shipping.

[@lazerusmfh]

i have some some adrenalines from 2017! they've degraded, but still flyable, i generally can still pull about 800-900 mah out of the 6 remaining packs in this series, but they are not as powerful as my new packs. great for a cruise or messing around, though they probably have only 100-150 charge cycles over that time period honestly

[@dripcitycars5062]

The definition of “balls to the walls” killed me 😂😂

[@waynecool3060]

very informative for a beginner like myself. as are most of your FPV videos

[@gabriel_13the]

I have a 3s 6Ah, 60c since 2019 and never used it down to 3.0v, but my charger always discharged it down to 3.0v with 1.5A - couldn't change the default voltage value, and the manufacturer recomended the same. I did a full charge, full discharge and storage every month when I didn't use it. And now still has 6012mah (originaly had 6025) if I discharge it to 3v/cell and 0 puffing. Also my boat draws around 140A at max load. I didn't check the internal resistance tho, but I feel no difference in throttle response or capacity.

[@DMARZFPV]

Great video bruh!

[@x-forcefpv9620]

Hey Steele is there a way to correct the mah and voltage sensor consumption on the steele pdb? Mine doesn't feel like it's giving me accurate readings... is there a trick?

[@MrSteeleFPV]

The mAh consumption should be spot on as it’s coming from the each individual ESC. I know there is a voltage adjustment in the osd menu. I don’t know if there is a mAh consumption adjustment. Most likely you’ll just have to compensate for the adjustment. So if 900 is really 800mAh. The. Go to 980-1000. Each pack. Make sense ? I do this subconsciously actually. Nothing is ever perfect. You just have to ball park it. :)

[@danman7665]

You can in betaflight. If it says 1300mah on the osd and when you charge it you only put in 1200mah your reading is of by 100mah. Then you need to calibrate it in bf.

[@x-forcefpv9620]

Thanks Steele for your input much appreciated! Happy flying :)

[@joshmilhench2681]

I once discharged to 11.1 v

[@colortimepaintco.9271]

Hellzz yeahh I feel good everything you talked about I've been doing for the past 3 year's and yes my batteries last a very long time Thanx for the video.

[@ponowai1]

Agree with everything but rather than service life by months I use cycles. Yes it's a pita but gives me a better idea of how old my packs are. I dont fly the same amount month after month. Take care of your batteries, they're not cheap.

[@porroco]

Just check spektrum smart lipo battery, you can program them for discharge on 48 or 72hrs

[@Jronesfpv]

i have 2 year old CNHL's that still rip cuz i take care of them :D

[@PrinceFpv]

I have 1 year old Cnhl and they're pretty good

[@vojtechvejsicky1819]

I have 7 year old battery and it still flies - on a plane

[@PrinceFpv]

@@vojtechvejsicky1819 😎

[@SaltyFPV]

Oh yes cnhl batteries are amazing.

[@kingfpvmobilefpv3210]

CHEDDA me too!

[@TiredFlyerFPV]

Meanwhile I get like 6-7 min of putzing around with my 6” efficiency setup on 4s. But then again, I am underpowered. I don’t really fly “Balls to the Wall”, because I am a more mellow slow paced person. Anyways, good video, but I think you should explain voltage sag more. When I was a beginner, I didn’t know what voltage sag was.

[@LukeZalvino]

As a beginner batteries are the most stressful and deterring part of getting into fpv for me. I understand the basics of it though. But I have a lot of hobbies and I don't need to have a hobby that needs to be checked in on every couple days for potentially and hour or more of my time

[@bigfella6629]

Ive had near new lipos stored for nearly 4 years in storage mode and they have been fine except for one 3s pack that was slightly puffed.

[@TheVonny77]

Hey, I'm planning on grabbing one of your 4s quads in the next few weeks. I'm just trying to figure out weather I can use 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s.... what ones will work well and what ones will either burn out the quad or just be to low?

[@MrSteeleFPV]

Anything under 4S will work it’ll just be under powered. 6S won’t be happy. Most likely will burn out motors Because the 4S motors are to high of KV.

[@TheVonny77]

Thanks, I appreciate it. Especially when being au the exchange rate adds upto about a grand so burning out motors on the 1 day would suck. Thanks

[@Scott_Bishell]

Great vid thanks. Wondering if you could follow up with how to safely dispose of used/damaged lipos? Cheers

[@Niscodrones]

Thank you for all that you do for us 🤘🤘

[@raffaelevalobra7128]

Regarding efficiency I've something to ask you. I like long range flying so I rarely ask huge current, I never punch when I'm far... My usage is much more constant and this can even be a little more risky because I never have a punch voltage test. Does flight time or ampere consummation could be more reliable to evaluate the percentage of usage than the voltage in you opinion? And my second question is about efficiency. Do you think it's more efficient, for long range flying, a 6s or a 4s pack (obviously considering the same overall wattage). Probably 6s, since it's easier to provide high voltage than high current. Don't you think?? Congrats for all your video!! I always measure 3.75v/cell after landing, under no charge. Seems perfect.

[@someonespotatohmm9513]

Unless you properly calibrate your current sensor (using known good current sensor such as multi meter) flight time is more accurate (if you sample multiple similar flights). As what is more efficient, It depends on what is the biggest loss currently and that is hard to know. Better question might be: is it worth the money to change my current setup for less sag and a small flight time gain?

[@SoaringExperience]

Regarding voltage that tells you I have to land: The voltage is changing all the time regarding if you are on full throttle, half the throttle or just slowly cruising. So about which situation are you refering to when you check your voltage and say "It is about time to land, my Batteryvoltage is about 14.8V"

[@MrSteeleFPV]

Under load depending on the battery and it’s health i.e. how old it is and how much abuse it’s seem you should always look at your packs voltage either when cruising which will be around 13-14V. Or during a free fall. When you have no throttle input. Should be between 14.5-15V. You just have to know that when you’re under load the voltage will always be lower than it will be not under load. It takes some time to just play around with your setup and your osd to understand what works for you.

[@SoaringExperience]

@@MrSteeleFPV Hi Steele, THX for quick reply. that's what I was talking about. During Powerloop or gaining fast much altitude with full-throttle my voltage drops to a voltage of 3.3V per cell, but during dive recovers very quickly (which is typical). I was jsut curious, because it sounds like that your batterys never reach this low voltage while you are flying (and you did some flying with longer full throttle scenes). So I just misunderstood. THX

[@rxaviers]

How bad can we abuse of a LiPo while flying? With full-throttle is there a minimum V (still 14V)?

[@hateeternalmaver]

You're much more conservative with the landing voltages than I am. I try to land them at 3.3v so they come up a little when resting. They seem to last at least a year like that. I do put them into storage after 3 or so days, though.

[@FlyZoneFpv]

Outstanding Steele 👍 thanks brother

[@parker1ray]

I fly micro 1S drones. HV batteries at 4.35 sag to 3.7 in seconds after flight. I fly them to 3.3 and only get 1.5 minutes. If I flew them to 3.8, it would only get 30 seconds of flight time!

[@MrJarrod]

Thanks Steele very well explained been looks for a video like this.

[@general-e8628]

I plan to put FPV in my speed car build with 3S 4200am 120C X 2 in series. Can I power the FPV on one of the 3S charging leads without damaging the battery? Or connect the power directly to receiver 🤔

[@legionararybionicals]

Can you talk about how dangerous these things can be? And measures to keep them safe?

[@mikebutler3595]

I treat my batteries like crap and get about 2 years out of a pack but I don't fly near as hard or often as Steele. I also only fly 1500mAh 4s on my 5" quads.

[@다비드-大卫]

Super super util video, thank you so much.

[@docmatt31765]

say you had to discharge to storage levels... how would you do that without flying?

[@MrSteeleFPV]

That’s when having a nice charger comes in handy

[@docmatt31765]

@@MrSteeleFPV I'm looking into this hobby but i don't want to waste my time or money. so I'm doing as much research as i can before buying. your videos have been very helpful

[@MrSteeleFPV]

Glad I can help man