How to look after and charge your LIPO batteries: A beginners guide to the basics

RC Basics Playlist:
Connecting LIPO batteries in series and parallel:
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[@jamiemonkey1362]

This is the best video about charging batteries I've seen. Been charging my batteries like this and parallel charging for years and they last for years. Their are so many people who charge their batteries at a higher rate and then wonder why packs don't last long. Like you say respect the battery and it will last.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic info, Lee! Thanks a lot! 😊 It's always great to remember those things... Otherwise we can do stupid things. 😬 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@bomberaustychunksbruv4119]

Great vid. Having a good quality charger helps too. One that can do 4s and up and pump out the amps is a good investment. Charging 4s on a 12v input charger makes it hard for the charger etc.

[@KernsJW]

Great tips that everyone should be aware of when they start out. Fortunately, most chargers, even the cheap ones, support storage charge now. Though that still seems to be a challenge on 1s and 2s chargers. I suggest numbering each for easier tracking when you have quite a few. I also track ohms resistance and charge time.

[@robson668]

I would only charge them outdoors if you have the possibility. If that is not possible charge them in a ceramic pot filled with sand.

[@Autocharge1]

Lipos are a bag of fun or a nightmare waiting to catch you out, use with respect.

[@hamshackleton]

If you have a telemetry radio, use the battery monitor mode, as it will tell you the pack voltage AND the (programmable) lowest cell voltage. So when the cell gets down to 3.6 on load (motor at flight speed), it is time to land! There should be enough left for a 'go-round' if you need to. - - edit for a typo

[@hormazddoc4244]

I'm currently using Tattu 22000 mAh batteries in VTOL drones. Now some of them have crossed 80 and 100 life cycles. How do I determine weather they are still usable? Also are there any params in .BIN files generated in the flight controller that can be used to determine battery health and usability?

[@Painless360]

I monitor a few things to check that a battery is still flight worthy. 1) are the cells 'puffed' in any way? 2) has the internal resistance of the cells increased significantly? 3) does the battery voltage drop significantly under load? If the answer to any of these is YES then I suspect it as coming to the end of it's life.. Happy flying!

[@simonhinchcliffe]

I'm planning to return to UK after 16 years overseas. Where do people buy their lipos from in UK? Any recommended suppliers?

[@Painless360]

I use the 3DXR and HobbyRC for the most stuff

[@RESISTAGE]

it's 2023 out and I still prefer li ion. more durable can build them as needed. not as demanding or critical on voltage. easier to deal with.

[@Painless360]

I fly both., LI-ION is great for endurance but sucks at delivering the larger currents some models need. Happy flying!

[@licensetodrive9930]

Great video, good source of info for maintaining lipos, I'll try to remember this when I see someone new in the hobby asking lipo questions. On the subject of discharging, I sometimes discharge packs a little device in I made, it has a barrel socket & XT60 socket, LED volt meter and large switching regulator set to 5v output with two USB sockets, so I can charge phone etc. with the excess energy in a battery. I do have to manually monitor the voltage to make sure it doesn't over discharge packs, I've been thinking about hacking one of those HGLRC Zeus dischargers with a 5v switching regulator and USB socket so it stops outputting when it reaches storage voltage.

[@obiter-things]

Do you recommend storage charge if storing for less than a week? I like to fully charge after flying so I can be ready to go if the opportunity presents itself in the next couple of days.

[@Painless360]

A week on full charge is the most I'd leave a pack for. I have a flying buddy who does the same as you and his packs give up a lot faster. You just gave to watch the packs and the internal resistances as they degrade. Happy flying

[@thebearlyfe6463]

Great info. But I love my Spektrum Batteries, Chargers, ETC... so easy to use!

[@Painless360]

Proprietary systems can make things easier if you are happy with just one system.. Happy flying

[@ricardoferreira2811]

Why not doing a video on how to remove a bad cell and for example transforme a 4S to a 3S? Thx

[@Painless360]

Thanks for the suggestion. Unless you know what you are doing this is a dangerous thing to do. Others have made content on it but my advice would be to retire the pack.. Happy flying

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome & Thanks :)

[@KitePod]

also never leave your LIPOs plugged into your turned off charger… it slowly discharges them to 0 V… destroyed 4 batteries at once leaving them on the chargers for two weeks

[@100SteveB]

I used to get through loads of batteries when I first came into the hobby, simply by running them too low, I would often go down to about 3.4v per cell, and like you say, the batteries really do not like it. These days I don't like to go below about 3.7v per cell - 3.6v if I really push it. Certainly makes a massive difference to the life of the batteries.

[@MrMartinRome]

Thanks Lee, very good summary. I have a lot of batteries and I keep track of their internal resistance over time to monitor their health. I have found the IR measures with chargers is very inaccurate so I picked up the LiPo ESR Mark II meter. It's not cheap, but it has been a great tool for managing battery health. Like you, I have some batteries that I have been safely using for many years and are still going strong.

[@CarlPaulsen]

A much needed video for those new to LiPos. So many questions about how to charge on social media platforms...

[@themaddestbomber]

I just bought 10 new batteries.. so far I've only seen one cell hit 4.2.. all the others range from 4.17 to 4.19 Is that because they are low quality in your opinion ? or maybe because my cell checker is cheap and old ? or my charger ?

[@Painless360]

I'd balance charge them and see how they perform. Checking the internal call resistances are close can tell you how good the ceeka and pack are.. Happy flying

[@OrbiterElectronics]

If there's a chance your equipment is not reading quite correctly, try using a reliable multimeter to check your voltages. This will usually give you a more accurate reading than a charger/checker..

[@runpuppyfpv5744]

Great tips as always

[@earry509fpv]

Always informative, love your videos!

[@grantclarke4713]

Thanks for the great information.

[@carlosah2598]

A perfect training as always...

[@bertbeinaaf8314]

Do you stop flying as soon as the voltage goes below 3.5V, or do you go below that as long as the voltage returns to 3.5V within a few seconds after the flight (like Nick Burns does)? And is this behaviour different between 1s and 2-6s lopo’s?

[@Painless360]

It depends on how much you want to push your batteries. I like the voltage to be 3.6-3.7v per cell after the flight so that the pack isn't pushed to hard. Happy flying!

[@davidweaver4702]

Thank you Lee, for a sensible explanation of LiPo batteries. Although I have always balance charged my packs, and have yet to lose a pack. But, from now, I will keep a log, and only balance charge every 5th charging session. Best wishes, Dave W 😊

[@Painless360]

If balance charging is working for you then it's a great way to ensure the pack is fully balanced every time... Happy flying

[@mikekelly6774]

Thanks for the great tips. Do you also recommend bringing LIPOs down to storage voltage between flights for those batteries that are used in transmitters, such as in the FrSky X20/S?

[@Painless360]

Those are some of the few that are not discharged here, I'm always playing with the radios and setups here to help others so always need the radio handy..

[@Ryet9]

hey! where did u get that 2200mAh Tattu, need some for my Rekon7 :)

[@Painless360]

I order them from 3DXR when they have them in stock. Other places to them or you can order direct from them in Germany..