How to make 6s li-Ion 18650 battery for long range FPV PART 1

In this one I'll be showing you how to make your own 6s Li-Ion battery pack from 6 18650 batteries. All the parts needed are in the links below.
Li-Ion cells eu.nkon.nl/sony-us18650-vtc6....
Cable with XT60 connector www.banggood.com/custlink/3DD...
Balance connector
www.banggood.com/custlink/Kmm...
Heath shrink www.banggood.com/custlink/Dvv...
Kapton tape www.banggood.com/custlink/3mv...
Battery tester www.banggood.com/custlink/DvD...
LIPO chardger www.banggood.com/custlink/GKG...

[@tonysgonewild]

Great video. Really appreciate the time you took to help show others something cool. Planning on building a couple myself for my quaddies.

[@Cruis3zFPV]

Thanks man, Li-Ion is the way to go for long range flights! 👌🌟👍

[@RedPillQuants]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a TON for posting this :-)

[@neutrno]

Nice job, thanks for sharing.

[@MattiaChiarelli]

Nice tutorial!

[@connellhuilcapi3369]

Great vid thanks for sharing

[@Ger.FPV2023]

Great! Nice tutorial!!

[@diaryrecorded5524]

i ordered batteries to try this! THANK YOU!

[@mrRockwellFPV]

If you know basics of soldering theres really no issues.

[@diaryrecorded5524]

@@mrRockwellFPV I can solder a little but im sure you make it look easier than it is... im just excited to see how much more flight time I get with my wing and my regular planes ... lots of love and thanks again

[@TheBjoernReinke]

@@mrRockwellFPV I recommen using soldering acid instead of dremel tools, as it works an absolute treat! :-)

[@Appelm1]

Do you have a link to the 3d printed insert STL? can't seem to find them. Great video.

[@yosayogi539]

Would be really nice if you had the stats for amp draw and voltage drops. Maybe next video. Besides the nonvisual specs on osd recording the video was helpful. Thank you

[@mrRockwellFPV]

THeres plenty on li-ion batteery testing. Read this. lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Sony%20US18650VTC6%203000mAh%20%28Green%29%20UK.html

[@TERBANGFPV]

This morning im flying my 7inch with vtc5a 6s liion.. with my 5inch quad, i can fly it until 3v and always keeps the amp never above 15a, and i can land with cool battery. But with my 7inch, and yes the amp draw already calibrated, im testing the fligtime by flying around with low cruising amp.. around 7-13amp.. but why everytime i land at below 3.3v the battery gets hot.. not super hot.but more than warm. If i fly and land at 3,5-3,4 i can land with cool battery.. whats your experience with 1p liion pack? I dont want to build 2p.

[@jfrappier]

Any idea what size of heat shrink to use for a 6s pack made of 21700 cells?

[@steeveraye1787]

Hello Mr rockwell, hav you ever fabricated a 6S2P battery? if yes would you have a diagram to share? thank you

[@KwadSquadFPV]

nice, do you have the link to the 3d printed part?

[@MrKillerHobbes]

what flight time are you getting on this? :)

[@houseofquad2260]

Thanks for this tutorial. I have a question. How are you charging this battery once built ? I mean, what type of battery setting do you use ?

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Glad you liked it. I use normal lipo settings on my charger charging 4.20 v per cell.

[@MaxenceLaurent1]

Hello, can you give us the link to stl file please :) :)

[@rhymeswithbuck5640]

can u share the stl for the spacer

[@lordcraft1699]

Where to put last balance charger wire? (first after red) On cell no. 8 ? On charger says one cell is at 0.00V Why?

[@andrescastano7301]

Usas motores de cuantos kv

[@Dic3.20]

why not bms??

[@ML-fx6xn]

What cables do you use to connect each battery? Doesn't matter which one? The blacks you are using. Thanks! Very interesting video.

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Its suppsed to go in the exactly like ive done it. The way i connected it is cell 1 to 6.

[@ML-fx6xn]

@@mrRockwellFPV I don't mean how to connect, I was meaning what kind of cables did you use? Does not matter? Awg?

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@ML-fx6xn oh sorry. I used the leftover motorwires. Don't go to thin but its not necessary to go really thick. No issues with leftover motor wires.

[@damianperalta3389]

Great 👍 video. I'm going to build a dc7 long range. I would like to know your flight time with this battery 🔋 setup..

[@mrRockwellFPV]

I managed 20 min on 2806.5 motors and 7" props

[@TheBjoernReinke]

@@mrRockwellFPV Is this with a 6S2P setup, or only with 6S1P? I get 24min with 6S1P and will move to 6S2P trials next.

[@EugeneBurmaka]

Hi, whether it's possible to make a 6S 21700 DIY Li-Ion battery using Nitecore NL2142LTP cells? Each of these cells has 3.6V and is cable of 8A max discharge current. I'm not very strong in interpreting these specs. What do you think, are those cells good enough to be used in a DIY Li-Ion FPV battery? They grabbed my attention because it's claimed that they can operate way below freezing and I'm looking for batteries to fly Chimera7 Pro in the Arctic. What do you think?

[@jessbread4670]

i might be 1 year late but for FPV Drones, its should be 35A Max discharge

[@hectorgreen5638]

Hi good day I need your help. I make up a 6s pack from watching your video i connect my balance leads just like you said but my #5 cell is missing i have 1234 and 6 and I just can't see what went wrong

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@hectorgreen5638 I made a mistake. Look up my follow up video and everything will be clear.

[@MactacFPV]

Did you used to have a "how to build a 6s2p pack" video up and take it down? I could have sworn you had one up!

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Yup. Simply browse my videos

[@MactacFPV]

@@mrRockwellFPV I did - I don't see a 6s2p video, just a 6s1p. or am I missing it somehow?

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Sorry it's 4s2p

[@MactacFPV]

@@mrRockwellFPV Ahh, ok thanks. There was a video on YT a while back that showed building a 6s2p with 2 sets of 6 cells end-to-end. Wish I could find it! I'm trying to figure out the best configuration.

[@AdriftGlitter4]

I will be doing this, should I pre charge any of the batteries and if so how much and which ones? Would be good if you could respond asap

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Just check the voltage of each cell. It's really important that they have same charge. No need for full charge.

[@AdriftGlitter4]

@@mrRockwellFPV thanks so much bro your video was the one that explained everything I was looking for. Love how you numbered the battery ends. Also did you ever finish the drone? How did it turn out? We are making a battlebot

[@asuras1]

Hi - thanks for the video - exactly what I was looking for. As the balance part is hard to understand and I have issues could you please tell me again? 2nd cable goes to 2, 3rd cable goes to 4, 4th cable goes to 6, 5th cable goes to 10 and 6th cable goes to 8? I always get an error when plugin into the charger ..... 😞

[@mrRockwellFPV]

It's pretty straight forward. You need to connect 2 outer balance wires where battery leads go. Every other you need to connect to the bridge between the cells in the order I suggested. Except the 13 pole. Sorry I made a mistake right there.

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Also you can see here what I mean by my previous comment. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r57PnINnnbOVac0

[@asuras1]

@@mrRockwellFPV thanks for the quick response. Still struggling .... 13th pole you anyway don't mention to connect to any balance lead. only to pole 10 (5th cable). when I follow your video it's exact how I stated above. But you are saying now if there is one balance lead at every bridge it's also good (except the outer ones at the battery leads of course)? That's the case with me and I still always get the message 'to high balance board voltage'. no clue .... many thanks

[@mrRockwellFPV]

The error in the video is that I wrongly labeled pole 13. But instead it needs to be 11

[@asuras1]

I found the issue: the 5th cable should go to 8 and the 6th cable goes to 10 then! After that it works perfect.

[@truesightgrabber]

This batteries unprotected, is it worth to buy with protection ?

[@mrRockwellFPV]

No. For this it's perfectly safe to use it with your standard lipo charger. It's being balanced trough balance plug.

[@tacpreppers4906]

Very nice, one question though, what happened to "11" or was that just a brain fart?

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Sorry. was my mistake but you get what I'm on about. :)

[@Darthies]

Hiya great vid do you have a link to the 3d printed inserts please

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Thers one on thingniverse

[@Darthies]

@@mrRockwellFPV I’ve looked can’t find it what is the text I need for the search

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@Darthies www.thingiverse.com/thing:4171255

[@VaRuNGonzaga]

Hi, good day, thanks for you Video bro. I learned a lot, can you help me I will need to build 6s 22.2v with capacity of morethan 20,000mah. What will I need to build this. Thanks, and have a great day.

[@joloaseniro]

Does it matter what wires your using to connect the cells

[@mrRockwellFPV]

No. The current flow between the cells is not that great

[@joloaseniro]

@@mrRockwellFPV okay thanks, another what’s the little device called that checks the volts?

[@Wild__FPV]

Hej, odličan tutorial prijatelju! Svaka čast na ovim informacijama. Btw, vidim da si iz Osijeka, ja sam živio prije na Jugu2, odmah sam prepoznao polj.institut! Nevjerojatno! :) E, samo još jedno pitanje - pretpostavljam da je ovo 4000 mah? Novi sam u svijetu BNF dronova, pa oprosti ako je glupo pitanje. Napravio bih sam 8000 mah za Chimera7... nedavno mi se orig.baterija prilikom slijetanja drona oštetila, i jedna od šest ćelija je riknula. Molim te savjet frende! Sretno letenje želim! Pozdrav!

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Hvala, samo ne znam što je sada pitanje.

[@Wild__FPV]

Imam Fullsend 8000 mah, ali mi je jedna ćelija riknula. Imaš kakav savjet ili tutorial kako napraviti bateriju od 8000 mah? @@mrRockwellFPV

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@Wild__FPV pa u biti morala napraviti 6s2p ćelije nešto ovako

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@Wild__FPV kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYTYq4p8ospga9ksi=cBdsNDo3WqZkcJeL

[@WhalleyB0Y]

And here I have been totally scared to make my own batteries because I thought I needed a tab welder. Are you sure all those wires and solder blobs don’t increase your IR too much?

[@lidotrijsturis]

WhalleyB0Y is perfectly ok as long as you know how and what you are doing

[@mrRockwellFPV]

I'm currently making a part 2 of this video addressing all the issues people have aired. Still think it's safe to solder the cells. If you decide to do multiple packs than it's better to buy Spot welder but if you are like me with 2 packs a year than soldering is the way to go.

[@choppergirl]

Anybody recommend a good spot welder? fpv.air-war.org

[@vicewize]

CHOPPERGIRL's AIRWAR You can make one easily with a super capacitor some thick ridgid wire leads and a diy welding board. They sell tons of them on eBay. Just look for 18650 spot welder and super capacitors like 1000F or even 500F 2.7v

[@vysakhharitharsion3474]

Is it possible to make a 2s battery for 2inch quads?

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Sure just connect one wire to the + and -to connect them in series. On other side use the battery connector.

[@vysakhharitharsion3474]

@@mrRockwellFPV do i have to take any other precaution when soldering batteries?

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@vysakhharitharsion3474 look up my 21700 tutorial and see the temperature readout and all the relevant stuff when soldering to liion batteries.

[@MojoPapiFPV]

Did you skip "11" on purpose?

[@yannkerguelen]

I assume 13 should be 11 no?

[@adhdaf]

Came here with the same question!! Lol I assume he labeled #12 and then mistakenly put 13 as the "next" number in sequence ;) ..but yeah, definitely should be 11.

[@neilfpv]

Can this type of diy batteries be used for acro fpv freestyle like doing powerloops, split-s and other tricks? Amazing!

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Sorry for my late reply. No it's not suitable for flying freestyle since c rating or discharge is not that great on liion cels. I'm pretty sure you can do mild freestyle but not recommended.

[@neilfpv]

@@mrRockwellFPV Thanks a lot! I will build another one for cruising long range flights! This is awesome tutorial!

[@ML-fx6xn]

@@mrRockwellFPV and what happen if doing it anyway ? The power is just limited and no problem in any case, or by accelerating too much can damage the batteries or even worst?

@@ML-fx6xn On high current draw you will have quite a bit of sag, because the internal resistance of these cells is higher than LiPo. This means the battery will heat up so you may risk damaging the cells or even exploding them. Be careful!

[@peritrima]

ELEVEN!!!!!

[@mrRockwellFPV]

You get it even tho I made a mistake right there

[@theshazman]

Would 15A 18650's work? I have a bunch running around.

[@mrRockwellFPV]

If you keep your amp draw below battery rating should be good.

[@theshazman]

@@mrRockwellFPV Do you know roughly what the max amp draw a typical 7" quad requires? Been trying to find info on this allover the web but it's very hard. I'm just looking for an average number. I ended up ordering 30A 18650 Li-Ions just to be on the safe side. But looks like some can go even higher.

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@theshazman think 15a should be good for moderate flight on 7 inch

[@theshazman]

@@mrRockwellFPV Thanks, I made a 15a and a 30a pack for starters. The only thing that I am missing are the balanced leads.. They are taking forever and a half to come from China. I cannot wait to take my 7" out for a spin. All I've ever wanted was more range. I fly cinematic/relaxed cruising, so I am happy to sacrifice high burst power for more efficient capacity.

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@theshazman thats the way to go

[@PerchEagle]

Should I use these batteries for a 6s2p pack for 7" drone ? I calculated the weight = 840g. Where the 18650 @6s2p = 528g. That's 312g more if I use the 21700. Which one you think I should use ?

[@mrRockwellFPV]

I actually never came to a solid solution. More weight of 21700 but more capacity or less weight or 18650. Let me know what route you went.

[@PerchEagle]

@@mrRockwellFPV ok 👍

[@FUFUFUFPV]

the balance lead soldering explain is very annoying...

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Yup sorry.

[@FUFUFUFPV]

@@mrRockwellFPV Thanks for it anyway! Did my first pack and it seems to be working fine!

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@FUFUFUFPV ITs the issue where I labeled the battery poles wrong but the battery itself is good. Glad you managed to get it right!

[@t0pa91]

9 10 12 13 xD

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Sorry

[@SelkoFPV]

Kak te ja nisam prej bio preplacen na tvoj kanal :D

[@hendrikvalentin4824]

You can sell me one of this batteries

[@mrRockwellFPV]

Sure. But shipping will be an issue

[@hendrikvalentin4824]

How much for shipping

[@hendrikvalentin4824]

I live in Buffalo ny

[@jameslaken6354]

It’s a little bit all over the place and for a new bee you don’t show everything

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@jameslaken6354 but you need somewhat decent DIY skills to take on soldering Li-ion batteries.

[@jameslaken6354]

@@mrRockwellFPV i don’t mean newbee to diy skills I mean newbee to making batteries which is what your post is about. Example. The balance lead you say to solder the positive then the negative then all of a sudden it’s done. On a balance lead there’s one positive and the rest are all black. Which one goes to the next in series and which one goes to the last (open) negative ? That’s what I meant

[@mrRockwellFPV]

@@jameslaken6354 look up my next video about soldering Li-ion batteries. Should clear few things up

[@coach33fpv98]

this is dodgy you went fro 10 to 12 and then puy 13 as the last one then the video fast forwards for a sec. so why did you go from 10 to 12 and have 123456789101213 instead of 1 to 12 ??????????? wtf

[@mrRockwellFPV]

But I'm sure you get what needs to be done even if I skipped one number and replaced it with another.