Making 2S 18650 Li-on Battery Packs for RC FPV Models

Join in while we build a trio of custom 2S 18650 li-on battery packs for the Drift & Dart 250g models. This video is meant as a "follow along" guide for those of you looking to make your own 2S li-on battery packs. All parts used are below, Press SHOW MORE to see them, Matt
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Parts Used
- - - - - - - - -
- Nickel Tape (0.15x8mm)
bit.ly/2XMzQFy or bit.ly/3gHJPn8
- Wire
Depends on the current expected, see here for options bit.ly/31DMtnH
- Connectors
XT30 - bit.ly/2XPadEq
XT60 - bit.ly/2DEmwfC
XT90 - bit.ly/33MSJMx
- Balance leads
2S to 8S bit.ly/30NCDk2
- Battery Tester
bit.ly/30M4Tn6
- Kapton Tape
bit.ly/30Mod3G
- Batteries from Fog website
See this video • 18650 Li-On Batteries ...
The 18650 Batteries
- - - - - - - - -
These are the two batteries I have chosen. They're not high C/current batteries, however they have the endurance I am specifically looking for the applications that I intend to use them for.
The Panasonic NCR18650B cells, I have used for 2 or more years now, 100% recommend these.
PANASONIC NCR18650B
- www.fogstar-wholesale.co.uk/p...
LG M36
- www.fogstar-wholesale.co.uk/p...
These 18650 li-n cells can be run from 4.2V down to 2.5V. There are serious considerations when you do this
Timestamps
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00:00 Introduction
#RC #lion #Batteries

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Enjoying what you're watching? ❤️ You can now support Matt from just £1.99 per month here kzbin.info/door/WP6vjgBw1y15xHAyTDyUTwjoin ✅ Kept up to date with the latest events ✅ Early access to New Videos ✅ Updates on projects being worked on in the background ✅ Special emotes for comments & live chats ❤️ For full details, click here kzbin.info/door/WP6vjgBw1y15xHAyTDyUTwjoin

[@IdShift]

thank you for this excellent contribution to the fpv hobby.

[@19pagenotfound85]

the best tutorial ever. so clear. thankyou so much.

[@Nebul3r]

best tutorial on the internet, really appreciate it, supporting your channel from Afghan / Balchistan

[@jlarson42]

Very helpful video, thanks for sharing.

[@Outofthedust]

Excellent video, I followed along and built my own as i watched and it works perfectly!

[@Islamicvideos0423]

Are you sure I want also Make it because it is very expensive in our country 😢 tell me if it works in rc planes

[@skyraidfpv6753]

I'm glad you made this video. I have two 21700 5000mah cells and need to make a battery for my Radiomaster TX16s.

[@JerryCalverley]

I've been looking at doing this a while now. Thanks! New sub!

[@maatiraouki9124]

C’est très gentil 👍

[@JohnRoe328]

Great video really helpful

[@theuglycamel8122]

Another great video Matt! I've been making these for my goggles for awhile now. Finally got my hands on some higher C packs to make some 3/4s packs on my AR wing. I'm hoping I can get from 19 min on 2600 4s to 25 on these lions. Keep on keepin on man!

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Howdy Daniel, ah you should get more than that if its not too heavy and its not a mental motor/prop combo. Just keep an eye on the pack voltage. Matt

[@simonwood8685]

Is there a way off making some sort of 3d printed carrier with wiring all ready installed balance leads and charging leads. so you could just put your cells in and you have a battery pack?

[@InTheSh8]

In Cyprus, I cannot order from Hobbyking anymore. The Lipos here are ridiculously high priced. I might get some Li-Ions still from China and they are quite cheap. I recently got some Samsung 28A 4.3v out of an old laptop. Soldered them together to 2S. They cannot power a 1/8 scale brushless car. But a Flying Fish is totally possible. I am impressed. If they are new, man, would really save me some money. Made a 3S pack today to support a 3S lipo in my 1/8 scale in parallel. Works.

[@friedrice5292]

Hi. Thank you for sharing this awesome video. I am new to RC. My RC car came with only one battery pack. After I came across your channel and I would like to make some extra batteries (2S) with 18650 batteries like yours. Question... can I or should I charge this battery packs with original charger that came with my RC (it's a usb to balance cable charger)? Or should I buy a better charger (smart rc charger) to charge them? Thank you much in advance. Cheer! :) Jack

[@onepunchndown]

Ive got some more balance leads showing up today so im going to make some Li-Ions with you

[@RagTheNutsOff]

YAY. I hope they went well for you! Matt

[@youngmangoingwest]

Here’s where I’ve found myself. Bought several 18650 and a charger for my jumper tx. Got some more to build packs based on your video. … And saw a dump battery holder package. So I’m now thinking what’s the big advantage of building fixed packs versus putting separate cells into packs then charging them separately? Of course thats just a bit bigger and a bit less convenient. But seems to me not a lot. Thoughts?

[@wadedittus3552]

Thank you, yours was the most informative and simple. Is these suitable for hubsan 501s?

[@mattynov]

Great video. How much did the final battery packs weigh?

[@umontakahashi9528]

Good idea. But I was forwarding your video and I can resume it in just one minute jeje.

[@Tvpc1971]

Have you tried chilling the batteries for an hr in the fridge before soldering them? Sounds plausible that would prevent internal damage.

[@davideliasfloresescalante8840]

Great video. What kind of cables did You used for doing this? Thanks in advance

[@selvacinema4241]

Great video! Isn’t it dangerous if some solder drips into the + button? I was always told that if metal gets in there the battery can overheat and explode.

[@moonnight3847]

So in my country is very hard to find rc batteries for rc airplanes, with this here I can use to power my setup? The lead with the 3 wires go to the reciver right?

[@craigbarnes6575]

You say, “solder left side of balance wire to the positive” but how do I know which wire On the balance lead to use. Which way do you have the balance plug to associate the left side?

[@jimmynoname4089]

Could have used this two months ago! I had to wing it and hope i didn’t blow myself up! Made 3 cell versions for my ranger.

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Hey Jimmy, I take it the pack has done well for you? Matt

[@jimmynoname4089]

RagTheNutsOff amazingly well and cheaper!

[@allaniman8829]

New to rc hobby and don't have any knowledge about batteries. My question is which plug will you use for charging? the balancer or the T-plug?

[@lancelotkillz]

Awesome video straight to the point.. love your enthusiasm we could be good friends lol

[@geordieboy77]

would love to see a field charge pack video build

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Hey Craig, look up my 26650 pack build 👍

[@matthieuvankints3343]

maybe this was commented before put if you shorten the + and - so that you take off the length of one battery the total length will be ultimately the same but you save a little extra weight.

[@hardshake7324]

How much amps can u pot on the Cells? do they have an indicator? like 10c 20c aso. ?

[@kennethmclean872]

do you think you could build one with enough c rating for a rc race car 2s?

[@ma5hin316]

Love your videos. I have a bunch of Sony VTC6's and a speed charger I use for my Fatsharks...can I just buy a 2s 18650 battery holder and solder an xt30 on the leads and use it that way? Will it add too much weight with the holder in the Dart250g? I really don't want to solder my 18650's together because I use them for various transmitters and goggles.

[@maximuschapman7760]

Yeah be careful about the contacts on the battery holder. Might have high resistance.

[@brentfairley5156]

Hello sir.The way you wired these packs does this double the amps, let's say if each battery had 10 amps total amp that could be draw from each battery does this mean that both combine is 20 total amp

[@aleksandrsposts3484]

Hi! Do you have an instruction on how to make 2s2p? Soon will arrive my Volantex Ranger V2 1200 and I would like to power it with extended 2s li-ion. May be you have any recommendations? Thank you!

[@gordonbickel7182]

Cannot find how to make them

[@dahosfpv9954]

I have some of these laying around, EFEST IMR 18650 3500MAH 20A. Are they good for this use or is their chemical makeup not compatible?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Not sure on them, I'd probably use them anyway! Matt

[@19pagenotfound85]

can i use lg choco vape battery for that project for my rtr rc truck?

[@michaelwheatland4565]

Hi, I’m really new to all of this but I fancy having a go at fabricating batteries for my Dart and drift. I followed your video and it seems to be pretty straightforward however my concern is how far to let the battery’s discharge without the rx and esp. shutting down would it be sensible to disharge them to say 5v and then change battery packs this would I am assuming still give me pretty long flight times compared to the li-po batteries. Is what I am saying making any sense. Cheers oldsurveyor1944

[@TeamYankee2]

Have you used the Samsung 18650 30Q type ? How low can you run them ?

[@dj_dazzy]

It is cutting board carnage.... get yourself a silicone mat Matt ;)

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Hahahhaah yea, it's taken some abuse. Matt

[@terrymurphy562]

Made my first pack for the drift 2 weeks ago. Brilliant pack, another excellent intuitive video matt. What’s the name of the tune at the end of your video please? 👍

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Howdy Terry, happy days! The track is called "Forever Yours" by "Wayne Jones", was in the YT library I believe. Matt

[@terrymurphy562]

Cheers matt. 👍

[@alanreid250]

Hi Matt...so for Dart 250g which battery blue or green....not doing mega distance but park flying with longer endurance than lipo for the moment

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Howdy Alan, either would work great. Out of the two, the Panasonic green ones. I have used those for years now. They do perform well. Matt

[@joblearn1014]

any alternatives for nickel strip and insulater ring. because I have all the things except both of them please help?

[@audiokees4045]

Normally it is forbidden to solder them, maybe she will damage or explode/burn easyer. Oke, I have thse bms board for 2S only when the batteries are not yet empty the board do not switch to charge mode. Is this normal? the voltage of 8.4 volts stays on, and so when connect a charger it gets problems, what I need to ste charge mode? maybe higher voltage input? I do charge with 5 volts.

[@alfredosilvacruz578]

Good morning when you should use the BMS protection board ?

[@niceguy6182]

No need for bms. Just a balance plug, a balancer- charger and a timer on the tx.

[@omarkhalaf7014]

I have been struggling with making the solder stick to the battery cell. People keep saying that I need a high wattage solder (somewhere between 60 and 100 watts); however, my solder is 30 watts. May I know what is the wattage on this solder you were using?

[@davidbarker3591]

I've soldered 18650 cells with a 25W Weller iron, but now use a 90W iron. Nobody ever mentions the solder and flux. Here you go...I use rosin flux paste and 63/37 leaded rosin core solder. It has a lower melting point than anything and is eurectic. Use leaded, no lead is junk. Never use an acid flux. I set my iron at 750* and using the above solder, never have had a problem.

[@prakashsuryawanshi6211]

I can use this pack of 2s my cordless drill machine?

[@crank_FPV]

Good vid but tab welding is a better option if possible

[@stigonutube]

Hi, what are you using to charge up these 2s 18650 packs? does it need a balance charger or how does that work..i'm building some packs "from laptop batteries unprotected" for my kids cheap rc but im a bit of a newbie to some aspects of charging machines and 2s packs.

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Yea don't use laptop batteries. Why would you use somebthing that has had thousands of cycles on over your or your kids heads when they are so cheap new? (I have never seen the logic in this) As for charging, a standard RC battery charger doss the balancing for you. Matt

[@stigonutube]

@@RagTheNutsOff hey matt,thank's for your reply..this pack of 6 i got in mind only had a year on the laptop but yeah i get what your advising. RC car will be on the ground but same difference..so one of those ebay imax b6ac would do the job?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

@@stigonutube yea I had one of those for more than a year. They work well. I ended up with two quad chargers in the end as I get through so many batteries in one days flying 😅

[@stigonutube]

@@RagTheNutsOff ok mate, happy flying..good video by the way,it has helped me a lot. Cheers from Australia

[@stigonutube]

@@RagTheNutsOff hey mate, been a while just wanted advise on my pack that i built.? i did take your advise and bought some new 2x2600mah sony vtc5a 35a discharge 18650, 14awg silicon wire for + and minus and balance lead as you have my problem is 2s pack gets very hot im talking 46.5c degrees at full discharge in my WL toys 550 motor 7.4v RC Car about 15-20min run time..RC goes great but seems hot?, your thought's please?

[@Bstallday89]

Nice to know they don’t blow up under the torch lol

[@fuegofauto]

what AWG have you used??

[@WX4CB]

i just did a couple of 21700 4000mAh packs for the 250g

[@RagTheNutsOff]

WOW! That'll fly forever now!

[@WX4CB]

@@RagTheNutsOff hahaha, yea but way nose heavy with just the 2 in there.... would have to add a bunch of lead to the back even though the vtx is back there That or a honking big motor

[@ralphquetaya4547]

Thats awesome! How many cells and what is the weight of that 21700 4000mAh pack by any chance ?

[@snowballfpv7583]

I'm after some new batteries for my ZOHD DART 250G 🤔🤔

[@RagTheNutsOff]

One distance. 47.92Km distance covered with juice spare with one of these packs.

[@snowballfpv7583]

Cool 😎, will need to get some stuff ordered then 😉

[@johnnydepp4114]

have you tried the 21700 ? they are slightly heavyer, but can store 5000 mah and is still lighter than 26650

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Hey Johnny, not yet! Maybe on the next buying session. Matt

[@johnnydepp4114]

@@RagTheNutsOff Cool, i made some myself with Samsung INR21700-50E 5000mAh - 10A , the weight is 69 gram each, and do store 5000mah each cell... tested them on a quad and flew for a very looong time :)

[@irwan_rc2416]

Hi I have ncr18650be which have max discharge about 3.6A. is it safe for plane ESC? Thanks in advance

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Howdy, that's probably a bit too low. But really depends upon the model and it's current draw. You could double them up in parallel that would double the current capacity. Matt

[@typxxilps]

it is always a bit of hazzle, work and adventure but with rewarding results to make these on your own. And to be honest: you do no longer rely on what chinese company put in their fancy name products from hobbyking and Banggood and make your own Zippi Happy bag or however you will call these and in a better quality cause you can make sure what quality cells you buy. I tend to go with the Samsung INR 3500 mAh cause they are good, cheap and for mulitple purposes usable like e bike battery refurbishing or tool refurbishing (Bosch 14 or 18 V Akkus for example). If you buy 10 of these cells you get them in Europe for cheap like 34,50€ inkl. free shipping in germany. And you can be sure: these samsung, sony, LG cells deliver the amount of mAh as is in the spec sheets mentioned. 2 put together for 7€ are unbeatable even though you have to pay a bit for the balance leads, nickel strips, that kapton tape and connectors ... but you always know: brand new Samsung cells capable of delivering 80% plus mAh after 500 charging cycles so you can count them down easily by writing down the amount of energy or mAh you had to recharge afterwards. 1 charging cycle in this case means 100% delivery / charging, so if you fly once down to SOC 30% and recharge it fully to fly it down to 10% then you had charged what ? 70% + 90% = 160% and this means 1,6 charging cycles - not 2. Short flights with low energy consumption will be counted in the charging life cycle by the amount of charged energy and not the count of charges. The Samsung cells do not dy suddenly if you are over 500 charging cycles they simply tend to charge less energy so flight time will be reduced and you can count on them for 1500 charges and still above 50% SOC capable cause our lawn mower battery pack made it over 2424 working hours in 3 years and these represent 1500 charging cycles cause we knew that each time the battery SOC was only used for 70% which we knew due to the running times between charging and full running time without recharging. To keep things safe I used them up to 500 charging cycles being aware of the capacity cause every 100th carge I measure them out. Afterwards they will be reused in powerwalls or other applications cause they can last much much longer in low Amp use cases. buy 100 and you get 3,7V x 3500 mAh = 12950 V x mAh = 12950 mWh = 12,95 Wh which equals 1,295 kWh that is roughly 10% of the energy a family needs each day. If you buy 200 then you will have the storage your family needs each night ... and that is where the Powerwall journey starts, so buy a fey and a first solar module to start you experiments. Best use case is a portable battery chargerbox that you can use at the club out in the field to recharge your lipos and carry back home to connect it with 1 or 2 solar panels which will charge your charger box. Start small from here and look what others did to understand the solar power for your RC chargerbox or motorhome or boat to gain experience cause this is the easiest way and cheapest cause the solar panels deliver DC and the battery need DC ... Here for german or european buyers the cheapest source for genuince Samsung cells www.ttt48.de/akku/lithium-ionen/18650/samsung-inr-18650-35e-36v-37v-3500mah-lithium-ionen-akku.html?sort=1

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Oh wow, they're 3500 and 10A rated. Just like the LG MJ1's I've been suing for the past 2 years! Matt

[@kevintorevell2406]

Is 5amp ok for a zohd Nano talon?

[@vindulaherath6400]

Can I use li-ion phone batteries for making 2S battery pack?

[@Casperdroid5]

you shouldn't

[@MGee1]

Is there a reason why Nickel is used instead of copper for connecting the cell terminals?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Probably for conductivity and cost. Both will be fine though. Oh and nickel is preferred for spot welding. Matt

[@davidbarker3591]

Unless you have a real strong spot welder, you can't spot weld copper, too conductive. If you are using hi drain cells like Samsung 25R, and soldering, use copper. It can handle 4x the amperage than nickel.

[@allenfairley3139]

Hello sir? You said in one of your replys that you charge these 18650 on lipo settings is this safe and why use this setting thank in advance

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Howdy, see the specifications for your batteries. They vary between cells. Matt

[@allenfairley3139]

Thanks

[@miteshdhanani]

Want to make a 6v battery to be used in a 8.97v 3A 3W solar panel

[@ThanHtutZaw3]

It is Same with bms ?

[@MrPixntex]

matt how do you charge these packs up and with what charger please can you help

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Howdy Nigel, see the video. It depends upon the cells you are using. These ones will charge as a normal lipo as they charge to 4.2V. Matt

[@OZSCQUADS]

Do you have to use the nickel plate? any reason you couldn`t just use some 14awg wire?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Morning, none at all. I like the plate, but wire is exactly the same. Just use what you have got. Matt

[@OZSCQUADS]

@@RagTheNutsOff Thanks mate.

[@fabwiss971]

Hello i want to ceate one li=ion for my futaba T14sg on 2S think you is possible to works with my radio ? thanks .

[@RagTheNutsOff]

I have no idea on that tx. Matt

[@fabwiss971]

@@RagTheNutsOff I have try it its working perfectly with my li-ion housing thanks for you regard.

[@mrugrysek4201]

/hi Matt. What is the soldering iron temperature?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Absolutely no idea. It's the cheap soldering iron from Screwfix! Matt

[@Sergei75000]

I use 90 w soldering iron at 480 °c, just put 2 seconds the tip on cell with this température , interest is to warm strong and on a short periode the cell , I noticed the negative pole needs more temperature than the positive pole , I assembled Liitokala 21700 ( 3 s 4000mah ) on my old bixler , the pack works very well since + of 1 year, vive les batteries liions 😃

[@davidbarker3591]

I use a 90W iron set 700*-750* F.

[@justinlipscomb1988]

How could I make this work for a dji mavic mini 1. Is it possible?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Howdy Justin, no idea I never seen one up close before.

[@mozes3280]

I don’t undersrand how these batteries are more expensive than LiPo. The price for 4 of these is around 20€ while the 6s 10k mah batt is around 200€ which weights 1 kilogram.

[@youzrnaim]

@4:32 "A sOlDeRiNg IrOn WoN't MaKe ThEsE hOt" @7:39 "look they didn't get hot at all" **touches nickel plate with iron for .5 seconds. @8:15 "OUCH that's really hot"

[@mikegriffiths7487]

Matt, could you just say something about charging these batteries: how does it differ from LiPos, can they be balance charged?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Hey Mike, absolutely balance charge them and depending on the cells (check their specs), I charge them as LI-Po batteries on the charger. Matt

[@rmooneyhan0624]

Most chargers have a lI-ION battery setting. I charge them at 1C

[@Bstallday89]

Samsung 25r best

[@zoeyboy1215]

How about 3 batteries?

[@juliusopiana8702]

What is the discharge rate of each battery sir?

[@davidbarker3591]

The CDR was 5A

[@JONNIE8OY]

It's Negative not Ground.

[@mikegriffiths7487]

Also, why don’t you use the battery protection boards that I see can be obtained very cheaply. Is it because they might be a possible failure point?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Howdy Mike, yes that is a concern, also they are not normally needed. The max amp draw on the Dart & drift is 5A, except for a little bit over on launch. So combine that with the failure point and that I balance charge them, its just not needed. For a bigger pack, yea I can see the benefits. Matt

[@ruinunes8251]

What happened at 38:09?

[@Polymerbob]

baa-trees?

[@user-eo5rk7oi8l]

نحتاج ترجمه عربي

[@kjensen6281]

No BMS?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

Nope. That's what a battery charger is for with the balance lead.

[@kjensen6281]

@@RagTheNutsOff Sure, but what about discharge protection?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

@@kjensen6281 none at all if the battery does not have one fitted. Use with a current sensor an/or a flight controller

[@paulriggs42]

Great video Matt.... your English is getting worse ! 😝

[@RagTheNutsOff]

lol, so true!

[@prakashsuryawanshi6211]

Here's BMS not use

[@game-f-un-limitedgamer8958]

"some solder, a soldering iron and some common sense" .... nope

[@OlivierRefalo]

why do you scream?

[@RagTheNutsOff]

No idea, this video is two years old...

[@shaikhamiruddin5848]

👎too long video

[@bruceclothier8238]

Duh! A very long video which only produces a couple of 189650s and plugs, but where is the electronic infrastructure to charge and discharge them?