Common Beginners RC Questions - LIPO Basics and Charging Tips

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Happy flying!

[@alphaadhito]

Always liked your videos. Simple and straightforward. Keep it on! : )

[@waetos]

Hey glad I found your channel! I've been an avid RC pilot most of my life. Since I immigrated to Australia from the USA, I had to turf all my 72Mhz stuff and go with 36. Then everything went to 2.4.. so I bought a Futaba 9C system with the FASST technology. I then became Ill and put my aircraft into the hangar for 8 years. Last week I had to buy all new battery packs - including the 12V lead acid to start my nitro engines. An OS 2 stroke 120 pulls my giant Cessna 182 and a Thunder Tigre .70 4 stroke pulls my Extra 300S. So, all NiCd are gone. I was thrust into a new learning curve aged 68, but this video really helped me. Everything is all ready to go for this weekend! The question is, do I dare fly the Extra 300 or stick with the forgiving 182 with its flaps and enormous wing - it will continue to fly at a walking pace and stop at my feet after

[@920colt]

new to lipo batteries and have been watching videos on the safe charging. I have learned more here in 17 mins then the other 15 videos I watched. THANK YOU

[@parjacpar3077]

Im not a begineer but still enjoyed it and have been subbed to you for a about 3 years now Just noticed how many subs you have cant not wait for you to get to 100k and get your plack as you deserve it

[@DJjizzle2811]

Great video. As a beginner I’ve been trying to get my head round LiPo batteries. This cleared up all my concerns and worries. Thanks so much!!

[@Painless360]

Check out the RC basics series for more of the basics explained simply. Including a preview of an updated verison of this video ... Happy flying!

[@rl2109]

Thanks for the refresher! Can't stress the safety aspect enough when talking about LiPo batteries!

[@patrickdionne2333]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! After nearly an hour listening to people talk about batteries - going on an on and saying nothing. You answered all my question "Quickly" and it all made sense! I'm going to subscribe so I will save time by checking your channel First!

[@Painless360]

Welcome to the channel. Check out the RC basics playlist for more information on the products you need... Best of luck

[@LuideMulumba]

Awesome explanation, especially for beginners. One extra thing I would point out is with regards to calculation of the total energy stored within the battery. Total energy is a product of Amp-hours (Ah) x Voltage (V). So, a 4000mAh 4S (14.8V) pack actually has less energy than a 4000mAh 6S (22.2V) pack, so it would be something important to consider when building your own quad, because higher voltage actually draws fewer amps for a steady hover when weight remains relatively unchanged.

[@GroundControlRC]

Great information on LIPOs and charging, storage ,etc. Very helpful information for someone not familiar with LIPO care and feeding ;-) Thanks for the video and Happy Flying!

[@Painless360]

You too! Happy flying!

[@robsmith1975]

Great tutorial for a noob like me. Thanks mate!!

[@testtube1020]

Great tutorial on lipos! Thanks!

[@tranquil-eyez1561]

Just what I needed.. Very informative video. Appreciate it muchly. 👌

[@erikg321]

Great video!

[@filiped7298]

All your recent videos have been perfect for me! It's almost like you're reading my mind. :-)

[@Painless360]

Let me know if there is anything that you’re looking for, that I haven’t covered. Best of luck!

[@filiped7298]

Actually, I'm having doubts understanding the VTX power and their different practical uses and differences. I see mentioning 25mw / 200mw / 500mw / 800mw. I can see that the more power, the more reach I can get, but I don't quite understand the advantages of selecting a lower power 25mw instead of the higher power the VTX supports. Or be default, we can just select the higher power and that it? Sorry for the basic question.

[@Bugster987]

Thanks for this. Very, very helpful.

[@ganeshkgm1874]

Nice explanation... Thanks you

[@Autocharge1]

If I have a fully charged battery and not flying it within 2-3 days I discharge it down to storage, as the battery chemistry gets messed up the longer you have it charged.

[@w.j.bendellr.c.flying.1037]

Very Good Job ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@-Gruntled]

I've seen some LiHV batteries, which apparently are higher voltage. Is there any reason not to use these? What are the reasons to use them?

[@Painless360]

They do give a slightly higher voltage per cell when fully charged. They provide a little bit more power than a standard lipo battery due to the slightly higher voltage. To be honest, there are little bit of a wacky one, I don't use them and most of the pilots don't either..

[@genes6703]

i've been looking for a way to label my lipos if they are charged or need to be charged. I like the green and red label on your batteries. What is the name of them and where did you get them. thanks

[@Painless360]

m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmPGp4WbmLpqldU

[@diran0]

Hi, I’m just trying to fly a 120$ store bought helicopter. The charger says input: 11.5-15V DC I live in Europe, and apparently our plugs have an output of 220V. Does this mean I can’t charge my battery? Is it referring to the same thing? I really don’t know much about electronics. Will a simple UK->US transformer be ok? Thx in advance.

[@Painless360]

You'll need a 12v power supply for that charger. Surprised there is not one in the box.

[@mohammadmahdishafiei1872]

so the charging current from charger to the battery goes through the power cable? and it can go through the balance? so i should probably get some connectors to match with my charger? and how long does it take for a batter to charge? a 5000 mah with 5 A charging rat would be charged in 1 hour?

[@Painless360]

The main part of the charge usually runs via the main connector (XT60 or similar) then the 'balance' part of the charge uses the balance tap to target specific cells to get them all to the target voltage. A large part of the charge time is taken for the balance part so by using a 'quick charge' or 'non balance' charge you can shorten the battery charge time by a lot..

[@klacksson1079]

Hey, is it better to discharge a LiPo Battery by using the Storage-mode and after 2-3 days recharge it or leave it fully charged (in relation to lifespan and safety)? Greetings from Germany

[@Painless360]

Leaving a lipo battery fully charged when it's not going to be used isn't ideal. In the early days, I put a couple of batteries away for the winter and they were accidently fully charged . When I got them out to use them in spring, both had puffed up. These days if I'm not going to use a battery within a week of charging it then I'll pop it down to storage charge to save any extra stress on it.

[@klacksson1079]

Thank you!

[@kevalinopicks5555]

Thank you!

[@porkchop41]

If the model plane manufacturer recommeds a 6S 5000 mA C30 LiPo, will a 6S 5000mA 50C work just as well, causing no damage to the plane?

[@sevennumberss]

Should a lipo battery that comes out of storage be immediately charged to full. Should I use up any remaining charge, then charged to full? Does it matter either way? Every video talks about storing lipos but no one talks about taking them out of storage.

[@Painless360]

You can charge it straight from storage. Happy flying

[@MKhanfar-MWK]

Painless 360 ,,, i have a question , i have 3s lipo and one of cells die got zero and two of them 4.2 , is there a way to fix this 1 cell die or force recharge it alone ????

[@Autocharge1]

I had 4 battery's all with cells around 2 to 0.5ma, I used a bench PSU set to 0.5ma to try and boost the dead cells to the same as the others. I did bust them the same but the battery chemistry got messed up due to the cell dropping lower than 3v and the cell that was low would not hold a charge and had a loss in power output, this was the same for all 4 battery's I tried to recover. In short if you have a dead cell its a good chance your battery is no good. Sometimes if you fly and drop just under 3v lest say around 2.8v the battery may bounce back or you get away with it by sticking it into a charger ASAP and charge it. Force charging can be dangerous but lucky I have lab a LAB Bench PSU and temperature monitoring equipment as well as sticking them into a fire proof box wile I had a go boost charging. Sorry to say from my findings, when a battery is dead its dead.

[@Painless360]

My advice would be to discharge the battery completely, and hand it into whatever recycling station / place is near to you. When a battery has done this, that cell is dead and it's time to get a new one. Best of luck!

[@Autocharge1]

Agree its not worth the risk playing with Lipos and boosting a cell. I did get one battery working when I did it and I got holding a charge for a long time but I have the electronics kit to safely do it in a fire proof box and have done this kind of thing before.

[@lucywucyyy]

what kind of battery would i use for a glider with just a receiver and a few servos? can you buy batteries with the same connector servos have to plug it straight into the receiver?

[@Painless360]

It depends on what voltage the receiver and servos are rated for. If they can work on a higher voltage (8-9v) then a small 2S LIPO battery will work well. If everything needs 5v then you can use a small BEC (www.mateksys.com/?portfolio=mbec6s for example) that can provide the 5v from a mini 2S LIPO... You can see me wrestle with the same thing here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/maSwampvr9egrKM

[@lucywucyyy]

@@Painless360 ok thanks, i ordered a 3s 450mah that i think should work, its 12v and my receiver normally uses 5v but apparently is safe to put more voltage through and 12v is what my servos want im not sure how to figure out what kinda flight time to expect tho since servos dont draw power consonantly like a motor

[@BCJ725]

Great vid! I do have one question about the battery rating vs ESC rating. I believe you said that a 45.5 amp battery is inadequate if your ESC is rated 60 amp. Should the battery rating be AT LEAST equal to the ESC's? Is there any harm if the battery's rating is GREATER THAN the ESC's? Many thanks.

[@Painless360]

The battery should have a larger capacity. Please see my other videos in the introduction to remote-control playlist. Best of luck

[@Penafort]

What is the recommended max days or weeks to have them fully charged? Also after using a lipo battery to half the charge and knowing I'm using it again in 5 days should I let it be like that or full charge it?

[@Painless360]

I wouldn't leave them for more than a few days fully charged. I know pilots who leave them for weeks at full charge but they get much shorter lives from their packs..

[@Donobansan]

Great video, thanks. I have a RC car (9125) which a 60A brushed ESC (25-ZJ07). It comes with a 2S 1600mAh 7.4V Lipo (Deans) and two 390 motors. I'm wanting to use a 3S battery and am needing help as to what c-rating and mAh battery to get. Can you please assist me? I have seen others use a 3S on it, but I notice in the ESC description, it says 7.4V. How is it possible to use 3S (above 7.4V) on this ESC? Another reason I'm wanting to go 3S is so it can reach it's advertised speed. I don't think there is a way to do it on 2S.

[@Painless360]

I'd never run an ESC with a battery it wasn't rated for. You're asking for trouble.. Best of luck!

[@leandrelacasse3820]

I have a question ! When we have finished to play, do we have to wait till theyre cold or we could charged them right up? Thanks !

[@Painless360]

If your batteries are coming down hot then you need to get ones with a a higher amp capacity. I normally let them cool back to room temp before charging..

[@seanrideau3391]

Where to find those battery clips on the back of the lipo???

[@Painless360]

hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-battery-charge-marker-10pcs-bag.html

[@CDigata]

any info on adding gps to long range multi rotor?

[@Painless360]

Lots and lots on the channel. Check out the iNav video playlist, you can also have a look at the Vector playlist and also the Pixhawk series. They are a few of the systems that use GPS to provide mission flying, autonomous flying an extra safety too. Best of luck!

[@CDigata]

thanks i will look, but pixhawk is to big and its no s-wing, im trying to use an f405 ctr on 6" qwad

[@potatosalad6524]

How do you setup the timer on your radio?

[@Painless360]

It's different for every radio... See the series on the channel for the radio you have.. Best of luck

[@MCsCreations]

Awesome, man! Great content! 😊

[@2FrEsH4ya617]

I have a 7.4 1000mah battery stock in my rc ... it I want to upgrade for longer use which battery will be best for me ?? I have the ravage brushless rc ..please let me know asap

[@Painless360]

Same voltage, more mAh. See my basics videos

[@parjacpar3077]

Any chance of doing another lipo battery video but about how to look after your lipos , charge them etc

[@Painless360]

All the tips are really covered in this video. Happy flying!

[@g.bjumpsbashing3062]

Great vid dude.. I use a battery 4s 6000mah. 55C Now I bought a battery 4s 6000 mah 120C. What change will I feel ... by power ...driving time.. I charge regular ? Thanks

[@Painless360]

What would be your guess?

[@786free1]

Thanks, that was very helpful. For 3d flying is it best to use less cells than more cells?

[@Painless360]

It is whatever is right for the size of of model. Power = volts x amps so increasing the voltage makes for higher power systems.... Happy flying

[@786free1]

@@Painless360 thanks.

[@vampiremey7666]

I have a question,can i use a 800mah charger to charge a 2200mah lipo battery? Will it do any harm or somethings else please tell me.

[@Painless360]

Not sure what you mean by a 800mah charger but you can charge a 2200mah battery at 800mA. No harm, just slow charging....

[@vampiremey7666]

@@Painless360 ok thank you man

[@whitleyjames2858]

I bought a rc truck it doesn't have a battery or charger how do I find out what it takes

[@Painless360]

If I got a model I knew nothing about, I'd look for that model manual on the Internet and see what it says... Best of luck

[@rustykilt]

From what i have seen, the use of LIPO batteries is more complicated over the use of NIMH. Their care and use is complicated and seem to have no real advantage over NIMH. I am just a hobbyist and not dedicated RC FREAK, running TAMIYA 1/16 RC TANKS, and RC CROSS MC8 1/12 CRAWLER. I am not very technically minded but can see the use of LIPO in high performance RC, but in my case can see no real advantage for the extra care and sensitivity of LIPO. I would like your opinion as i currently have both batteries, the LIPO came with the RC CROSS KIT, so not sure whether to use it or just use NIMH. Appreciate your video. ps, i am an old fart.

[@Painless360]

They are not more complicated to use. They do need to be balanced charged every few charges and they like to be stored at a 'storage' charge but you get a LOT more power from the same weight of pack with a LIPO.. LI-ION is very good too for lower amperage applications.. Happy flying!

[@rustykilt]

@@Painless360 Appreciate your advice and time. will keep watching.

[@alienmoondudes8071]

If the full charge for 4s is 16.8V (4.2 * 4), then why does the battery have a rating for voltage? For example, my 4s batteries say 14.8V

[@Painless360]

That is the voltage of the battery with the cells at a resting charge. Not a full charge. It's just one of those things you've got to get used to.

[@thedodgelover08]

Maybe reaching out on a limb here but could you do any nitro/gas videos?

[@Painless360]

Sorry, I got into the hobby as an electric flyer so I've only seen that tech from the sidelines.. :)

[@rmiklosh]

Nict video. One question. You said that you can keep Lipo staying charged for couple of weeks. Some people say, its like no more than 3-5 days. Your thoughts?

[@Painless360]

I've had LIPOS retain charge for month - they don't like it though and they gently discharge and holding a charge for that long can cause the battery cells to degrade and puff up.. If you don't believe it - try it ;)

[@rmiklosh]

@@Painless360 Dont feel like trying). I guess I ll just stick with 7 days or less and put to storage, if i dont use it. Thanks for the comment.

[@DenizDales]

I accidentally tried to fly with a discharged Li-Ion battery. I used it for 15-20mins. I wasn't able to charge it again because my charger/discharger broke. That was 3 weeks ago my charger still hasn't arrived. Should I not use the battery anymore? Thanks, love your vids!

[@Painless360]

A battery that has been abused a little will not be as good as it was before. If you are not pulling a lot of current from it then any damage will be less noticeable. I would treat the battery with suspicion for the next few flights if you get it to charge.. Be careful with it..

[@DenizDales]

@@Painless360 thanks for the reply, always a great channel!

[@user-lz5ir7tn9g]

Hi there. Thank you very much for such useful information! Please, could you tell what are those red-green clips are (where do you buy them)? Tried to google, and realized I don't know how to describe it =) Thanks in advance

[@Painless360]

They are good arn't they! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmPGp4WbmLpqldU

[@user-lz5ir7tn9g]

Thank you very much! That's what I was looking for =)

[@sf49ers817]

Great video, quick question on AMPS, so a 5000 mah battery at 50c means 250amps? So if I run dual batteries in parallel I would get 500amps? My esc only does 150amps so I’m asking if I’m doing that math correctly

[@Painless360]

That is right..

[@sf49ers817]

@@Painless360 ok so if my esc is 150 amp then that’s all I can pull? Are there any esc’s that can pull 250 let alone 500 amps?

[@Painless360]

Why would you need to pull 500Amps? I've never seen a motor/ESC that needed that..

[@sf49ers817]

@@Painless360 lol, I don’t want to pull 500amps, I know castle esc does 200amps, I was just thinking that if it’s giving 500amps that you need to pull 500amps or you can damage something. Realizing now you don’t need to pull 500amps, that just what you have available to pull out. I’ve always ran single batteries so dual is little different. What do you think is better for speed runs, parallel or series? I’ll probably try both though.

[@cheapmunkph]

can i charge my lipo battery while my lipo connected in esc but esc is off??

[@Painless360]

Aways disconnect a battery to charge and use a Lipo safe bag.. Happy flying

[@cheapmunkph]

can i use lipo volt tester while driving??

[@tonesdrones7395]

Yes sir I have a 550mm pixhawk drone I'm using 2 lipo batterys both are 3s 25c ratings my telemetry tells me loss of power on 1 motor and if I take one of the batterys off it will say now 123 loss of power is it because of the c rating I'm using? If so what would you recommend for such a large drone?? Thank you!

[@Painless360]

It depends on the capacity of the battery as 'C' rating and the capacity work together to let you know what current you can pull safely. You need to know how much current the motors will pull and have an ESC setup and battery that can deliver a lot more for safety.. Best of luck!

[@hateeternalmaver]

I'm sure you meant to say 12.6 Volts for a 3S and not 12.4... I realize if you haven't flown 3S in a while it's easy to mix-up. ,) Good overview otherwise.

[@1volt42]

I am 12 years old I am going to buy my first lipo battery pls say me how to store that battery when not in use ?

[@Painless360]

Discharge to a storage charge of around 3.8v per cell and store it carefully.. Happy flying

[@nickwilliams6869]

My rc battery is 7.4 1600mah 30c And i want 35c 5500mah

[@Painless360]

I dont understand what you are asking...

[@nickwilliams6869]

@@Painless360 is it long as the voltage is the same im just getting in into this awsome hobby my car is a hobby grade