Crash course on Lipo Batteries

The actual lipo itself can be one of the hardest things to get right on a mini quad.

For 5” freestyle and racing, on 4s we usually use 1300/1550mah batteries. On 6s you will expect to see 1000-1300mah. Ideally you don’t want the weight to be over 200g for any lipo, that you will be using on a 5”

Some good brands of batteries are:

Tattu – Expensive, well made, long lasting. R-Line is their premium line of batteries, and they make motors scream…in a good way 🙂

Infinity – Can be expensive, but they are well made. Infinity batteries have a good reputation. Look for the red race spec version.

CHNL (China Hobby Line) – Easily the best supplier of budget batteries to the market. They are always having sales and these things take a beating!

Turnigy (Hobby King) – Turnigy batteries are fairly priced and built to last. The green panther series are very good. Buy them from Hobby King. https://hobbyking.com/en_us/batteries-chargers.html

1s-2s for whoops. 2s-3s for 2”. 

2s-4s for 2.5”. 3s to 6s for 3”. 

3s to 6s for 5”.

You want a high C rating. The higher the better. 65c and above will serve you well. 

Treat lipo batteries with respect. Some good rules for safe cohabitation with Lipo batteries.

1. Always keep them at storage charge when not in use (3.8v per cell)
   
2. Charge at 1c to extend the life of your lipo’s. For a 1500mah battery, 1c would be 1.5 amps. For a 1000mah battery, 1c would be 1a.

3. Don’t over charge. 4.2v per cell max. Only special HV (high volt) batteries can be charged to 4.35v. And even these are just normal lipos. Balance Charge only!

4. Whoop batteries can be abused. Typically, you can fly 1s/2s whoop batteries down to 3.2 or even 3v and still be in the air. These batteries are to be treated as disposable, because the tiny whoops demand so much from them. 

5. Charge and store you batteries in a safe place. An old toolbox/ammo tin can serve as a great, fire resistant container to charge your batteries in. Make some vent holes for any possible explosions.The safest place to do it would be somewhere isolated, on concrete or something else suitably fireproof. 
6. DONT FLY YOUR LIPOS BELOW 3.5v – (UNLESS IT’S A 1S WHOOP)

Quick Battery Size Chart

Craft Type	Voltage/Size	Voltage/Size
65mm brushless whoops (1s) 06 motors	1s – 200-300mah HV Lipo
75mm brushless whoops (1s) 07/08 motors	1s – 300-550 HV lipo
75mm 2/3s brushless whoops	2s – (2x1s 250mah HV lipo) 2s – 1x 250mah HV lipo	3s – 300mah lipo
85mm brushless whoops 2/3s	2s – 2x 1s 250mah HV lipo 2s – 1x 250mah lipo	3s – 300/450mah lipo
Toothpicks	2s – (2x 300mah 1s HV lipo)2s – 1x 300-450  lipo	3s – 300/450 mah lipo
2”	2s – 450-650mah lipo	3s – 450-650mah lipo
2.5”	2s – 650-850mah lipo	3s – 650-850 lipo
3”	3s – 650-1000mah lipo	4s – 550-850mah lipo
4”	3s – 850-1300mah lipo	4s – 850-1300mah 4s
5”	4s – 1300-1550mah lipo	6s – 1000-1300mah lipo

(HV is High Volt Lipo 4.35v per cell, 4.2v is the norm)