How to use the RC airplane battery correctly

The RC airplane battery is essentially lithium batteries, which has the characteristics of high magnification and safety. This article uses the remote control model lithium battery as an example to illustrate how to use lithium battery correctly.Some novices believe that the better the RC airplane battery brand, even the higher the price, the better it will be used. But this is often not the case. Even the best lithium batteries will be over-discharged.

The importance of ESC in RC airplane battery

The ESC automatically shuts off the battery according to the percentage of the battery voltage to protect the battery. For example, if 65% is set, an 11.1v battery will reach 7.2v, and the ESC will be powered off. But don’t forget that this is calculated with 100% full charge. If the receiver is turned off halfway (such as debugging), then bad luck will come. If the receiver is turned off halfway, assuming that the voltage is left at 10v, then the protection voltage of the electrical regulation will be reduced to 6.5v when the receiver is turned on again. The lower the voltage, the worse the situation. The consequences of this situation are very serious, that is, the battery is over-discharged.

The degree of battery voltage drop can be judged from the power, or it is already impossible to fly. At this time, it is very dangerous. If you accidentally, it will be overdone. Therefore, from the start to the end of the flight, this battery cannot be powered off, otherwise, it should be full and then re-flight.

Correct use of RC airplane battery

In general, the 11.1v RC  battery is composed of three lithium cells in series (3S1P), that is, the voltage of each cell is 3.7v. The voltage labeled on the lithium battery of the model, mobile phone, camera and so on is called the labeled voltage, which is obtained from the average operating voltage.

The actual voltage of the single-chip lithium cell is 2.75~ 4.2v, and the capacitance of the upper mark of the lithium battery is the electric quantity obtained by discharging from 4.2v to 2.75v. The RC airplane lithium battery must be kept within the voltage range of 2.75~ 4.2v.

If the voltage of the RC airplane lithium battery is lower than 2.75v, it is excessive discharge. The lithium battery will expand and the internal chemical liquid will crystallize, which may Pierce the internal structure layer and cause a short circuit, or even make the lithium voltage become zero.

The lithium battery voltage of the RC airplane is higher than 4.2v, which is considered as overcharging. The internal chemical reaction is too intense, and the lithium battery will inflate and expand. If the battery continues to be charged, it will expand and burn. Both over-discharge and overcharge will do great harm to the RC airplane battery.

Precautions when RC airplane battery is discharged

1. Discharge current: the discharge current shall not exceed the maximum discharge current specified in the specification (admission). Excessive discharge current will lead to a sharp decrease in capacity and lead to overheating and expansion of the battery.
2. Discharge temperature: the battery must be discharged within the operating temperature range specified in the specification.When the battery surface temperature over 70 ° C, to temporarily stop using, until the battery cooling to room temperature.
3. Over-discharge: over-discharge will lead to battery damage. When discharging, the voltage of the single battery shall not be lower than 3.6v.

Storage of RC airplane battery

The battery should be stored in a cool environment, long-term storage battery (more than 3 months), the recommended temperature is 10 to 25 ° C and low temperature no corrosive gas environment. The battery is charged and discharged every 3 months during long-term storage to maintain the battery activity and ensure that the voltage of each cell is within the range of 3.7v to 3.9v.