Lithium Battery Knowledge

LiPo batteries (short for Lithium Polymer) are a type of rechargeable battery that has taken the electric RC world by storm, especially for planes, helicopters, and multi-rotor/drone.

1- Capacity: higher capacity means longer use time, if its for mobile phone, you can talk for more hours, and you can play more games, listen more songs Before you need to charge again.

2- Internal Impedance: High impedance can cause quick exhausting of power, itself can be a hidden reason of working current, the higher it is, the quicker the voltage will drop down.

Generally there are three most popular charging ways as below:

1-CC charging(Constant current)

The charging current keeps the same at a certain amount during the whole charging process, Most rechargeable batteries charge this way.

Lithium Polymer batteries (henceforth referred to as “LiPo” batteries), are a newer type of battery now used in many consumer electronics devices. They have been gaining in popularity in the radio control industry over the last few years, and are now the most popular choice for anyone looking for long run times and high power.

As a new lithium ion battery, it can gain its best performance only after twice or three times 100% DOD(depth of discharge) cycles. BENZO Energy recommend to charge 4 hours in the first three cycles, and don’t charge it for over 12 hours as traditional NiMH battery and NiCd battery. Because most rechargeable lithium batteries have protection circuit PCB/BMS, when its fully charged, the PCB will stop charging to protect it, it means its no use to charge any more if its full. Begin with the fourth time, you can charge one hour more after the indication of being fully charged.

If you’re new to LiPo batteries, you may be unfamiliar with how to safely set the charge rate for your battery. The battery manufacturer will tell you what the maximum “Charge Rate” of the battery is. This information is different than the “C-Rating” which is usually expressed as a number on the front of the pack (20C, 50C, etc).

During the use of polymer lithium batteries , battery bulging may occur due to excessive charging current, overcharging, etc. , and there are also low-cost bulging (peeling) polymer lithium batteries sold on the shopping network for the polymerization of such internal gas. Lithium battery, if used continuously, will not only cause heat and bulging, but also cause safety hazards, and will accelerate battery damage. Therefore, the internal gas must be removed before continuing to use. Here is a brief introduction to the internal gas removal of the polymer lithium battery.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) issues regulations on the transport of Dangerous Goods by air, the DGR. The current edition — number 58 — has introduced stricter restrictions on transport and packaging of Lithium-Ion batteries after an increasing amount of incidents. It is imperative to develop and use packaging that is compliant with IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) and to follow all other aspects of the regulations.

Li-ion batteries contain a protection circuit that shields the battery against abuse. This important safeguard also turns the battery off and makes it unusable if over-discharged. Slipping into sleep mode can happen when storing a Li-ion pack in a discharged state for any length of time as self-discharge would gradually deplete the remaining charge. Depending on the manufacturer, the protection circuit of a Li-ion cuts off between 2.2 and 2.9V/cell.