NCR18650B: A Lithium Ion battery with a ton of promise! People say it has twice the energy per gram as LiPos... but is that true? Lets test it!
But it doesn't stop there! I want to know how to actually use this on an RC Aircraft, how to charge it, what it's maximum amp draw is, how many watt hours of power does it have, and in the end, can you actually use these on RC aircraft?
I think I've found the answers to these questions!
Battery: Panasonic NCR18650B
Grams per Watt Hours is 57% that of a typical LiPo
Pack Capacity: 3.3Ah (3,325mah)
Pack Voltage in 4S: 14.4v
Pack Power: 43 watt hours (personally tested with a watt meter)
Pack C-Rating: 2 (6amp max discharge rate)
Pack Cycles: Hundreds! I've not personally tested this, but this is the same chemistry as an iPhone, which can last years of daily use.
Buy the battery pack here: http://store.mygeekshow.com/product-p/3.3a-4s-2c-battery.htm
-Trent
Comments
G'day Trent - Looking forward to watching your impending upload.
Gary: Yes! Very, very, very true. It is not for the beginner solder-er. I keep a fan right next to me, get that iron tip super hot (I want to say its a 150w iron?) and then solder it quickly, then place it on a fan to cool it down. Its a bit tedious, but it keeps the cells happy and safe. I also only do this in the garage with the door open with a fire extinguisher nearby, just in case I mess it up. I also double check my + and - before each solder... solder/shorting them would be... "interesting" : )
Hi Trent,
I have heard of a few other people successfully doing tabs with a big soldering iron, good to know it actually works.
Got to be quick though to keep from overheating the battery.
Look forward to your video.
@Peter: ha ha! Thank you! It is so much fun. DIYDrones is at least 50% of the driver of any success the show has had. Such great people on here.
Gary is correct, 7A constant on bixler should be plenty of cruising power, and only demand 1C on a two 4S1P battery pack. I've pushed these beyond 1C without issue, check out http://youtu.be/_UxIwS0EimE
I use a higher power soldering iron and nickel battery tabs. I'm planning on doing a build video here soon (a few weeks, I'm upgrading my studio).
Thanks so much for the info guys!
And Trent good luck with things!! I just found your YouTube channel last weekend and devoured the feed! :D
Hi Trent,
I was wondering how you do the battery tabs, do you buy pre-tabbed batteries or do you have a welder.
I have a really nice 1KW 0-50 volt lab power supply and was thinking of building a capacitive welder.
Best,
Gary
Fixed wings can operate with a lot less load than copters and small UAV types like the Bixler or Techpod or Skyhawk can certainly be operated within the range permissible for 18650's in an appropriate series/parallel configuration.
But you will need to be careful flying them to not exceed their rating or perhaps you could put in a current limiter that would actually prevent the motor from drawing too much.
Full throttle or a steep climb could be problematic.
@Peter: Fun stuff! Sounds like you're asking the right questions. In my experience, these packs should be able to drive something the size of Bixler without issue, especially if you ran with two 4S1P packs, then you could draw 7A constant for about 50-60 minutes, which should be plenty for airplane that size just wanting to cruise around.
Ah thanks for the advice Holger and Gary!
Out of curiosity, I also have a Bixler 2 I'm about to outfit with FPV gear, would these batteries perhaps work in the Bixler properly? I notice Trent's using these on a Delta wing. . . is a Bixler far off?
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