How I Build My DIY Li-ion Battery Packs for Long Range FPV
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- Over 3 years of long range FPV flights and I have never bought a li-ion pack from a store. I build my own DIY li-ion flight packs for FPV. I'll show you how, step by step. It's a long video with lots of information so I've broken it up into chapters for easy navigation through the different steps.
Please take the time to read the text at the beginning of the video as well as the rest of this description!
Video Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
06:23 - Supplies and parts list
09:45 - Insulating rings and PVC wraps
13:00 - Preparing for soldering
16:05 - Tinning the cell ends
22:00 - Connecting the cells into pairs
27:39 - Connecting the pairs into packs
37:50 - Installing XT connectors
44:00 - Installing balance lead
1:01:00 - Hot glue and heat shrink
1:07:25 - Pairing up packs
This is me showing you how I make my own li-ion packs. Do NOT use this video as a guide on how to make li-ion battery packs. Use the information here to add to your own knowledge along with sufficient research to be able to do something like this safely. You assume all risk if attempting anything similar to this on your own. Li-ion cells can be dangerous and may have potentially deadly consequences if mishandled or used incorrectly.
Building your own li-ion pack requires a few hours of researching li-ion cell types and their individual characteristics (data sheet). It's not as simple as just building a pack and flying with it. You need a solid understanding of your drones amp draw during different stages of flight. You also need a properly calibrated current meter to be able to trust the amp draw and mah used readings in your OSD (not perfect but within 200 or 300 mah on a 2600mah or bigger battery). Pick one size of battery and calibrate to that. Calibration will vary when using different sizes of batteries.
DO NOT FLY A LI-ION PACK AT OR NEAR ITS MAXIMUM RATED AMP DRAW FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED!!! Using li-ion battery packs is only viable if the drone / quad has been built with low amp draw in mind. An average freestyle build will likely damage and / or make poor use of li-ion batteries.
Links to stuff I got from amazon to make the packs.
Heat shrink for 18650 6s packs:
amazon.ca/gp/product/B06X3XVBV2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Kapton tape assorted sizes 4 pack:
amazon.ca/gp/product/B073113CD2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Fluorescent 3M tape:
amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GNWLQSQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
6s 5.9" balance leads:
amzn.to/3SqsqTs
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With everything you build from scratch, I'm surprised you don't have a hobbyist battery spot welder. There's a really cheap one for around $25 that just needs a couple of simple mods (well simple for us drone pilots 😄)
I have yet to see all the necessary information I need to even decide how many layers of nickel strips I need to be able to carry 50 amps safely. I believe a 0.15 X 15mm strip is only rated for about 5 or 6 amps. So likely need to use 0.2mm X 12 or 15 mm strips. From what I've read nickel strips are less efficient than silicone coated flexible wire and the efficiency loss is mostly as heat. This is overcome by layering multiple strips on top of each other. How good of a spot welder does it take to make a solid weld on 4 or more layers of 0.2mm strips? Maybe there's a good video in this. I could get some sort of temperature sensor and test some nickel strips or buy a premade pack to compare to mine. At any rate, I haven't noticed any sort of damage, my packs all seem to perform quite well. I'm still using ones from two years ago with probably 150 - 200 flights on them. Do you know of any good videos about spot welding li-ion flight packs? I've never seen anyone use more than a single 6 amp rated strip. I've read in descriptions at stores that at least one company use's multiple layers of nickel strips to surpass the max amp limit of the cell by 10 amps for good reliability.
If we're lucky an electrical engineer will post a reply and set me straight on a safe amount of nickel strip to carry 45 or 50 amps at 25 volts for 5 - 10 seconds and 30 to 35 amps at 25 volts for 1 minute.
@@FalconRadFPV I have also been using silicone wire in my packs, but I like your take using kapton tape. Where do you source your huge green shrink wrap. I have been using white vinyl electrical tape, doesn't leave residue like black tape. I don't use hot glue, but use UHU por contact glue, a bit lighter and cleaner, I scuff the battery shrink wrap a bit in line with the print, apply a small amount top to bottom of two cells, rub the two celss a bit, separate for 20 second then stick um together. the glue layer acts as my second cell wrap/insulator. I cut the white electrical tape in small pieces to act like the paper cardboard cell end covers over the cell and then over the wire/solder blob. Still using packs that are 3 years old first in RC planes and now in quads and about 250g medium range, fpv planes. My Lipos never last 2 seasons, well maybe in my aged Parkzone Radian motor glider. Thank you for teaching me your balanced leads layout...mine have been a mess! Thank you!
Better 12 vcar battery. Never needs mods last forever very strong welds. I have minis. Are ok. But Halfass
Depends on pull and amps per cell. AMPS PER CELL IS IT. GET MOST YOU CAN recycle drill batteries AMPS BABY
I got one of those. It barely does the job with 0.1mm strips. I did about 10 or 12 spots then put a second layer. It works and doesn't get warm, but I think soldering wire is better.
You could reduce your packs weight a bit. On 18650's 20AWG wire for connection between the cells will do the job.
It's rated for 14A constant and can handle ~30A burst. Remember they are really short and the resistance increases with the lenght.
For 21700 cells you can use 18AWG wire.
For the longer battery plug wires use 18AWG on 18650.
21700 packs need 16AWG for that.
These are the lightest and thinnest wires you can safely use within parameters. Going bigger will do good too.
For battery connectors I use XT30 instead of XT60.
XT30 weighs much less and can handle 30A constant and 60A burst. Perfect for 1S Li Ion packs.
The quad needs XT60, so just make a 2x XT30 parralel to XT60 plug adapter. The xt30 parralel to xt60 adapter weights 11g less than the XT60 parallel adapter. Also it's much smaller and doesnt dangle around that much.
If you want to use them as a 6s1p pack, then use a xt30 to xt60 adapter.
Just my ideas and recommendation for smaller and less weight still handling the current Limits required.
Havent had any issues with my li ion builds.
Thanks for the input, maybe I'll try making a light weight pack for my extended range build.
Thanks for the update and for sharing. I have built similar packs using this same method with good results as well.
Thank you! Your build video is really clean and to the point.
Thanks so much for this! Been wanting to go long range with Li-on packs and your information has been my go-to on power sources for LR. You've made what I thought was a fairly complicated process into something quite do-able 🙏
Glad I could help! Just remember to be careful and have your li-ion cells at 3.5 volts or less during the build. (mine were shipped at 3.5v)
very good explanation thank you Falconrad!
Great walkthrough of building li-ion packs. Nice step-by-step process that relates directly to requirements of FPV. (unlike many generic battery building videos)
Glad it was helpful!
just made my 1st 4s pack. Thanks for these vids!!
It's very easy to understand and you can do it yourself.
as always, a big thumb up for your tutorial! thank you so much for all the informations! 👌👍
Very well thought out method.Thank you for sharing.
I fly small fixed wings so all my batts are 1P so I only use XT30 connectors.
Of course you posted this the day after I built my first two 18650 packs! I built my rad li ion last week and flew it more than 7km round trip yesterday. I just need better battery straps. I didn’t solder the cells I used the $100 sequre spot welder from getfpv.
Yeah me too after my first 6cell pack. Better late than never. Thank you Thank you FalconRad!
37:10 that was absolutely perfect ❤️
Appreciate your video just finished my first successful 6s p42 pack. Happily charging as we speak 👌💪 your notes were super helpful 🙂 thank you friend!
Glad it helped
Just finished 4 packs of 6s with molicel p28a 35A cells. Thanks for the video!
That is awesome!
Always great in depth videos 👌
Glad you think so!
Dope Video pal! nice work you do for the com. much love.
Much appreciated
thank you so much for that!!!
love your channel so much, would love to see some DJI Longrange Tests Antennas etc, but i aprreciate everything that we are getting from you!
Thanks very much for the comment. I've been thinking about getting into some digital long range, it comes up so much that it's getting hard to avoid giving in to digital.
Very cool🙂🙂
I literally just made a battery pack from your old tutorial for my fr7
Hi Falconrad hope you been well. Awesome info on doing the battery packs. Im to nervous to mess with batteries. left a like
Hey buddy! Ya it's something you want to be confident about before going ahead with it.
@@FalconRadFPV Your long metal scissors make me a bit nervous as well as the tweezers. Shrink tubing on the tweezers?
Hey Conrad, i have to say adding to much solder to the positive isnt that good but it will just be a short short circuit. It happend to myself on my first pack but the 18650 put out so much power that the solder will not stay on, it will spark and throw the solder out. At least its what i experienced.
Discoverd your channel a while ago and u motivated me to do long range fpv. Even tho i live in nothern germany and here are no mountains, but i already flew in norway on glaciers with my rekon 5.
Due to ur last videos i ordered a few P42A´s and will build a battery out of them. Also thinking about getting a 7inch.
Thanks for your vids and please keep up ur work.
Thanks to your advice a few weeks ago, I replaced Panasonic NCR18650B 3400mah cells (7A) with Sony VTC6 (30A) and my 2inch 1S micro quad now flies brilliantly with around 12mins flight time. Previously it'd fly around 3mins and only use 800mah of the 3400mah capacity.
Oh great! I'm glad to hear that it's flying better with the new li-ion cells.
Hi, I enjoyed this video very much. I like how you overdo certain things (double heat shrink for the cells, double o-rings on the positive side) - I do the same.
I built few packs for my drone and maybe i will leave suggestions for things that can be done differently.
Instead of double heat shrink for separation I usually use electrical tape. One turn of it around the cell at negative and one at the negative end of each cell will assure that they will not electrically touch each other since electrical tape is quite thick. This will also make physical distance between rest of the cells for the air to move.
Just before outer heat shrink I like to tape the whole pack with some non stretchy tape to make sure that it will not move and be structurally rigid. Although, I haven't thought on using hot glue since it weights more than tape.
For the spot welder thing, yes it's a bit dangerously to solder cells, but to make spot welds that will safely handle such currents over long period, and at a same time withstand possible external forces during a crash and normal handling of the pack require quite a beefy machine. Usual spot welders from aliexpress will make packs for powerbanks but will struggle in this more demanding packs. I once salvage 18650 from an electrical hammer pack and, oh boy spot welds were indestructible - trying to separate these welds damaged some cells. These were 25A cells in 10s3p configuration. So to make something reliable with spot welder, serious machine will be required.
Soldering is a way if done correctly, like shown in this video 👍
i really enjoyed this video. thanks
Thanks for the comment and suggestions!
Very interesting tutorial! Really enjoyed watching the hole build of these packs. 👌💯
You should open a shop where you sell these packs labeled with "FalconRad Fullsend". 😉
Maybe one day!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I would like to build another 7" long range with one of your frames. Which frame do you think flies better ? Just from the pics it looks like the Rad Li-On would be more rigid.
I use the Falcon 7 frame for more cinematic stuff (its a bit bigger but no props in view)
My RAD Li-ion build is for getting a bit more range. (it's smaller, a bit lighter, and a tiny bit of props in the corner in 4:3 on the GoPro, no props after any sort of stabilization)
Really great video Conrad. I use hot glue on my packs to keep them together, which makes it tough to replace a cell if one goes bad. To deal with this, I've also considered re-wrapping each cell in heat shrink so I can pull them apart without wrecking the existing heat shrink. What stopped me from doing that is the worry about creating an additional insulating layer that will keep more heat in the packs when in use. I know that some people go the opposite way, and make packs with no wrapping around the pack at all, with the cells visible form the outside to keep them as cool as possible. I thought of to throwing a thermistor or something in a a pack to monitor temp of the pack while flying to test these thoughts, but never actually went through with that. It would be really interesting to find out for sure. On the nickel strips - I feel like the nickel vs soldering confuses people because they see advice/videos made by people who make packs for applications that do not involve high amp draw. If you're making a pack to power your laptop or something, nickel strips are probably the way to go, because of the low amp draw. But context is everything. Videos like this one go a along way to help people understand that the advice they get from "general pack making" might not be right for them. Thanks for putting this together.
agreed. awesome
Thanks very much! I was wondering about testing a store bought spot welded pack by using a temp sensor on the nickel strip during flight. I'm not sure if I have the patience to set all that up though...
I'd sure like true low cell voltage available in telemetry! any thoughts?
A note for people who might not know this trick: isopropyl alchohol evaporates fast, isn’t very conductive, and basically destroys the bond of hot glue without damage. Put some on a Q Tip and brush it onto the hot glue you need to remove
Ok, this was awesome, I loved the way you laid out your balance leads. Your packs look so nice and neat. It’s good to know that soldering directly seems to be working out ok.
I used some random clear HDPE film instead of real heat shrink tubing. I used way less tape and I didn’t double insulate each cell. I’m curious what your total pack weight is? Mine is total 299g for 6S molicell P26A.
One 6s pack of the P28A worked out to 311 grams. That's with velcro on the back and a thick dimpled reflective tape over top for visibility.
Oh and there is 3d printable 18650 holders you can print that might make the assembly eaiser :)
Maybe those cell end covers in petg?
Ya some people use holders or spacers for their packs. I'm comfortable with just the wraps, tape and glue holding it all together. But I never crash with li-ion packs on my quad.
This is great content for someone looking to build their own packs. Got any experience with or thoughts on Molicel P42A 21700 cells?
Ya I use them for extra range, but prefer 6s2p 18650 cells for most flights. (with p28a cells)
Thank you for the video. I see links in the description for the random parts, but not the cells. I know there are some not so great cells out there. Who do you trust?
I pretty much only get Molicel brand li-ion cells. And I always get them from 18650batterystore.com. p26a p28a, p42a I have used with great results.
What do you think about using the Big Bertha Weller soldering gun. Takes about 2 seconds to get wire and solder blob combined.
I prefer the Hakko with it's heating end right up inside the tip. Solder tips are a bit more expensive but they are good quality and last a long time. It keeps the tip heat up really well.
Right on. now im less scared to do them myself
Hey buddy! Remember to have the voltage at 3.5v or less during the build process.
Hi Conrad,
Enjoying your videos, I've made a 4s pack with LG 21700 cells, Whats the minimum cell voltage you fly too? (I see the low voltage indicator comes up a lot in your OSD and I can't seem to get my flight controller ammeter calibrated right
I'll fly down to 3.1 comfortably but most cells will drop voltage quickly once they get to 3v or less. You should be fine running most li-ion cells down to 2.5v, but like I said 3v to 2.5 might be only 1 min or so. Don't worry about getting the amps reading perfect. Just calibrate using the mAh count. By writing down your Mah used from the OSD then recharge the battery and see what the charger says it put back into it. Use this link for a calculator to help know what to change the current meter setting to:
www.kiwiquads.co.nz/current-sensor-calibration-tool/
nice, good stuff. Which drone are you using these with? What are the specs?
I'm using it with the quad in the thumbnail picture. The RAD Li-ion, here's a link to the video about it.
th-cam.com/video/4rwsv-dNwyk/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the video!!! I've always wanted to ask, you always build single 6s packs and parallel them together instead of building a single 6s2p pack.. is it because of weight distribution?
The RAD Li-ion frame only fits one pack on the top plate so they need to be split up. I also do flights with only one pack on sometimes. BTW, the Falcon 7 will hold a 6s2p pack on the top plate.
@@FalconRadFPV Thanks buddy for taking time to answer. I've built several 4s packs for the cinewhoop and built one 6s2p as one pack but I can only mount it on the bottom which is just fine but I like how you do things so you helped me make up my mind.. single 6s packs it is.. lol!! I do like the idea of sometimes using 1 6s pack. I don't have LR locations more than a couple miles unless I drive away from home so this will be handy. I'm also thinking of switching frames to your Li-Ion frame.. it's lighter than the super g I believe. I had the super g built before the falcon came out or I would've already had one. Trying not to spend to much... Lol
Nice video mate. Just a question. How do you wire or build a 5S 21700 Li-ion pack?
It's the same as a 6s but one less cell and balance wire.
@@FalconRadFPV Thanks mate.. Yeah was having a problem when I built a 5s..I can't detect the cell when plugged to the balance outlet in the charger. But found out that I connected the 2 cells with negative to negative.. Haha..builder error.. Buy yeah, thanks for these videos of yours. They really help in our FPV community.
Do you have a list of places we can buy the rings and the heat shrink? I have been saving up some 18650 cells but I have been having trouble finding some of the pieces your useing
Yes please
I got the insulating rings and li-ion cells from 18650batterystore.com. The PVC heat shrink is available on amazon. 100mm for 6s 18650 or 120mm for 6s 21700
👏👏👏👏
I want to design a 6s2p pack but I don't know which li-ion size to go with ? 18650, 26650 or 21700 ?
I know it's mostly will be a weight concern as the 21700 would be the best one for more power density.
I prefer 2x 6s 18650 packs for long range. I'll use 2 x 6s 21700 packs for extra range. I don't fly much with just a single pack, not great if you get stuck fighting some wind. 2 packs gives better amp handling ability. 2x 18650s is 640g, 2x 21700 is about 940g
Why did you chose the Molicell P28A instead of the Molicell P42A? The 42 has higher capacity and amp draw for a small increase in size.
Because I fly with 6s2p setup so 12 x 18650 cells is 640 grams with wires etc.... 12 x 2170 cells is about 940 grams with wires etc... The 21700 6s2p does fly really far but does not handle well. The 18650 6s2p fly's only a few kms less distance but handles much better. If flying with 6s1p on 7" then yes 21700 is the way to go.
I always use battery tests from Mooch to pick my cells.
?
@@spartan3299 There's a person who goes by Mooch online and they've been posting tests for years on e-cig forums.
I have watched their cell reviews. Great information in there.
You were scaring me with those metal tweezers and scissors about to short out the cells.
Ya I guess some tweezers with a rubber coating would be a good purchase!
@@FalconRadFPV Heat shrink works.
Just use cooer strip and good spoot welder 😜
you can't spot weld copper strips, well you can, I've heard it can be done properly with a very expensive laser welder.
42:48 that's a really great way to bridge the tweezer to an other cell alright... Ask me how I know
Ya I guess some rubber coated ones would be a good buy!
Where do you get decent 18650’s?
18650 battery store.com has lots of choice and good prices. I suggest getting good quality cells and reading the data sheets to compare them if you're going to purchase a bunch of them.
Can I also ask where you get the material to wrap your batteries? Thanks in advance!
I wouldn't risk soldering lithium cells. The simplest battery spot-welding machine can be purchased very affordably, and I would definitely add it as an option for charging with balancing.
Not sure I understand, the only way to charge is with balancing. Anything else is just dangerous. Soldering them is not dangerous, it just makes the cell hot which can cause a very small (I would say unnoticeable) loss in battery chemistry. Flying the pack too hard just once and getting it really hot (in my optionion) is probably worse for the cells. As well I don't like using 4 or 5 layers of nickel strip overlaid onto each other, I don't trust the connection as much and a good solder joint. (yes that's how many you need to handle 40 amps reliably for 10 or 20 seconds.) I would rather lose 1% of the battery mAh due to soldering and know for sure there is no way that any of the connections are coming apart. I have never in 5 years had a battery fail me and I fly them to the last mAh on a regular basis. Soldering them is no big deal, as long as you don't charge 'em full and then short it while making a pack!
@@FalconRadFPV I'm not sure how the charging of cells for FPV drones works, but from what I've noticed, each battery has only one connector with two contacts. For balanced charging, it's necessary for each cell to have its own contact with balancing electronics. This electronics ensures an even charging of all the cells, so that none of them are overcharged or undercharged. I don't want to sound presumptuous; I've been working with electronics for a while, but not specifically with FPV drones. Nevertheless, I would definitely love to build a solid FPV drone for myself. Best regards.
@@FalconRadFPV Regarding soldering cells, I must say, hats off to you. As I mentioned earlier, I have been involved in electronics for quite some time, and I wouldn't dare to solder cells myself. Of course, it is possible and can work, but it's crucial to find the right balance of heat to avoid cold solder joints and prevent overheating the cells, which could lead to capacity loss. If you experience only a 1% loss, that would be impressive, and I would be content with such a result. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend considering a dedicated battery spot welder. It will make the process much easier, simpler, and safer. Once again, best regards.
HELLO, KINDLY CAN YOU SHIP ONE 6S LIPO BATTERY TO KENYA??
There is probably a store in south africa that will sell them, much less shipping than from in in north america.
Ok thank you bro
58:11 I made a battery pack as 18650 6s1p. but the output voltage shows 25.2 volts. It's not 22.2V. Is this acceptable for 6s drone?
Yes that's fine. Charged voltage is 25.2v. 6s packs in the stores state their nominal or storage voltage on the packaging, 22.2v.
Many thanks for this instructional video. 👏
You ever used 21700 cells?
I do in RC planes and cars
Yes, I have two pairs of 4200mah 21700 6s packs. My quad flys heavy with 6s2p 21700 packs but it gets me several km further than my 18650 packs when I need the range.
I use them for 4S 1P packs on my 6" quad. They weigh just under 300g. Gotta be careful about amp draw. I scale down my throttle.
Guess I dont need a spot welder to build my packs
Just remember to heat them as short a time as possible and not to let the solder from the positive drip onto the surrounding negative shell on the cell.
Always overvolt by one string instead of 25 volts its30 one small thing lol and understand your amps. RULE amps 1 1/2 over controller 20 amp controller 30amp battery ebikes. Same rules apply PERIOD PEACE
Well my electronic speed controller is rated for 220 amps constant at 6s. So I should use a battery rated for 330 amps? I don't think my quadcopter would be able to take off. Sorry same rules don't apply!
Love your flying video. However ... the font you use in these techical explanation videos is terrible ! You cannot read the text and watch the video. Please seel professional help immediately !! Like I said I love your vids please do not take offence ❤
1 hour 😫😵🥴🤕
lol, you prefer I left half the information out?
Wow you are the Do as i say and not as i do type ....... You preach and preach and then you say do this .. All you are doing is being a Hypocrite !!!
I get the feeling you probably didn't subscribe..... THANK YOU!