**** Battery build **** What do you think?

[cabinfourus]

Guys I am going to attempt to build a Typhoon battery from scratch. I found these Lipo cells online for 6 bucks each. I will be using 4 3.7v cells with 5900mAh that are rated at 20 amps. Here are the specs:

• Brand: Vapcell
• Model: INR26650 5900mAh
• Size: 26650
• Positive: Flat
• Stackable? No
• Type: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery
• Protected: No
• Nominal Voltage: 3.6V
• Nominal Capacity: 5900mAh
• Continuous Discharge Rate (CDR): 20A
• Approximate Dimensions: 26mm x 65mm

I know I will need the battery protection board with this setup. I am wanting to see if anyone here with more brainpower than I have can tell me if I am getting close? 4 of the battery cells along with the board will fit inside the frame so size isn't the problem. I know the TH uses the 750KV motors but I am not sure what amps they require. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[KEITH KUHN]

Guys I am going to attempt to build a Typhoon battery from scratch. I found these Lipo cells online for 6 bucks each. I will be using 4 3.7v cells with 5900mAh that are rated at 20 amps. Here are the specs:

• Brand: Vapcell
• Model: INR26650 5900mAh
• Size: 26650
• Positive: Flat
• Stackable? No
• Type: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery
• Protected: No
• Nominal Voltage: 3.6V
• Nominal Capacity: 5900mAh
• Continuous Discharge Rate (CDR): 20A
• Approximate Dimensions: 26mm x 65mm

I know I will need the battery protection board with this setup. I am wanting to see if anyone here with more brainpower than I have can tell me if I am getting close? 4 of the battery cells along with the board will fit inside the frame so size isn't the problem. I know the TH uses the 750KV motors but I am not sure what amps they require. Any help would be appreciated.

Interesting
Good luck

 

[cabinfourus]

Interesting
Good luck

One thing I am worried about is the fact that the batteries are not stackable. I am not sure what they mean by this. I don't see why they wouldn't be.

 

[KEITH KUHN]

One thing I am worried about is the fact that the batteries are not stackable. I am not sure what they mean by this. I don't see why they wouldn't be.

If you do get it to fly with
Your new batteries.
Fly without the camera
Just in case, YOU KNOW

 

[cabinfourus]

I wanted to update some information I found. An aftermarket battery for the TH states that the C rating is 8. So this would make the specs a little under what some say works in the TH. Other pilots say to use a C rating between 10 and 20 with aftermarket batteries. C rating is very important. It is the discharge rate of a battery. What all this means is that a 5400mAh 8c 4s lipo battery can handle 43.2 amps. This is way more than what I am building. I read some forums that stated the TH only draws 15-16 amps under load. Can anyone tell me the true amps a TH pulls?

 

[cabinfourus]

If you do get it to fly with
Your new batteries.
Fly without the camera
Just in case, YOU KNOW

I sure will. Good advice.

 

[KEITH KUHN]

I wanted to update some information I found. An aftermarket battery for the TH states that the C rating is 8. So this would make the specs a little under what some say works in the TH. Other pilots say to use a C rating between 10 and 20 with aftermarket batteries. C rating is very important. It is the discharge rate of a battery. What all this means is that a 5400mAh 8c 4s lipo battery can handle 43.2 amps. This is way more than what I am building. I read some forums that stated the TH only draws 15-16 amps under load. Can anyone tell me the true amps a TH pulls?

This is inte

 

[cabinfourus]

This is inte

I should say the aftermarket battery is a clone of the OEM. Typhoon H LiPo Drone Battery 4S 8C 14.8V 5400mAh Energy/Power Pack
EDIT: This is the OEM battery not an aftermarket. If this is the true specs it would mean the TH pulls more amps than I thought. One wouldn't think that Yuneec would overkill too much on their battery amps.

 

[cabinfourus]

I finally found a great spec sheet for the TH. The only thing I am having issues with is the motors on this bird. Some specs say the TH uses the 750KV and others are saying it uses the 850KV. If anyone is is interested in my project here are the true specs I have found:
Stator Size: Ø22*13mm KV: 850kv
Max Power: 200W
Working Current: ≤15A
Working Voltage: 12-25V
Signal Frequency: 50-400Hz
Drive PWM Frequency: 16K
Takeoff Weight: 1800g
Drone Weight: 1530±10g
Power Battery: 5400mAh 4S/14.8V (79.9Wh) 8c
So with all of these specs, the battery pack I am building should work fine. At a working amperage of 15 the TH OEM battery is a bit of overkill when it comes to working amps.

 

[Sureshot]

This looks interesting. Lighter pack, same power.
You you don't have to use a BMS with li-on cells if you wire them for a balance charger.
It's going to be a tight fit.
Keep us posted...

 

[jannislh]

I do not think these batteries will reach their specifications. The problem is that this type of batteries has a limit of about 5000mAh at the moment. A manufacturer (which I have never heared of), which states theirs have 5900mAh, is likely to be exaggerating a little. Furthermore they usually come at quiet a different pricetag (like 18$ dollars each).

You will also not be able to use them since they do not support high enough currents. You will need at least 4 in series and 2 in parallel in order to achive the power, which is needed for a safe flight. These round batteries are not the best choice if you want to have a high density since there are always quiet large gaps between the individual cells. The advantage of those cells is that they are standadized and therefore cheap to manufacture. They are great for battery powered drills, electric cars and so on but not for drones (at least in this size).

 

[DoomMeister]

@cabinfourus,

Think you will find this document (see attached o PDF) to be very informative in your endeavor to build a battery for the H480. @PatR put forth a very informative project.

If you are considering the use of Li-Ion batteries you may want to consult with @John Hennessy who had done quite extensive research into that subject some time ago.

 

[Mrgs1]

A few opinions in this article.

Lithium Ion Versus LiPoly In An Aeronautical Context

When it comes to lithium batteries, you basically have two types. LiPoly batteries usually come in pouches wrapped in heat shrink, whereas lithium ion cells are best represented by the ubiquitous c…

hackaday.com

 

[cabinfourus]

I do not think these batteries will reach their specifications. The problem is that this type of batteries has a limit of about 5000mAh at the moment. A manufacturer (which I have never heared of), which states theirs have 5900mAh, is likely to be exaggerating a little. Furthermore they usually come at quiet a different pricetag (like 18$ dollars each).

You will also not be able to use them since they do not support high enough currents. You will need at least 4 in series and 2 in parallel in order to achive the power, which is needed for a safe flight. These round batteries are not the best choice if you want to have a high density since there are always quiet large gaps between the individual cells. The advantage of those cells is that they are standadized and therefore cheap to manufacture. They are great for battery powered drills, electric cars and so on but not for drones (at least in this size).

These are actually batteries for vapers. Most all other sellers listed them at 5500mAh and I did figure these were exaggerated a bit. I took a look at the DJI batteries and found they are lower mAh and longer fly time. They use the lihv batteries. Being a 20 amp batteries I am concerned about the power of the drone. The TH pulls 15 amps so this only leaves 5 amps to play with. Now with my research I found that most companies will exceed their amp rating between 8-12 amps, so 5 amps may not be enough. With 4 of these tied together I would receive the 14.8v I need but only 20amps. Again, the TH only requires 15 amps so it may still work but it could fry the esc,. I found some lipo cells that are 30 amp and may move to these.

 

[cabinfourus]

A few opinions in this article.

Lithium Ion Versus LiPoly In An Aeronautical Context

When it comes to lithium batteries, you basically have two types. LiPoly batteries usually come in pouches wrapped in heat shrink, whereas lithium ion cells are best represented by the ubiquitous c…

hackaday.com

That is a great read. I like the information given. They are correct when saying the discharge rate (C rating) is important. I found that the TH requires 8C in order to work. Current is the key.

 

[cabinfourus]

I do not think these batteries will reach their specifications. The problem is that this type of batteries has a limit of about 5000mAh at the moment. A manufacturer (which I have never heared of), which states theirs have 5900mAh, is likely to be exaggerating a little. Furthermore they usually come at quiet a different pricetag (like 18$ dollars each).

You will also not be able to use them since they do not support high enough currents. You will need at least 4 in series and 2 in parallel in order to achive the power, which is needed for a safe flight. These round batteries are not the best choice if you want to have a high density since there are always quiet large gaps between the individual cells. The advantage of those cells is that they are standadized and therefore cheap to manufacture. They are great for battery powered drills, electric cars and so on but not for drones (at least in this size).

I did order some of these batteries. I plan to build the batterie pack and test it but not in my drone. I will apply a 20 amp draw to it and see how well it holds up. I plan to update all of this once I get the parts in. I love to tinker and build. My wife says I waste too much money but when you have fun with it, who cares. lol

 

[cabinfourus]

This looks interesting. Lighter pack, same power.
You you don't have to use a BMS with li-on cells if you wire them for a balance charger.
It's going to be a tight fit.
Keep us posted...

I will update all of this. I plan to build two packs. One that will be using these batteries and another using 30 amp. I will update this once I get more info and run tests on them.

 

[PatR]

I read some forums that stated the TH only draws 15-16 amps under load. Can anyone tell me the true amps a TH pulls?

If you review some of the later posts made in my battery adapter thread you will see data supporting a current load in excess of 40 amps. Offhand I don’t recall the highest level but it was above 44A.

The OEM battery is indeed rated at 8C, which means it cannot effectively deliver the power needed to satisfy the maximum demand. A 20C battery would be a much better choice as, in theory, it will provide the power needed to fly longer (somewhat, and dependent on capacity) while meeting the power demand while generating less heat.

 

[PatR]

A few opinions in this article.

Lithium Ion Versus LiPoly In An Aeronautical Context

When it comes to lithium batteries, you basically have two types. LiPoly batteries usually come in pouches wrapped in heat shrink, whereas lithium ion cells are best represented by the ubiquitous c…

hackaday.com

I’ve used both types for RC aircraft and, candidly, I prefer the Li-On chemistry as they always seem to last longer, especially for ignition systems. They are safer to handle, deal with the cold much better, and are not as easily damaged through poor storage practices.

There’s an additional benefit of being able to obtain cells of known quality and matching cells during the pack assembly process. In other words, you can consistently obtain high quality batteries that deliver consistent performance.

 

[cabinfourus]

If you review some of the later posts made in my battery adapter thread you will see data supporting a current load in excess of 40 amps. Offhand I don’t recall the highest level but it was above 44A.

The OEM battery is indeed rated at 8C, which means it cannot effectively deliver the power needed to satisfy the maximum demand. A 20C battery would be a much better choice as, in theory, it will provide the power needed to fly longer (somewhat, and dependent on capacity) while meeting the power demand while generating less heat.

This makes complete sense. I wonder what Yuneec was thinking with the low current batteries?