The Ultimate Guide to Drone Batteries

Introduction

The use of drones is growing day by day due to the great benefits they offer. This has also put more pressure on manufacturers of drone accessories such as drone batteries. In this article, we seek to understand more about drone battery and how to get the best in the market. With the many drone battery manufacturers in the world, settling on one can be an uphill task.

What are drone batteries?

The drone battery is the driving force for your drone. It is the drone battery that powers your entire drone. This includes flying, navigation, landing, and any other component that may need the power to perform.

The type of drone will determine the type of battery you should purchase. For example, powerful drones will require powerful batteries to meet their power demands.

Types of Drone Batteries

Drone batteries can be divided into two categories depending on the rate of current or C-rate. The two types of drone batteries are based on discharge rate are:

High-Multiplier drone battery
Normal discharge drone battery

Another of categorizing drone batteries can be based on the different types of drones. The different types of drones will have different drone batteries since they are used to perform different functions. Other Types of drone batteries are:

Lithium polymer drone battery
Fuel cells drone battery
Solar cells drone battery
Lithium drone battery

They include:

Multi-rotor drone battery
Fixed-wing drone battery
Single-rotor helicopter drone battery
Fixed-wing hybrid VTOL drone battery
Military drone battery
Delivery drone battery
Emergency drone battery
Agricultural drone battery
Wildlife drone battery
Medical drone battery
Photography drone battery
Commercial drone battery
Real estate drone battery
Recreational drone battery
Logistics drone battery
Disaster management drone battery
Sports coverage drone battery

Features of Lithium polymer drone batteries

Security

Lithium Polymer Drone batteries are well packed in the safest manner using aluminum film shells. This is to ensure that there is no explosion especially when the battery is hot. The plastic-aluminum polymer drone batteries are stuck together to prevent any leakage.

Any slight leakage may lead to a short-circuit and therefore drone batteries are built with mechanisms to prevent any such incidences. These are common incidences in other devices like mobile phones and therefore drone batteries must be guarded against such.

Polymer materials

Lithium polymer drone batteries have either negative, positive, or electrolytes made of a polymeric material. Polymers are large molecular materials with high strength, high elasticity, and very tough. The current polymer materials are mainly used for electrolytes and positive.

Shape

The lithium-polymer drone battery is thin enough with unique shapes for easy fixing. This is made possible by the use of easy to glue electrolytes as compared to liquid which does not make it possible. The electrolytes used in drone batteries require strong housing that offers secondary security.

Cell Voltage

The advantage of Drone battery is that they can be combined to form multiple layers inside the cell since they are polymeric. This makes it easier to achieve high voltages with ease. The lithium battery core has a nominal capacity of 3.7V.

Lightweight

The energy density of a drone battery can go up to 260wh/g. A drone battery whose electrolytes are polymer will not need a metal shell protective package. Since the polymer battery weighs 40% less compared to the lithium-ion battery, the drone batteries are therefore lighter.

Conductivity

Drone batteries made of polymer have a very low conductivity of electrolyte ions. At the moment drone battery is added additives thus making them improve their conductivity. This will also improve ion conductivity compared to lithium batteries. This, therefore, leads to a stable value with no effect on the quality of the auxiliary material.

Battery Capacity

Lithium polymer batteries have a battery capacity that is from 10% to 15% higher compared to that steel shell batteries having the same size. Lithium polymer drone battery also has a 5% to 10% higher battery capacity compared to that aluminum shell drone batteries.

Less internal resistance

The internal resistance of drone battery with a polymer core is less compared to that of drone batteries with an ordinary liquid core. At the moment, the polymer drone battery has resistance as low as 35 mΩ which greatly reduces the self-consumption of the battery.

Smart cover board

Polymer drone batteries are designed with a corresponding battery management system (BMS). This protects the battery from charge and discharge. The battery management system is the connection between the user and the battery. It has an electronic system that is used to manage a rechargeable drone battery.

Ways of preventing Lithium Polymer (LiPo) Drone Batteries from exploding

Charge the LiPo drone battery properly

Always use the correct balancing drone battery charger to charge your battery. The charger must be properly set for the battery being charged. Confirm that the charger pins are well connected to the battery. Do not charge the battery in an enclosed space near flammable materials otherwise, the fire may quickly spread.

Do not overcharge your LiPo drone battery

Never attempt to overcharge your battery beyond 4.2V on every cell. You should also not discharge your drone battery beyond 3V. Any of this can lead to permanent damage to the drone battery. If you notice that your battery is swelling during charging, you should discard it as it is already damaged.

Always keep your drone battery safe

Always store your drone battery at room temperature. Store them in a safe metal box or LiPo storage that is fireproof. When storing a drone battery for a few days, you should store it with at least a 40% charge. Perform a full charge as well as discharge cycle once every month. Storing LiPo drone battery flat for long periods might make them not charge again.

Keep Drone battery clean

Just like drones get dirty, their batteries too do get dirty. Both of these can lead to slow performance. You should always keep the compartment of the drone battery and the drone connectors free from any debris and dirt. In case of any dirt, use a brush with soft bristles to clean off the dirt.

Conclusion

Taking care of your drone battery is very important as this reduces any chances of having to buy a new battery after damage. Getting a quality battery from a trusted drone battery manufacturer is key to reducing the chances of purchasing low-quality battery.

If you have any questions regarding drone batteries or may wish to order a drone battery, please talk to us. Our experienced team will be happy to serve you.