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Table of Contents
BASICS ABOUT LIPO BATTERIES
Connectors
The LiPo batteries usually have two connectors, the main connector and the balance connector:
Main Connector:
Provides the main power for the battery when charging and drains the power when discharging. It is directly connected to the electronics.
WARNING: Some small batteries have two main connectors, one of them can be confused with a balance connector and produce a short-circuit to the charger (white connector in the picture).
Balance Connector:
This cable is plugged into a battery charger and provides the information needed to keep the voltages between cells almost equal.
Battery's Specs
Cell Count:
This number indicates the total of cells that a battery has.
Voltage:
The nominal voltage of 1 cell should be 3.7V. It can go up to 4.2V and as low as 3V, but they should never exceed this limits.
Capacity:
Is the amount of energy that the battery can store. It is measured in miliamps hours (mAh). With a 1000mAh battery, the energy it has will last 1 hour with a continuous draw of 1A or 1000mA.
Charge and Discharge Rate:
This number is usually followed by a “C” in the battery package. It indicates the maximum rating at which a battery can be charged or discharged.