Battery
From RC Helicopter Wiki
A battery is a collection of voltaic cells connected together (literally, a battery of cells) in an arrangement to give a particular voltage difference at is terminals, and allow electrons to flow through a conductive load applied to them.
Cells come in a number of different chemistries, each with different properties.
- Dry cell
- Covers a number of non-rechargeable chemistries, typically with a nominal voltage of 1.5V.
- Lead Acid
- Cheap robust battery technology, but poor energy density. Nominal voltage of 2.1V.
- Nickel Cadmium (NiCd)
- Older form of rechargeable battery with a nominal voltage of 1.2V, used as a dry cell substitute. Largely superseded by NiMH cells.
- Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH)
- Newer form of rechargeable battery with a nominal voltage of 1.2V.
- A variation of lithium ion cells with a nominal voltage of 3.8V; have very good capacity to weight, but are intolerant of abuse.
- Lithium Iron (LiFe)
- A variation of lithium ion cells; much more tolerant of abuse, but with lower energy density. Often sold under the name A123 or M1 cells.
[edit] Buying new batteries and making connections
If you buy batteries for your helicopter, sometimes they might not have connectors on them (see image on right). In this case, please see this instructional video for a general method on how to do this.