What is a Lipo battery?
The Lipo battery, for "Lithium Polymer Battery", is a tool becoming more and more common on film sets, in reality this technology is present everywhere in different forms, such as in Smartphones, Laptops and tablets.
This guide is intended for operators or camera assistants wishing to learn about the origins of Lipo battery technology and how to take the best care of it.
There are different types of batteries like our good old V-Lock batteries and DV batteries (NPF, LP-E6 and more), but since the arrival of drones and gimbal, derived from the uses of hobbyists, came the Lithium Batteries Polymer or Lipos, Their big advantage comes from their light construction as well as their high power. All capacities exist, from the 100mAh battery with a single cell, to the 6-cell 22000 mah batteries that can be found on large drones.
However, these batteries require special maintenance in order to ensure the longest life, or more simply to avoid a disaster due to poor maintenance. We are talking here about a battery that can catch fire and literally damage your equipment or worse…. YOUR PLACE!
This guide covers the technology at the stage where it is today, the Lipo battery having improved considerably over time, we are not immune to having in the future Lipos batteries as robust as our V batteries. -Locks (By the way, do you remember the V-Locks battery chargers that caught fire in the past?)
What are the differences with older NiCad and NiMH technologies?
For several decades, we have used Nickel-Cadmium (NiCD) batteries, then Nickel-Metal Hybrid (NiMH). These technologies still serve us today (think of rechargeable batteries for example or the batteries of old telephones.) With these batteries, the key to success in maintaining performance and life as long as possible has always been extreme care. . These technologies suffer from significant self-unloading when not in use. NiCd batteries typically lose 1% of their charge per day; and NiMHs lose 5-20% of their charge on the first day and 1-4% per day on subsequent days. Some technologies have been implemented in these batteries to limit losses but they still remain problematic.
The Lipo battery does not discharge as much over time. Typically, you can leave a fully charged Lipo battery on your shelf for a month and only lose 1% of its charge. This means that, in theory, you can leave charged Lipos batteries at home without fear of finding them empty a month later before going on set, Hooray!
So everything you know about these old technologies can be put aside. However the Lipo battery requires another level of respect and other rules apply. You've probably heard stories of batteries catching fire due to misuse, but if used correctly, you should have no problems and these batteries will save you a shoot on many occasions!
In this guide, I will tell you how to take care of your Lipos batteries. And we are talking about improving the life of your battery up to 4 times!
How to take care of a new Lipo battery?
If you have ever purchased a new battery and measured the voltage, you will find that each battery cell is approximately 3.8/3.85V per cell. This voltage corresponds to approximately 40% of its capacity, because manufacturers have come to the conclusion that this is the best voltage for storing batteries over a long period of time. All new batteries arrive in this condition. I'm sure you've bought a new laptop and discovered that the battery was half charged when it turned on. Now you know why!
When charging new batteries, it is advisable not to use the Fast Charge function of your load at least during the first charging cycles. This means, do not charge your batteries at a rate higher than '1C' (I will explain the value 'C' of charge later). The same goes for your first discharge cycle. Some people say it's not necessary, but it can't hurt your batteries anyway. The idea is not to use a device that draws too much current and not to discharge your batteries more than 50% for the first cycles. This will help the battery accustom its internal charge marker and prepare the battery for longer life. After a few cycles, the batteries may show abest performance and it is a sign that the battery is ready for normal use.
How to charge a Lipo battery?
It is very important that your charger is specialized for Lipo batteries and that the charger has a "Balance" feature, which is now the default in most specialized chargers. This feature is essential for safety and battery life reasons.
The operating voltage of a Lipo battery is typically 3 to 4.2V per cell. Discharging cells below 3V will cause irreversible damage and charging above 4.2V is very dangerous and easier to achieve than you might think! If you have chosen the "Lipo" function of your charger, it will be set to stop when it detects a 4.2V peak on one of the cells. If you choose the wrong type of battery, and charge above 4.2V, the battery will start to swell and if you don't watch it, will eventually catch fire! YES, IT IS THAT DANGEROUS, so be careful when it comes to charging your batteries!
Which charger to use?
There are many kinds of chargers, the most classic being the simple scale chargers without a screen, like those you get with a Movi, Newton or Bestody one and others. These chargers are simple to use but are sometimes a little slow and do not have all the functionality of a real charger.
The best is to use a one-way charger, available from 50W of power, and the range extends to chargers with much higher powers. These chargers have the advantage of being fast (you can charge your battery up to 3, 4 or even 5C, we will come back to this concept later). You'll be able to "balance" your batteries, prepare them for long-term storage (which is like dropping the battery to 40% capacity, remember?) and more.
What is a Lipo battery?
The Lipo battery, for "Lithium Polymer Battery", is a tool becoming more and more common on film sets, in reality this technology is present everywhere in different forms, such as in Smartphones, Laptops and tablets.
This guide is intended for operators or camera assistants wishing to learn about the origins of Lipo battery technology and how to take the best care of it.
There are different types of batteries like our good old V-Lock batteries and DV batteries (NPF, LP-E6 and more), but since the arrival of drones and gimbal, derived from the uses of hobbyists, came the Lithium Batteries Polymer or Lipos, Their big advantage comes from their light construction as well as their high power. All capacities exist, from the 100mAh battery with a single cell, to the 6-cell 22000 mah batteries that can be found on large drones.
However, these batteries require special maintenance in order to ensure the longest life, or more simply to avoid a disaster due to poor maintenance. We are talking here about a battery that can catch fire and literally damage your equipment or worse…. YOUR PLACE!
This guide covers the technology at the stage where it is today, the Lipo battery having improved considerably over time, we are not immune to having in the future Lipos batteries as robust as our V batteries. -Locks (By the way, do you remember the V-Locks battery chargers that caught fire in the past?)
What are the differences with older NiCad and NiMH technologies?
For several decades, we have used Nickel-Cadmium (NiCD) batteries, then Nickel-Metal Hybrid (NiMH). These technologies still serve us today (think of rechargeable batteries for example or the batteries of old telephones.) With these batteries, the key to success in maintaining performance and life as long as possible has always been extreme care. . These technologies suffer from significant self-unloading when not in use. NiCd batteries typically lose 1% of their charge per day; and NiMHs lose 5-20% of their charge on the first day and 1-4% per day on subsequent days. Some technologies have been implemented in these batteries to limit losses but they still remain problematic.
The Lipo battery does not discharge as much over time. Typically, you can leave a fully charged Lipo battery on your shelf for a month and only lose 1% of its charge. This means that, in theory, you can leave charged Lipos batteries at home without fear of finding them empty a month later before going on set, Hooray!
So everything you know about these old technologies can be put aside. However the Lipo battery requires another level of respect and other rules apply. You've probably heard stories of batteries catching fire due to misuse, but if used correctly, you should have no problems and these batteries will save you a shoot on many occasions!
In this guide, I will tell you how to take care of your Lipos batteries. And we are talking about improving the life of your battery up to 4 times!
How to take care of a new Lipo battery?
If you have ever purchased a new battery and measured the voltage, you will find that each battery cell is approximately 3.8/3.85V per cell. This voltage corresponds to approximately 40% of its capacity, because manufacturers have come to the conclusion that this is the best voltage for storing batteries over a long period of time. All new batteries arrive in this condition. I'm sure you've bought a new laptop and discovered that the battery was half charged when it turned on. Now you know why!
When charging new batteries, it is advisable not to use the Fast Charge function of your load at least during the first charging cycles. This means, do not charge your batteries at a rate higher than '1C' (I will explain the value 'C' of charge later). The same goes for your first discharge cycle. Some people say it's not necessary, but it can't hurt your batteries anyway. The idea is not to use a device that draws too much current and not to discharge your batteries more than 50% for the first cycles. This will help the battery accustom its internal charge marker and prepare the battery for longer life. After a few cycles, the batteries may show abest performance and it is a sign that the battery is ready for normal use.
How to charge a Lipo battery?
It is very important that your charger is specialized for Lipo batteries and that the charger has a "Balance" feature, which is now the default in most specialized chargers. This feature is essential for safety and battery life reasons.
The operating voltage of a Lipo battery is typically 3 to 4.2V per cell. Discharging cells below 3V will cause irreversible damage and charging above 4.2V is very dangerous and easier to achieve than you might think! If you have chosen the "Lipo" function of your charger, it will be set to stop when it detects a 4.2V peak on one of the cells. If you choose the wrong type of battery, and charge above 4.2V, the battery will start to swell and if you don't watch it, will eventually catch fire! YES, IT IS THAT DANGEROUS, so be careful when it comes to charging your batteries!
Which charger to use?
There are many kinds of chargers, the most classic being the simple scale chargers without a screen, like those you get with a Movi, Newton or Bestody one and others. These chargers are simple to use but are sometimes a little slow and do not have all the functionality of a real charger.
The best is to use a one-way charger, available from 50W of power, and the range extends to chargers with much higher powers. These chargers have the advantage of being fast (you can charge your battery up to 3, 4 or even 5C, we will come back to this concept later). You'll be able to "balance" your batteries, prepare them for long-term storage (which is like dropping the battery to 40% capacity, remember?) and more.
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