LiPo Care Basics
FPV batteries are consumables, but bad habits can halve their life in a month — and LiPo fires are real. The rules below cover 95% of it.
Voltage windows (per cell)
| State | LiPo | LiHV | Li-ion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full charge | 4.20 V | 4.35 V | 4.20 V |
| Storage | 3.80–3.85 V | 3.80–3.85 V | ~3.5 V |
| Land by (under load) | ~3.5 V | ~3.5 V | ~2.8–3.0 V |
| Damage territory | < 3.0 V | < 3.0 V | < 2.5 V |
Charging
- Charge at 1C (a 1300 mAh pack → 1.3 A). Quality packs tolerate more, but 1C is the longevity default.
- Always balance charge.
- Charge on a non-flammable surface or in a LiPo bag, and never leave a charging pack unattended.
- Never charge a pack that is still warm from flying, puffed, or physically damaged.
Storage
The single biggest life-extender: do not store packs full or empty. Put them at storage voltage (3.80–3.85 V/cell) if they will sit for more than a couple of days. Store in a fireproof container, away from anything that burns.
Flying
Land around 3.5 V per cell under load (roughly 3.7 V resting). Flying a LiPo to the hard floor every session is the fastest way to a puffed pack. Set an OSD voltage alarm — it is built into every modern FC.
Li-ion is different
18650/21700 Li-ion packs (used in long-range builds) trade current delivery for energy density: they sag much more, deliver far less current, but store roughly twice the energy per gram and are safe to run down to ~2.8 V per cell. Do not expect punch-outs from them; expect 25-minute cruises.
End of life
A pack is done when it is puffed, a cell will not hold balance, or IR has tripled from new. Discharge it fully (a low-power bulb or the charger's discharge mode), then take it to a battery recycling point — do not bin it, and do not trust the old salt-water trick to render it safe.