LiPo Battery Discharge Rate

A Quick Guide on LiPo Battery Discharge Rate

Introduction

LiPo batteries are lightweight and best in performance. While buying new batteries we get confused about how to match their capacity to our devices. And, if you’re ignorant of the discharge rate of batteries, it adds an extra pain. 

So, the question arises, what is the lipo Battery discharge rate?

It means the maximum load the battery can safely deliver. New batteries should discharge according to the given capacity. Optimal discharge rate 3.7-3.9 volts per 1C capacitance. It’s ideal to have an above 30% discharge rate of the total battery capacity.

Still didn’t get the point? Don’t worry. We’ve explained everything in greater detail. Just spare a few minutes and read along. 

We guarantee that you won’t regret learning more.

A Little About LiPo Battery Capacity

The capacity simply measures the power a battery can hold. We can think of it as a container. It stores the energy to be discharged while the battery is in use. The discharge of power is generally measured in Ampere (A). 

That’s why the measuring unit is denoted by milliamp-hours (mAh). 1mAh capacitance means it drains 1 Amp energy per 1 hour. In other words, it means how long your device can run until the charge finishes.

So, the higher the capacity the more you can run. But big capacitance causes large batteries to be overweight. Also, it’ll produce a huge amount of heat than the lower ones. 

It’s recommended to use batteries according to your needs. More or less, it will affect the lifespan of your device. 

Now you’re ready to know about the LiPo discharge rate. Up next, you’ll learn what it means and how it’s calculated from capacity. 

LiPo Battery Discharge Rate Meaning

As we’ve got the idea of capacity, we can start our core discussion on discharge rate-

The term ‘discharge rate’ is often addressed as a “C” rating. Talking about flight or run time and motor performance, a “C” rating comes in. A higher “C” rating will generate higher power to accelerate. 

“C” rating simply denotes how fast the capacity of energy the battery can safely discharge. This energy is drawn by the motors and rotors.

Calculating a “C” Or Discharge Rating

In LiPo batteries, we often encounter something like 20C or 30C. Here 20C is the measure of “C” rating. Or, actually the discharge rate of that LiPo battery. 

Now suppose a battery has 3000mAh capacitance with 20C “C” rating. That means-

The discharge rate (in Ampere) is = 3A x 20 = 60A

While buying new Lipo batteries you should know which one performs better. Also, you should know how much current is drawn by your device. Because it’ll determine the discharge rate you should have in your batteries. 

It’s assumed that the higher the C-Rating the higher power it circulates. Because high-rated batteries suffer less voltage drop while discharging. And, through consistent voltage supply, we enjoy the best performance in use. 

Remember, you have the facility to draw more power than it discharges naturally. But it’s never recommended.

As it consumes power faster than before, its normal peace is disrupted. Therefore it results in overheating issues and sometimes ends in burst into flames. 

Sometimes performance is equivalent to the voltage it consumes. So, while caring about the discharge rate, care should be given on the number of cells it has. Because a battery with more cells provides a higher voltage. And, that results in higher RPM for brushless motors. 

Cells in LiPo batteries are denoted by ‘S’. 2S means 2 cells are merged in a serial connection. 

The battle between 3S and 4S batteries has continued for a long time. So make sure which one to buy for yours. But never buy lower “C” rated batteries, as you won’t get the max performance then.

Importance Of Discharge Rating

Well, of course. If you want to increase the longevity of your newly bought LiPo, it’s important. 

We’ve already mentioned how it affects the performance of your devices. Therefore you should care about which LiPo battery best fits your devices.

Usually, we know only motors draw the power from batteries. But in reality, a few factors are needed to consider. 

For instance, we can talk about a monster truck. Rather than motors, tire weight, size, driving route, etc determine the final draw. Thus we get a higher battery draw than the maximum motor draw.

One more tip for you, never fully discharge the LiPo batteries. If you do so your battery will be dead. And, you might struggle to charge a dead lipo battery. So, it’s better to keep at least 50% of the charge.

However, it’s good to buy a bit higher capacity LiPo batteries. As it’ll be able to perfectly tackle these corner cases when it may concern. 

We have a quick suggestion for the best LiPo batteries. Make sure to check it out before purchasing new cells.

Product 1
Product 2

Thus you can get prizewinning batteries for sure. We hope you’ve understood everything about the lipo discharge rate.

However, if you want to depuff a lipo battery, discharging is very important. It’s recommended to fully discharge the battery before you dispose of it or throw it out. 

FAQ

Question: What should be the discharge rate of the LiPo battery?

Answer: ~ 3.7 to 3.9 Volts per cell for storage is the optimum one. But it should never be fully charged or discharged. Always try to keep at least 50% of its total capacity.

Question: What is High Discharge LiPo?

Answer: It simply means how quickly the battery can be drained. Usually, A battery with 5000mah means its charging rate should not be faster than 5A. And it would take 1 hour to complete the charge.

Question: Is it ok to leave the LiPo discharged for a long time?

Answer: No, it’s highly discouraged to leave it discharged for many days. It’s recommended to discharge the batteries every 3 days if they remain unused. If they are unused for more than 3 days, you should discharge them instantly. Maintain 3.6-3.8v to keep them safe.

Takeaways

That’s all we’ve for you. We have tried to mention everything about the lipo Battery discharge rate. We hope your concept has been crystal clear by now.

If you have any further inquiries just let us know in the comment box. We’ll reach you as soon as we can.

Good luck!

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