In the drones industry, whether it is aerial photography, agricultural plant protection, inspection or security, batteries are the key to the success or failure of the project. In the initial verification stage of many projects, the body structure, flight control system and power motor all performed perfectly, but after entering mass production, the problems often focused on the power battery: unstable battery life, battery bulge, abnormal heating, and even sudden power failure during flight. This is a common pain point in the industry. Today, we will discuss how to screen out truly reliable drone lithium battery suppliers from the source.
What is the difference between drone lithium battery and ordinary battery?
Many people think that batteries are not all the same? There’s a big difference.Let’s start with ordinary batteries, such as mobile phones, power tools or batteries for some consumer electronics. Their characteristics are generally:
- The discharge is relatively stable and does not require instantaneous large current.
- Focus more on endurance than explosiveness
- Less extreme weight requirements
- The use environment is relatively stable
Simply put, ordinary batteries are more like “use slowly and steadily.” But the drone battery is completely different, it is more like “ready to sprint” state. The core characteristics of UAV battery are: high magnification + high stability + high consistency.
First of all, let’s talk about magnification. Drones do not consume electricity slowly like mobile phones. They are typical “rushing electrical devices.” The takeoff, the motor acceleration, the electric adjustment instant pull current, the current is very large. So you’ll see that the common labels for drone batteries are 10C, 15C, 20C or even higher. Simple understanding is: the same capacity battery, the higher the rate, the greater the instantaneous current can be released. But here’s an easily overlooked question: High magnification is not only good parameters, but also directly affects the flight experience.
What happens if the battery power is not enough?
- No power for takeoff
- Acceleration procrastination
- Frequent flight control alarm
- Voltage drops severely
Further, voltage fluctuations will also affect the judgment of flight control system, resulting in unstable performance of the whole machine. Second is weight. UAVs are particularly afraid of weight. With every little more weight, their endurance will decrease significantly. Therefore, when designing batteries, manufacturers have been doing a balance: high capacity, light weight and safety. These three are actually mutually restrictive. Finally, security. The drone works in the air, and once the battery has a problem, it is not simply “the equipment is broken”, but it may fall directly. This is especially important for industrial and agricultural drones.
Before choosing a manufacturer, first clarify your own needs
A lot of people ask about the price as soon as they come up. In fact, this is the reverse order. You have to figure out what you want first. For example: Do you do aerial drones or agricultural plant protection? Is it consumer grade or industrial grade? How long does the flight take? What’s the voltage? 6S, 12S or higher? Do you need smart batteries (with communication, with BMS)?These questions determine the type of manufacturer you are looking for. Another simple example: If you do consumer-grade aerial photography, the focus is on lightweight and endurance.
If you do crop protection, the emphasis is on high current and stability. If you do industrial inspections, the focus may be on safety and longevity. The demand is different, and the supplier selected is completely different.
How to judge whether a manufacturer is reliable?
This part is the key point. It can be said that 90% of people will step on the pit here.
Does the manufacturer have real drone project experience?
Don’t just listen to him say “we can do it.” What you need to see is whether he actually did it. You could’ve just asked, What drone projects have you done before? In what industries? What are the parameters? Any customer feedback? A factory that has really done the project can tell these details, and it is very specific. If the other party had been evading or answering in general, it basically meant that he did not have enough experience.
Are they factories or middlemen?
This is a crucial question. The biggest differences between factories and traders are: When something goes wrong, who can fix it. Factories usually have: Their assembly line, Cell screening capability, test equipment, process control capability. Traders are more: After purchasing off-the-shelf standard battery products from other manufacturers, only replacing their own brand labels or appearance packaging, and then selling them to you in their own name, this model is essentially not involved in the battery research and development, production and quality control process.
Is the test ability reliable?
The drone battery must undergo rigorous testing, which is not a “plus item”, but a “must item”.You can focus on: high rate discharge test, cycle life test. There are more reliable data than just saying “quality is very good”.
Cell quality and consistency control
A lot of problems are not in the Pack process, but in the battery itself. If the battery consistency is not good, it will appear: Some batteries lose power first, Unstable package performance, The life span is obviously shortened, This is very deadly on drones.
Support customization
Most drone projects are impossible to use “standard batteries”. You may need: Special size, different voltage combinations, different interfaces, customized structural. If the manufacturer can only provide fixed specifications, it is basically difficult to cooperate for a long time.
Technical Support Capabilities
Many people do not pay attention to this point in the early stage, and it will be a headache later. Reliable manufacturers not only sell batteries, but also help you: Matching motors and actuators,
Analyze current demand, Optimize battery usage, Give charging advice.
Price Question: Why can’t we just focus on the low price?
When many people choose suppliers, the first question is: how much? But drone batteries have a real problem:Cheap often means higher hidden costs. If the cycle life of the battery is relatively short, the battery needs to be replaced more frequently during actual use, which will not only increase maintenance costs, but also affect the continuous use efficiency of the equipment, especially in unmanned aerial vehicles that require long-term operation. So in the end, it’s more expensive.
Conclusion
Choose UAV lithium battery manufacturers, in fact, the core is a word: Find a supplier who understands both batteries and drone applications. The drone battery is not an ordinary accessory, it is more like “part of the flight system.” Choose right, your product will be more stable; choose wrong, behind all invisible problems. Xiaowei has 20 years of experience in battery manufacturing industrial, We’ve been focused on delivering reliable battery equipment and practical solutions, and have worked with many well-known companies around the world. If you’re working on a drone project right now, you’re not sure how to choose batteries. Please contact me, I can give you a rough idea of what to do.
*This article is compiled from the Internet and the content is for reference only
