What battery should I buy?

[frenchy]

I have just started building my first quadcopter. I am a programmer so have decided to build and program it from scratch using an arduino mega to control the quad.

I have four 2217 880KV outrunners with a 4 x 30A all in one speed controller and I'm using a Flycat 4 FPV frame as I intend to mount two small cameras to the front.

I am using 10 x 45 props.

I have no idea what battery to get though, I've also never used Lipos, could anyone recommend what battery to use (batteries? ) and possibly what sort of charger I need to use.

 

[Mike]

Sorry no one has responded yet! I missed this thread somehow. With that setup, I would go 4S (cell) for your power system and a smaller battery for your camera equipment. On the camera battery, the number of cells would depend on the power rating of your camera equipment.. The mAh is up to you since there is a weight vs. capacity tradeoff. I always tell people to start with this link to understand Lipos:

http://multicopter.forestblue.nl/lipo_need_calculator.html

Also, Lipo batteries that aren't properly taken care of (improperly charged, discharged, stored, etc.) and sometimes ones that are well taken care of can catch on fire and/or blow up, so you definitely want to take a lot of precautions with them. I'd recommend lipo bags for storage, charging, and transport:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__1114__85__batteries_accessories-lipo_safe_bags.html

Youtube: Lipo Fire =)

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lipo fire

When it comes to chargers, it's going to depend on the battery. Look for the following:

1. It must be a charger specifically for lipo batteries.
2. It must be rated to charge and balance the number of cells your batteries have (usually will be a range on the charger)
3. It must be rated to charge at a rate your battery can handle
4. Because RC is popular in so many countries and these chargers are usually all made in China, you may need to buy the wall plug for the charger separately.

Hobbyking sells a lot of chargers.