Lipo Test Overview

Testing Methods and Notes

Each battery is brand new with only minimal charge cycles on it (typically three to four). Batteries that vary significantly from the "norm" are rechecked to rule out anomalies.

The discharge test is performed by discharging the battery at a maximum of 3.5A until it reaches a cut-off voltage of 3.1V.

Usable Capacity is based on the total amperage consumed during the test.

"True C" is derived from the Usable Capacity and the measured Internal Resistance of each battery and is based on a formula that originated somewhere in the "A simple LiPo performance tool" thread on the RCGroups.com forums. The number is most useful for comparing these batteries to each other since they're all measured in the same way, under the same conditions..

Max (Burst) Output is a separate test where the batteries are discharged at the highest current they can handle. In order to reduce the stress on the batteries, the test is stopped as soon as the current levels off (the test only lasts a few seconds).

Internal Resistance is measured on an iCharger308 DUO over the balance port. The batteries are installed onto a serial charge harness for this measurement and look like a single 3 or 6-cell battery to the charger, depending upon which harness is used.

All of the numbers above will get lower as the batteries age and as their connectors wear from repeated connections.

All log information and calculations can be viewed in this document.