Know How... 115

How rust and nanotubes will make quick charging batteries, basics using the Tor Bundle, and part one of building your own Quadcopter.

Let's Talk About Lithium-Ion Batteries!

• They're everywhere!
• Your phone/laptop/watch/Cars/Quadcopters

We like them because they contain a lot of power and are relatively easy to build into designs, but there are a few problems:

1. Runaway reactions
2. Limited Use: a few hundred to a few thousand charge cycles, and the cells are useless
3. Charge time: There are SOME LiPos that can handle a ridiculous amount of charging current, but fast charging usually KILLS the life-span of the cells.

Li-Po cells are only safe as long as the chemistry is stable. If you overcharge a cell, or over-current the charging, or if you leave it in a full-power SoC (State of Charge) for too long, the chemistry became unstable and you get gassing, fires, death/destruction.

There has been some promising research with Lithium-Poly cells that incorporate carbon nanotubes:

• Carbon Nanotubes are EXCEPTIONALLY good at stabilizing battery chemistry and improving its ability to absorb MORE charge, to receive it more quickly and discharge it more quickly.
• In other words, Carbon-Nanotubes can hold more, charge faster, and give more power/more quickly to the device being powered.

Unfortunately, we STILL haven't mastered the manufacturing of carbon nanotubes in quantity. So batteries with carbon nanotubes, though very promising, are ridicuously expensive and rare.

Luckily... a few researches at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore MAY have found an alternative to the elusive, expensive, and all too-rare nanotubes: RUSTED TITANIUM

• Professor Chen Xiaodong -- NTU School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Discovered a way to form Titanium Dioxide (Rusted Titanium) into nanotubes
• The nanotubes are kept in suspension within a gel

When the gel is introduced into Lithium-Poly chemistry, the tiny nanotubes GREATLY increase the amount of surface area within the cell:

• This increases the surface area for reactions within the cell, which GREATLY increases the amount of charge it can safely take
• It also increase the amount of power it can safely discharge
• Because the Titanium Dioxide is in nanotube form, it stabilizes the chemistry of the LiPo and increases the lifespan of a typical cell by more than 10x that of a traditional cell. (20 years vs. 2 years)

This means we can have have LiPo batteries that can charge in seconds and minutes instead of minutes and hours.

• Used in EVs, we could have 2 minute recharges
• With faster recharges, we could reduce the size of our battery packs (because it's fast to charge)

In other words... the future... compliments of RUST!

Download the Tor Bundle https://www.torproject.org/

Here Is Our Parts List...

x250 Class

• NEEWER Flysky FS-T6 2.4Ghz 6-Channel Radio $59.95
• Hobbypower KK2.1 Flight Controller $29.98
• Kit (Includes frame, motors, battery, props, ESCs, power distribution, FPV mount, motor mounts) $109.99
• Imax B6 Balance Charger $21.62
• AC Adapter for Charger $5.65
• LiPo Battery Bag $8.81
• T-Plug Adapters $6.28
• Total Price: $242.28

x450 Class

• NEEWER Flysky FS-T6 2.4Ghz 6-Channel Radio $59.95
• Hobbypower KK2.1 Flight Controller $29.98
• Imax B6 Balance Charger $21.62
• AC Adapter for Charger $5.65
• LiPo Battery Bag $8.81
• T-Plug Adapters $6.28
• X450 Frame (inc Power Distribution) $19.95
• 10x4.5 Props (x2 CW // x2 CCW) $7.88
• Receiver/Controller Leads $2.66
• 4x Emax 945kv 2212 Brushless Motor $65.96
• Neewer 30a ESC x 4 $31.95
• Turnigy 2200mAh 3s 25C LiPo Battery $10.60
• Total Price: $271.29

x525 Class

• Hobbypower X525 Kit (Frame, Motors, Props, ESCs, Flight Controller, PowerDist) $129.95
• NEEWER Flysky FS-T6 2.4Ghz 6-Channel Radio $59.95 
• max B6 Balance Charger $21.62
• AC Adapter for Charger $5.65
• LiPo Battery Bag $8.81
• T-Plug Adapters $6.28
• Turnigy 2200mAh 3s 25C LiPo Battery $10.60
• Total Price: $242.86

Trainers!

Don't build a nice Quad just to crash it into the ground as you're learning to fly. Both Padre and Cranky Hippo suggest you get your practice on a nearly indestructible trainer like the Swann QuadForce or the Syma X5c. These are IDENTICAL (except for the color scheme) and are fast, fun and will teach you all the basics of Quadcopter flight.

Connect with us!

Don't forget to check out our large library of projects at https://twit.tv/shows/know-how.

Tweet at us at @padresj, @Cranky_Hippo, and @Anelf3

• Transcripts: Know How... 115 (Transcript)