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How to Build a Battery for a R/C Car

Battery packs for RC cars can be very expensive but it's easy to build your own. Most RC cars available on the market require about 10 volts to operate their motor. If you use lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries to build a battery pack for an RC car, you get to use fewer batteries than you would with other materials, like nickel cadmium (NiCad) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH). The output voltage from each LiPo battery is around 3.5-volts compared to 1.5-volts from many other types. LiPo batteries are also lighter and give your RC car greater endurance. However, the initial cost is greater than some other batteries. Build a battery pack for your RC car using a method called series. It combines the voltage of each battery in the pack, although the capacity remains the same. For example, wiring three 3.5-volt LiPo batteries in series will produce a combined voltage of 10.5-volts, perfect for most RC cars.

Things You'll Need

Three LiPo batteries
Wire (AWG 16 to 18)
Wire strippers
Small knife
Electrical insulating tape

Instructions

- 1
  Lay three LiPo batteries on a flat surface to build a battery pack for your RC car. Alternate the batteries so you have two positive and one negative terminal at one end and two negative and one positive the other. Most LiPo batteries are similar in shape to regular AA batteries and have a positive terminal at the top and a negative terminal at the bottom.
- 2
  Label each battery 1 through 3 then wrap electrical insulating tape around then to form a firm battery pack.
- 3
  Cut four pieces of wire with a small knife: two long enough to reach your RC car's motor and the other two long enough to link the batteries together. Use thin gauge wire such as AWG 16 or 18.
- 4
  Strip ¼-inch of plastic coating off both ends of each piece of wire with wire strippers or a small knife. Cut six small strips of electrical insulating tape. Cut the tape long enough so you will be able to cover the terminal of each battery and wrap over the edges of the battery. These will be used to hold the wires in place.
- 5
  Attach one end of a short piece of wire to the negative terminal of the battery labeled 1 using tape. Attach the other end to the positive terminal of battery 2.
- 6
  Attach the other short piece of wire to the negative terminal of battery 2 and connect the opposite end to the positive terminal of battery 3 using tape.
- 7
  Attach one of the longer pieces of wire to the positive terminal of battery 1 then connect the second piece of longer wire to the negative terminal of battery 3. The opposite ends of each piece of long wire will attach to the corresponding terminals on your RC car's motor.

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