3.7V 1800mAh LiPo Battery (103450) - 6.66Wh High Capacity Lithium Polymer Cell with Protection PCB

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

1. What does "103450" mean? It signifies the standard dimensions of the bare internal cell: approximately 10mm thick, 34mm wide, and 50mm long.

2. What is the nominal voltage of this battery? The nominal (average operating) voltage is 3.7V.

3. What is the voltage when fully charged? A fully charged 1S LiPo battery will read exactly 4.2V on a multimeter.

4. Does this battery have built-in protection? Yes, a miniature protection PCB is hidden under the yellow Kapton tape at the top of the battery.

5. What does the protection circuit actually do? It protects the battery chemistry from catching fire due to overcharging, prevents permanent chemical degradation from over-discharging, and cuts power instantly if a short circuit occurs on your output wires.

6. Are the wires open-ended or do they have a plug? This battery ships with 50mm open-ended (bare) wire leads. It does not come with a pre-crimped plastic connector.

7. Which wire is positive? The red wire is Positive (+), and the black wire is Negative (-).

8. What does "discharge at 0.2C" mean? "C" represents the total capacity of the battery. 0.2C means 20% of 1800mAh, which is 360 milliamps (360mA). To get the absolute maximum lifespan and extract the true 1800mAh capacity out of this battery per cycle, your circuit should optimally draw around 360mA continuously.

9. Will it break if my project draws more than 360mA? No. 360mA is the optimal continuous rate. An 1800mAh battery is a large cell and can easily supply 1 Amp to 2 Amps for bursts (like running audio amplifiers or cellular modems), but pulling very heavy currents constantly will drain it faster and slightly reduce its overall cycle lifespan.

10. Can I charge this with a standard TP4056 module? Yes, it is the perfect match! A standard TP4056 module pushes 1000mA (1A) by default. For an 1800mAh battery, 1A is roughly a 0.55C charge rate. This is an extremely safe, ideal charging speed that will fully recharge the battery from dead in under two hours without stressing the chemistry.

11. Can I wire this directly to a 5V USB cable to charge it? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Applying raw 5V directly to a LiPo battery will cause it to swell, vent toxic gas, and catch fire. You must use a dedicated Lithium-Ion charger IC.

12. Can I power a 5V Arduino Uno with this? A standard Arduino Uno expects 5V. This battery only outputs 3.7V. You will need a "Boost Converter" module to step the 3.7V up to a stable 5V.

13. What microcontrollers work best with this? It provides ample power for full single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi Zero, as well as 3.3V microcontrollers like the ESP32, ESP8266, and Arduino Nano 33 IoT.

14. How long are the wires? The flexible wire leads are approximately 50mm (about 2 inches) long.

15. Can I cut the wires to make them shorter? Yes. CRITICAL WARNING: Always cut the wires one at a time. Cutting both the red and black wires simultaneously with metal snips will instantly short-circuit the battery!

16. Can I wire two of these in series to get 7.4V? It is highly discouraged to wire individual, internally protected LiPo cells in series. The two independent protection boards can conflict and cause dangerous charging and discharging failures.

17. Can I wire two in parallel to get 3600mAh (3.6Ah)? Yes, but only if both batteries are measured with a multimeter and are at the exact same voltage (e.g., both exactly 3.8V) before connecting them together.

18. Is this battery waterproof? No. The silver foil pouch is sealed, but the top circuit board and the wire connections are fully exposed to the elements.

19. Why does my battery look puffy or swollen? LiPo batteries puff up when damaged, old, or severely over-discharged. If your battery swells like a balloon, stop using it immediately and safely recycle it.

20. How should I store this battery if I am not using it for a while? Never store LiPo batteries fully charged (4.2V) or fully dead (3.0V) for long periods. Store them at a "storage charge" of roughly 3.8V in a cool, dry, fire-safe location.