Airsoft Batteries

Powering that Pew, Pew-Beast with the Airsoft battery.

Most airsoft replicas that you purchase don't include a battery or a charger and those that do, you are more often than not, better off not using them.... 

Sooooo.... now you need to purchase a new battery and charger, where do you start? 

You'll find that there are many different types of Airsoft batteries available for the AEG.  They come in different shapes and sizes, volts and milliamp hour (mAh) ratings.  What you may not know, is that it is not just the fit and price that you should look at but that those voltages and mAh ratings are important to pay attention to as well. The voltage and mAh have a huge affect on the performance of your gun.

First, I would like to clear up the common myth about upgrading to larger voltage batteries:  THEY WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR FPS.  So don't think that if you're currently running a small 8.4V battery and you bump up to a 12V battery that you're going to see an increase in the velocity of your rifle.

Voltage 
More voltage equals faster trigger response and a higher rate of fire (ROF) when using full-auto.  Higher voltage is also needed in high-torque setups like DMR rifles in order to give the motor enough power to pull back the heavy spring.There is also a tradeoff though as with the higher voltage, electrically it can cause the trigger contacts and motor to burn out faster and as the overall rate of fire increases, it can lead to faster and more catastrophic failures in the gearbox.

A good example is found in the Masada that I just purchased. It was run with an 11.1 V Lipo battery - the very first time that the kid took the new toy out! The result? He stripped the teeth off not only the piston but off one of the gears as well, turning his gun into a $249.99
wall hanger..... Make sure your replica can handle the higher voltage!

mAh 

• This stands for "milliamp hour" NOT the commonly-used phrase, "milliamps PER hour."  mAh is a rating used to indicate the storage capacity of the battery. Basically, how long it will last on a full charge before the battery's voltage drops below a certain level, deeming it useless unless recharged. Think of it this way:

"A one pint water bottle and a 5 gallon bucket both hold that same type of water but the bucket will last you a lot longer."

   

Deans vs. Tamiya 

• Get Deans connectors. Tamiya are difficult to connect and disconnect and have a higher level of resistance (don't pass the voltage as well) than the Deans.  Another plus side to the Deans is that you are pretty much guaranteed a positive connection all the time, whereas with Tamiya connectors, even though the male and female might be physically connected, the metal pins inside the plastic cases may not actually be touching each other or will randomly disconnect. - This can lead to some pretty embarrassing moments on the field... 

NiCD, NiMH or Li-Po

Nickel Cadmium - NiCD  No.  Do Not Get These!  They suffer from a memory effect that requires you to fully discharge the battery before recharging it, otherwise you will never get a full charge again.  The amount of energy the battery can store per charge will be reduced and you will have to charge your battery more often from there on out.  If you're thinking about getting this type, don't.  Just get an NiMH-type battery and you will be good to go. 

 

Nickel Metal Hydride - NiMH.
This is the most common battery type seen on the market.  They are very safe, very reliable batteries.  For AEGs, they come in voltages of 8.4, 9.6, 10.8, and 12.  See how the voltages get larger by 1.2?  That's because each time you go up a level in voltage, you're adding another battery cell to the pack.  Each individual battery cell in the pack carries a voltage of 1.2.  To get the total pack voltage, you simply add the number of cells and multiply by 1.2 volts.  The downside to these batteries is their large size.  The more volts and/or the more mAh you want, the larger your battery will have to be.  

Lithium Polymer - Lipo
This battery was somewhat controversial when it emerged onto the Airsoft scene. There was a lot of skepticism and rumors floating around about how dangerous they are.  Videos on YouTube started popping up of science nerds performing experiments that would cause these batteries to explode, or at least catch on fire.  This caused an Airsoft hysteria and many decided to avoid these batteries. Lipo batteries for Airsoft AEGs come in voltages of 7.4, 11.1 (which is most common) and for extreme setups, 14.8.  Like NiMH batteries, increasing voltage means increasing the number of battery cells in the pack.  A single Lithium Polymer cell contains 3.7 volts. Li-Po batteries have the advantage over NiMH batteries in that they utilize a higher voltage in a relatively small package.  The small package of the Li-Po comes in handy when you're limited on the space in which your AEG allows you to store batteries such as in the handgaurd of your M4 or the stock of your Scar.  Often times, using a Li-Po battery will eliminate the need to use an external battery bag or mock PEQ box to store the battery outside of the gun in order to use a battery with a high enough voltage for your needs.   

  
  Chargers

Do NOT use the same charger you use to charge your NiMH batteries to charge your Li-Po  batteries, if you use multiple types.  Each type requires its own special charger.  Look in the product description of the charger you're giving consideration to purchase.  It will say what type of batteries it will charge.  In the case of the Li-Po battery charger, you'll need a balancer, not just a charger.  You can either get them separately or get Lipo charger that has a balancer built in.  Balancers help to ensure that each cell in the battery pack receives an equal (or very close to) amount of energy during the recharging process.  Not balancing your cells can result in nasty things that involve smoke and fire! 

Padre' out...