Gel Blasters batteries information and maintenance

2021-08-14

In this blog, we will start discussing a very crucial part of your gelsoft, which is the gel blaster batteries. Batteries have an impact on gel blaster performance, whether it is the type of battery, or the voltage. So i think there is a necessary to talk about it

Unlike Airsoft or paintball, which mainly run on gas, The gel guns realy on the power of electricity. This inevitably leads to the use of batteries. Ok, let's talk about the info on batteries.

General info on Gel Ball Blaster batteries

We will characterize a battery according to a few criteria:

• Its nominal voltage (V), which will represent its power, the higher the voltage of a battery, the faster it will make your motor run (firing rate). The original batteries of the Blasters are 7.4 Volts, on the customs we tend to see 11.1 Volts.
• Its charging capacity (Mah), which will determine the battery's autonomy. We will find in a rather classic way batteries that are between 1200 and 2000 Mah, which generally leaves enough to play an afternoon without too many worries.
• The number of cells, these are small batteries that store an identical nominal voltage and that we will multiply (ex: LiFE have 3 cells of 3.3Volts and therefore have a nominal power of 9.9Volts), for LiPo we will talk about 2s or 3s (2 or 3 cells).

What are the main characteristics of a battery?

We are going to compare batteries using different criteria:

The most common are the Sticks, this type of battery is composed of Nickel-Cadium (NiCd), the particularity of these batteries is that it tend to discharge themselves at rest, and they are subject to a strong "memory effect". This means that a battery that is regularly recharged when it is not empty will retain this "threshold" as its minimum charge capacity.

Then there are NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride), unlike NiCd, they do not contain heavy metals and are therefore more environmentally friendly. They also have a longer lifespan and can withstand higher charge cycles (more than 300 recharges without any problem). In addition, they have the advantage of being resistant and easy to handle. Not very common in the Gel Blaster community, they are often supplied as standard with entry-level Airsoft products.

The LiPo Gel Blaster battery, which is becoming more and more widespread, has many advantages, and has a much longer life than the other types presented so far. They have constant voltage until the battery is completely discharged. They are also much more efficient with the use of "high torque" or "high speed" motors. Finally, they have an additional technical characteristic, the "10c/20c/30c" values, which is their discharge rate, it is very high which means that they will drain much more slowly than other types of batteries.

However, they do have one disadvantage, which is their fragility. It is necessary to avoid complete discharge, which can cause one of the cells to swell and eventually lead to an explosion. The same goes for charging, they do not tolerate overcharging and require the use of a charger with a balance to stop charging when the battery is full.

LiFe batteries are less widespread but offer many advantages, they offer all the advantages of LiPo while being more robust.

How to charge gel blaster battery?

How to know when your gel blaster battery is charged?

We recommend charging batteries for no more than 1-4 hours. Use the appropriate charger for the type of battery being charged. Once the battery is fully charged, some charger lights will turn from flashing into a solid red or green light and this will indicate the battery is fully charged and ready to use.

How to Maintenance your batteries:

It is necessary to regularly make a visual inspection of your cells to verify that they have not inflated, for example, a sign of a dead and dangerous battery, which should not be used anymore!

Always store them out of your Blasters, unplugged and in a dry place that is neither too hot nor too cold. There are even special storage bags to store your LiPo batteries safely.