Holy Stone Drone Battery (Everything You Need to Know)

Holy Stone is known for manufacturing some of the best budget drones. If you’re looking for a beginner drone or hobby drone, Holy Stone has got you covered with their affordable, durable, and feature-packed drones. If you’re planning to get one of their drones, you’ll also have to learn how to handle their batteries.

Holy Stone drones utilize LiPo batteries, with flight times ranging from 6 minutes to 25 minutes, depending on the model. LiPo batteries are sensitive, so make sure you follow general and company-specific care practices.

If you’re considering a Holy Stone drone, or you already have one and have run into some issues with the batteries, this article will cover just about everything you need to know about your Holy Stone batteries, and how to get the most out of them.

Which batteries do Holy Stone drones use? #

As you’ll find in most drones, Holy Stone drones come with LiPo (lithium polymer) batteries. The reason drone manufacturers prefer LiPo batteries is their ability to contain more charge while maintaining a miniature size. 

If you’re curious to learn more about why LiPo batteries are the best choice for drones, check out our article on LiPo Batteries for Drones: Everything You Need to Know. 

The lowest resting charge a LiPo battery can have is 3.7V. But some drones may have two cells, three cells, or even more. The voltage in each cell is added together to give the total voltage. For instance, if a battery has 7.4 V, that means it has two cells. 11.1 V means three cells, and so on. And the batteries will be denoted 2S and 3S, 4S, and so on, depending on the number of cells they have. Below are some popular Holy Stone batteries and their voltage.

Drone
Voltage
Number Of Cells
Capacity

Holy Stone F181W
3.7 V
1
750mAh

Holy Stone HS700D
7.4V
2
2800mAh

Holy Stone HS100
7.4V
2
4100mAh

Holy Stone HS160
3.7V
1
500mAh

Holy Stone HS170
3.7V
1
1000mAh

How long does a Holy Stone battery last? #

Holy Stone batteries last anywhere between 6 minutes and 20 minutes. Below are some popular drone models and their flight times per battery.

Drone
Flight Time

Holy Stone F181W
6 to 9 Minutes

Holy Stone HS700D
20 to 22 Minutes

Holy Stone HS100
15 Minutes

Holy Stone HS160
8 Minutes

Holy Stone HS170
7 Minutes

If you’re wondering about how long you can reasonably expect to get good use from your Holy Stone drone battery, the normal lifespan of a LiPo drone battery is somewhere from 1 to 3 years. The wide variation in time is because the battery lifespan is dictated by charge cycles. **Under optimal conditions, a LiPo will be good for 300 to 500 charge cycles, but more realistically, that number is more like 150-250 charge cycles. **

After that the battery will begin to perform less well, and not hold as much of a charge, thus resulting in shorter flight times. You may even start to see signs of damage such as swelling. If you do, it’s definitely time to get a replacement. 

How to charge a Holy Stone battery? #

Holy Stone drones come with a charging cable and charger. The charging process is similar in HS160, HS170, HS100, and F181 drones. Connect the smaller end of the charger to the battery, and connect the other end to a USB adapter, power bank, or computer.

The Holy Stone HS700 comes with a cable, a charge transfer box, and a balance charger. To charge it, start by connecting the battery to the charge transfer box, then connect to the balance charger, then attach the cable, which you will then connect to a USB adapter or power bank.

NOTE: Holy Stone advises users to make sure the power output is at least 5V and between 0.5 and 1 A.

How long does it take to charge a Holy Stone battery? #

The charging time differs with the drone model. Below are the drone models I referenced earlier and their charging times.

Drone
Charging Time

Holy Stone F181W
60 to 90 Minutes

Holy Stone HS700D
5 hours

Holy Stone HS100
3 to 6 hours

Holy Stone HS160
110 Minutes

Holy Stone HS170
45 to 60 Minutes

How do you know when a Holy Stone battery is fully charged? #

The indicator system to tell when a Holy Stone battery is fully charged depends on the drone you’re using. Below is each drone model’s battery and how to check the battery levels.

• Holy Stone HS700 – There are two indicators; a red light and green light. The Red light is solid throughout, but the green light flashes as the battery charges. When the battery is full, both the red light and green light will be on without flashing.
• Holy Stone HS100 – This drone’s battery has a button on the side and four blue LEDs. Just press the button once, and it will switch on and show the battery levels. When all LEDs are on, that means the battery is fully charged. Three solid blue LEDs mean the charge is at least 75%, 2 LEDs 50%, 1 LED 25%, and when they are off, it means the battery level is below 25% and should be recharged.
• Holy Stone F181 and Holy Stone HS160 – These drones have a charge indicator that first goes on when the USB is connected to the power supply, goes off when you connect the battery, and goes on again once the battery is fully charged.
• Holy Stone HS170 – For this drone, there’s a red LED that changes to green when the battery is fully charged.

Can you upgrade your Holy Stone drone batteries? #

Yes, you can use an upgraded (more powerful) battery in your Holy Stone drone, as long as the battery and your drone are compatible. For instance, some of the drones I’ve mentioned come with a 500mAh capacity battery. But you may find aftermarket battery versions for the same drone with a capacity of up to 1000mAh. 

However, avoid dismantling the batteries that came with your drone in an attempt to upgrade them. You risk a fire or permanently damaging the batteries.

How do you remove a Holy Stone battery? #

Below is how to remove the battery of each of the drones highlighted in this post.

• F181 – Open the battery’s cover by slightly sliding it backward and lifting it. Then, disconnect the connecting wires from the battery, and pull it out.
• HS700 – This drone’s battery has a buckle. Just press it in and pull the battery out.
• HS160 – Under the drone, close to the battery compartment, there is a battery lock. Press it, and slide the battery out.
• HS170 – Unplug the battery from the drone’s connectors, and pull the battery out.
• HS100 – The battery has a latch at the top. Press it while pulling the battery out.

How to discharge Holy Stone batteries #

If you’re traveling and want to discharge the batteries to the required levels, the best way to do that is to use a balancing charger with a discharging function. If you don’t have a balance charger that will discharge the batteries, here are some other ways to discharge the batteries:

• Inserting the drone in the battery and draining it (by flying it or running the motors) to 20% for storage, (or zero when you want to dispose of them).
• You can connect them to light bulbs to utilize the remaining charge.
• To dispose of them off, you can use a saltwater bath to get rid of all of the remaining charge.

Holy Stone batteries won’t charge #

Issues with Holy Stone batteries aren’t very common. I guess that’s why there are few tutorials on how to fix them. But that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. If your batteries aren’t charging, two things could be happening;

• The batteries are damaged
• The charger is damaged.

Let’s look at each of these issues and how to fix them.

Dead batteries #

Also known as “Bricked” batteries, these are batteries that aren’t working. This could be due to over-discharging, draining them completely, storing them when they’re fully charged or fully discharged, or physical damage. I will discuss how to best maintain the batteries in a minute. But first, let’s see how you can fix them.

The tools required include;

• The damaged LiPo battery
• LiPo balancing charger
• Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Charger

The process #

• Set the NiMH charger to the lowest output (about 0.1A) and connect your LiPo battery. Make sure the voltage output matches your battery’s voltage.
• Give it a few minutes to charge up to about 3.3V. When reading the voltage, consider how many cells the battery has since the reading will be a total voltage of all cells. If it has two cells, it will be 6.6V, three cells 9.9V, and so on.
• Transfer the battery to the balancing charger and set the charging rate at 0.5C. That means multiplying the charging rate by the battery’s capacity in Ah. For instance, the HS700 has a 2800mAh capacity, which translates to 2.8Ah. Multiply 2.8Ah by 0.5C to get 1.4 A. 1.4 A is the current output you should set on the balancing charger. 1C is the ideal charging rate, but 0.5C is better for fixing dead batteries.
• Once the battery is fully charged, give it a few minutes, and it will be fully functional and ready for use.

Damaged charger #

There are many reasons a charger could be broken, including short circuits, physical damage, etc. All the batteries I’ve talked about in this article have an indicator to show whether they are charging. So, to know whether the charger is broken, connect the battery and watch the indicator. If the indicator doesn’t light up (or go off depending on the battery), then your charger could be damaged. Remember, the cables could also be damaged. So, try connecting with different cables to make sure it’s the charger that has an issue. Other ways to check for damage include;

• Use a voltmeter to check if there’s any current. Broken chargers will not be passing any current.
• Try a different charger. Ask a friend who has a similar drone and check if their charger works for your drone.

Once you’re sure the charger is not working, it’s easier to buy a new one since they aren’t that expensive. The same case applies to the cables.

Replacement and warranties #

Before going all DIY in fixing and modifying damaged batteries, chargers, or any other part of the drone, make sure you check if the manufacturer offers replacements or repairs and if you’re eligible for them. Most of the people who experience issues with their batteries are able to get replacements, which shows that the manufacturer cares about their users.

Holy Stone battery maintenance tips #

• Give the batteries about 20 minutes to cool down before recharging them.
• Holy Stone drones are known to overheat around the motors. So, if you will be flying for a long time, make sure you take breaks between each flying session for the drone to cool down.
• Once the battery is fully charged, give it a few minutes before installing it in the drone.
• Always use only the cables provided by the manufacturer.
• When flying the drone, make sure you leave at least 20% of the charge. If you drain the batteries completely, you risk destroying them and even voiding any warranty.
• Don’t charge or use any swollen, crashed, or batteries showing signs of physical damage. Using them could lead to a fire that’s quite challenging to put out.
• When the drone crashes, make sure the batteries and connectors are working as they should.
• Avoid overcharging the battery. Make sure you’re monitoring the batteries so that once they’re fully charged, you unplug them.
• The ideal temperatures for charging and discharging should be between 41-100 F (5-40 Degrees C).
• The ideal temperatures for storage should be between 71-86 F (22-30 Degrees C).
• Always store the batteries in a fireproof bag.
• Discharge the batteries completely before disposing of them.
• Do not place damaged batteries in your regular waste bin. Instead, contact local agencies that are tasked with disposing of such items.
• Avoid short-circuiting the batteries.
• Always switch off the drone first before removing the batteries.
• Don’t draw excess power from the batteries at a time. Ensure you check the battery’s discharge rate.

Are Holy Stone drones any good? #

Now that you have learned about this drone’s batteries and how they compare to other models, you may be wondering if the drones are worth it. Yes, they definitely are! 

Holy Stone drones make good entry-level drones with above-average cameras, flight modes, good flight times, GPS, and many other features you would love in a drone. Most importantly, their customer support is excellent. 

In the beginner and hobby drone categories, Holy Stone does better than Snaptain and Potensic, though those are also good alternatives. But if you are looking for drones that can do more in photography and longer flight times, Parrot, DJI, and Autel Robotics are the brands you should look into.

Conclusion #

Batteries power every aspect of the drone. So, knowing how they work and how to maintain them is paramount. You may have realized that Holy Stone batteries may not meet the qualities of top brands such as DJI, but they are good enough to introduce you into the world of drones. 

With the information I’ve provided and reading the manufacturer’s manual, you will be able to utilize your drone to the fullest without damaging it.

Below are the manuals for the drones I’ve highlighted in this post for reference.

• Holy Stone HS700
• Holy Stone HS100
• Holy Stone F181
• Holy Stone HS160
• Holy Stone HS170

Image Credit: Walmart