Battery Bulge

[ddodell]

Almost lost my Mavic Pro yesterday. My two batteries, about a year old, noticed a slight bulge out the bottom. Read some other comments on previous forums stating that this happens, and if it still fits within the Mavic, to use it after checking that all of the battery levels look equal.

I did this yesterday, but after landing after 20 minutes of flying noticed the battery barely holding on, that the bulge had increased seriously and had almost popped out mid-flight ... I got lucky. Battery was disposed of right away.

Is a year worth of occasional to moderate use seems like a normal lifetime?

Thanks!

 

[Ack]

There's a few experts on here who can probably answer this question better. I'd say you should be getting way more than 1 year out if a battery. I'd guess 5+ years. My question would be how are you storing the batteries when not in use are they kept in a cool place with a charge level btw 40 and 60 % ?

 

[Mossiback]

Mine are into their second year with no noticeable changes. I fly most days in summer but seldom in winter due to short days and wet weather.

 

[ddodell]

They are always in a cool place .. but usually fully charged .. my discharge is set for 10 days .. am I better leaving discharged and charging before use?

 

[Mossiback]

I recharge mine after flying and they are still at the default of 10 day discharge. Remember that if you push the battery button it will reset the discharge timer.

 

[Ack]

You would be safer to leave charge level btw 40 and 60 % between use. And charge when you need to use them.
I plan my flights and charge the night before.

 

[ddodell]

You would be safer to leave charge level btw 40 and 60 % between use. And charge when you need to use them.
I plan my flights and charge the night before.

Do you have yours at the default 10 day discharge? What do you do with the battery that are fully discharged after flying ... charge them back up 50% and leave them that way?

 

[Mossiback]

Mine are at the 10 day default and I recharge after flying.

 

[Mike4884]

Ack is doing it the right way. Lipo batteries should be checked on every few weeks and kept in a storage charge between 40 to 60% the reason why you have to check on them is because during down time lipos lose charge. Also 10 dsys discharge is way to long set it to 2 or 3 max.... some guys are getting away with some of this stuff but when a cell goes out mid flight they will rethink their strategy on how to take care of lipos......also i encourage guys please do not let fully charged lipos sit in your house ...really? Asking for trouble. No need to charge them fully after flying unless going right back out to fly!!! Use your heads here people ...lipo fires are no joke. Also for safe practice dont discharge your lipos too much during flight. Follow the 80/20 rule 80 back in pack ....and 20 stays in pack at all times= healthy lipos
When u are done flying like i said charfe it up to 2 lights and u are good, this is if not flying again for a few days to a week. It is so bad for lipos to sit around fully charfed this is what causes them to either swell or loss of performance/flight time....if i did any of these bad habits with my 400$ 12s /14s stick packs for my heli's i would be wasting money and c rating/performance of the lipo would be ****

 

[Mossiback]

DJI's strength is engineering. I believe they set the default discharge cycle at 10 days because that is best for the batteries they designed (unless it has changed, the M2 batteries don't have the option to change the discharge time). Mine are on the 10 day cycle and I have noticed no degradation in their second year of life.

 

[Ack]

Do you have yours at the default 10 day discharge? What do you do with the battery that are fully discharged after flying ... charge them back up 50% and leave them that way?

I charge mine back to full charge after allowing to fully cool. I then do 3 mini flights to bring batteries to btw 40 and 60 %. As I fly 3 times every 2 weeks using 3 batteries this is my system and works for me. From memory DJI recommend storing batteries btw 40 and 60 % if batteries are not used for periods of more than 3 mths. I think due to the cost of the equipment I condition batteries as above. Long winded I know but the batteries are likely to last longer. As I said I'm no expert like others on here who may be able to concur or offer a different perspective.As of now im getting good performance. Ack

 

[Jackcutrone]

DJI's strength is engineering. I believe they set the default discharge cycle at 10 days because that is best for the batteries they designed (unless it has changed, the M2 batteries don't have the option to change the discharge time). Mine are on the 10 day cycle and I have noticed no degradation in their second year of life.

I would think it might be more an estimation of the frequency that people fly. Discharge/charge cycles also affect battery life. If people fly once per week a 2 or 3 day discharge is going to cause unnecessary discharge and charge cycles.

 

[vanderzyde0]

It seems that discharge rate and level affect LiPos more than any other factor besides over charging.

Even if you don’t abuse your battery, the normal everyday use of your battery will generate gas through a process called electrolyte decomposition.

The electrolyte decomposition occurs even faster if you overdischarge a battery or overheat a battery.

If you used your battery very frequently for a year and run it down very low a year isn’t bad before it needs to be replaced.

 

[dhanna61]

I always store my batteries in fire retardant bags just in case

 

[Ack]

Does anyone actually know what the design life is for a battery assuming average use. I hear proffesional photographers using drones are getting 2+ yrs no problems. I assume 5 yrs by which time I will probably be upgrading my bird.

 

[vanderzyde0]

It depends on the manufacturer- spend more get more

I know people who get 2 yrs+ with quality batteries with frequent use.

I store all my LiPos in 50 cal ammo cans and they are in fireproof bags when being charged and always within my LOS when charging.

Cheap LiPos are the cause of all the hover board fires.

 

[Mike4884]

DJI's strength is engineering. I believe they set the default discharge cycle at 10 days because that is best for the batteries they designed (unless it has changed, the M2 batteries don't have the option to change the discharge time). Mine are on the 10 day cycle and I have noticed no degradation in their second year of life.

No they give u the option up to 10 days! They still need to incorporate this into the go 4 app....i remember when p4p first came out it took a few months for us to get "1" "2" "3" days etc . Also your batteries are still young (few months) end of august to be exact....keep playing that 10 day fully charged till discharge game let me know how your expensive batteries fair in 6 months...and yes dji's strength is engineering but not lipo's!