Battery query: How big or small a bulge before we stop using an MP battery?

[xman1]

3 days is what I set mine to to discharge. Every day at 100% charge is a bad day for a battery. I think this was said above, but it is very true. My batteries are getting on 1.5 years old too with no problems.

Note: I never fly in sport mode with the exception of making the dog run. Better than throwing a tennis ball I tell you.

 

[Balko]

Than

The automatic discharge process runs slowly with little power down to 60%, it takes about 3 days. I do not remember exactly, but it gives enough time for quick reloading when needed. For my purposes, the start of the automatic discharge after 24 hours is sufficient.

Hi mnis.
I got to read the very detailed responses to my queries and the explanations you sent wc I was able to read from the MavicPilot “notification” I received in my email. However, I’m wondering why it didn’t appear here in the thread. Am actually still trying to re-read some of the technical terms.

Anyway, going back to that reply you sent, would you suggest I drain the battery to at least 8%, for it to “reset” as had been said by some users? Would that help as far as my problem is concerned and could it possibly bring back the chemical balance and remove the bulge?

 

[Balko]

The automatic discharge process runs slowly with little power down to 60%, it takes about 3 days. I do not remember exactly, but it gives enough time for quick reloading when needed. For my purposes, the start of the automatic discharge after 24 hours is sufficient.

I’ll reset my discharge to at least, maybe, 1 or 2 days max.

 

[Balko]

So avoid adding any more energy to it. If concerned, appropriate disposal is not crazy.

Thanks for dropping off a reply.
Just want to be clear, are you suggesting that it would be wise that I don’t charge this battery anymore?

 

[xman1]

I’ll reset my discharge to at least, maybe, 1 or 2 days max.

3 is a good number I find. It allows you to charge up, go on a road trip, and have a couple days to fly if you decide you can't fly within the first day or two. It covers a weekend charging up the Friday before.

 

[mnis]

I wrote post # 18 and received the message: This post must be approved by the administrator before it becomes visible to all users ... Honestly, I do not know what I did wrong. Maybe it's a translation bug, a nasty bad word, I do not know? You received # 18?

 

[Balko]

I wrote post # 18 and received the message: This post must be approved by the administrator before it becomes visible to all users ... Honestly, I do not know what I did wrong. Maybe it's a translation bug, a nasty bad word, I do not know? You received # 18?

I see it now, thank you.

Regarding my questions in #22, hope you can give your opinions too. Would appreciate it very much.

 

[mnis]

Hi ... The small post has been approved in the meantime The thing with 8 percent is nonsense. All that is really necessary is a complete cycle ... charging, discharging, charging. The emphasis is on "charging" because this is where the balancing takes place. Insert the battery into your MP and turn it on. You do not need the remote. The Mavic can gently discharge your battery ... wait until it turns off automatically. It consumes much less energy in standby than in use, but enough to empty the battery in a reasonable amount of time. Remove the battery and let it rest for 15 minutes when warm. Then fully charge the battery with the standard charger. As far as I can remember, you have not had any critical cell drift so far. But you can still check the voltages after charging with DJI Go. Be present during the procedure and check the battery in between for any visible changes. Incidentally, you could take another photo of the battery from another perspective and mark the suspicious spot for us. Does the change feel like a bubble?

 

[mnis]

In a really swollen battery cell creates a very strong swelling that can be very difficult to be depressed. It's almost like a well inflated ball. Anyway ... I think your problem battery will not be more dangerous than a new battery. If, in fact, there is a negative change, it will only spread under heavy load or mistreatment.

By the way: Usually, these swellings are not reversible ... However, I saw videos with opposite expressiveness. I do not remember what kind of battery it was. But apparently could through gentle cycles ... discharging and charging with low currents led to the complete regression of visible swelling. But whether it's true or false, that's not a repair, and there's a weakened battery cell ...

 

[Balko]

Hi ... The small post has been approved in the meantime The thing with 8 percent is nonsense. All that is really necessary is a complete cycle ... charging, discharging, charging. The emphasis is on "charging" because this is where the balancing takes place. Insert the battery into your MP and turn it on. You do not need the remote. The Mavic can gently discharge your battery ... wait until it turns off automatically. It consumes much less energy in standby than in use, but enough to empty the battery in a reasonable amount of time. Remove the battery and let it rest for 15 minutes when warm. Then fully charge the battery with the standard charger. As far as I can remember, you have not had any critical cell drift so far. But you can still check the voltages after charging with DJI Go. Be present during the procedure and check the battery in between for any visible changes. Incidentally, you could take another photo of the battery from another perspective and mark the suspicious spot for us. Does the change feel like a bubble?

I will try to discharge the battery as you have mentioned, not necessarily with a remote...then will recharge it.

No, it doesn’t feel like a bubble. It feels more like the shape of a single AA battery.

I will try to take another picture when I have the battery with me. But it isn’t visible (the bulge) even when it’s in front of me.

 

[Balko]

@mnis
I am in the City right now and I have been deliberating whether or not to buy another battery as replacement for my 2nd “defective” battery which I thought should already be discarded.
But after reading the invaluable advices I got from you and the other members, I think I shall forego this purchase in the meantime. I will just observe the “defective” battery first before I spend for another $100 battery (cost in my country) which may just end up in my drone bag for most times. I have never really needed more than 2 batteries ever since I started with this great hobby...starting with my Phantom 3 Advanced.

I shall give an update in this thread, and hoping that you would still be around by then.

Thank you once again!

 

[mbsz53]

I have noticed a slight bulge on the underneath of one of my MP batteries. It is unrecognizable if we just look at it. However, when I moved my finger on it’s surface, I noticed that there was a slight vertical bulge on the underneath side of my battery.
Should this already be replaced?
Voltage of the 3 cells varied by only .01v per cell.
Note: Battery was probably only 80%+ charged when picture was taken.

Hoping that our forum members would be able to give their advice on this important issue.

Would appreciate very much if “msinger” would be able to read this post and give his invaluable advice.

Thank you in advance.

*Picture attachedView attachment 53761

Sorry about your trouble. You've been given allot of support. One more thing to keep in mind is that the battery can swell more under load and then shrink again at rest. It's a bit like a car tire. When they are rolling, they heat up and expand, increasing pressure. When these batteries are expending in the air they can push away from the body frame and disconnect. When they land and are not under strain, they can quickly shrink to a less noticable level. I.e. the problem may be worse than what meets the eye. Good luck. Get new batteries when you can.

 

[Balko]

Sorry about your trouble. You've been given allot of support. One more thing to keep in mind is that the battery can swell more under load and then shrink again at rest. It's a bit like a car tire. When they are rolling, they heat up and expand, increasing pressure. When these batteries are expending in the air they can push away from the body frame and disconnect. When they land and are not under strain, they can quickly shrink to a less noticable level. I.e. the problem may be worse than what meets the eye. Good luck. Get new batteries when you can.

Will keep in mind your suggestion. Thank you for dropping off a reply.
Btw, have you also encountered a similar experience with these Smart batteries of the MPro?

 

[mnis]

The expansion of a hot but well-balanced battery is never extreme and does not cause critical expansion in the battery case, provided the environmental conditions, such as ambient temperatures, and the recommended storage conditions are met, or exceeded in a positive sense.

Unless:
You are using a battery pack that is not sufficiently balanced, or has been damaged by incorrect handling, that seems optically OK. With every time flying far below 33% of the estimated residual capacity, you generally risk that the weakest battery cell in the battery pack will tip over and swell rapidly due to an internal oxidation. There is no overpressure valve.

The described happens mainly when the integrated balancer can not trigger the shutdown because the damaged battery cell still provides more than 3.3 volts, but has a much lower voltage compared to the other battery cells. This is not reversible, and there is no way to restore the security of use of the battery pack.

And all that described can certainly happen after just a few flights with a totally new battery.

In order to effectively minimize a risk, the actual capacity of the battery pack would have to be accurately determined before each flight, and a landing forced well before the end of the total capacity. Also, the landing would have to be forced, if the battery pack in the core exceeds 45 degrees Celsius, which at least in my opinion, only happens at much higher temperatures, and then only a warning is issued.

Many safe strategies in the treatment of energy carriers are in direct contrast to what the pilot desires. Immediately fly or be ready for flight, that is desirable, and everything else is annoying or inconvenient.

Therefore:
Always charge your batteries a few hours before a scheduled flight. And leave the batteries in the remaining time necessarily on storage voltage to the recommended conditions. It is better to use multiple chargers or parallel chargers for fast availability than to store the batteries fully charged for several days. Reduce the auto-discharge time to the shortest possible one-day setting. The automatic discharge requires at least another 48 hours down to the storage voltage after the timer has expired, and can be interrupted at any time by tapping the power button once.

So even with the lowest timer setting, you have almost three days to make a decision to fly, and in case of doubt, you only need to recharge your batteries with little energy.

Tipp:
In addition, it is easily possible to perform capacity measurements with Li-Hv capable RC-Chargers. No additional balancer connection is required for this...

 

[mnis]

I could also say in a few words: throw away all your intelligent DJI batteries because they tend to self-destruct due to uncertain basic settings. These batteries are not safe to use after a few flights. Buy new batteries after maybe 3 to 5 flights ...[emoji857]

 

[Balko]

I could also say in a few words: throw away all your intelligent DJI batteries because they tend to self-destruct due to uncertain basic settings. These batteries are not safe to use after a few flights. Buy new batteries after maybe 3 to 5 flights ...[emoji857]

What batteries are we going to use then?

 

[Mossiback]

I would not use a swollen battery. If it gets worse it could fail or disconnect in flight, costing much more than a new battery. Get a new one, number them all and rotate their use.

I am assuming the battery is out of warranty.

 

[mnis]

What batteries are we going to use then?

[emoji15] Again, a post is waiting for approval by an admin. What am I doing wrong ???

To your question:
This is a good question to which I currently have absolutely no answer...

Other questions are:
Did you actually notice any changes to the battery? Or was the condition described possibly always existent, and you have only now noticed?

It's hard to judge from a long distance, but your picture shows an apparently unproblematic battery. So you might hover low, down to 30 percent battery capacity and then check the battery.

If there is really a problem with the battery, you will see a deterioration of the condition immediately after landing. The risk of losing or destroying your MP is low...
[emoji4]

 

[dbyantis]

Thanks for dropping off a reply.
Just want to be clear, are you suggesting that it would be wise that I don’t charge this battery anymore?

That was my suggestion, because "exploding battery" requires enough energy to make it happen, so based on your original post about concerns over safety with the bulge battery, I was explaining that "just sitting around" it is not likely to go boom. Put it on charge and depending on the physical damage from the expanding cell,it may be able to short.

 

[angell]

Whip it out?

lol