Battery ??

[minipro3]

Read the online manual and didn't see answer .

When flying , after returning to take off area, I sometimes fly around immediate area very close to me till battery gets very low. Is there any harm in bringing battery level to under 10%

I also started using a higher watt charger adapter and batteries charge MUCH quicker. It's the same one I use for my iPhone and comes from Apple. I can charge a battery in 45 minutes. Any harm in that ?

 

[GFields]

Read the online manual and didn't see answer .

When flying , after returning to take off area, I sometimes fly around immediate area very close to me till battery gets very low. Is there any harm in bringing battery level to under 10%

I also started using a higher watt charger adapter and batteries charge MUCH quicker. It's the same one I use for my iPhone and comes from Apple. I can charge a battery in 45 minutes. Any harm in that ?

None that I'm aware of.

 

[minipro3]

Thanks for all your replies !

 

[StantonZ]

Not so fast: I would avoid taking any Lithium based battery (like these LiPo's) below 10%...even 20% if possible. If you do, I would immediately charge it up (at least) > 30% (you don't want to heat it up too much either).

 

[Kilrah]

Slower charge and less deep discharge are always better. By how much - hard to say.

 

[1911tex]

Sidebar: Just got an answer from DJI on long term storage charge for best battery life. I had always thought 30-35% was optimal. DJI stated it is recommended to charge it until it is 60% before storage. They also said a 70% to full charge battery will automatically discharge on the 9th day to about 60%. They also recommended to charge and discharge the battery once every 3 months to improve battery performance.

 

[BobaFut]

Not so fast: I would avoid taking any Lithium based battery (like these LiPo's) below 10%...even 20% if possible. If you do, I would immediately charge it up (at least) > 30% (you don't want to heat it up too much either).

According to DJI, the Mini3 uses Li-Ion, but I still generally agree with you. For phones or other electronics, battery lifespan and power falloff aren't that big of an issue, but with drones I think it's best to keep the batteries as healthy as possible, and part of that is staying within their optimal output charge range.

 

[GFields]

Not so fast: I would avoid taking any Lithium based battery (like these LiPo's) below 10%...even 20% if possible. If you do, I would immediately charge it up (at least) > 30% (you don't want to heat it up too much either).

Is this a personal opinion or based on any expert advice? If you have a resource for this statement, please share it.
Read this article by Northeast Battery

Pro-Tip: After every 30 charges, allow your lithium based battery to completely discharge before recharging.

 

[GFields]

Sidebar: Just got an answer from DJI on long term storage charge for best battery life. I had always thought 30-35% was optimal. DJI stated it is recommended to charge it until it is 60% before storage. They also said a 70% to full charge battery will automatically discharge on the 9th day to about 60%. They also recommended to charge and discharge the battery once every 3 months to improve battery performance.

OP question was not about storage levels but you're correct with the info you have.

 

[Yaros]

Is there any harm in bringing battery level to under 10%

Yes, it reduces the cycle count after which the battery will stop performing good and you will have to change it.
Battery performance degrades overtime, that's unavoidable, but if you fly your batteries down to 10% or less, that will make the process much faster, and after 150 or so flights with the battery, it will be not very safe to use, the internal resistance will be much higher, and cell voltages might drop randomly, which might initiate auto landing even at 90%, that almost happened to me.
I land my batteries at around 20%, however once I flew to 0%. Don't recommend flying the battery below 20% if you plan to use it for a while. DJI batteries are not cheap to replace, however they will last long if you take care of them.

That means:
- Don't leave them fully charged or fully discharged for more than 72 hours
- For long term storage (more than 1–2 weeks) leave them at 50% or so.
- Don't stress the batteries right away, especially in cold conditions, that means no sport mode until a couple of minutes into the flight. Do not use sport mode your first couple of flights with the battery (when it is brand new).
- Check battery performance occasionally uploading your logs to Airdata website, or use their mobile app to auto sync logs.

I can charge a battery in 45 minutes. Any harm in that ?

That's pretty fast. It shouldn't do any harm instantly, but as is with the case above, it does do some long term damage, that will become apparent as your batteries age.
Fast charging is convenient, but should be only used when necessary, as charging a battery faster produces more heat, and slowly damages the battery.

 

[GFields]

Yes, it reduces the cycle count after which the battery will stop performing good and you will have to change it.
Battery performance degrades overtime, that's unavoidable, but if you fly your batteries down to 10% or less, that will make the process much faster, and after 150 or so flights with the battery, it will be not very safe to use, the internal resistance will be much higher, and cell voltages might drop randomly, which might initiate auto landing even at 90%, that almost happened to me.
I land my batteries at around 20%, however once I flew to 0%. Don't recommend flying the battery below 20% if you plan to use it for a while. DJI batteries are not cheap to replace, however they will last long if you take care of them.

That means:
- Don't leave them fully charged or fully discharged for more than 72 hours
- For long term storage (more than 1–2 weeks) leave them at 50% or so.
- Don't stress the batteries right away, especially in cold conditions, that means no sport mode until a couple of minutes into the flight. Do not use sport mode your first couple of flights with the battery (when it is brand new).
- Check battery performance occasionally uploading your logs to Airdata website, or use their mobile app to auto sync logs.

That's pretty fast. It shouldn't do any harm instantly, but as is with the case above, it does do some long term damage, that will become apparent as your batteries age.
Fast charging is convenient, but should be only used when necessary, as charging a battery faster produces more heat, and slowly damages the battery.

Personal opinion or do you have an expert source? If you have an expert source, please share. Thanks

 

[Yaros]

Pro-Tip: After every 30 charges, allow your lithium based battery to completely discharge before recharging.

That is NOT good advice.

This was the case with older batteries which had BMS that needed “calibration” every so often, but with modern battery controller boards that is no longer the case.

You should NEVER fly the battery down to 0%, there is even a risk of it not working never again, actually this happened to my friend's Air 1 battery.
Ideally land at around 20-25%, never below 5%.

 

[GFields]

That is NOT good advice.

This was the case with older batteries which had BMS that needed “calibration” every so often, but with modern battery controller boards that is no longer the case.

You should NEVER fly the battery down to 0%, there is even a risk of it not working never again, actually this happened to my friend's Air 1 battery.
Ideally land at around 20-25%, never below 5%.

These guys to this for a living. I'm inclined to believe them

 

[Yaros]

Personal opinion or do you have an expert source?

Most of it is from experience.

However, you can read this:

Lithium-ion batteries in use: 5 more tips for a longer lifespan

www.saftbatteries.com

 

[GFields]

Most of it is from experience.

However, you can read this:

Lithium-ion batteries in use: 5 more tips for a longer lifespan

www.saftbatteries.com

And you can read this:

 

[Yaros]

Also, check this article from DJI:

Tips to Keep Your DJI Drone Batteries Healthy and Safe

How should you store your Intelligent Flight batteries? Can you use a third-party charger? Learn about drone battery charging, storage, and maintenance.

enterprise-insights.dji.com

 

[GFields]

Also, check this article from DJI:

Tips to Keep Your DJI Drone Batteries Healthy and Safe

How should you store your Intelligent Flight batteries? Can you use a third-party charger? Learn about drone battery charging, storage, and maintenance.

enterprise-insights.dji.com

DJI website doesn't say anything about under 10% except to say avoid 0%

I'm not here to argue. I have provided legitimate information to answer the OP's question. Therefore, I will not be responding to any more comments other than any that need to be moderated.

I think there has been enough information provided for anyone to make their own decision.

 

[waynorth]

Pro-Tip: After every 30 charges, allow your lithium based battery to completely discharge before recharging.

Yes, that is what DJI told me after I asked them. Battery life will improve if you follow that advise. The important step is to NOT store the battery in discharged state. Charge it up to 60% shortly after discharging.

 

[minipro3]

So I generally fly my mini 3 pro every 3 days or so. I like to keep them available at a moments notice cause I'm not always sure when I'm taking it out. So if the batteries are fully charged and 3 days later I'm out the door to fly, should I use the batteries as is or top them off first. My impression so far after reading all the posts is to just use them as is even though they may have discharged a little ??

 

[GFields]

So I generally fly my mini 3 pro every 3 days or so. I like to keep them available at a moments notice cause I'm not always sure when I'm taking it out. So if the batteries are fully charged and 3 days later I'm out the door to fly, should I use the batteries as is or top them off first. My impression so far after reading all the posts is to just use them as is even though they may have discharged a little ??

It is always best to begin a flight with a fully charged battery. Not to be confused with Storage levels.