Disable Mavic 2 Zoom Battery Self Discharge

[apeel]

I normally have the self discharge feature set to 5-days, but while traveling, I usually set it to 10-days so I do not have to worry about the batteries self discharging just before I take it out. I do not use it a lot while roadtripping, and it can be more than 10-days between uses when on a long road-trip. but would like to have them ready to go just in case I want to fly my drone. So here are a few questions about the self-discharge feature on DJI Smart Batteries (Mavic 2 using Go 4 App specifically):

1) Is there a way to completely disable the self-discharge feature of these batteries?

2) If it is not possible to disable self-discharge, what is the minimum thing I can do to effectively reset the clock on when the discharge is scheduled. If I recall correctly, it used to be that simply depressing the power button on each battery (to display the charge level) would 'reset' the timer, but I think that DJI changed that.

3) If it is not possible to reset the timer using the power button, then can I just plug insert the battery into the drone, and power up the drone, then immediately power it down. Will this reset the timer?

4) Or do I need to put the battery into a charger, and let it charge for a period of time to reset the timer. If is already near 100% charged when plugging it into a charger, how long do I need to keep it in the charger for it to reset the timer?

Any guidance would be appreciated!

Allan P

 

[slup]

1) Is there a way to completely disable the self-discharge feature of these batteries?

No...

2) ...If I recall correctly, it used to be that simply depressing the power button on each battery (to display the charge level) would 'reset' the timer.

That's correct...

 

[Ty Pilot]

Any guidance would be appreciated!

Allan P

Allen, just so you know the auto discharge feature was added to DJI batteries as a means to extend battery life, because so many people used to charge and leave them (LiPo's) in that fully-charged state. Consequently, those folks unknowingly were damaging their batteries by doing so and the result was; puffed batteries that have degraded performance far sooner than expected.

If you google "why is it bad to leave a LiPo fully charged" you'll see that just about every manufacturer of hobby LiPo's warns against leaving LiPo's in a full state of charge and goes into detail as to why. Here is a LINK to one. Many say that a fully charged LiPo can be damaged quite a bit in as little as a week.

Also many folks confuse LiPo's with LiIon's, both are Lithium batteries but LiIons, like in our controllers, cell phones and other such devices can, and should be kept fully charged. Just not the flight batteries. This is why there is an 'Auto-Discharge' feature on flight batteries but not on your controller.

On the other hand, you may know all this, and the cost having flight batteries at the ready may be something your willing to accept but I thought I would put this out there.

 

[apeel]

Thanks Ty Pilot. I am aware of the reason for self-discharging, but I figure that if I leave it fully charged for more than 10-days (a couple of times a year when traveling), it likely would be OK.

 

[Starz]

Traveling batteries are somewhat of a pain. You just never know when something is going to appear that needs its picture taken. I always set them for three days and let them discharge if not used. The morning routine when on the road includes a DJI charger and associated status lights.

 

[apeel]

Starz: Do you know that if they have not already started to discharge in the morning whether a quick install on the charger will reset the self-discharge timer?

 

[Starz]

That I have not tried.

 

[Ty Pilot]

@apeel I just saw an interesting thread posted and thought of your questions. A guy had three batteries fully charged sit for almost a week. Two batteries, had started to discharge but it appears the one left in the drone stayed full. Perhaps, having the battery plugged into the aircraft disables the auto discharge??

Here is a link to that thread.

 

[apeel]

Thanks Ty Pilot: I wonder if it is because the poster had different discharge periods set for each battery, which could explain why it was a different state of discharge for the one in the drone. I have replied to his comment to ask ion he was aware of these settings are set for each battery, and if he had them set differently. We'll see what he says.

If he does not reply, I may try a little experiment myself to see if there is a difference on self-discharge for those installed in the drone. I doubt it, but we will see.

 

[Octavio]

I normally have the self discharge feature set to 5-days, but while traveling, I usually set it to 10-days so I do not have to worry about the batteries self discharging just before I take it out. I do not use it a lot while roadtripping, and it can be more than 10-days between uses when on a long road-trip. but would like to have them ready to go just in case I want to fly my drone. So here are a few questions about the self-discharge feature on DJI Smart Batteries (Mavic 2 using Go 4 App specifically):

1) Is there a way to completely disable the self-discharge feature of these batteries?

2) If it is not possible to disable self-discharge, what is the minimum thing I can do to effectively reset the clock on when the discharge is scheduled. If I recall correctly, it used to be that simply depressing the power button on each battery (to display the charge level) would 'reset' the timer, but I think that DJI changed that.

3) If it is not possible to reset the timer using the power button, then can I just plug insert the battery into the drone, and power up the drone, then immediately power it down. Will this reset the timer?

4) Or do I need to put the battery into a charger, and let it charge for a period of time to reset the timer. If is already near 100% charged when plugging it into a charger, how long do I need to keep it in the charger for it to reset the timer?

Any guidance would be appreciated!

Allan P

Yes, Allan, I have a Mavic Air 2 and I don’t have the facility of setting up a discharge time.

Thus, I normally don’t discharge my batteries below 20% as a rule, and I like to charge when batteries are at normal room temperature to 75% this way the battery will not self-discharge and it's easy to fully charge when I need it. I also carry a 12v battery charger in my car that allows me to charge 2 Drone batteries and the remote at the same time. But please keep in mind that keeping batteries in a closed vehicle in the sun is not a good idea.