Do the batteries auto-discharge if not used?

[gb160]

Hi,

Title says it all really, do the Mavic Air 2 batteries auto discharge if not used?

Cheers

 

[Keule]

Title says it all really, do the Mavic Air 2 batteries auto discharge if not used?

From the manual:

 

[gb160]

Cheers buddy, I will RTFM in future!

So is 60% a safe level to leave if stored for a long time? or should they be discharged further?

 

[GadgetGuy]

From the manual:

View attachment 101390

Having discovered this myself while reading the manual last night, I am very disappointed in the discharge to 96% after only 24 hours, and that the 96% is not low enough to allow topping off before use within 5 days! This strips you of 4% of the battery capacity that you cannot prevent before launch, and will not discover until boot up! You think your three batteries are at 100% within 5 days of last charging, but two are already at 96% and the third is somewhere between 96% and 100%! DJI needs to give us the option to manage our own batteries!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Cheers buddy, I will RTFM in future!

So is 60% a safe level to leave if stored for a long time? or should they be discharged further?

60% is fine, as they will decline naturally on their own from there. Make sure to also fully charge them every 3 months.

 

[old man mavic]

if you press the battery on button when the battery is plugged into the charger if they are like other DJI batteries then it should start the charging process to top them up before you fly

 

[GadgetGuy]

if you press the battery on button when the battery is plugged into the charger if they are like other DJI batteries then it should start the charging process to top them up before you fly

If they are like the M2 and P4 batteries, they cannot be topped off unless they drop below 96%. That procedure only worked with the P3P batteries. I miss it!

 

[old man mavic]

it seems that DJI are trying to take every precaution they can to prevent people having fully charged batteries hanging around for long periods
to be fair 96% would not make a lot of difference to flight time in the scheme of things ,and also if you want to avoid the issue just charge them the evening before you plan to fly

 

[GadgetGuy]

it seems that DJI are trying to take every precaution they can to prevent people having fully charged batteries hanging around for long periods
to be fair 96% would not make a lot of difference to flight time in the scheme of things ,and also if you want to avoid the issue just charge them the evening before you plan to fly

Indeed, but 4% is half of the advertised difference in flight time between the M2 and the MA2. It is a huge loss to me, especially since it won't top off until below 96%, which requires manually draining each battery before charging to top it off. There is also no way to know how far into the 4% discharge it is, without first booting up the battery in the aircraft. Royal PIA, IMHO! For what it is worth, two of my three new batteries were already slightly swollen upon receipt! Not flat. Slight curve.

 

[Ace.7]

Indeed, but 4% is half of the advertised difference in flight time between the M2 and the MA2. It is a huge loss to me, especially since it won't top off until below 96%, which requires manually draining each battery before charging to top it off. There is also no way to know how far into the 4% discharge it is, without first booting up the battery in the aircraft. Royal PIA, IMHO! For what it is worth, two of my three new batteries were already slightly swollen upon receipt! Not flat. Slight curve.

I see your point about losing the 4%, I like you want 100% battery to maximiz my flights, definitely a pita.
It would be nice if DJI would add an advance battery maintenance option in the Settings so you can configure the battery thresholds yourself.

 

[DanMan32]

It won't be long before you never see 100% when you first power on, or only shows 100 for a few seconds.

 

[nencmeister]

... so we are complaining over 4% battery over here? You do know they did this to save you money, this is costing them after complaints of swelling with previous models .. they are losing money trying to make the best possible product, and you are complaining over a smart battery that actually helps you out. You shouldn’t be depleting your battery less than 30-20% regardless.. and most of you have 3... 96% charged batteries ...

...

 

[InvisibleName]

Why don’t you just leave the battery at the state of discharge it is in after flying & only charge it again within 24hrs of when you next want to fly?

 

[Ace.7]

Why don’t you just leave the battery at the state of discharge it is in after flying & only charge it again within 24hrs of when you next want to fly?

Yeah that's probably the most logical way for now.

 

[gb160]

Why don’t you just leave the battery at the state of discharge it is in after flying & only charge it again within 24hrs of when you next want to fly?

That's what I normally do, but for example yesterday I charged 3 batteries, went out and only used 2 due to a change in the weather...so my question was really concerning what will happen to that third battery if I cant get out to fly for the next week.

Its reassuring that DJI have this auto discharge feature, and also this anti swelling measure as well.
I think they've approached it as well as they could, there will always be someone looking to have a moan.

 

[GadgetGuy]

... so we are complaining over 4% battery over here? You do know they did this to save you money, this is costing them after complaints of swelling with previous models .. they are losing money trying to make the best possible product, and you are complaining over a smart battery that actually helps you out. You shouldn’t be depleting your battery less than 30-20% regardless.. and most of you have 3... 96% charged batteries ...

...

Perhaps you missed the part about a 4% reduction being almost half of the advertised increase in flight time over the M2, which suffers from no such nanny management of the battery. Not sure where you are getting your erroneous battery depletion information, let alone telling me what I should, or shouldn’t, be doing with my batteries! The advertised flight time is to 0% remaining battery, and the MA2 does not begin autoland until 10% remaining battery. The advertised flight distance also depends upon a fully charged battery. Not everyone flies in circles at an AMA flying field!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Why don’t you just leave the battery at the state of discharge it is in after flying & only charge it again within 24hrs of when you next want to fly?

It's not good to leave any battery at a 5% charge state. It needs to be charged ASAP thereafter. Also, not everyone plans their flights well in advance, nor has the time immediately before flight to charge batteries, especially when one always carries their kit in the car for spontaneous use. Some of us also have several different aircraft we are flying, and not every kit gets flown every day, even though at least one kit may be flown several times a day. It just muddies the waters when DJI adds in nanny features like this, without giving us a choice!