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Does anyone do battery deep cycle discharges on their lipos?

RCdancer

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I noticed on AirData that some of my batteries are depicted as "Basic Battery Service due". Basic Battery Service is triggered by any of the following:
Charges: 20 Times the battery was charged since the last Basic service
Flights: 20 Number of flights with this battery since the last Basic service
Airtime: 200 Total airtime in minutes with this battery since the last Basic service

Is anyone doing a battery deep cycle discharge on their lipos?
 
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I noticed on AirData that some of my batteries are depicted as "Basic Battery Service due". Basic Battery Service is triggered by any of the following:
Charges: 20 Times the battery was charged since the last Basic service
Flights: 20 Number of flights with this battery since the last Basic service
Airtime: 200 Total airtime in minutes with this battery since the last Basic service

Is anyone doing a battery deep cycle discharge on their lipos?
The search function is your friend
 
I noticed on AirData that some of my batteries are depicted as "Basic Battery Service due". Basic Battery Service is triggered by any of the following:
Charges: 20 Times the battery was charged since the last Basic service
Flights: 20 Number of flights with this battery since the last Basic service
Airtime: 200 Total airtime in minutes with this battery since the last Basic service

Is anyone doing a battery deep cycle discharge on their lipos?
Besides idiotic comments like use the search function..... I DO, in fact, service discharge periodically if I haven't been daily using my batteries after a month or so.. I've only done it once. I bought my Mavic in September of '18. I haven't received the same update message as you have, though...

And just for the record, this isn't the XDA forums where everyone thinks they know more than the next guy and leaves unhelpful slapstick smart allec comments about learning how to search. Just help the poor guy or shut the front door!

We're all trying to learn here and this forum isn't clogged with silly questions nor is it with jerk comments. It's a great place. Let's keep it that way.
 
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Besides idiotic comments like use the search function..... I DO, in fact, service discharge periodically if I haven't been daily using my batteries after a month or so.. I've only done it once. I bought my Mavic in September of '18. I haven't received the same update message as you have, though...

And just for the record, this isn't the XDA forums where everyone thinks they know more than the next guy and leaves unhelpful slapstick smart allec comments about learning how to search. Just help the poor guy or shut the front door!

We're all trying to learn here and this forum isn't clogged with silly questions nor is it with jerk comments. It's a great place. Let's keep it that way.
It's also a place where we're supposed to act like adults and not call other members names and their contributions, helpful or not, things like idiotic, smart aleck, or jerk.

And given the amount of existing discussion on this topic, using the search function is not an unreasonable suggestion if the OP would like to quickly access a lot of useful information that already exists.
 
It's also a place where we're supposed to act like adults and not call other members names and their contributions, helpful or not, things like idiotic, smart aleck, or jerk.

And given the amount of existing discussion on this topic, using the search function is not an unreasonable suggestion if the OP would like to quickly access a lot of useful information that already exists.
Just like this exact post I'm making this second...

This is A USELESS POST.
 
...Is anyone doing a battery deep cycle discharge on their lipos?
I have never performed a "deep cycle discharge", other than using the battery until Go 4 tells me I need to land. I fly most days and my three batteries are almost two years old and still going strong.
 
Just like this exact post I'm making this second...

This is A USELESS POST.
Advising someone who might want information NOW to search the forum for the vast number of existing discussions on the topic is far from useless.
 
I don’t think it’s ifiotic to suggest to someone who is relatively new on the forum (Dec, 2018) to try something they may not have been aware of.

At least as far as I have read there isn’t any reason to cycle lipo batteries. That was a practice necessary for NiCad batteries which can develop sort of a “memory “ but lipos don’t do that.
 
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Fellow flyers:

In the words of Rodney King, “...Can we get along?”

Everyone here has stated valid points when viewed from their perspectives, something that must be done if rational people are to truly be open to opinions that differ from their own opinions and, in the process, remain rational.

The world needs unity. The world needs peaceful, enlightened approaches to human discourse. And that begins with all of us in our day-to-day lives when discussing even the most simple of things, such as battery cycling.

We are in a drone forum. We are discussing a subject that is about a hobby; maybe a small business if a pilot has a FAA 107 certification; about technology; about interests we all have in common. If WE cannot conduct ourselves appropriately and in a dignified manner in this shared forum when discussing simple topics - in this very small microcosm of the world - then our days of drone flying are numbered. Because if THIS is the way people chose to conduct themselves today when merely debating very basic ideas, then the Earth as a whole and the life upon it do not stand a chance in the face of the very real, very present, very serious - and much more important - threats & decisions it must deal with that are left in the hands of people who are just like us.
 
I noticed on AirData that some of my batteries are depicted as "Basic Battery Service due". Basic Battery Service is triggered by any of the following:
Charges: 20 Times the battery was charged since the last Basic service
Flights: 20 Number of flights with this battery since the last Basic service
Airtime: 200 Total airtime in minutes with this battery since the last Basic service

Is anyone doing a battery deep cycle discharge on their lipos?
Great question! I wondered that myself and remember doing just that with batteries from older UAVs. But yeah, from what I have read it is not necessary on a regular basis with this type of battery pack. I've been flying my Mavic Pro 3 years this month and have never done it and, according the the battery analysis on Airdata, my batteries are performing just as good as ever.

The only time it would be truly necessary is if you have a battery pack that is having issues. It can be possible to bring one back that isn't working as well as it once did, at least to a point.
 
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I've been working with lithium polymer batteries for over a decade and for various projects and uses here I have over 50 of them in varying sizes.

Categorically, discharging a LIPO battery completely will have a detrimental effect on its total capacity potential and on its remaining service life. They will survive this, as long as they're not left fully discharged for long, but it isn't good for them.

However, the dji batteries have circuitry in them that may need a cycle to reset for accuracy after some months. So, in this case, do what the manual says and run the batteries down to cut-off voltage and then charge again every few months. They're best stored at around 60% charge.

I wish there was A Storage function on the chargers that would allow me to put the batteries at 60% without having to charge them and then run them down to that level. The circuitry does it to 65% after 10 days, yes, but for a LIPO battery, that's a long time to be sitting at full charge before dropping to Storage voltage!
 
However, the dji batteries have circuitry in them that may need a cycle to reset for accuracy after some months. So, in this case, do what the manual says and run the batteries down to cut-off voltage and then charge again every few months. They're best stored at around 60% charge.

Sounds like you're the right person to be commenting on this. My understanding is there is no real issue with battery longevity as far as deep cycling, and that keeping the batteries between 30-60 is fine for storage. But with some other electronic devices, I understand that the battery level calibration may get "off" and I've heard best practice is to do an occasional run-down and recharge. I think that's what you're referring to above. Not that it's an issue with the health of the battery, but just with making sure the electronics know accurately what the charge level is. Is this true for our DJI batteries as well?
 
I've been working with lithium polymer batteries for over a decade and for various projects and uses here I have over 50 of them in varying sizes.

Categorically, discharging a LIPO battery completely will have a detrimental effect on its total capacity potential and on its remaining service life. They will survive this, as long as they're not left fully discharged for long, but it isn't good for them.

However, the dji batteries have circuitry in them that may need a cycle to reset for accuracy after some months. So, in this case, do what the manual says and run the batteries down to cut-off voltage and then charge again every few months. They're best stored at around 60% charge.

I wish there was A Storage function on the chargers that would allow me to put the batteries at 60% without having to charge them and then run them down to that level. The circuitry does it to 65% after 10 days, yes, but for a LIPO battery, that's a long time to be sitting at full charge before dropping to Storage voltage!
What's the best way to handle charging when you fly every 2-7 days depending on weather, wind, etc.? I have been fully charging them after each flight and letting them sit until the next flight. Should I not charge until I'm sure I'm going again. That would be kind of a pain in the butt, but if it made a big difference I would do it.
 
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Sounds like you're the right person to be commenting on this. My understanding is there is no real issue with battery longevity as far as deep cycling, and that keeping the batteries between 30-60 is fine for storage. But with some other electronic devices, I understand that the battery level calibration may get "off" and I've heard best practice is to do an occasional run-down and recharge. I think that's what you're referring to above. Not that it's an issue with the health of the battery, but just with making sure the electronics know accurately what the charge level is. Is this true for our DJI batteries as well?

I agree with everything you've said here, yep. 30-60% would be fine. Lipo nominal voltage is 3.7v per cell and they like to be stored at nominal at 25°C, if we're being picky. But they'll handle a range as stated without adverse effects.

What does hurt them is being fully discharged for long periods of time (though this is still not the end of the world), but what really seems to kill them is being left full. They really don't like that!
What's the best way to handle charging when you fly every 2-7 days depending on weather, wind, etc.? I have been fully charging them after each flight and letting them sit until the next flight. Should I not charge until I'm sure I'm going again. That would be kind of a pain in the butt, but if it made a big difference I would do it.
Well, perhaps just don't charge them until you're ready to fly. Ideally you store them at 60%,but if you're regularly flying every 2 to 7 days (like me, really) then the best compromise might be to charge them before you fly rather than after you fly. Yeah, don't leave them empty if you flew to 10% remaining or so, but if you're like me, after a flight you have between 25% and 70% remaining, which is far better to be left at than being fully charged and left at 100% for most of their lives, only discharging briefly during that weekly flight before copping a full charge again.

-

Bottom line, compromise might be the way to go given we don't have a convenient Storage charge option like I do for all my other lithium batteries. The best compromise would be one that we're actually going to stick to and one that doesn't leave the batteries always full.

So, the best policy might be to charge before a flight rather than after a flight. That probably is the answer to most situations here, I reckon.

(Quick edit to add, don't forget about the controller! It's also lipo powered I believe, so it wants to be kept 30-60% ideally. Charge before you fly and do the controller only when the leds are showing one or two before a single flight, perhaps. Fully charge it if you're going to fly all your batteries, I guess. It also can be used to charge your phone while it's on, so that might be a convenient way to discharge it a bit)

*all of the above is based on my experience and knowledge as an electronics hobbyist who also does relatively basic electronics repairs in a small business as part of a greater service (fix the thing so it can be accessed in order to do the job). I don't have formal training with battery technology but do have years of experience working with lipo, li-ion, nimh, nicad and Pb battery chemistries. The advice here is my best guess rather than engineering fact, so please use your best judgement!
 
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I agree with everything you've said here, yep. 30-60% would be fine. Lipo nominal voltage is 3.7v per cell and they like to be stored at nominal at 25°C, if we're being picky. But they'll handle a range as stated without adverse effects.

What does hurt them is being fully discharged for long periods of time (though this is still not the end of the world), but what really seems to kill them is being left full. They really don't like that!
Well, perhaps just don't charge them until you're ready to fly. Ideally you store them at 60%,but if you're regularly flying every 2 to 7 days (like me, really) then the best compromise might be to charge them before you fly rather than after you fly. Yeah, don't leave them empty if you flew to 10% remaining or so, but if you're like me, after a flight you have between 25% and 70% remaining, which is far better to be left at than being fully charged and left at 100% for most of their lives, only discharging briefly during that weekly flight before copping a full charge again.

-

Bottom line, compromise might be the way to go given we don't have a convenient Storage charge option like I do for all my other lithium batteries. The best compromise would be one that we're actually going to stick to and one that doesn't leave the batteries always full.

So, the best policy might be to charge before a flight rather than after a flight. That probably is the answer to most situations here, I reckon.

(Quick edit to add, don't forget about the controller! It's also lipo powered I believe, so it wants to be kept 30-60% ideally. Charge before you fly and do the controller only when the leds are showing one or two before a single flight, perhaps. Fully charge it if you're going to fly all your batteries, I guess. It also can be used to charge your phone while it's on, so that might be a convenient way to discharge it a bit)

*all of the above is based on my experience and knowledge as an electronics hobbyist who also does relatively basic electronics repairs in a small business as part of a greater service (fix the thing so it can be accessed in order to do the job). I don't have formal training with battery technology but do have years of experience working with lipo, li-ion, nimh, nicad and Pb battery chemistries. The advice here is my best guess rather than engineering fact, so please use your best judgement!

Thank you. This is helpful, especially the advice to not recharge after flying when they're at 30% or so, assuming I'm not planning to fly again soon (and assuming I'll be charging at some point before too long). It sounds like your advice would be to charge just BEFORE flying (or, say, the morning of) and if planning to not fly for a while, take care to pull them off around 60% (which is not an exact science, but we can approximate with the blinky lights).
 
I agree with everything you've said here, yep. 30-60% would be fine. Lipo nominal voltage is 3.7v per cell and they like to be stored at nominal at 25°C, if we're being picky. But they'll handle a range as stated without adverse effects.

What does hurt them is being fully discharged for long periods of time (though this is still not the end of the world), but what really seems to kill them is being left full. They really don't like that!
Well, perhaps just don't charge them until you're ready to fly. Ideally you store them at 60%,but if you're regularly flying every 2 to 7 days (like me, really) then the best compromise might be to charge them before you fly rather than after you fly. Yeah, don't leave them empty if you flew to 10% remaining or so, but if you're like me, after a flight you have between 25% and 70% remaining, which is far better to be left at than being fully charged and left at 100% for most of their lives, only discharging briefly during that weekly flight before copping a full charge again.

-

Bottom line, compromise might be the way to go given we don't have a convenient Storage charge option like I do for all my other lithium batteries. The best compromise would be one that we're actually going to stick to and one that doesn't leave the batteries always full.

So, the best policy might be to charge before a flight rather than after a flight. That probably is the answer to most situations here, I reckon.

(Quick edit to add, don't forget about the controller! It's also lipo powered I believe, so it wants to be kept 30-60% ideally. Charge before you fly and do the controller only when the leds are showing one or two before a single flight, perhaps. Fully charge it if you're going to fly all your batteries, I guess. It also can be used to charge your phone while it's on, so that might be a convenient way to discharge it a bit)

*all of the above is based on my experience and knowledge as an electronics hobbyist who also does relatively basic electronics repairs in a small business as part of a greater service (fix the thing so it can be accessed in order to do the job). I don't have formal training with battery technology but do have years of experience working with lipo, li-ion, nimh, nicad and Pb battery chemistries. The advice here is my best guess rather than engineering fact, so please use your best judgement!


Well stated. Welcome to the forum. You’ve been here just a short time but you have already added to it greatly. I believe your humility obscures a good degree of share-worthy knowledge, experience, and acumen. So I invite you to feel free to put that humility aside and let your light shine. In no time you will be an old timer. Let’er rip.
 
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Well, perhaps just don't charge them until you're ready to fly. Ideally you store them at 60%,but if you're regularly flying every 2 to 7 days (like me, really) then the best compromise might be to charge them before you fly rather than after you fly. Yeah, don't leave them empty if you flew to 10% remaining or so, but if you're like me, after a flight you have between 25% and 70% remaining, which is far better to be left at than being fully charged and left at 100% for most of their lives, only discharging briefly during that weekly flight before copping a full charge again.
Thanks for the advice. I usually end a flight with 20%-30% left, so I'll wait until I'm close to the next flight before charging them (and the remote).
 
Thanks for the advice. I usually end a flight with 20%-30% left, so I'll wait until I'm close to the next flight before charging them (and the remote).
No worries. I'd be a little wary of leaving it at 20 to 30% for more than a week or so, but otherwise this is probably the best, practical compromise. Cheers
 
I noticed on AirData that some of my batteries are depicted as "Basic Battery Service due". Basic Battery Service is triggered by any of the following:
Charges: 20 Times the battery was charged since the last Basic service
Flights: 20 Number of flights with this battery since the last Basic service
Airtime: 200 Total airtime in minutes with this battery since the last Basic service

Is anyone doing a battery deep cycle discharge on their lipos?
Yes i do. I had a short flight once, like 15 minutes and i got the low battery warning. I wrote dji and they said to discharge it to 7% let it cool off and recharge fully. If you go to dji downloads they have a battery safety manual. In there it states on how and when to discharge the batts. Also they stated to put the bat into the drone and check the charge in % that its fully charged. I have one of those adapters that allows you to plug in 4 bats but it chargets only one at a time. Well guess what. It only charged the bat 94% on all three batts. At the field i did notice it but Didn’t have an answer and since it was 94% i flew it.
I dont use the adapter anymore If you tried to connect the bat direct to the charger it wouldn’t charge due to the fact it was on a high percentage. So now. One bat at a time for a 100% charge
 
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