How to charge, discharge and store Mavic Mini batteries the right way?

[dawaske]

Hello everyone!
I'm currently in the process of getting to know my new Mavic Mini and have a few questions about battery handling:

1. I understand that the MM batteries are not "intelligent" and do not auto-discharge like with other DJI drones. Does that mean I should discharge them manually to ~70% whenever I'm not planning to use the MM in the foreseeable future? Or is the charging hub maybe doing that?

2. Given that those tiny batteries only have two cells I assume I really shouldn't operate the drone at low temperatures?

3. When it comes to charging the batteries, does it make sense to use a less powerful charger when I'm not in a rush (so there is less degradation)? And can you recommend a device that can charge all three batteries simulatenously?

My main goal is to treat the batteries as well as possible to avoid fast degradation.

Cheers,
Daniel

 

[old man mavic]

once you have flown them down to around 40% just let them recover before charging them up again if you store them between 40% to 70% they will be fine and then if you dont intend to fly for an extended period just check the charge level monthly it it quite safe to leave them in the charging hub when not in use and then charge them up the evening before you plan to fly same with the RC store around 50%to 60%

 

[Mac Man]

Hello everyone!
I'm currently in the process of getting to know my new Mavic Mini and have a few questions about battery handling:

1. I understand that the MM batteries are not "intelligent" and do not auto-discharge like with other DJI drones. Does that mean I should discharge them manually to ~70% whenever I'm not planning to use the MM in the foreseeable future? Or is the charging hub maybe doing that?

2. Given that those tiny batteries only have two cells I assume I really shouldn't operate the drone at low temperatures?

3. When it comes to charging the batteries, does it make sense to use a less powerful charger when I'm not in a rush (so there is less degradation)? And can you recommend a device that can charge all three batteries simulatenously?

My main goal is to treat the batteries as well as possible to avoid fast degradation.

Cheers,
Daniel

I have decided to just enjoy my drone. Lithium ion batteries typically have a life of 3 to 5 years or 300 to 500 cycles. That averages out to 100 cycles per year. If you do not fly more than twice a week, every week, every year then your batteries are going to degrade from age before they degrade from cycle use. As mentioned in a number of posts storage voltage has an impact. Charging to full charge, and discharging fully both have a negative impact too. So, if you want to maximize your battery life, then you should only charge it to 75% and never discharge it below 25%. That means flying on half of the batteries capacity, or for about 12-15 minutes. Then when you get home you need to discharge any batteries that you didn’t use to 40%. Then when it’s time to go back out you have to wait and charge everything back up again.
When I get home I’ll charge everything back up and return my batteries to the case. That way when the weather looks good and I have time to go fly I can grab my case and go.
If you are a techie and like playing with the batteries, that’s a great thing. But, for me convenience and the fun of flying drives my motivations.

BU-808: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries

BU meta description needed...

batteryuniversity.com

 

[Barry4]

I know most of you out there are going to disagree with me but let me tell you how I handle my batteries. I have a Mini 1 and my Mini 2 is on order. Ready for this? I always have my batteries at 100% charged. What??? That’s right. Why you may ask? Very simple. When I get up and say to myself, let’s get out there and get the drone up, the last thing I want to do is start charging batteries. I want to get out there and go. I don’t want to miss a rainbow or sunrise or sunset, etc. I always have my equipment ready to go and enjoy. I have 6 batteries and I do rotate them. But if one of them starts to show wear, well there are plenty of places to go and buy another one. I love flying my drone and I don’t want to waste any time.

 

[DanMan32]

Thats fine but note that the battery may degrade or swell prematurely, especially if stored in warmer environments. They are $45 each.

Granted LiIon is less prone to swelling and such than LiPo.

 

[DiegoM]

I know most of you out there are going to disagree with me but let me tell you how I handle my batteries. I have a Mini 1 and my Mini 2 is on order. Ready for this? I always have my batteries at 100% charged. What??? That’s right. Why you may ask? Very simple. When I get up and say to myself, let’s get out there and get the drone up, the last thing I want to do is start charging batteries. I want to get out there and go. I don’t want to miss a rainbow or sunrise or sunset, etc. I always have my equipment ready to go and enjoy. I have 6 batteries and I do rotate them. But if one of them starts to show wear, well there are plenty of places to go and buy another one. I love flying my drone and I don’t want to waste any time.

I guess you tested Mini 2 already. Mini 2 batteries will discharge by itself to 72% after just 5 days. Also I read that these batteries do not discharge correctly, meaning a cell can be more discharged, so to safely fly you need to charge it right before flying. I wonder why they picked 5 days... at least they should have set it up to 7 days so you are ready for the following weekend. Please tell us if you noticed this already (and if you are still charging to 100%). Thanks!