INTERNAL Battery Temperature Maximum's ; Opinions Please.

[cgmaxed]

I fly in florida on hot, sunny days, no greater than 100 degrees F (the max operating outside temp is 104F per DJI). When flying my AIR2S, w new batteries, I consistently get INTERNAL batt temps between 60-71 C (140F-160F). I know I could lower these temps by flying slower. But how do you all feel about these INTERNAL battery temps I stated above (60-71C). Don't get these temps confused with DJI's recommended maximum (104F) EXTERNAL Atmospheric operating temp recommendations. I haven't gotten any warnings from the app, even if I hit 75C. Anyway, what do you all think or what might you do if you are seeing temps of your batteries go over 60C or reaching over 70C? Oh, and If you are one that is keeping your batteries under 60C in outdoor temps above 90F (32C) on sunny days, in what manner do you fly your drones ie, slow, fast, hover a lot, stay out of sport mode, fly shorter missions, etc etc?

A side note; If my batt is over 60C on arriving home, I chuck my battery in the freezer for exactly 5 minutes, on a timer, then remove it. It's still warm, but gets to room temp much faster and can be recharged in 5 minutes after I take it out rather than the usual 40 minutes.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I know it may seem counterintuitive but the Wet Suits may keep your battery cooler in the hot baking sun .
Let me know if you would be interested in testing that out for me, pm me .

I dont really have a chance to fly in Extreme 100 degree heat to often so keep me posted.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your AIR 2S in the Rain and Land on the Water.

 

[StantonZ]

A side note; If my batt is over 60C on arriving home, I chuck my battery in the freezer for exactly 5 minutes, on a timer, then remove it.

I wouldn't do this: not good for the battery, and doesn't really help the freezer (not that it matters).
I don't know how you get internal battery temps that far above 150 F when I don't even approach 150 F--unless you are flying it really hard (I don't do that much "sports" mode).

 

[cgmaxed]

I wouldn't do this: not good for the battery, and doesn't really help the freezer (not that it matters).
I don't know how you get internal battery temps that far above 150 F when I don't even approach 150 F--unless you are flying it really hard (I don't do that much "sports" mode).

I am almost always flying in sport mode. I fly from point a,b,c,d,e,f all in one go. No rest for the drone. I'm sure that's why the temps are high, but I just thought i'd ask, if anyone else who flies like that, has high heat issues. If those temps are solely do to sport mode with a constant flight practice, DJI should think of creating a battery temp warning, stating something like, putting the drone back to normal flight mode, battery temp too high. Or maybe, they are made to get that high temporarily. They only get above 60C at about 15 minutes into the flight, then it rises to about 70 in the last 10 minutes in sport mode. Maybe they consider those 10 minutes not long enough for damage to occur.

Regarding my frezzer idea. They still come out warm, so there is no possibility of condensation occurring. I just wonder If it's problematic to cool them down in an accelerated manner. I've done it for a year now, on all my drones. In the past I had swelling issues, but I haven't had any since I started this practice.

 

[cgmaxed]

I have an Idea. I have an older Air 2 battery I can experiment with. I'm going to try and see how much and where I can cut the plastic housing off of it, using a dremel. I have 2 EVO2s; they both would overheat in the summertime, but not anymore. I actually cut the sides of the fuselage off (not stuctural) around the battery compartment. The ventilation is so much greater, the batteries never reach 130F, they stay below 120F usually. Before I cut the sides off, I had problems keeping the EVO's batteries under 140F. DJI and AUTEL cause significant heat retention by keeping the batteries covered in protective plastic housing. If I can successfully remove enough of the plastic housing around my AIR2's battery and It reduces the internal battery temp, I will post the results.

 

[Mike Mas]

High battery temperatures is older than drones themselves. When we flew the first lithium RC helicopters in the 90's temperature was always a consideration which is why we never shrouded the batteries like drones do these days. Don't worry about it, heating has never been a problem with DJI drones.

 

[Maviac]

I wouldn't do this: not good for the battery, and doesn't really help the freezer (not that it matters).
I don't know how you get internal battery temps that far above 150 F when I don't even approach 150 F--unless you are flying it really hard (I don't do that much "sports" mode).

Why is it not good for the battery? I’ve done the same for my original Air batteries for more than two years and all 4 are basically running as good as new (air batteries tend to get really hot).

I’m not saying you’re wrong, just saying it makes sense to me to get it cool as fast as possible. I’ve posed this question here a couple of times and nobody has given an authoritative answer. My concern is whether “shock cooling” (which is an airplane term, about something else) could harm the battery. My conclusion after 2.5 years is apparently not.

 

[StantonZ]

Why is it not good for the battery? I’ve done the same for my original Air batteries for more than two years and all 4 are basically running as good as new (air batteries tend to get really hot).

I’m not saying you’re wrong, just saying it makes sense to me to get it cool as fast as possible. I’ve posed this question here a couple of times and nobody has given an authoritative answer. My concern is whether “shock cooling” (which is an airplane term, about something else) could harm the battery. My conclusion after 2.5 years is apparently not.

I think you are a small sample size and have just been lucky. Extreme temperature changes (in both directions) can create stress fractures in plastics and imperfections in the gels/cells. However, letting the batteries cool (both after charging and after use) is important in general.
Not looking for a debate, but since you asked nicely, I thought I'd follow-up. YMMV.

 

[hiflyer201]

Hot days equal hot batteries but a look at airdata will give the completed details on every flight and also battery temps for every flight from the hottest to the coolest. My hottest battery was 176 f. on a 85f day. 3mph wind. It was a straight out circle a bit and straight home flight. Eight minutes with about four in sport mode. Top speed 42 mph. It's interesting data but it sure doesn't indicate why it was the hottest battery. I've flown on many hotter days.

 

[Maviac]

I think you are a small sample size and have just been lucky. Extreme temperature changes (in both directions) can create stress fractures in plastics and imperfections in the gels/cells. However, letting the batteries cool (both after charging and after use) is important in general.
Not looking for a debate, but since you asked nicely, I thought I'd follow-up. YMMV.

Thank you. The plastic issue was something I was concerned about. I didn’t want to compromise the latches, specifically. But the latches never got particularly hot. And yes, I have a small sample size, and would prefer empirical data, but I’ve never seen any. As far as extreme temperature changes harming the battery, what’s the evidence of this? Is is worse than just letting it cool naturally to room temp? It may be and I’ll be glad to be proven wrong. It just seems to me that cooling it as quickly as possible is a good idea. I only do it for a few minutes to bring it down to 70f or so.

 

[cgmaxed]

Thank you. The plastic issue was something I was concerned about. I didn’t want to compromise the latches, specifically. But the latches never got particularly hot. And yes, I have a small sample size, and would prefer empirical data, but I’ve never seen any. As far as extreme temperature changes harming the battery, what’s the evidence of this? Is is worse than just letting it cool naturally to room temp? It may be and I’ll be glad to be proven wrong. It just seems to me that cooling it as quickly as possible is a good idea. I only do it for a few minutes to bring it down to 70f or so.

That's what i do as well. A few minutes in the freezer. The battery feels like it's about 80 degrees when i take it out. I use a timer, so I don't forget it's in there. After it's out, I let it sit, until the battery temp evens out through the entire battery. Then I'll charge it. However, I have on occasion left a few in there for several hours and some overnight. OOPS. You can cool them , but you shouldn't freeze them. There is controversy regarding this practice. Anyway, the batteries did not malfunction after being warmed up in a dry towel. I tried charging one when it was still cold, but it wouldn't charge until it got up to about 50 F. I can't find any info on how rapid they can be safely cooled from a high temp to room temp, but I do the freezer thing anyway. I just don't like the idea of letting a 70C temp battery cooling down on it's own. Last thing, I hear charging a cold battery, lets say 40F, will give the battery a little extra charge. There is a caveat though. Some people that charge cold and run hot, have seen their batteries ignite. Not good. At least, DJI's batteries are "smart" batteries. They won't allow charging at unsafe temps (cold or hot).

 

[airbuspilot]

I flew my Mavic Air 2 this afternoon with the goal of achieving the hottest battery temperature possible.

65.8°C (150°F).

No cautions or error messages. The battery is not swollen. I am impressed.

 

[cgmaxed]

I've done that too. DJIs batteries seem to tolerate pretty high internal temps, at least for short periods of time. I can get these temps usually during the last 8-10 minutes of flight. The only thing I make sure that I do, is let them cool down completely before recharging them. Charging them hot will definitely cause problems. I know the battery won't allow itself to be charged if too hot, but I let the battery cool down further than that requirement.

 

[airbuspilot]

I've done that too. DJIs batteries seem to tolerate pretty high internal temps, at least for short periods of time. I can get these temps usually during the last 8-10 minutes of flight. The only thing I make sure that I do, is let them cool down completely before recharging them. Charging them hot will definitely cause problems. I know the battery won't allow itself to be charged if too hot, but I let the battery cool down further than that requirement.

I agree with the note on charging. I let my batteries cool for an hour at room temperature before recharging in order to get the most life from them.