Is this battery bad?

[Yaros]

I see that this battery is a bit swollen, is it still usable?

 

[GFields]

If it is swollen, it is not recommended to continue using it. Often, the swelling prevents it from locking securely and poping out mid-flight resulting in a crashed drone.

 

[old man mavic]

@Yaros ,its fine for doing firmware updates ,or just checking your settings ,while the drone is not flying
you dont say how many charges it has ,or if the slight swelling goes down ,after it has cooled after flight
in the picture had it just been used or charged ,its all down to how you would feel, if it did pop out during flight, and the ensuing consequence's following such an event
but any sort of swelling ,caused by the cells over-gassing,is normally a sign of impending disaster
and the batteries demise ,and personally i would not continue to use it

 

[Droning on and on...]

As OMM said, use it for updates and other ground operations. Don't fly with it.

I'd add to that don't charge it again. That's when it will produce hydrogen if it's compromised. It's also when there is risk of explosion and fire from this sort of failure.

So use up the charge in it, then dispose of it properly. Or get rid of it now. That's what I would do.

 

[waynorth]

Impending disaster is a good description. I would not even consider flying with it.

 

[mavic3usa]

As OMM said, use it for updates and other ground operations. Don't fly with it.

I'd add to that don't charge it again. That's when it will produce hydrogen if it's compromised. It's also when there is risk of explosion and fire from this sort of failure.

So use up the charge in it, then dispose of it properly. Or get rid of it now. That's what I would do.

I agree, I would get rid of it now. If you are using it for a software upgrade and it fails during the middle of the update, you run the risk. Even though it is the 21st century, some electronics don't seem to always understand how to do their updates without bricking the device if the power goes off or wifi turns off, etc. Using a good battery will extremely lower that risk at no additional cost to you (except one battery cycle) and you don't end up with a bunch of crap batteries laying around that you might accidentally put into service. Expensive batteries seem to sell on ebay so you can donate them there.

 

[MA2 317]

I see that this battery is a bit swollen, is it still usable?

View attachment 168213

Looks like a Mavic Air 2 battery.

Place the battery on a flat surface, if it wobbles, be concerned.

I purchased four replacement batteries a while back because I noticed my original four batteries were swollen and had to double check if it was secured in the aircraft before launch.

If the battery swells while flying, it may pop itself out and, well, you know the rest of the story.

My original four didn't show any signs of performance failure when I flew, but just didn't want to play "Pop goes the weasel" if it would happen.

Your results may vary.

.

 

[Starz]

Age and charge cycles on your battery?

 

[BetterBizWorks]

I see that this battery is a bit swollen, is it still usable?

View attachment 168213

do the table test. If it sits flat its good. If it rocks its bad. It looks like it's starting to go bad. As the battery expands there is more of a chance of it popping out in the middle of the flight.

 

[Yaros]

Age and charge cycles on your battery?

Manufactured December 2020 according to AirData. 200+ cycles. Bought in August 2021

 

[Yaros]

They all do wobble a bit, here is a video:

0 new items by Yaroslav Syubayev

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[waynorth]

They all do wobble a bit, here is a video:

0 new items by Yaroslav Syubayev

photos.app.goo.gl

There you have your answer. These batteries are bad. Really bad.
If you fly with one of them it is very likely that your drone sooner or a little later will fall down to earth and hit something - a person, a car, a building or whatever. It is irresponsible (and stupid) to fly with a damaged battery.

 

[Yaros]

 

[Droning on and on...]

You're getting ready to climb the face of El Capitan in Yosemite, USA. During your pre-climb equipment inspection, one of your carabiners is suspicious. Looks okay, but something's different with the hinge. Can't quite pin it down.

Do you go ahead and use it?

Ever again?

 

[old man mavic]

@Droning on and on... with regards to your post #14 above ,i guess therein lies the perception ,that different people have ,between their own safety ,and property,compared to that of others,
if the drone did fall from the sky ,unless it was directly overhead ,of the person flying it in their own property,then they would not be injured,or any damage done to their property
regardless of that fact ,as the PIC of the drone ,they still have to ensure ,as much as is humanly possible ,that at the time of the flight ,the drone was airworthy ,and putting a swollen battery in a drone to fly it ,is definitely not ensuring airworthiness

 

[Droning on and on...]

Point well made, OMM. I was ignoring that distinction in the example, treating self risk and collateral risk as equally important to the person in question. True for only some of us, regrettably.

 

[Starz]

200+ cycles

I’m thinking you got your money’s worth out of that one.