Mavic Air Battery question

john2k · Apr 12, 2018

When storing away the MA, is it safe to leave a battery connected to it? I have ordered 2 spare batteries directly from DJI so have 3 total batteries.

msinger · Apr 12, 2018

john2k said:
When storing away the MA, is it safe to leave a battery connected to it?

Yes.

john2k · Apr 21, 2018

@msinger The battery safety guide says to maintain optimal health of the battery to fully charge and discharge it at least once every 3 months. So like if i put a reminder on my phone to once every 3 months to do this. Is it fully charge then discharge it by idling the motors until it shuts off from a dead battery or discharge to a certain percentage? and then charge back up until 3rd led blinks for storing?

Also, what about the controller's battery does that have any special requirements?

msinger · Apr 22, 2018

john2k said:
The battery safety guide says to maintain optimal health of the battery to fully charge and discharge it at least once every 3 months. So like if i put a reminder on my phone to once every 3 months to do this. Is it fully charge then discharge it by idling the motors until it shuts off from a dead battery or discharge to a certain percentage? and then charge back up until 3rd led blinks for storing?

Try to fly with all of your batteries at least once every three months. When you're not able to do that, keep them within the storage range while they are in storage. Attempting to do anything beyond this will likely not prolong the life of your batteries.

john2k said:
what about the controller's battery does that have any special requirements?

Don't store the remote controller while fully charged for long periods of time. And don't store it with the battery completely depleted.

Bernzter · Jun 18, 2018

msinger said:
The batteries will be healthiest if you keep them in this range as much as possible:

View attachment 35495

After flying, you should charge the batteries up until the 3rd battery light starts blinking if you aren't planning on using them again in the next couple of days. If you are definitely going to fly again in the next couple of days, then it you don't need to charge them back up right away after flying.

The DJI charger balances the batteries. There's no need to buy some kind of aftermarket balancer to achieve that balance.

The DJI battery charging hub will make it more convenient to charge multiple batteries. While it's not going to charge them faster, you won't have to constantly keep an eye on them to know when it's time to switch to the next battery.

If you're looking to charge the batteries faster, you'll need to purchase a 3rd party parallel charger. This Yx battery charger is a well known 3rd party brand. It can charge 4 batteries in 1 hour.

The batteries are most dangerous while they are being charged. So, it would be best to charge them when you're nearby in case something doesn't go as expected. As long as the batteries are not damaged (e.g. punctured), you likely will never run into a problem with them.

I store my batteries in LiPo bags since I keep them in my house. I realize it's a bit overkill, but I'll trade the small cost of those bags for the peace of mind it gives me. You can find some LiPo bag options here on Amazon.

Appreciate the insight and the help. This is great for me who is a new DJI user and a fortnightly flier (too many regulations in Sydney to be able to fly, i have to go to the countryside hahaha.)

Thanks again

Bernzter · Jun 19, 2018

msinger said:
The batteries will be healthiest if you keep them in this range as much as possible:

View attachment 35495

After flying, you should charge the batteries up until the 3rd battery light starts blinking if you aren't planning on using them again in the next couple of days. If you are definitely going to fly again in the next couple of days, then it you don't need to charge them back up right away after flying.

The DJI charger balances the batteries. There's no need to buy some kind of aftermarket balancer to achieve that balance.

The DJI battery charging hub will make it more convenient to charge multiple batteries. While it's not going to charge them faster, you won't have to constantly keep an eye on them to know when it's time to switch to the next battery.

The batteries are most dangerous while they are being charged. So, it would be best to charge them when you're nearby in case something doesn't go as expected. As long as the batteries are not damaged (e.g. punctured), you likely will never run into a problem with them.

Just a quick question.

Is it safe for me to manually take out the battery from the charging hub once it reaches the optimal storage charge?

Thanks.

msinger · Jun 19, 2018

Bernzter said:
Is it safe for me to manually take out the battery from the charging hub once it reaches the optimal storage charge?

Yes.

Bernzter · Jun 19, 2018

msinger said:
Yes.

Thank you, much appreciated

Just did it now as I'm about to fly overseas to the Philippines and hopefully be able to take beautiful shots of the countryside there.

chris moss · Jun 20, 2018

Hey gang.. new Mavic air flyer here... I have the battery warning level set at 30%. I get warnin gs at around 42 % for some reasom... the status bar shows in the green section at the 42 and the yellow at the 30... But I still get the warning a bit earlier... tried resetting multiple times but no way??? it is hot outside...wondering if maybe a battery temp may be causing a false reading???? I can hit cancel return to home. and watch the levels... but worried if my new batteries may get a sudden drop and you know what that can lead to... thanks in advance.... Chris Moss.

Dutch_Dress · Sep 28, 2018

InvisibleName said:
The batteries are ‘smart’ and will enter a discharge cycle if not used for 10 days, taking them down to approx 60/65% charge.

I did notice that too, couldn't fly for 14 days because of the weather. Yesterday I did fly my Mavic Air again and the battery was 60% when I powered on my drone.

But there is one strange thing I noticed, I have the fly more pack so placed all three batteries in the shoulder bag. Yesterday I took the batteries out and the bag was hot on the places the batteries where in. The batteries where hot too, especially one. Is this because the discharge process? Never experienced that with my camera gear and batteries that are stored in a back pack. Or is something wrong with my MA batteries?

dgronjord · Sep 28, 2018

Dutch_Dress said:
I did notice that too, couldn't fly for 14 days because of the weather. Yesterday I did fly my Mavic Air again and the battery was 60% when I powered on my drone.

But there is one strange thing I noticed, I have the fly more pack so placed all three batteries in the shoulder bag. Yesterday I took the batteries out and the bag was hot on the places the batteries where in. The batteries where hot too, especially one. Is this because the discharge process? Never experienced that with my camera gear and batteries that are stored in a back pack. Or is something wrong with my MA batteries?

When they auto discharge after 10 days they get hot. It's normal. Camera batteries don't have this discharge function.