Proper battery maintenance?

[CFster]

Hello, new to the forum. I’m a real estate photographer who just purchased a Mini 4 Pro. I’ve been using a Phantom 4 Pro for years and it’s been a workhorse but the batteries eventually gave up on me.

My question is what can I do to make sure I get a nice long lifespan out of my Mini batteries? I have three. I charge them all up prior to a shoot, as I don’t necessarily know how long I’ll be flying. So, I may come home with depleted batteries, or only one depleted, and a couple that are still fully charged.

Should I let the unused batteries deplete on their own? Should I charge the depleted batteries fully then let those deplete as they’re designed to do after a couple days? How low can I let the batteries get while flying and not impact the overall life of the batteries? Is it detrimental to the batteries to keep topping them off every couple days? Should I wait until I’m sure I have a shoot and charge them then?

Thanks,
- CF

 

[msinger]

what can I do to make sure I get a nice long lifespan out of my Mini batteries?

Follow these tips:

HOW TO: Maintain and store your DJI Mavic batteries | Mavic Help

Mavic Help is a site for help with DJI Mavic drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.

www.mavichelp.com

 

[Felix le Chat]

Hello, new to the forum. I’m a real estate photographer who just purchased a Mini 4 Pro. I’ve been using a Phantom 4 Pro for years and it’s been a workhorse but the batteries eventually gave up on me.

My question is what can I do to make sure I get a nice long lifespan out of my Mini batteries? I have three. I charge them all up prior to a shoot, as I don’t necessarily know how long I’ll be flying. So, I may come home with depleted batteries, or only one depleted, and a couple that are still fully charged.

Should I let the unused batteries deplete on their own? Should I charge the depleted batteries fully then let those deplete as they’re designed to do after a couple days? How low can I let the batteries get while flying and not impact the overall life of the batteries? Is it detrimental to the batteries to keep topping them off every couple days? Should I wait until I’m sure I have a shoot and charge them then?

Thanks,
- CF

I can only comment from my own experience, so bear that in mind.
The batteries for the mini 3 and mini 4 are different from the older drone batteries. They are Li-Ion instead of Li-Pol - you will get a greater number of cycles with them before they start to crap-out (here comes the inevitable argument).
Cycle your batteries so that you spread the workload across all three, that way they will last longer as individual units.
Regardless of what a lot of people say, your 'low battery: return to home' function is your friend when it is kept at 25%. That way you are guaranteed to have enough power to get your bird back and landed safely. It also guarantees that there is a safe margin of charge left in the battery.
Put your batts on charge to top the semi-depleted ones off a few hours before you head off to a shoot.
If you come back with only one battery run down, leave the others in the charger block and use the usb C in-drone charging feature to recharge the exhausted one.
Make sure all of your batteries are physically warm before you fly with them. On chilly or cold days, keep 'em close to your body in inside pockets so they benefit from body heat transfer.... benefits of the tiny batteries compared to the Phantom bricks.

 

[Cafguy]

Store your batteries at 60% (storage charge) then charge them fully before use-- charge them back to 60% to store again after use -then fully charge and use.
A charger with a storage option is your friend.
Treating my batteries in this way I get all my expected cycles and I have easily gone thru a hundred Batteries.

 

[Droning on and on...]