Really discouraged right now...

[Mike4884]

Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully reply. From what I've researched and consensus from other replies, your answer send to be the most succinct. Everything I did was instructed per the mavic manual. For my situation, I think the this I did that had the most detriment was letting them go below the auto discharge for too long and the batteries being subjected to Florida heat (although below the operating tolerance). I wish I had known how sensitive these batteries are upfront and had better specific guidelines for care. I believe following DJI suggestions actually contributed to the issues with my batteries. I really like your 80/20 rule. To make sure I'm clear, you suggest to discharge after 3-4 days and then maintain about 80%? Do you top off before flying?

Thanks again.

I have my discharge cycle set for 2 days if I want to fly I simply top them off and then go out that day if I'm not flying I will make time to fly if they're charged...... just to run the battery down. when I keep them at storage or I'm not flying for the week I will fly them down to 35%......which is 3.80 volts which is a perfect storage for LiPO batteries then next weekend when I go fly I will just simply top off.... note that if you are not flying for a few weeks to a month you simply just have to check on your lipos look at the light status if they begin to go below 1 and 1/2 blinking lights top them back off to 35% 40%.... basically One Life both sit for a long period they will slowly discharge. When I am flying I usually land at about 20 % this is only if I know I am charging the battery right away again to go back out like I said if I'm going to put it in storage and I know I'm not flying for a week I will just simply fly the battery to 30% or 35 as long as u are around 3.80 v you can see this in the app

 

[Macwhitey]

Should I remove the battery from the MP when storing or can it remain in the drone?

 

[charliesRig]

No need
When turned off
The battery has an internal counter thats will discharge the batter and will not effect the bird

 

[Mike4884]

" Should I remove the battery from the MP when storing or can it remain in the drone? "




U dont really need to take them out with dji drones....the batterys are smart enough, and u also get the added benefit of keeping the contacts on battery and drone clean. since the battery will be in place.
Edit....if u know it will be discharging soon , like in a day etc keep it out of drone. Thats my advice

 

[Mike4884]

No need
When turned off
The battery has an internal counter thats will discharge the batter and will not effect the bird

Yea but if i know its going to discharge that is when i will leave it out of drone....they do get quite hot while self discharging.....plus god forbid the battery caught fire...bye bye 1000$ so if not discharging, or charged and ready to go out in a few hours. sure i would keep it in drone. But not when self discharging.

 

[Macwhitey]

Thanks guys. Leaving the battery in for a few days is OK, remove when battery is going to be out of the bird for some time and discharging. Got it, thanks.

 

[mbsz53]

Should I remove the battery from the MP when storing or can it remain in the drone?

The manual says not to leave batteries in your drone when not flying. Better safe than sorry. If for some reason your battery catches fire, there goes your drone. I keep my batteries stored in fire proof bags. You can buy them on eBay specifically for individual drones.

 

[Freebird32]

they do get quite hot while self discharging

They shouldn't get hot during self discharge, that implies they are discharging at a very high rate. The self discharge takes place over several days (low-rate). If your batteries are hot while just sitting on shelf, you have battery problem and I would put them outside or in a li-po bag.

 

[Hayabusa]

Now I’m really concerned.
Took mine out for the 1st time after a long hot summer. All flights went well and did notice flight time seemed a bit shorter. Didn’t actually time but remember noticing that.
I did however notice swelling on 1 battery, very noticeable and very slightly in the other 2. I can’t remember if I noticed this after flight or when charging.
Can I check this after I charge to see if swells? I’m afraid to fly it to test this.
I have to admit. I probably don’t maintain as directed.
Typically fly to 20%-30% only charge after cools. Can’t remember if I ever fully discharged.
I have a power extra charger ( for Mavic)
I have discharge set at 10 days. I don’t note when it discharges etc...
This summer I haven’t been flying so it would obviously discharge. I might charge up once in a while but then sits again etc...

How to quick check? Or are they toast,
Only 11 months old.

 

[Bob in Savannah]

p.s. Here is the text from the Battery Safety manual.

Battery Maintenance
1. Never over-discharge, as this may lead to battery cell damage.
2. Battery life may be reduced if not used for a long time.
3. Fullly charge and discharge the battery at least once every 3 months to
maintain battery health.

Relevant text highlighted.
I have a mavic pro and the batteries are LiPos not LiHvs

This. Plus, I'm so scared I'm on my way back home at about 70% anyway.... That has me home ALWAYS with like 45% or more... And i can get over a mile out and back with that kinda juice Anyhoo.... So...

 

[DanMan32]

Many here would consider me abusing my batteries as I tend to keep them 100% charged, and fly to teens. My P3 batteries are still good. Maybe not like new capacity but still get 18 or more minutes out of them.
Heat is a killer. Avoid storing in your car for long periods in Florida. Now isn't too bad but that wasn't true a few weeks ago.
I don't think my M2 batteries got warm when they self discharged while my M2 was out for repairs but might have missed the actual discharge cycle

 

[Riteguy]

About a month ago my drone crashed to the ground like a rock. What happened is there battery swelled and disconnected in flight. Fortunately, it was close to the ground and there was minimal damage. Yesterday I flew again and my drone kept disconnecting from 30 feet away. I thought it was some sort of interference. When I landed to change batteries, the battery practically shot off from the pressure that had built up between the battery and the release. I'm really disappointed. It looks like I'm going to have to I replace four batteries that are only a year old and have only been used less than twenty times. It's going to cost $80 each to replace. That's $240!!!!!!! I get that batteries have a limited life, but only year? They still hold a charge and run for twenty minutes. The batteries swell, push away from the connectors and the drone disconnects. Best case scenario, the drone only disconnects. Worst case, it drops from the sky like a rock. How long do you think these batteries should last?

If you need to buy new batteries, I've tried these and they work as good as the DJI batteries at about a 1/3rd less. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077SFLYW6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Powerextra Mavic Pro Battery, 2-Pack 11.4V 3830 mAh LiPo Intelligent Flight Battery Replacement for DJI Mavic Pro

 

[Bob in Savannah]

If you need to buy new batteries, I've tried these and they work as good as the DJI batteries at about a 1/3rd less. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077SFLYW6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Powerextra Mavic Pro Battery, 2-Pack 11.4V 3830 mAh LiPo Intelligent Flight Battery Replacement for DJI Mavic Pro

I definitely DO NOT RECOMMEND these non-OEM batteries. I'm reluctant to consider this a healthy post.

 

[MadMaqx]

I definitely DO NOT RECOMMEND these non-OEM batteries. I'm reluctant to consider this a healthy post.

Hmmm used them in mavic pro over 300,000 worked just fine for me but I wont fly over 90 degrees or below 32 in fear of over heating anything motor ,batt, circuits etc.

 

[DanMan32]

That's been found to be a very reliable brand that stands behind their product.
Otherwise I too would not normally recommend non-oem.

Screw props are another example of exception to the OEM only rule for critical components.

 

[mbsz53]

Now I’m really concerned.
Took mine out for the 1st time after a long hot summer. All flights went well and did notice flight time seemed a bit shorter. Didn’t actually time but remember noticing that.
I did however notice swelling on 1 battery, very noticeable and very slightly in the other 2. I can’t remember if I noticed this after flight or when charging.
Can I check this after I charge to see if swells? I’m afraid to fly it to test this.
I have to admit. I probably don’t maintain as directed.
Typically fly to 20%-30% only charge after cools. Can’t remember if I ever fully discharged.
I have a power extra charger ( for Mavic)
I have discharge set at 10 days. I don’t note when it discharges etc...
This summer I haven’t been flying so it would obviously discharge. I might charge up once in a while but then sits again etc...

How to quick check? Or are they toast,
Only 11 months old.

If they are swollen, I wouldn't take a chance flying with them. Mine swelled in flight and began pushing the battery away from being seated in the drone. I lost connectivity. The only way I could land was through manual navigation. Worst case scenario the drone looses power and falls out of the sky like a rock.

I've been doing extensive research about this. I think DJI should be more forthcoming about how sensitive these batteries really are. They are a big expense to replace. Discharge them after only a couple of days. Maintain them about 50% and keep them in a climate controlled environment when not flying. Charge to full capacity when you're ready to fly. Never take below 30% as a guideline. There's wiggle room with all the numbers, but they are the 'safe side.'

Members shared lots of advice. The above is a consensus of what was expressed and made sense. Good luck!

 

[DanMan32]

I've had no issues letting batteries self discharge after 10 days, flying down to less than 20%, flying average every week to 2 weeks, sometimes longer.
Storage in hot locations is probably the worst 'abuse'.

It is possible DJI has come across a bad batch of batteries. Wouldn't be the first major manufacturer to come across that.

 

[fiberdude]

I also have 4 batteries for one year and some months now. I have 480flights (around) 120 charge-discharge cycles on each battery, I should check each one in the dji app because the forth I bought after a few months so it is newer. 3 of the batteries started swelling 2 months ago.
The newer one swelled. Only one of the original ones has not swelled...
I stopped flying very often the last few months and for the sake of safety I won't use the swelled batteries anymore. So I will need to buy 3 new ones...
Is 120 charge cycles enough to cause a swell in the mavic pro batteries?

I have three batteries, one started to swell after 180 cycles. It can still be used after more than 200 cycles, but only for fights under 10-12 mins to be free of major cell voltage deviations.

 

[Rnl]

I've just purchased 5 batteries off ebay all new {Oem} all under 55.00 just have to keep watching.