Swollen Batteries

[Aether]

I live in Arizona where the temperature gets to around 110 F this time of year. I hadn’t flown my drone for a few weeks and noticed the batteries don’t seem to fit within the drone very well. I went for quick flight and upon landing and removing one the battery I noticed it was very swollen at the bottom.

I’m guessing my batteries are ruined now? The batteries are around a year and a half old. What can I do in this situation especially considering where I live?

FFS!

 

[WithTheBirds]

Search for threads on Mavic 2 battery swelling issues, it can be a problem for all LiPO batteries however seems to be more prevalent with the M2 packs. Has been discussed extensively. Everything you may want to know, including storage and use recommendations/best practice is there.

As a general rule keep them away from extreme heat and not fully charged or empty for extended periods and you give them a chance if performing well for an extended service life.

 

[Aether]

Thanks, did a search and nothing came up (using the Mavic Pilots iOS app), so maybe something is broken.

~ Cheers

 

[ven]

Yes if very swollen, time to replace, they are not safe to use anymore. Potential disconnect during flight with the swell, also potential for fire.

 

[WithTheBirds]

Thanks, did a search and nothing came up (using the Mavic Pilots iOS app), so maybe something is broken.

~ Cheers

Search results for query: Mavic 2 battery swollen

mavicpilots.com

 

[jonthecourier]

Hi All, I have said before and say again that we never had any trouble with any other drone batteries including any DJI's but outcomes the M2P and bingo a lot of people haveing to pay out a lot of money to keep flying, I'm sorry but in my book, DJI should come to the front and explain why there are so many problems with this battery but no they hide behind the fact that yes this type of battery can be a problem. Come on DJI come out and explain to us why all the problems, this just proves to me that DJI is in the drone business for profit and profit only.

 

[MGVision]

Mavic 2 air batteries will have same problem. Dji just want to make more money.

 

[hiflyer201]

I have said before and say again that we never had any trouble with any other drone batteries including any DJI's but outcomes the M2P and bingo a lot of people haveing to pay out a lot of money to keep flying,

I think you're going to have to add the Mavic Air. I've always kept mine charged because I always planned to fly everyday so I'm not sure if that was part of the cause. The only battery failure that I have had was with one that was flat as a board... no swelling. I disposed of that battery but I have kept the other two slightly swollen batteries to fly low level active track with. Just as a point of interest..I send my Air and Controller to DJI for inspection of problems that I was having and they returned a new controller and drone with my old slightly swollen battery installed. I thought that was interesting. I was charged for a repair on the internals of the controller. both sticks and the gimbal wheel modules. No Idea what caused that problem

 

[DanMan32]

Hi All, I have said before and say again that we never had any trouble with any other drone batteries including any DJI's but outcomes the M2P and bingo a lot of people haveing to pay out a lot of money to keep flying, I'm sorry but in my book, DJI should come to the front and explain why there are so many problems with this battery but no they hide behind the fact that yes this type of battery can be a problem. Come on DJI come out and explain to us why all the problems, this just proves to me that DJI is in the drone business for profit and profit only.

I wouldn't say never. I agree the M2 batteries, especially those manufactured July/August 2018 were most common, other models have been reported, including original Air.

 

[DanMan32]

M2 batteries with some swelling are still electrically sound but you have the danger of it popping out enough to lose electrical connection, which is a mechanical issue rather than electrically. All three of my original batteries swelled last year to different degrees. I tested hover times with those compared to brand new ones where there was only a minute or two difference. If it weren't for the swelling preventing a secure attachment, I'd still fly with them. I still use 2 of them for ground work (firmware updates, checking new features and settings in the app, warm-ups before initial flight, very low altitude and distance flight tests) and took the worst of the three apart.

My three replacements I bought last fall are doing good. I make it a point to not keep them in heat, using a cooler to store them when transporting during warm weather.

The worst issue is to keep it fully charged and stored in hot locations, which I may have done once or twice last year. They can probably handle heat a little better if at less than 80% charge during heat exposure.

 

[Aether]

Since my batteries seem to be essentially ruined I decided to do a little test. I took the batteries and put them in the freezer (in a ziplock freezer bag to avoid condensation) for an hour and then removed them. The swelling had actually gone down considerably. I gently pressed on the bottom of each battery with my fingers to flatten it out a bit more. I’m not sure how dangerous this actually is, but it seemed to get rid of the swelling almost completely for the time being. I haven’t tested the batteries in the drone yet, or whether I even should. I just thought it was interesting that cooling of the batteries seems to alleviate the swelling.

 

[WithTheBirds]

Since my batteries seem to be essentially ruined I decided to do a little test. I took the batteries and put them in the freezer (in a ziplock freezer bag to avoid condensation) for an hour and then removed them. The swelling had actually gone down considerably. I gently pressed on the bottom of each battery with my fingers to flatten it out a bit more. I’m not sure how dangerous this actually is, but it seemed to get rid of the swelling almost completely for the time being. I haven’t tested the batteries in the drone yet, or whether I even should. I just thought it was interesting that cooling of the batteries seems to alleviate the swelling.

I wouldn’t put the batteries anywhere near the charger until they have fully returned to room temperature (they thaw out like a chicken, inside last). The charging circuit should protect the cells however it is well known that charging at low temps is another great way to permanently destroy a LiION cell.

 

[Aether]

Definitely good advice. I’ve let the batteries return to room temperature and I’m currently watching (like a hawk) one charge right now that was less than 5% charged. I’ll post an update of the result afterward and we’ll see if any swelling has returned.

What exactly is swelling within the battery housing?

 

[WithTheBirds]

Definitely good advice. I’ve let the batteries return to room temperature and I’m currently watching (like a hawk) one charge right now that was less than 5% charged. I’ll post an update of the result afterward and we’ll see if any swelling has returned.

What exactly is swelling within the battery housing?

The LiPO pouches (cells). I haven’t kept up to date with the findings of those who have investigated the problem- one theory that has weight, or at least seemed to, was the enclosure design didn’t allow enough head room for cell expansion. All LiPO cells increase in volume in use, often the permissible expansion is included as part of the manufacturer advertised specifications.

 

[Mr Shamrok]

I live in Arizona where the temperature gets to around 110 F this time of year. I hadn’t flown my drone for a few weeks and noticed the batteries don’t seem to fit within the drone very well. I went for quick flight and upon landing and removing one the battery I noticed it was very swollen at the bottom.

I’m guessing my batteries are ruined now? The batteries are around a year and a half old. What can I do in this situation especially considering where I live?

FFS!

There are main problems and causes of battery bloating; flying in a high temperature environment, heavy load (sport mode, or hiperlaps mode) I would recommend that all pilots monitor the temperature of your battery during flight (unfortunately not all pilots monitor the temperature of the battery) and if Since your temperature exceeds about 50 degrees, and this often happens, the chances that your battery will swell are very high. And for swelling you can lose your drone, as it leaves the seat and the connection may be suddenly lost during the flight.
I have three batteries of 2018, on which I flew more than a thousand kilometers, and there were no problems. I always store in a fully-charged state, and before the flight I discharge up to 95%, and then fully charge before the flight. Already more than a year of using batteries there are no problems.

 

[Aether]

There are main problems and causes of battery bloating; flying in a high temperature environment, heavy load (sport mode, or hiperlaps mode) I would recommend that all pilots monitor the temperature of your battery during flight (unfortunately not all pilots monitor the temperature of the battery) and if Since your temperature exceeds about 50 degrees, and this often happens, the chances that your battery will swell are very high. And for swelling you can lose your drone, as it leaves the seat and the connection may be suddenly lost during the flight.
I have three batteries of 2018, on which I flew more than a thousand kilometers, and there were no problems. I always store in a fully-charged state, and before the flight I discharge up to 95%, and then fully charge before the flight. Already more than a year of using batteries there are no problems.

How do you store fully charged and then discharge up to 95% before flight?

 

[Mr Shamrok]

How do you store fully charged and then discharge up to 95% before flight?

After the flights, I check that the battery is cool (it is about two hours later, even if it is warm and can be charged, I would not recommend doing it, since it wears out faster, it has already been checked), and only after that I charge. If I I don’t use the battery for five, six days, then it discharges by about 97%. Therefore, I have to discharge it up to 95%. The battery takes charge if it is discharged below 95%. But if you do not use it longer then it will discharge itself more, and you don’t need to discharge it to charge it 100% before the flight. And I always recommend charging the battery before the flight, and subject it to less severe loads and high temperature conditions, it will last for a very long time.

 

[WithTheBirds]

There are main problems and causes of battery bloating; flying in a high temperature environment, heavy load (sport mode, or hiperlaps mode) I would recommend that all pilots monitor the temperature of your battery during flight (unfortunately not all pilots monitor the temperature of the battery) and if Since your temperature exceeds about 50 degrees, and this often happens, the chances that your battery will swell are very high. And for swelling you can lose your drone, as it leaves the seat and the connection may be suddenly lost during the flight.
I have three batteries of 2018, on which I flew more than a thousand kilometers, and there were no problems. I always store in a fully-charged state, and before the flight I discharge up to 95%, and then fully charge before the flight. Already more than a year of using batteries there are no problems.

50C isn't considered the higher end of operating temp for LiPO's. Quality packs in the RC hobby, those flown in RC heli and 3D aeroplanes being well known examples, run to 60-70 degrees C with high regularity and still provide reasonable service life.

Leave the same pack in a hot vehicle at full charge and you may only get one use out of it.

Your method of keeping packs continuously at 100% is a poor practice that shouldn't be recommended unless you must be constantly ready to fly at short notice. Fully charged LiION chemistry is at its most unstable state so you have a slightly elevated safety hazard coupled with shortened lifespan.

 

[Mr Shamrok]

50C isn't considered the higher end of operating temp for LiPO's. Quality packs in the RC hobby, those flown in RC heli and 3D aeroplanes being well known examples, run to 60-70 degrees C with high regularity and still provide reasonable service life.

Leave the same pack in a hot vehicle at full charge and you may only get one use out of it.

Your method of keeping packs continuously at 100% is a poor practice that shouldn't be recommended unless you must be constantly ready to fly at short notice. Fully charged LiION chemistry is at its most unstable state so you have a slightly elevated safety hazard coupled with shortened lifespan.

Thank you for your message. 1. I did not indicate that the 50C is the upper limit, I indicated the frequent use of a battery with LOADS above 50C affects its bloating. Under loads with a high temperature of the battery, for some pilots the batteries swelled even after 20-30 cycles. confirmation of this can even be monitored on this site. Unfortunately, there are few pilots who monitor the temperature and volts of the batteries, and then do not understand why this happens. 2. As for storage; I completely agree with you that it is better to store a battery of 65-50% of the charge, but, during LONG STORAGE. I charge up to 100% and store for two, three weeks, then charge before flights. I understand that you may not agree with me, but I have been using this method for several years, and battery problems for this there was no time. I just share my experience which I have not several months, but several years. I wish everyone a clear sky, and good flights.

 

[WithTheBirds]

Thank you for your message. 1. I did not indicate that the 50C is the upper limit, I indicated the frequent use of a battery with LOADS above 50C affects its bloating. Under loads with a high temperature of the battery, for some pilots the batteries swelled even after 20-30 cycles. confirmation of this can even be monitored on this site. Unfortunately, there are few pilots who monitor the temperature and volts of the batteries, and then do not understand why this happens. 2. As for storage; I completely agree with you that it is better to store a battery of 65-50% of the charge, but, during LONG STORAGE. I charge up to 100% and store for two, three weeks, then charge before flights. I understand that you may not agree with me, but I have been using this method for several years, and battery problems for this there was no time. I just share my experience which I have not several months, but several years. I wish everyone a clear sky, and good flights.

The further clarification of your use case here does nothing to further advance or clarify the potential misinformation- specifically with respect to the effect on service life and performance of storage voltage for LiION chemistry.

What my or your opinion might be is irrelevant. The consensus of the experts and cell manufacturers is that storage at full charge should be avoided where possible. The fact you might have observed no ill effects in your specific case is also of little value. I know someone who drove his car 5 times further than the recommended service interval for an oil change and he tells everyone the manufacturer and oil company claims can be safely ignored.

Storage at full charge does have a negative effect on service life. The best practical storage SOC is somewhere below 40% however 50-65% does provide a safety margin for those who don't routinely check the charge state in storage. Frequent use at an operating temperature (not ambient) of 50C will have no significant adverse impact service life, particularly in any or the DJI models where discharge C rate is well below 5 (in sport mode).