Would you recharge batteries at 40 percent ?

[Endeavor]

NMC batteries do best if not fully drained or fully charged so best practice it to store at 70% and yes charge at 30, 40 or any level. It's just not best to keep at full or empty charge for extended periods.

 

[dlmvegas]

I charge my batteries fully. If I don't get out to fly within a week I drain them in my backyard hovering above lawn until they're between 40 to 50%. When I know I'm going to use the drone I charge all batteries the night before and fly. Unless I'm misunderstanding things this is what I've been doing. I have a Phantom 4 that I didn't fly for about 6 months. When I went to finally use it, the battery I had wouldn't charge properly because I left it too long without charging. One of the cells was dead. A nice $200.00 mistake for me to replace the battery.

 

[BokiFly]

i tend to charge mine the evening before a flying day ,and if the weather or circumstances change during the flight day and i know that i will not be flying the next day then i just discharge the ones i have not used to a safe level

That is what I wanted to know, I am a new pilot and I already had situation of weather changes, I charge batteries but several days after that is always raining, so I was wondering how many days can pass before I start to discharge Mavic Mini batteries (by charging phone). Then I found this in Mini's Manual: "If the battery will not be used for more than 10 days, it is recommended to discharge the battery manually until the battery level is between 39% and 75%."

 

[old man mavic]

That is what I wanted to know, I am a new pilot and I already had situation of weather changes, I charge batteries but several days after that is always raining, so I was wondering how many days can pass before I start to discharge Mavic Mini batteries (by charging phone). Then I found this in Mini's Manual: "If the battery will not be used for more than 10 days, it is recommended to discharge the battery manually until the battery level is between 39% and 75%."

myself i would not leave them fully charged for ten days,unfortunately the MM batteries do not have the self discharge program that the other mavics have ,i have my MPP set for three days ,and personally that that would be a max time i would be using for leaving batts fully charged for the MM as well,

 

[BokiFly]

That automatic discharge sounds great, I was wondering was is the best way to discharge Mini's batteries and someone propose to just connect USB cable to phone and charge phone. But then I always need to look on flashing LEDs on batterie to know when to stop discharging (around when third LED start to flash).

Hm, this will be a struggle with batteries, I learned here that if I go home after flight with around 20% then I again need to charge them to around 50%. Is that right?

It seems that I will deal more with batteries than with flying, always charging and discharging and keeping aye to exact charge level

 

[old man mavic]

That automatic discharge sounds great, I was wondering was is the best way to discharge Mini's batteries and someone propose to just connect USB cable to phone and charge phone. But then I always need to look on flashing LEDs on batterie to know when to stop discharging (around when third LED start to flash).

Hm, this will be a struggle with batteries, I learned here that if I go home after flight with around 20% then I again need to charge them to around 50%. Is that right?

It seems that I will deal more with batteries than with flying, always charging and discharging and keeping aye to exact charge level

you are correct battery care is one of the biggest issues with drone ownership they are expensive and require some respect when handling and storing them ,I have found that 4 batteries per drone to be a good amount to have ,and of course i have them numbered so i know which is which
I myself do not let mine get below 30-35% after use which gives me an average flight time around 15-18 mins,that way i know they are fine to be stored for a while if i am not going to be flying for an extended period of days

 

[BokiFly]

What is the rate of natural self discharge? If I would leave battery at some level, any level, how percentage would drop over time (for few days, for 10 or 20 days)?
If I leave battery at 40% how long before it will drop below critical 30% by itself?

 

[RonW]

you are correct battery care is one of the biggest issues with drone ownership they are expensive and require some respect when handling and storing them ,I have found that 4 batteries per drone to be a good amount to have ,and of course i have them numbered so i know which is which
I myself do not let mine get below 30-35% after use which gives me an average flight time around 15-18 mins,that way i know they are fine to be stored for a while if i am not going to be flying for an extended period of days

Like you, OMM, I have my M1P batteries set for 35% warning, 30% final. I always bring her into land at first warning. This method has so far given me over 2.5yrs ownership without problems. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

[WithTheBirds]

What is the rate of natural self discharge? If I would leave battery at some level, any level, how percentage would drop over time (for few days, for 10 or 20 days)?
If I leave battery at 40% how long before it will drop below critical 30% by itself?

You will see slight variations between cells (brands) and generally an accelerated rate with age but as a rule expect anything up to a couple of % in the first 24 hours off the charger and then 1-2%/month self discharge (cells) and up to 3%/month on top of that attributed to the battery electronics. The battery SOC still performs monitoring functions even with the battery powered down (shipping mode state and critical low voltage being the exceptions).

 

[BJR981S]

Seems when I fly I dont use up the whole battery. I always like to have like 30 to 40 percent left before landing. Is this bad for the batteries ?

You can leave them at this percentage for an extended period. So their is no real urgent requirement to recharge them.

30-40% is the optimal discharge level for battery longevity. Every time you discharge below 30% it is reducing battery cycle life, for DJI HV LiPo batteries. The Mini LiOn can be discharged to a much lower level but you do then enter the risk of running out of power in flight.

I only discharge to 40-50% battery and have plenty of fully charged batteries when I go flying.

 

[Gealousy]

....i just discharge the ones i have not used to a safe level

How do you discharge them?

 

[old man mavic]

How do you discharge them?

for my MM batteries i use the hub and just plug in my ipad or the controller to bring the level down,for my MPP batts i have made a discharge device that consists of a 55 W 12 V car fog light bulb as the load ,and i made a clamp arrangement that holds the bulb as it gets very hot during use ,i used the wire that came with the car charger which i removed from the charger ,as i never use it this plugs into the battery and and then just turn on the battery to discharge it
the most important thing to remember is dont leave this process unattended, as it is very easy to discharge the battery to much, and then you have to start the charging process again

 

[BokiFly]

The Mini LiOn can be discharged to a much lower level but you do then enter the risk of running out of power in flight.

Good to know. Mini's battery alert activates at 20%, so it's not a problem if I land with 15-20%?

 

[WithTheBirds]

for my MM batteries i use the hub and just plug in my ipad or the controller to bring the level down,for my MPP batts i have made a discharge device that consists of a 55 W 12 V car fog light bulb as the load ,and i made a clamp arrangement that holds the bulb as it gets very hot during use ,i used the wire that came with the car charger which i removed from the charger ,as i never use it this plugs into the battery and and then just turn on the battery to discharge it
the most important thing to remember is dont leave this process unattended, as it is very easy to discharge the battery to much, and then you have to start the charging process again

That globe should get you down to 40% charge (from 100%) in close to 30mins. I would be tempted just to knock the top off them and leave at around 80% charge. Taking it down to 40% only to have to recharge again is throwing away more charge cycles than the issue you are trying to address might equate to.

 

[old man mavic]

That globe should get you down to 40% charge (from 100%) in close to 30mins. I would be tempted just to knock the top off them and leave at around 80% charge. Taking it down to 40% only to have to recharge again is throwing away more charge cycles than the issue you are trying to address might equate to.

yes it doesn't take long to get them to a safe level ,thats why i said keep an eye on the process ,i stop when i have 2 solid and the third flashing

 

[Gealousy]

for my MM batteries i use the hub and just plug in my ipad or the controller to bring the level down,for my MPP batts i have made a discharge device that consists of a 55 W 12 V car fog light bulb as the load ,and i made a clamp arrangement that holds the bulb as it gets very hot during use ,i used the wire that came with the car charger which i removed from the charger ,as i never use it this plugs into the battery and and then just turn on the battery to discharge it
the most important thing to remember is dont leave this process unattended, as it is very easy to discharge the battery to much, and then you have to start the charging process again

Ah interesting! That’s very good ingenuity. Thank you sir!