batteries - short life after 7 flights, and two years. ???

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Battery questions.

My P2V+ is 2 years old. I flew it 12 times the first year and twice the second year. Now, once last week (this year).

I have two batteries. They have seen equal use, and equal charging (perhaps too much charging). More on that later.

My first flight this year I got up to about 200 feet directly overhead and after 2-3 minutes, I started getting the low battery warning. It landed fine within the next few minutes. The battery was fully charged a few days before.

I put the second battery in and it did the same thing, but with a minute or two longer flight time. It too was charged a few days before.

Over the last two winters, I put the batteries on the charger (until full) 2-3 times per winter. I didn't run them down beforehand. They were pretty discharged according to the green lights.

To fully drain them, when I got home this week, I put both batteries in the drone and just let it idle on the ground until it shut off. It never had enough power to even lift off while doing this.

I have since put both batteries on the charger until full. I have yet to check the flight time as I have been very busy. I probably won't get to it until next week.

I don't know too much about the battery status logic in the devices, but I suspect that somehow the batteries are giving inaccurate status data to the controller, and it THINKS the batteries are low when they're really not. Thus alerting telling the craft to land.

I would hate to think I have to replace my two batteries, and that I only got 7 flights out of each one...

I have one other question. Both batteries require a bit of force to seat into the drone. More than i would expect. Getting them out is MUCH harder, I have to squeeze and pull very hard to get them out. They do not appear to be deformed or damaged in any way. It is just stiff getting them in and out. Any way to safely "lube" them?

Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on either of these topics?

Thanks.
 
Lipo batteries need to be stored at a 30% - 60% charge amount. Anything more literally degrades the battery physically. Unfortunately this sounds like what is happening. While it's "possible" to regain a small amount of capacity through careful (not automatic) discharge/recharge cycles the amount of return is not worth the time, hassle, or risk.

Also one common sign of a battery suffering is the "Puffing" factor. The battery physically swells which might be what you're describing when you mention the battery is tight in the aircraft.

You can google "LiPo Puffing" to learn more about this.
 
Are the batteries swollen? There should be an airgap between the gray battery cover and the white structure. If the battery is swollen to the point where the white structure is deformed, that would make the battery difficult to insert and extract.

I recently started a thread about the condition of my batteries after 18-months of disuse. They are a little swollen at the end (the end without electronics) but the white outer case isn't deformed in any way. I'm getting about 12-14 minutes of use out of these batteries after 5 conditioning flights.
 
Thanks for the replies,

Just to clarify, the batteries have always been difficult to insert and removed since new. They have not gotten worse over time.
 
The correct way to remove batteries is the two-handed method. See if that helps.

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Yes you can lube any area that you think is causing excess friction. I'd use a tiny amount of whatever lube you have. Even a drop of salad oil would work.

Personally, I don't think storing Lipos for a long time is a good idea, regardless of where you keep the charge. I would keep them at around 50% and then "exercise" them somewhat every three weeks or so, then get them back to around 50%. Repeat. That's just my theory.

As far as these go, I would place them in the aircraft, plug your Phantom into the Phantom Assistant software and see what you can learn about the batteries as far as cell balance and general health. Do it before and after the flight.

Good luck.
 
3 of my 5 are in the same condition. Mine bird will get to about 100 ft about a minute 37 avg. and then come down HARD. I've had to hand catch it to keep it from crashing.

My batteries are in the same condition as yours, over 2 years old, right at 20 - 25 flights show 99 - 100 % when starting and then 25% within 2 minutes and crash.

I cycled them accordingly and discharged them to the point they won't turn on and recharge 2 times each, no improvement.

Sure wished DJI would cover them even 50% of the cost to replace.

Aggravating.

Denny
 
You need to discharge your batteries to 4%. Only attainable with a discharge circuit available on eBay etc.. it allows you to discharge to 70% or 4%. After total discharge, 4%, recharge completely and you batteries are good as gold. Remember if you aren't flying discharge to 50%. I ruined two camera's and ribbon cables before I did the total discharge thing. Discharging with the Phantom only takes them down to 10 to 15%. Not enough.

Sent from my SM-T350 using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
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I've done the discharge at 20 cycles routine and have 2 batteries that are 18 months old with at least 80 flights each and still give 14 minutes of flight on my P2V with Chinese gimbal, I use one of the discharger units at times when i charge my batteries and then can't fly.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
I ordered the one off ebay with the 30 watt bulb n circuit board. Less than 10.00

Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Batteries without usage will degrade. They need to be cycled every so often to keep the cells working and to prevent degrading them. Some time we find out the hard and expensive way. Even storing a lipo battery at 30-50 % is suspose to keep it in good shape but over the long haul of many months not exercising the cells cause them to drop in usefulness. Just a fact of life with a battery. I think the actual term is useable shelf life.
 
This isn't the case with mine, all 5 of mine have been cycled at least once a month with 2 of the 5 not being recoverable.

I" purchased the deep discharger and ran it 5 or 6 times each time until it wouldn't light the bulb.

Verified all 4 cells light up - via the hold once started for 10 seconds, then recharged to 100% and verified via the Application.

Within 2 minutes of each of the 5 flights the all red lights blink and the bird comes straight down, lands and turns off.

Discharge and repeat, same story.

So, I'm open to suggestions that doesn't involve spending 450.00 for 3 P2V+ Batteries.

Denny Crane
.
 
Still have 3 batteries that show to charge to 100%, App shows them at 100% Drone reports 100% then flight lasts maybe 2 minutes hovering to ensure it doesn't crash.

Catch it, 4 LEDS lit 90% battery and it shuts off.

Ill attempt to clean contacts on the bird and the batteries, but with these batteries doing it the some in both drones I'm pretty sure they're toast.

Will seek to replace 1 at a time I guess.

Denny
 
Want to send one to me for (potentially) destructive testing to see if savageable or real reason for failure?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 

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