Battery Storage when not in use.

[Homeless]

Do people leave the battery in the bird when not flying for a few days or is it better to leave it out.

Also say if your not going to fly for a week is it best to leave full , half full or empty?

Thanks


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[mdowney58]

I usually remove the battery after flight.
The advice for LiPo batteries is to not store them at full charge for extended periods. I also think it's not recommended to store them empty either.
The Phantom batteries have a built in feature to automatically begin a slow discharge after xx days.
You set the days to begin the self discharge in the Go app while everything is turned on and connected.

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[WilliamM]

Do people leave the battery in the bird when not flying for a few days or is it better to leave it out.

Also say if your not going to fly for a week is it best to leave full , half full or empty?

Thanks


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NEVER store them in the bird, and long term storage is somewhere near 50%. NEVER empty or full.

 

[DanMan32]

Being in the AC in and of itself isn't a problem since the battery itself removes all output power.
However should something go wrong, your AC may be damaged.
However it probably will be damaged if the battery is stored near the AC.

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[dan84uk]

I watched this interesting lecture on car lipos the other day. They lasted longest when charged and discharged quickly, basically keeping them fully charged for as little time as possible. The cooler the better too.

 

[Matts175]

Mine don't have time to sit around. I fly almost every day. I just got mine for Christmas though. I'm sure the nostalgia will wear off and it'll be like my $1100 R/C truck. Hahaha.

Anyways, speaking of my R/C truck. I store the batteries at exactly 50% in a cool dry place. About a month ago, I pulled it all out, after sitting for 14 months, everything charged up and worked like brand new.

 

[N017RW]

~50% charge is the advised storage level.
This can be found all over the 'web' and one thing all manufacturers seem to agree on.

It is the level I have noted upon purchase over the last 12 years or so I have been purchasing LiPos on-line or at local hobby shops.

As far as storage in the a/c... some are concerned with stress on the connectors though it has never been documented to occur AFAIK.

Having said that I store mine separately from the a/c (cause I have several).

 

[msinger]

I store my batteries outside of my Phantoms too. There are countless batteries being stored inside Phantoms as they are sitting on store shelves, so it shouldn't cause any problems.

 

[kjohn]

I store mine in the AC. The point made about countless batteries being stored in AC's in warehouses and stores makes the "never store in AC" something to ponder, doesn't it? I have a spare that I store in the box it came in. Same applies there.

 

[With The Birds]

NEVER store them in the bird, and long term storage is somewhere near 50%. NEVER empty or full.

Why never in the AC? The retaining clips arent stressed and we don't see fuse holder clips and knife switch contacts failing with fuses installed or in the in position so the phosphor bronze battery contacts should be fine. I leave a battery in the AC so am interested to learn the reasoning for an issue.

 

[WilliamM]

Why never in the AC? The retaining clips arent stressed and we don't see fuse holder clips and knife switch contacts failing with fuses installed or in the in position so the phosphor bronze battery contacts should be fine. I leave a battery in the AC so am interested to learn the reasoning for an issue.

Because even though highly unlikely, you still have to realize these batteries are a hazard material and having them stored somewhere hindering quick access in case of fire or swelling. I put one in right before powering on for flight and have it pulled out within a minute of landing. See no advantage in leaving it in the aircraft otherwise.

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[With The Birds]

Because even though highly unlikely, you still have to realize these batteries are a hazard material and having them stored somewhere hindering quick access in case of fire or swelling. I put one in right before powering on for flight and have it pulled out within a minute of landing. See no advantage in leaving it in the aircraft otherwise.

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Fair enough, thank you for clarifying. I see it as a great place to store an extra pack when there is no other space available and if by the remote chance it may suffer an unscheduled rapid spectacular self destruction the outcome likely won't differ, it will still be in the same bag. I Store the batteries in a place where there is likely to be no risk of fire spreading while at home but out and about there is one in the AC.

 

[solentlife]

I have to agree with the store outside AC .... but probably because that's what most RC people do with any E-powered model and I've done for years.

Storage ? Yes - storage at full or empty is death to a LiPo. It causes internal damage that increases Internal Resistance. That iR affects how battery delivers its power. It is an accumulating damage over time. There is no cure for it once it starts.
Storage level is between 3.7 and 3.9v per cell. Or 14.8 to 15.6v as total pack. Usually quoted as between 25 to 50%. I prefer the 3.75v mark.

Nigel

 

[Paul60]

Ah, but these aren't any old lipo. They are smart batteries from what I have read. They self discharge to the correct storage capacity after 2 days. I leave mine in the quad. I only have one anyway !

 

[spookyjay]

So, if you aren't going to use the AC for a long time, does that mean you have to keep charging the battery to maintain the 50% storage level.


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[solentlife]

Ah, but these aren't any old lipo. They are smart batteries from what I have read. They self discharge to the correct storage capacity after 2 days. I leave mine in the quad. I only have one anyway !

In fact they self discharge to a level DJI have set at about 65% once the period you set in Go has expired. I set 3 days as usual ... page 15 of manual.
Once the 3 days are over - that is as long as I haven't touched the button on the battery and left it alone - it will commence a slow discharge over approx, 2 days to 65% level.

65% level is actually at the most upper limit of storage that anyone should consider.... please just check online and you'll see the numbers.
50% or lower is generally considered better with a lowest figure of around the 25 - 30% mark.

But the story does not end there ... because information passed to me and also my metering longer storage shows the battery to have continued at slower rate past the 65% ...What the final figure would be when it stops ... I have no idea. But so far I have seen it lower than the 65%.

With batterys that get used - this 65% level is OK because it gives the least amount of charge needed to bring to full from storage but is a relatively safe storage level for medium term. I would prefer a lower figure for long term though.

As to calling the battery 'Intelligent' .... that word is debatable !! Given the findings myself and others have !

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

So, if you aren't going to use the AC for a long time, does that mean you have to keep charging the battery to maintain the 50% storage level.


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Absolutely not.
As long as the battery is more than 25% charged - its perfectly fine. The storage voltage is as I put in an earlier post. The range is quite wide ...

Nigel

 

[Paul60]

In fact they self discharge to a level DJI have set at about 65% once the period you set in Go has expired. I set 3 days as usual ... page 15 of manual.
Once the 3 days are over - that is as long as I haven't touched the button on the battery and left it alone - it will commence a slow discharge over approx, 2 days to 65% level.

65% level is actually at the most upper limit of storage that anyone should consider.... please just check online and you'll see the numbers.
50% or lower is generally considered better with a lowest figure of around the 25 - 30% mark.

But the story does not end there ... because information passed to me and also my metering longer storage shows the battery to have continued at slower rate past the 65% ...What the final figure would be when it stops ... I have no idea. But so far I have seen it lower than the 65%.

With batterys that get used - this 65% level is OK because it gives the least amount of charge needed to bring to full from storage but is a relatively safe storage level for medium term. I would prefer a lower figure for long term though.

As to calling the battery 'Intelligent' .... that word is debatable !! Given the findings myself and others have !

Nigel

Thanks Nigel,

Great info.

I don't know what exactly this 'intelligent' feature does exactly, but it sounds impressive !

They look very cool too (as batteries go).

 

[Loz]

Ah, but these aren't any old lipo. They are smart batteries from what I have read. They self discharge to the correct storage capacity after 2 days. I leave mine in the quad. I only have one anyway !

They are smart batteries, however they aren't super smart [emoji6]. As mentioned earlier in thread a user can set (in DJIGO APP) the number of days before the battery starts discharging itself to the recommended built in voltage, which I understand to be around 50%. The 2 days is a default in the app, which programs the battery.

Of note, by pressing the test button on an unplugged / temp stored battery, one RESTARTS the battery countdown number days before battery commences self discharge to the 50% level. This can be useful if one (say) charges a set of batteries intending to fly then cannot for a day or two - pressing button each day would restart counter, effectively telling battery not to start self-discharging by resetting countdown. Hope this makes sense and is useful.


- Phantom P3A & P3P -
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[spookyjay]

Absolutely not.
As long as the battery is more than 25% charged - its perfectly fine. The storage voltage is as I put in an earlier post. The range is quite wide ...

Nigel

Thanks Nigel

Being a newbie to all this, it certainly helps with having someone with your knowledge.

Very much appreciated


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