Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendation

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Okay....I searched and found threads on this subject; even one with 132 pages that looks like it ever gets to the bottom line....I think.

DJI recommends storing batteries in a partially discharged condition. I understand a lot about this and the battery chemistry, etc.

What I really need to know:

IS THERE AN EXISTING PRODUCT OUT THERE THAT WILL AUTOMATICALLY DISCHARGE PHANTOM 2 BATTERIES TO THE RECOMMENDED STORAGE LEVEL?

I know I can probably build something. I'm a fairly experienced Arduino and Pi experimenter, and have decades of hobby electronics project experience. But what I'd really like to do is call up Amazon.com and buy one. Ideally, one that not only discharges the whole battery pack, but also watches the individual cells.

Can I purchase such devices for the Phantom 2 battery packs? If so.....tell me! :?:
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

You can use a hobby charger to discharge to storage level but you wont be able to watch individual cells. Connect with crock clips or buy the connector that's in the P2. I use a turnigy accucel 6.
 
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Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

I am sorry but me just stupid . Can't ya just fly em down and then check them in assistant or do they use from 1 cell then the next .
I thought they pulled from all 3 at the same time :?
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

dirkclod said:
Can't ya just fly em down and then check them in assistant?

Well, I don't have any fancy dischargers either. Hell, I didn't even know I wasn't supposed to store them charged. So I toasted one battery and substantially lessened the life of my remaining one.

Now I just put it away after I fly since there's usually 30% or so left when I quit.
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

Well I knew you didn't store em long full but I fly almost everyday and when I come in and they have cooled down I recharge them to full again to fly the next day .
I was still under the impression that after 10 days they auto discharged to 50% .
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

Case29247 said:
Okay....I searched and found threads on this subject; even one with 132 pages that looks like it ever gets to the bottom line....I think.

DJI recommends storing batteries in a partially discharged condition. I understand a lot about this and the battery chemistry, etc.

What I really need to know:

IS THERE AN EXISTING PRODUCT OUT THERE THAT WILL AUTOMATICALLY DISCHARGE PHANTOM 2 BATTERIES TO THE RECOMMENDED STORAGE LEVEL?

I know I can probably build something. I'm a fairly experienced Arduino and Pi experimenter, and have decades of hobby electronics project experience. But what I'd really like to do is call up Amazon.com and buy one. Ideally, one that not only discharges the whole battery pack, but also watches the individual cells.

Can I purchase such devices for the Phantom 2 battery packs? If so.....tell me! :?:

The new DJI have built discharge circuit which after non-use for 48 hours will start to discharge down to 50% over a period of time.
If you'd like to do faster fly it or just put a battery in the phantom turn it on without the motors running and let drain down until only two LED are lit. Of course the latter should monitored. Now it's your choice which you want to do but buying something to discharge your batteries is nothing but a waste of money.
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

AeonLu, how does that connect to a DJI battery?
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

jason said:
The new DJI have built discharge circuit which after non-use for 48 hours will start to discharge down to 50% over a period of time.
If you'd like to do faster fly it or just put a battery in the phantom turn it on without the motors running and let drain down until only two LED are lit. Of course the latter should monitored. Now it's your choice which you want to do but buying something to discharge your batteries is nothing but a waste of money.


Firmware Updates on October 31, 2014
Overview:
a) DJI Smart Battery firmware updated to v2.6.
b) DJI Phantom Assistant updated to v3.6.
Major New Features
a) Battery cell warning added to the VISION app that alerts users if battery issues are detected. Browse
battery cell warning history in the VISION app.
b) New auto-discharging feature to address to address the swelling problem of fully charged battery when
it is stored for an extended period. The auto-discharging function will start automatically if the battery
does not operate in 10 days.
c) Battery cell damages detection feature added.
d) New battery cell balancing feature to extend battery life.


I thought it was 10 days . JIMO Jason was right on wasting money when it does this on it's own !
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

Skydronik said:
how can i get the 2.6 update. all my batteries are on FW 2.0
I'm in assistant 3.08 now and I just went to upgrade and you should see an upgrade . Now I did mine when it first came out and can't remember what version assistant I was in then but that's what I did .
Now I have seen where some had problems with the update and others that had no issues . I have not had any .
I would look a little more in here before you do it and read up on it just to be sure if ya wanna do it .
I will try and find the thread on it and post a link to it when I find it .

Edit / I just found this and hadn't seen this before so now I'm just really sure whats going on .
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=34066
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

I have read statements posted by DJI regrading battery discharging under the v2.6 battery firmware update. One statement contradicts the another.

"The auto-discharging function will start automatically if the battery does not operate in 10 days. If you press the power button, the batter will re-clock for 10 days and then start auto-discharge. The auto-discharge will take 2 days to reach a safe level (50-60%). The battery top case may be a little warm during the auto-discharge process, but, it is within safe temperature rise. All in all, we want to help you improve the safety of the fully charged battery when it is stored for an extended period. You'll definitely like it."

Now I have not found any of their (DJI) regrading the discharge of the smart batteries to be factual. When v3.8 update first came out it came with v3.06 firmware and v2.6 battery upgrade. At that time I upgraded all my batteries new and old. In order to upgrade each battery the assistant software had to be restarted. What I am finding is that the batteries start to discharge after 48 hours of non-use and it's only a trickle discharge and nothing like the quoted statement above. Maybe that was the intended way the v2.6 upgrade was supposed to work and ultimately why it was pulled.
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

After rereading all, I have done got lost to what is good and what isn't .
I guess as long as I don't store them I will just keep on with what I am doing but if I do have to store them I will just fly them down and record what I have as far as the cell #'s and see what happens .
There's just to many different versions, updates and other stuff for my feeble mind to try and keep up with !! :roll:
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

dirkclod said:
After rereading all, I have done got lost to what is good and what isn't .
I guess as long as I don't store them I will just keep on with what I am doing but if I do have to store them I will just fly them down and record what I have as far as the cell #'s and see what happens .
There's just to many different versions, updates and other stuff for my feeble mind to try and keep up with !! :roll:

Basic rule of thumb, never store them w/ more than 50% juice left. I generally fly them down to ~30% and don't charge them again until the day I plan on flying again. Set a reminder on your phone to charge them... sometimes I forget on a day I plan to fly and don't find out until I'm loading my gear that I have dead batteries.
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

My three flight batteries were purchased about a year ago when I got the P2. I don't fly every day. Nor do I anticipate periods of flying every day very often. So, it's become important to me to protect my investment in batteries.

My experience with Li-ion battery technology has been very good. After decades of less-than-user-friendly batteries with different chemistries, Li-ion seemed to free me of the need to follow some sort of discharging, storing, and charging schemes. And indeed, a variety of different brand Li-ion batteries we have used in our video business have performed at or above my expectations without having to follow some discharge-storage-charge schemes. Just use-charge-store.

So, it was a bit of a surprise to me to read that the DJI flight batteries preferred to be stored in a partially discharged state. It was like stepping back to Ni-Cad days (the dreaded [and miss-named] "memory effect"). Then I poked around and found out that these batteries are popularly called LiPo for Lithium-Polymer....and another example of a miss-naming.

These LiPo's with their non-rigid foil and/or polymer packaging.....If they're stored fully charged, there's an increased likelihood of the electrolyte evaporating. This raises the internal pressure, bulges the packaging, and possibly causes the internal structure to delaminate. Thus, loss of capacity.

As for the new DJI batteries....I don't think my one year old batteries have the auto-discharge feature built into them. They hold their charges very well for long periods.

I'm going to get a DJI battery plug (or a couple of alligator clips), about five or ten watts of 12 volt light bulbs and sockets, and one of those little battery condition alarms that I see on the internet for about $10. Quick, simple, dirt-cheap, but effective.

But thanks anyway. I just wanted to know if anybody could recommend from their own experience and use, a particular commercially available discharger-charger.
 
Re: Best Way To Discharge LiPO Batteries--Your Recommendatio

My three flight batteries were purchased about a year ago when I got the P2. I don't fly every day. Nor do I anticipate periods of flying every day very often. So, it's become important to me to protect my investment in batteries.

My experience with Li-ion battery technology has been very good. After decades of less-than-user-friendly batteries with different chemistries, Li-ion seemed to free me of the need to follow some sort of discharging, storing, and charging schemes. And indeed, a variety of different brand Li-ion batteries we have used in our video business have performed at or above my expectations without having to follow some discharge-storage-charge schemes. Just use-charge-store.

So, it was a bit of a surprise to me to read that the DJI flight batteries preferred to be stored in a partially discharged state. It was like stepping back to Ni-Cad days (the dreaded [and miss-named] "memory effect"). Then I poked around and found out that these batteries are popularly called LiPo for Lithium-Polymer....and another example of a miss-naming.

These LiPo's with their non-rigid foil and/or polymer packaging.....If they're stored fully charged, there's an increased likelihood of the electrolyte evaporating. This raises the internal pressure, bulges the packaging, and possibly causes the internal structure to delaminate. Thus, loss of capacity.

As for the new DJI batteries....I don't think my one year old batteries have the auto-discharge feature built into them. They hold their charges very well for long periods.

I'm going to get a DJI battery plug (or a couple of alligator clips), about five or ten watts of 12 volt light bulbs and sockets, and one of those little battery condition alarms that I see on the internet for about $10. Quick, simple, dirt-cheap, but effective.

But thanks anyway. I just wanted to know if anybody could recommend from their own experience and use, a particular commercially available discharger-charger.
Can you sent me a link to order the same discharge lipo battery? ?
 
Hey guys - being into RC for decades I know what it takes to take care of LiPos. So I was amazed there's no proper way to bring Phantom batteries to a correct storage level quickly (their auto-discharge takes a minimum of 3 days which is not fast enough for me). So I created a little gadget to do just that. I call it the Phantom Angel and I bulk ordered the boards so that I can provide (almost at cost) to anyone who's interested. More info at Phantom Angel

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