Is that a swollen battery?

[Ray Ishido]

Hi!

I just brought a second hand phantom 2 V3 which came with 2 batteries.
The first one is ok but I am not sure of the 2 one which seems a bit swollen (the "swollen" part is a bit soft). I search (a lot) the forum but as I am still in doubt I prefer to ask. Here are some picture

IMG_0278

• Ray Ishido
• Nov 30, 2015

IMG_0279

• Ray Ishido
• Nov 30, 2015

IMG_0280

• Ray Ishido
• Nov 30, 2015

IMG_0281

• Ray Ishido
• Nov 30, 2015

IMG_0282

• Ray Ishido
• Nov 30, 2015

the "good" one

Good

• Ray Ishido
• Nov 30, 2015

the "puffy" one

Not Good

• Ray Ishido
• Nov 30, 2015

what do you think? Is it safe to use it?

Also, the phantom software is 3.8. Will it accept after market battery?

Thank you for your help!

 

[LuvMyTJ]

By looking at the pics it seems fine. They will 'puff up' like a bag of microwave vegetables when they are failing.
Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. The individual cells that make up the battery are in a bag which can swell when damaged.
All that said read up on LiPos as they are not like your everyday alkaline common household variety.
I store mine in a metal ammo container and NEVER leave it unattended while charging.

 

[Ray Ishido]

Thank you for your answer. I will keep on eye on it as it may be a sign that it's reaching the end of it's life, but I feel more confident using it.
And as you, after reading the forum, I store the batteries in a metal container, in a cool, dark place outside the house. Can't take enough caution with this material!

 

[lsnook]

When the percent of life gets to 90%, I don't use them any more for risky flights, such as over water. They will start to "soft fail", that is they start to Auto Land at about 60 percent of charge.

 

[Ray Ishido]

So soon?... 20 cycle so, less than 1 year. I am a bit disappointed... But thank you for your advice!

 

[Gary E]

So soon?... 20 cycle so, less than 1 year. I am a bit disappointed... But thank you for your advice!

Short life like that is typically mis-use of the charging procedure over time. These batteries do not like to be left under-charged or over-charged for long periods of time.