P3 Increased Battery Performance

[J.James]

Are the battery contacts gold?
Gold plated

The data pads are gold plated and the pins appear to be. tho every thing else such as the 2 big prongs that go in to the battery and the batterys main contacts that the blades fit in to are all just brass plated.

THo as far as cleaning the contacts and also being able to keep them clean there is a product thats even better then conductive grease.. I use a product called deox-it (there are other brands of contact cleaners and protectors also) I use it on all the data pads on my p2 and p3 battery as well as the pins and the 2 big power blades. deox it cleans the oxides off and also leaves a conductive protective coating on the contacts and its esp important on the data connections being thats real low voltage and super low amperage so it needs a good connection so you dont get a battery problem warning when flying.

Its great stuff I now also use it on any low voltage plugs and connectors to keep them clean and making good contact even when I do net work work It gives a much better connection on net work cable plugs contacts. Even tho it might be self defeating to do work on net works and make it so no ones ever got to come back and redo any thing or trace down a problem with a bad connection.

 

[Mark The Droner]

Great, thanks. I actually already have deoxit because it was recommended in another thread, but I thought it was just a superior dielectric grease. Now I know better. Thanks again.

 

[J.James]

Great, thanks. I actually already have deoxit because it was recommended in another thread, but I thought it was just a superior dielectric grease. Now I know better. Thanks again.

Well In a way its pretty much like dielectric grease but with the added benefit of not being greasy and also being able to dissolve any corrosion on a contact. Were as most conductive greases are best on an already cleaned contact. But could get pretty messy on a battery.

Btw I had a guy at the auto parts store tell me a few months ago when I was getting a pack of contact grease for the lights on my truck that its just basically KY jelly in a packet. So maybe lol it could also help for people having problems with to tight of a fit on there batteys

 

[flyNfrank]

Gold plated

I was in the process of responding to your post early in the morning late last night and fell asleep. I then woke and went to click the button to send but hit the wrong one and closed the lid on my laptop. Not the 1st time of doing that either. lol!

 

[alokbhargava]

I was in the process of responding to your post early in the morning late last night and fell asleep. I then woke and went to click the button to send but hit the wrong one and closed the lid on my laptop. Not the 1st time of doing that either. lol!

My bad luck. I enjoy reading your posts.

It's third week here and rains are not stopping. Thinking of designing an umbrella for my P3

 

[flyNfrank]

My bad luck. I enjoy reading your posts.

It's third week here and rains are not stopping. Thinking of designing an umbrella for my P3

I would be so depressed by 3 weeks of rain, it would scary.

 

[Evel_Knievel]

Remember that prop guards will also reduce your flight time by about 13% so don't use them unless you REALLY need to.

 

[wooglin]

Flying in windy conditions reduces flight time as does aggressive and speedy maneuvers. Go slow

 

[Jbundy63]

Good info flyNfrank, I myself have noticed that while flying and the battery gets warmer, the more stable the voltage readings are. I store my batteries in the garage and of course they get cold so now I put them in the house about an hour before I fly. Big difference! Also the 2% discharge help my older batteries to be more stable.

 

[aburkefl]

You know....your post makes me think; what if the battery post had a thin layer of conductive grease applied? Would that not be something to do?

I'm thinking if the conductive grease didn't hinder performance, may be it would be something to think about? I don't have much experience with that type of grease.

I have a lot of experience with the kind of "grease" you're talking about. There are pros and cons. For contacts exposed continually to the air (like on an external antenna) a little bit of the conductive grease is very good. Unfortunately, too many people seem to think that if a little bit is good, a lot is better. Not so! If you use such grease, a very light coating actually works better than "slathering" it on the contacts.

 

[flyNfrank]

I have a lot of experience with the kind of "grease" you're talking about. There are pros and cons. For contacts exposed continually to the air (like on an external antenna) a little bit of the conductive grease is very good. Unfortunately, too many people seem to think that if a little bit is good, a lot is better. Not so! If you use such grease, a very light coating actually works better than "slathering" it on the contacts.

So what happens to the grease when it begins collecting dirt, dust, and debris?

 

[DaGunn]

So what happens to the grease when it begins collecting dirt, dust, and debris?

It starts acting as an abrasive after it collects debris. I have used this stuff for years on the threads of high-end flashlights. Believe it or not, there are individuals that will spend $4,000 and more for a custom flashlight that fits in your pocket.

 

[TulsaReiner]

Flying at 200' should technically give more flying time compared to flying at 400'.

Makes very good sense-- the air is thinner (air molecules are further apart) the higher you go above the earth's surface. So the props have to spin faster to maintain altitude.
This is why no helicopter can fly to the top of Mt Everest to rescue climbers.

 

[WMTI]

Makes very good sense-- the air is thinner (air molecules are further apart) the higher you go above the earth's surface. So the props have to spin faster to maintain altitude.
This is why no helicopter can fly to the top of Mt Everest to rescue climbers.

The extra energy required to climb from 200' to 400' will shorten your flight time. It's not entirely made up for on the way back down due to inefficiencies. Same thing as being hard on the sticks when flying. You'll get more mileage if you take it easy, low and slow.

 

[Jsun]

Good info flynFrank. Any good suggestions on how to warm up the batteries to 38C, and keep them there? I know my kitchen oven can keep 38C, I'll just need to check out if the temperature is stable and actually stays at 38C

 

[happydays]

I would be so depressed by 3 weeks of rain, it would scary.

It has rained here in Ireland every day since 19 November.

 

[exit 4]

Remember that prop guards will also reduce your flight time by about 13% so don't use them unless you REALLY need to.

13%? Really? I knew they were a drop of some sort drag, but not that much. Is there any proof of that number, not questioning you just surprised at such a high number.

 

[Evel_Knievel]

13%? Really? I knew they were a drop of some sort drag, but not that much. Is there any proof of that number, not questioning you just surprised at such a high number.

Actually I'd round up to 14%...Effect of prop-guards on flight time (13.9% reduction)

I did the video so let me know if you have any questions. I was equally surprised, and really haven't used my prop guards since.

 

[sacooke]

Interesting thought.

First let's see properties of three metals:

Silver: excellent conductivity but prone to oxidation

Copper: Very good conductivity but prone to oxidation

Gold: Good conductivity and immune to oxidation

We have gold plated contacts in P3 system, they are really good for the fixed contacts. We need to keep them clean from the pollutants. Once cleaned they will shine again and are ready for use.

Silver based conducting greases are available for high temperatures (500 F) and work best for moving contacts or little flexible contacts and serve to increase the conductivity due to uneven contact. Not sure if they are good candidates for non moving contacts. They may be good for copper contacts.

Greases attract atmospheric dust and thus may not be ok for use in polluted environments.

In general, we don't need any conducting grease for gold plated contacts. I have a jewelry cleaning solution it works well on these contacts.

The needle in the haystack.....thank you.

 

[Erised]

At the elevation most of us fly has negligible effect on the power usage exept the power used to get there. As the air get thinner the props have to turn faster but the load on the motors remain the same. We are fighting gravity and it is constant at our elevation. It takes x amount of power to hold x amount of weight off the ground. As we fly in the thinner air less resistance affects the foreward motion of the quad. This makes it more effecient in terms of power use, thats why planes fly at hight altitudes.