Cold battery

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I tried to fly my P3S today. The motors wouldn't start and I got a message that the battery temp. was below 15C, which is 59F. I've flown e-planes with Li-Po batteries at temps in the lower 40sF, if not colder. Why such a restriction?

What happens if I warm the battery to above 15C to start the motors and the battery gets colder in flight?
 
I tried to fly my P3S today. The motors wouldn't start and I got a message that the battery temp. was below 15C, which is 59F. I've flown e-planes with Li-Po batteries at temps in the lower 40sF, if not colder. Why such a restriction?

What happens if I warm the battery to above 15C to start the motors and the battery gets colder in flight?
Its common for Phantom owners to keep their batteries warm before using them. Once in flight, the batteries can get up to 130F / 55C, so no worries about them getting cold in flight.

Search Results for Query: Keep batteries warm | DJI Phantom Drone Forum
 
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I tried to fly my P3S today. The motors wouldn't start and I got a message that the battery temp. was below 15C, which is 59F. I've flown e-planes with Li-Po batteries at temps in the lower 40sF, if not colder. Why such a restriction?

What happens if I warm the battery to above 15C to start the motors and the battery gets colder in flight?

The software is what's limiting the motors from starting. The battery will still "function" at lower temps but not nearly as efficient. Remember there is a world of difference flying a plank (plane) which is getting lift from the wing and rotorcraft which is only getting lift from the rotor(s). Motor/Battery performance are much more critical in a rotorcraft.

Also at lower temps, due to poor efficiency, the battery can dip below operating mins in terms of output and this caused sudden power failures and Phantoms dropping out of the air.

The good news is that once the battery is in operation it will self heat as a byproduct of massive amounts of power in a short amount of time. Normally we pre-heat the batteries and once they are operational they will maintain operating temps with ease.
 
You learnt about the limitations of LiION chemistry flying dumb LiPO’s on your other RC aircraft. I can see why DJI implemented this restriction in firmware, they are tailoring their products so the end user doesn’t have to understand the hardware limitations, more happy flight hours and less warranty returns.
 
Like BigAl07 said as you start to draw amps the battery warms up just fine. I think the battery needs about 20C to start. I live in Northern Ontario and fly often in cold weather, at -20C(-4F) and cruising around at 30 mph my battery will get in the low 40C (100F) and the bird fly's very well in the dense air and I get the same flight times. I keep my spare batteries under my coat close to my body and they are good to go. One thing I do is get moving slow and gradually get to cruising speed, do not putter around hovering, you have to start do draw amps to get the heat and don't floor it until your bats are warmed up. When batteries are cold voltage drops and dji doesn't really want your craft to drop with the battery, that's why dji batteries don't start cold
 
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And.......also when you fly in the lower temps...I seen it advised to start engines and allow craft to idle on ground before take off a few minutes to also warm the oil UP in the 8 engine bearings and the battery will start to develop internal heat too !
 
When I take my craft out into the cold it is already at least 20C coming from inside the house or warm car so warm up time is not any more than what I usually do, Start her up, wait for gps lock then take off about 15 feet off the ground, check GO for home point, RTH, battery voltages etc. that's only about one minute. Start to move slowly and have it at cruising speed in about 30 seconds. My craft probably has at least 100 flights at -5C to -20C and so far it has been good, the craft doe's better than me at -20C.
 
Here is what I consider an "oldie but goodie" video regarding Phantom batteries and temp. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, skip ahead to the 6:54 mark to see the summary of the test.

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Ray,
All very solid recommendations above. I follow those guidelines with my battery temps @ 65 - 70F to start, and I've flown well over a dozen flights in temps as cold as +15F without any reported issues. And there are many others on this forum flying in much colder temps than that.
 

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