Disposing of a fully charged P2 damaged battery

[maher]

About two weeks ago, I lost control of my P2 that ended at full throttle in a brick wall of a plant near my college where I usually practice my piloting skills (or lack of in this very specific case). I lift of probably prematurely, thinking that the iOSD mini number of satellites displayed and not blinking was a confirmation that a home lock was acquired.

I notice immediately a TBO effect that increased very fast and as I was flying over a street, I was more concern of hitting cars or people (trying to get high enough to prevent that) than switching in ATTI mode. The P2 crashed loudly about 500 m behind me so I was able to recover the remain of the Phantom with minimal search. I suspected a total loss since the contact was so violent that the gimbal get severed from the P2, all the propeller collapsed and the upper and lower shell show obvious cracks and bending, but the GoPro survived.

Footage of that epic crash available here :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiTN_canNvE

In the last few frames of the shoot, the camera faced the P2 and you could see that the battery get severely yanked out of the quadrocopter. The battery shell is cracked and distorted but doesn't show any sign of swelling or leaking. I kept a close eye on the thing, in a fire proof bag, for a good time, but that **** thing isn't going to blow up and the intelligent interface still working showing 4 steady LEDs. I clearly won't try to use it in my freshly received P2, but I don't think is either safe to drop a fully damaged charged battery in a recuperation site.

So, what do you think is the safest way to dispose such an inconvenient thing?

Maher

 

[QYV]

home improvement stores like Lowe's and Home Depot generally have a huge battery recycling dropoff bin for construction guys to come and drop off those bigass batteries they use in their tools. I'd just drop it off in one of those

 

[maher]

Yes, I know; but I'm afraid that an by accident a short occur in the bin and that my battery may be a real hazard.

I'm from Arabic origin (but not muslim) and the RCMP here in Canada already deported a Canadian named Maher back in Syria where he get tortured 2 years on the false pretence that he was supposed to be a terrorist!!!

The guy didn't do anything, so imagine what could happen to me if set a Home Depot on fire, even by pure bad luck...

Maher

 

[Buckaye]

About two weeks ago, I lost control of my P2 that ended at full throttle in a brick wall of a plant near my college where I usually practice my piloting skills (or lack of in this very specific case). I lift of probably prematurely, thinking that the iOSD mini number of satellites displayed and not blinking was a confirmation that a home lock was acquired.

I notice immediately a TBO effect that increased very fast and as I was flying over a street, I was more concern of hitting cars or people (trying to get high enough to prevent that) than switching in ATTI mode. The P2 crashed loudly about 500 m behind me so I was able to recover the remain of the Phantom with minimal search. I suspected a total loss since the contact was so violent that the gimbal get severed from the P2, all the propeller collapsed and the upper and lower shell show obvious cracks and bending, but the GoPro survived.

Footage of that epic crash available here :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiTN_canNvE

In the last few frames of the shoot, the camera faced the P2 and you could see that the battery get severely yanked out of the quadrocopter. The battery shell is cracked and distorted but doesn't show any sign of swelling or leaking. I kept a close eye on the thing, in a fire proof bag, for a good time, but that **** thing isn't going to blow up and the intelligent interface still working showing 4 steady LEDs. I clearly won't try to use it in my freshly received P2, but I don't think is either safe to drop a fully damaged charged battery in a recuperation site.


So, what do you think is the safest way to dispose such an inconvenient thing?

Maher

Get a bucket and fill it with sand. Expose the ends of the battery and use something like a light bulb to draw off the power... bury the lipo in the sand up to the leads (this will stop a fire from getting out of control should you have a meltdown) and put someplace away from anything flamable (preferably outside). wait for the lightbulb to go out (could take days) and then use a voltage tester to see if it is at zero. If it is... it is then safe to discard of normally.

 

[N017RW]

Don't need to go to great lenghts, simply submerge for one week in salt water.

The discharge will occur at the battery terminals proper so the 'intelligent' circuitry will not be a factor.
(i.e. it does not need to be 'on'.)

 

[OI Photography]

Maher, would you be willing/able to remove the smart circuitry first before disposing of the rest?

 

[Paul K]

Bring it to the hobby store have it tested and if it is OK use it to feed your's monitor or GS etc.

 

[Buckaye]

Don't need to go to great lenghts, simply submerge for one week in salt water.

The discharge will occur at the battery terminals proper so the 'intelligent' circuitry will not be a factor.
(i.e. it does not need to be 'on'.)

There are a number of articles like this... And I too have experienced that lipos do not fully discharge in salt water

http://www.tjinguytech.com/charging-how ... o-disposal

 

[Paul K]

You see to feed your monitor or GS you don't need smart circuitry ; send it to OIPhotography and you will do double good
Problem solved.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I had a large, damaged 3C from my Slash EVO that I dropped in a bucket of saltwater. You could see the wires bubbling for about a week, after 2 months I disposed of it.

I would remove the 'head' of the battery and keep it. That part could be useful.
Eventually I will get my hands on one to experiment with. :twisted:

 

[Buckaye]

I had a large, damaged 3C from my Slash EVO that I dropped in a bucket of saltwater. You could see the wires bubbling for about a week, after 2 months I disposed of it.

I would remove the 'head' of the battery and keep it. That part could be useful.
Eventually I will get my hands on one to experiment with. :twisted:

I know people have had success with this disposal - I just want to mention that there are a bunch of articles that suggest that because of corrosion intensified by an electronic current - often the leads of the battery corrode quickly before all the voltage escapes the battery - this can leave a significant charge in the battery even if you leave it in the saltwater for a significant amount of time.

I have witnessed batteries having enough juice after two weeks to still have a pretty good melt down when ruptured.

Not trying to be a pain here... just encouraging people to really research this method.

The sand bucket method (once you have a lightbulb or a DC fan hooked up) - is the surest way to get the battery to zero volts.

 

[ATOMSK]

is the battery still good. Can't you just give it away to someone locally?

 

[Keeper of Maps]

The best method of disposal would be a household hazardous waste depot/dropoff. Check your city's website to find out where and when they are. If you're concerned about the contacts shorting out when in a bin of dead batteries you could put a piece of electrical tape over them as a precautionary measure. Even if you drain the battery completely, do not throw it in the garbage because it's still considered hazardous waste. (PM me if you really run into problems figuring out how/where to dispose of it.)

 

[maher]

is the battery still good. Can't you just give it away to someone locally?

No, the battery is not OK! As I mentioned before, the casing is cracked and skewed and it is clearly not safe to use it anymore.

Maher

 

[maher]

The best method of disposal would be a household hazardous waste depot/dropoff. Check your city's website to find out where and when they are. If you're concerned about the contacts shorting out when in a bin of dead batteries you could put a piece of electrical tape over them as a precautionary measure. Even if you drain the battery completely, do not throw it in the garbage because it's still considered hazardous waste. (PM me if you really run into problems figuring out how/where to dispose of it.)

Yes, we have a disposal site for used/recyclable/dangerous products and material in my city. I will give a try, even if I'm really not sure that the people working there really know how much a fully charged Li-Po battery can be hazardous...

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Maher

 

[Keeper of Maps]

The best method of disposal would be a household hazardous waste depot/dropoff. Check your city's website to find out where and when they are. If you're concerned about the contacts shorting out when in a bin of dead batteries you could put a piece of electrical tape over them as a precautionary measure. Even if you drain the battery completely, do not throw it in the garbage because it's still considered hazardous waste. (PM me if you really run into problems figuring out how/where to dispose of it.)

Yes, we have a disposal site for used/recyclable/dangerous products and material in my city. I will give a try, even if I'm really not sure that the people working there really know how much a fully charged Li-Po battery can be hazardous...

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Maher

They're certified hazardous waste handlers so they should be good. Tell them when you drop it off and put a piece of electrical tape over the contacts.

The big danger of batteries with lithium is their flammability.