Does it hurt anything to charge a battery thats at 70-80%?

Joined
Apr 28, 2015
Messages
248
Reaction score
89
Sitting here at work and wanted to fly my drone some after i am done. battery is not full but its about 75%, i would like a full charge when I fly, any reason to not top it off?
 
There's a sort of collective memory of older rechargeables in camcorders which effectively had a memory, and you were supposed to always discharge before recharging.
Phantom batteries have a different chemistry similar to mobile phones and it doesn't matter.
However a full discharge is recommended every 20 times or so.
Personally I wouldn't bother unless you notice reduced run time.
 
There's a sort of collective memory of older rechargeables in camcorders which effectively had a memory, and you were supposed to always discharge before recharging.
Phantom batteries have a different chemistry similar to mobile phones and it doesn't matter.
However a full discharge is recommended every 20 times or so.
Personally I wouldn't bother unless you notice reduced run time.
Really? I didn't know about the full discharge. With my Lipo batteries for my helis, you should never let the voltage per cell drop too low. I do believe this is the same type battery. Is this personal preference or does the manual say to do this?
 
That's one of the perks, of these new fangled "smart batteries'.
The older style rechargeable batteries could have their charge capacity well shortened prematurely, not draining them down properly.

The bad part, if you want to look at from the other persective, you should not let a fully charged smart battery sit around too long, before use, or they will begin to self deflate, so to speak, in a few days...

It's much like the Viagra commercial, and the warning of extended inflation, beyond the natural 4 hr. expiry time. ;-)
Please don't ask me, how I know this...!!
Ah, I am not a doctor, but I sometimes play one on the inter-webs.

RedHotPoker
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I did.

It says the battery automatically discharges below 65% and stops at 12 volts. To me this doesn't mean full discharge every 20 uses. Is that what it means to you Dr.?

it says to discharge to 8% which is greater than 12 volts. So yes, this does confirm you should not fully discharge a lipo. In addition, has full discharge protection.

It was a Rhetorical Question
 
Last edited:
Hey, these manuals don't always tell the whole story, and I believe if they were translated from Chinese to 'English', who knows what 'info's' were left out?
You know our simple English, 26 letters, there are over 1000 letters and phrase symbols in Chinese dialect like Mandarin.
And they read and write back to front.
Sometimes directions get slightly misinterpreted...

If happens frequently. Our manual for the awesome music workstation Yamaha Motif XF8, is rife with errors and omitions. Japanese to English in that example.
It's sadly how the world is today. And the customer service is very lacking at DJI. IF you read many of the threads on the DJI forums, you will understand what Imean.
http://forum.dji.com/forum-68-1.html
There are good revues and success stories as well, don't get me wrong.

Three updates already...?

RedHotPoker
 
Well, for now, I'll stick with the Engrish version. I don't have a Chinese speaking person around. Maybe I'll have it translated next time I go for kung pao
 
Last edited:
Sorry, I was actually talking to passive jay, ( no caps) of reading thee manuals.

Ah, as he asked...

Didn't mean to Harr-*** you... ;-)

RedHotPoker
 
I flew 60 flights over 5 days nearly 6 hours flight time. I was charging my battery mo matter what level it was at after every single flight. It still charges to 100% and I see no difference in battery life what so ever


I mentioned in another thread about lipos that I don't belive in the break in process or what ever for these. I've ran lipos for years in extremely high performance RC cars over 100mph with constant on off throttle. Never had a issue.

With these forums everyone will have a different opinion so take it all into consideration and do what you think is best and what works good for you. My. .02
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fplvert
Hello passive jay,
http://download.dji-innovations.com/downloads/phantom/en/PHANTOM_Flying_Flowchart_v1.0_en.pdf

With all due respect,
Did you happen to read the manuals?
http://download.dji-innovations.com...igent_Flight_Battery_Safety_Guidelines_en.pdf

Check it out if not... Please.
You shouldn't be flying a $1k quad, without this basic knowledge, me thinks...
Bad things seem to happen to good people, more often... ;-)

RedHotPoker


Hello RedHotPoker

With all due respect, yes I did. It says nothing about if its ok to charge it at 70% The closest it comes is saying always have the battery fully charged before flying. Since it does not answer my question, yet you implied that it would forces me to ask you if you happened to read the manuals?
 
I flew 60 flights over 5 days nearly 6 hours flight time. I was charging my battery mo matter what level it was at after every single flight. It still charges to 100% and I see no difference in battery life what so ever


I mentioned in another thread about lipos that I don't belive in the break in process or what ever for these. I've ran lipos for years in extremely high performance RC cars over 100mph with constant on off throttle. Never had a issue.

With these forums everyone will have a different opinion so take it all into consideration and do what you think is best and what works good for you. My. .02
Those new generation lipo have chemicals inside to prevent aging of the battery. Witch breaks in after a couple uses
 
Read? Heck I even sleep with the Phantom 3 Pro' PDF manuals, , under my pillow...iPad 3.
Sadly, they're the closest thing I can get my grubby little hands on.
So far... So I have delved and pursued the info. But honestly the forums and YouTube have been much more helpful.

Perhaps watching some of the explanatory videos on these "Smart Batteries" would be more beneficial to us all? Then we can be smart too.!! ;-)

This one is more general info, for them.
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Using multiple batteries
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.



RedHotPoker
 
Last edited:
Here you go, although for Phantom 2, Scroll to the bottom of the page...
Phantom 2-Preparing the Flight Battery
Contents
[hide]
Intelligent Battery
The intelligent battery is specially designed for the PHANTOM 2, with a battery capacity of 5200mAh, voltage of 11.1V and charge-discharge management functionality. The battery should only be charged with the DJI charger .

  • Balance Charging:Automatically balance the voltage of each battery cell during charging.
  • Capacity Display:Display the current battery level.
  • Communicating:The main controller communicates with the battery via communication ports for battery voltage, capacity, current and other information.
  • Overcharging Protection:Charging stops automatically when the battery voltage reaches 12.8V to prevent overcharging damage.
  • Over Discharging Protection:Discharging stops automatically when the battery voltage reaches 8.4V to prevent over discharging damage.
  • Short Circuit Protection:Automatically cuts off the power supply when a short circuit is detected.
  • Sleep Protection:The battery will enter sleep mode after 10 minutes of inactivity to save power. The static current is 10nA in sleep mode when the battery is powered on without connecting to other devices.
  • Charging Temperature Detection:The battery will charge only when its temperature is within 0℃~55℃. If the battery temperature is out of this range, the battery will stop charging.


Warnings

  • (1)Before use, please read and follow the user manual, disclaimer, and the warnings on the battery. Users take full responsibility for all operations and usage.
  • (2)The battery should only be charged with the charger provided by DJI. DJI does not take any responsibility for operation of any charger from a third party.
Charging Procedures
1. Connect the charger to a wall socket (Use the plug set if necessary).

2. Connect the battery to the charger. If the current capacity of the battery is over 75%, you should power on the battery to begin charging.

3. The Battery Level indicators display current capacity level as the battery charges. Please refer to battery level indicator description for details.

4. The battery is full charged when the Battery Level indicator lights are off. Please disconnect the charger and battery when the charging is completed.



Install the Battery
Push the battery into the battery compartment correctly as the following diagram shows. Make sure to push the battery into the compartment until you hear a ‘click’ sound.



Warning

  • (1)An incorrectly inserted battery may cause one of the following to occur: (1) Bad contact. (2) Unavailable battery information. (3) Unsafe for flight. (4) Unable to take off.
Battery Usage


(1)Checking the battery level:When the battery is powered off; pressing the battery power button once will indicate the current battery level. Refer to < Battery Level Indicator Description> for details.

(2)Powering on: When the battery is powered off; press the battery power button once and then press and hold for 2 seconds to turn on the intelligent battery.

(3)Powering off: When the battery is powered on; press the battery power button once and then press and hold for 2 seconds to turn off the intelligent battery.

(4)Checking the battery life: When the battery is powered off; press and hold the battery power button for 5 seconds to check the battery life. The battery level indicators will show the life and the battery power indicator will blink for 10 seconds, then all LEDs will light out and the intelligent battery will turn off. Refer to < Battery Level Indicator Description> for details.

  • More battery information is available in the battery tab of the PHANTOM 2 Assistant software.
Description of the Battery Level Indicator

The battery level indicators will show the current battery level during both the charging and discharging process as well as battery life. The following is a description of the indicators.



Correct Battery Usage Notes
  • 1.Never plug or unplug the battery into the aircraft when it is powered on.
  • 2.The battery should be charged in an environment that is between 0℃ to 40℃, and be discharged in an environment that is between -20℃ to 50℃. Both charging and discharging should be in an environment where the relative humidity is lower than 80%.
  • 3.It’s recommended to charge and discharge the battery thoroughly once every 20 charge/discharge cycles. Users should discharge the battery until there is less than 8% power left or until the battery can no longer be turned on. Users should then fully recharge the battery to maximum capacity. This power cycling procedure will ensure the battery is working at its optimal level.
  • 4.For long term storage please place the battery with only a 40~50% capacity in a strong battery box securely. We recommend discharging and charging the battery completely once every 3 months to keep it in good condition. The capacity should be varied in such a cycle 40%~50%—0%—100%—40%~50%.
  • 5.It’s suggested you purchase a new battery after you have discharged your current battery over 300 times. Please completely discharge a battery prior to disposal.
  • 6.It’s suggested that you purchase a new battery if the current battery is swollen or damaged in any way.
  • 7.Never try to recharge or fly with a battery that is swollen or damaged in any way.
  • 8.Never charge the battery unattended. Always charge the battery on a non-flammable surface such as concrete and never near any flammable materials.
  • 9.Safety is extremely important and users can get more information in the DISCLAIMER.
Hope that helps you out...

RedHotPoker
 
Take care of your Smart Batteries...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


RedHotPoker
 
These batteries are expensive.
If you figure on an average of 300 discharges, at $150 a pop every battery... That's $.50 cents per trip up out and back...
Thankfully my local hobby shop has graciously offered to sell us Phantom 3 customers, the smart batteries for half price, so
two-for-one, buy two at full price, but get four batteries...
I think/know, that I will baby my batteries, & never take them below 50% for the first ten flights, as had been suggested... And with having only that One sole battery in the beginning, that will be a tough order to fill.
So the individual batteries will need an identity number/letter.
I will need a note book to record each flight, time, date, battery used.

So yeah, I would like to eventually have an even four batteries...

Another Pricey adventure this...

RedHotPoker
 

Recent Posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,352
Members
104,933
Latest member
mactechnic