How many days are set on your battery for auto decharging?

Xenomorph · Jan 12, 2017

Hey all! Just wondering what time frame you all use on your batteries before you allow them to automatically start to decharge themselves.

I'm running a Phantom 4 and the batteries come preset at 10 days but I've changed them to 2 days. From what I've read, it's not good to leave them charged for extended periods of time. Is 2 days good? Should I allow the battery to hold the full charge more or less? What are your batteries set at?

Thanks all for your replies in advance!

Xenomorph · Jan 12, 2017

Anyone?

Just a quick reply. I'm really curious where I should set my batteries.

Thanks again everyone.

Mr. Salty · Jan 12, 2017

I have mine set to two. At least during the winter I can only fly on weekends, so if I charge my batteries ahead of the weekend and I don't find time (or weather) to fly, I figure they won't stay topped off for too long.

Adjday · Jan 12, 2017

Me too.... 2. But i fly to a resting voltage of 3.8v and only charge when i want to fly

Xenomorph · Jan 12, 2017

Adjday said:
Me too.... 2. But i fly to a resting voltage of 3.8v and only charge when i want to fly

What do you mean a "resting voltage"? Should I deplete the battery to a certain level when I fly? I always land when I hit around 33%.

GMack · Jan 12, 2017

10 days here. Things only are good for so many charges and I usually use them once a week. Don't want to get out someplace and find out it needs to be recharged due to a mid-week drainage. I figure they will get replaced annually anyways. I don't want them to sit and self-discharged and maybe go below the threshold where they will not take a charge either like some DOA ones. I fly them down to less than 3% while the RC thing beeps madly while greasing in a smooth landing. Use them or lose them.

With The Birds · Jan 12, 2017

GMack said:
10 days here. Things only are good for so many charges and I usually use them once a week. Don't want to get out someplace and find out it needs to be recharged due to a mid-week drainage. I figure they will get replaced annually anyways. I don't want them to sit and self-discharged and maybe go below the threshold where they will not take a charge either like some DOA ones. I fly them down to less than 3% while the RC thing beeps madly while greasing in a smooth landing. Use them or lose them.

And that's the answer right there- an informed choice that best suits your flying habits.

Keep em fully loaded and your looking at loosing 25% of the usable capacity in 12 months (that's if never flown) compared to 4% loss if kept at 40% SIC when not in use. They are the numbers on current LiION tech and we can't beat them. We are looking at the worst case scenario with the DJI LiPO's also as they are charged to high voltage.

I run at one day to discharge because I like a bit in the tank for those times I get a little enthusiastic with my flight times.

Red Duster · Feb 6, 2017

Interesting thread, I have learned another thing about the p4. How do I change the auto discharge settings?
On second thoughts, I wonder if I was sold a dud - the package I bought in September '16 included two batteries, one arrived with one LED lit and EVENTUALLY took charge, the other arrived with no LEDs lit and has never taken a charge.
I didn't know about this auto discharge thing until I read this tread, thanks everyone!

pomonabill220 · Feb 6, 2017

I don't think the auto discharge will "blindly" discharge the battery, if it is already down. IE if the battery is already at ~40% and the auto discharge starts, will the battery be drained down to ~10% or lower?
OR is the battery management micro "smart" enough to measure the battery before it starts to discharge it?

Xenomorph · Feb 6, 2017

Red Duster said:
Interesting thread, I have learned another thing about the p4. How do I change the auto discharge settings?
On second thoughts, I wonder if I was sold a dud - the package I bought in September '16 included two batteries, one arrived with one LED lit and EVENTUALLY took charge, the other arrived with no LEDs lit and has never taken a charge.
I didn't know about this auto discharge thing until I read this tread, thanks everyone!

Not sure what app you're flying with, but in DJIGO4 look under the battery "advanced settings" and you will see a drop down that goes from one (1) to ten (10) days as an option for auto discharge.

Xenomorph · Feb 6, 2017

pomonabill220 said:
I don't think the auto discharge will "blindly" discharge the battery, if it is already down. IE if the battery is already at ~40% and the auto discharge starts, will the battery be drained down to ~10% or lower?
OR is the battery management micro "smart" enough to measure the battery before it starts to discharge it?

Per the manual:

Auto-Discharging Function: To prevent swelling, the battery automatically discharges to below 65% of total power when it is idle for more than ten days. It takes around two days to discharge the battery to 65%. It is normal to feel moderate heat being emitted from the battery during the discharge process. Discharge thresholds can be set in the DJI GO app.

pomonabill220 · Feb 6, 2017

I realize that, so IF the battery is below 65%, then auto discharge will never start?
The only setting for discharge is time to discharge. There are no "thresholds" settings in GO, so I think they mean by "thresholds" is time to discharge.

With The Birds · Feb 6, 2017

pomonabill220 said:
I realize that, so IF the battery is below 65%, then auto discharge will never start?
The only setting for discharge is time to discharge. There are no "thresholds" settings in GO, so I think they mean by "thresholds" is time to discharge.

Yes

Steve Bynum · Feb 18, 2017

With the warm "winter" we have been having in Houston this year, I think i have managed to fly almost everyday since Christmas. I let the battery cool and recharge it and rotate between the three batteries. I set them for 5 days.

Panamedia · Feb 19, 2017

I figure if DJI defaults to 10 days... they might know something I don't. I fly multiple times a week generally so it's not really an issue. I get the # of discharges point and agree with it.

I fly to 3.6V and land, I don't look at any % left or warnings. This is a DroneU Paul recommendation and I like it.

dwallersv · Feb 19, 2017

Xenomorph said:
What do you mean a "resting voltage"? Should I deplete the battery to a certain level when I fly? I always land when I hit around 33%.

Voltage with no load. As soon as you apply a load to the battery the voltage will drop. It will then rise again when the load is removed.

As charge in the battery is depleted, these voltages all decrease in a deterministic way. The resting voltage of a fully charged lipo is 4.2V. Fully discharged is 3.6V.

With The Birds · Feb 19, 2017

dwallersv said:
Voltage with no load. As soon as you apply a load to the battery the voltage will drop. It will then rise again when the load is removed.

As charge in the battery is depleted, these voltages all decrease in a deterministic way. The resting voltage of a fully charged lipo is 4.2V. Fully discharged is 3.6V.

The resting voltage of the cells in DJI packs at full charge is 4.35V, they are HV LiPO's.

AlecW · Feb 19, 2017

I thought I had a good plan, read tons of posts, got confused and gave up. I have 4 batteries all set to 10 days or whatever the default is. I like to fly spontaneously from home so keep 2 or 3 of them charged. I hardly ever use more than 2 when I fly ~4 times a week (weather dependent). When I start making road trips in the summer I'll make sure all 4 are charged the night before. I use a hub and if I know I won't fly for a week I'll set 3 to storage mode (50%) but that's about it. This may not be optimal but I figure replacing one maybe two a year is not going to break the bank and stopped worrying or even thinking much about this.