Long Term Battery Storage

[r62ewa]

I live in a location where come December it's usually full on winter with -20 celcius and snow until mid-March or so when temperatures start to warm up a little. Granted there are some warmer days in there I could fly in, say -10 or so but not many.

My question is, if I have to store my batteries for a month or more, what is the best procedure? Store it a certain power and leave it? Install it in the Phatom indoors but not fly it to mimic flying it to keep the batteries active? I understand the Phantoms can be flown in -20 if they are permitted to warm up properly with the battery performance decreased, I guess I could fly in those cold temperatures occassionaly?

 

[realsting]

I live in a location where come December it's usually full on winter with -20 celcius and snow until mid-March or so when temperatures start to warm up a little. Granted there are some warmer days in there I could fly in, say -10 or so but not many.

My question is, if I have to store my batteries for a month or more, what is the best procedure? Store it a certain power and leave it? Install it in the Phatom indoors but not fly it to mimic flying it to keep the batteries active?

There are quite a few threads about this which I found very contradictory.. So I just paid more attention to the battery manual! Like many experienced phantom users have implied.. It's not rocket science. The DJI battery manual explains it all in just a few words.

Make sure you charge battery to approx 40-65% if left for extended periods (I only use mine occasionally and that's what I do) The discharge cycle can be left at 10 days, though I have set mine to 3. Mine are left in the box of the phantom came in, and I can see and feel no heat or issues. If you really are paranoid then just leave the batteries in a cool, dry ventilated place out of direct sunlight at room temp. Read the short battery manual add a bit of common sense and you're ok.

 

[r62ewa]

Thank you very much. I had a look at the other threads but there wasn't a clear answer. I don't have my Phantom yet so haven't had a chance to review the battery manual, thanks for that information.

 

[Dirty Bird]

With the DJI batteries you don't really have to do anything special. Charge your batteries fully & they will self-discharge down to 60-65% automatically in 10 days (or whatever you have set them to in the Go app). That is the appropriate charge for long-term storage.

I live in a location where come December it's usually full on winter with -20 celcius and snow until mid-March or so when temperatures start to warm up a little. Granted there are some warmer days in there I could fly in, say -10 or so but not many.

My question is, if I have to store my batteries for a month or more, what is the best procedure? Store it a certain power and leave it? Install it in the Phatom indoors but not fly it to mimic flying it to keep the batteries active? I understand the Phantoms can be flown in -20 if they are permitted to warm up properly with the battery performance decreased, I guess I could fly in those cold temperatures occassionaly?

 

[r62ewa]

Thanks. That's reassuring to know the batteries are 'durable' on their own.

 

[msinger]

r62ewa, you can find DJI's recommendations in their Battery Safety Guidelines.

 

[HVDV]

There are quite a few threads about this which I found very contradictory.. So I just paid more attention to the battery manual! Like many experienced phantom users have implied.. It's not rocket science. The DJI battery manual explains it all in just a few words.

Make sure you charge battery to approx 40-65% if left for extended periods (I only use mine occasionally and that's what I do) The discharge cycle can be left at 10 days, though I have set mine to 3. Mine are left in the box of the phantom came in, and I can see and feel no heat or issues. If you really are paranoid then just leave the batteries in a cool, dry ventilated place out of direct sunlight at room temp. Read the short battery manual add a bit of common sense and you're ok.

As stated 40-65% is ideal, but lower temperatures also help, but be careful of condensation. I have RC Plane LiPos from 2010 that still function correctly, but their flight times have been reduced. Temperature is critical and at higher temperatures flight times deteriorate more quickly so I store mine in a refrigerator (not the freezer) which has significantly decreased the rate at which the flight times deteriorate.

 

[r62ewa]

Interesting. Is that a procedure others follow as well, to store them in the refrigerator?

 

[Mark The Droner]

My understanding is the ideal temp to store a lipo is room temp. Refrigeration is not a good idea for various reasons. And I've never heard of any experienced owners storing their Lipos in the 'fridge.

 

[r62ewa]

Yeah. I ended up getting the battery manual and it states 22 - 28ºC storage I believe.

 

[Dirty Bird]

The refrigerator thing reminds me when I was a kid when everyone always recommended storing their Eveready "9 Lives" carbon-zinc batteries in the fridge. Of course it didn't work & these were the days when every flashlight in the house didn't work! This phenomenon led to a desire later in life to always be prepared with the best LED flashlights around...

My understanding is the ideal temp to store a lipo is room temp. Refrigeration is not a good idea for various reasons. And I've never heard of any experienced owners storing their Lipos in the 'fridge.

 

[HVDV]

My understanding is the ideal temp to store a lipo is room temp. Refrigeration is not a good idea for various reasons. And I've never heard of any experienced owners storing their Lipos in the 'fridge.

Some experienced RC plane fliers that I know also store their LiPos in the refrigerator to decrease the rate at which the LiPo capacity decreases.
My notes on a study performed a few years ago are as follows:
LiPo mAh Capacity Loss Per Year

Temperature At .......Storage Voltage ........Fully Charged

..0 degree C .....................2% ............................6%

25 degree C .....................4% ..........................20%

40 degree C ....................15% .........................35%

60 degree C .....................25% ........................40% in 3 months

Hence you can store fully charged LiPo batteries in a refrigerator without too much loss of capacity, but remember to take them out of the refrigerator well before flying.

Also keeping LiPo batteries in hot cars or hot rooms will significantly reduce their life.

 

[Alpinekiwi]

I don't know anything about storing batteries, but I regularly fly in sub zero temperatures.

I have found those adhesive pocket warmers to be great. When I set out I stick one of the patches to the drones underbelly with another wrapped around the second battery. By the time I get to my destination, they are ready to fly. The patches last up to 8hrs and I fly with them attached with no noticeable change in flight behavior.

We're just coming out of our winter here and I'm sure you know the feeling of looking forward to some color in our world!


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[r62ewa]

Excellent suggestion. I usually carry my electronics inside my winter coat to keep them warm but for the Phantom the warmers would work great. As I get my Phantom and more accustomed to it I'm sure I'll be flying it at times in very cold temperatures, I won't be able to go months just staring at it and not flying it.

 

[HVDV]

I don't know anything about storing batteries, but I regularly fly in sub zero temperatures.

I have found those adhesive pocket warmers to be great. When I set out I stick one of the patches to the drones underbelly with another wrapped around the second battery. By the time I get to my destination, they are ready to fly. The patches last up to 8hrs and I fly with them attached with no noticeable change in flight behavior.

We're just coming out of our winter here and I'm sure you know the feeling of looking forward to some color in our world!


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

I agree. It is necessary to get the LiPos up to a reasonable temperature to have enough energy to fly. When it is very cold I use a hobby king glove warmer which works from a LiPo battery, and is thermostatically controlled. It is listed on the Hobby King website as HK-Heater