Turning on battery to discharge

[PhantomEvan]

Can I turn on a phantom battery to discharge it? It's been sitting on full charge for four days, and that's not healthy for it. In unfortunatly the power button was pressed resetting the drain time. Can I just turn on the battery without it being in the drone to drain it?

 

[dronexchange]

I will normally just run the drone until it gets to 30% or so if I don't plan on flying for awhile. Better to fly it until it gets low....more fun that way too.

 

[PhantomEvan]

I will normally just run the drone until it gets to 30% or so if I don't plan on flying for awhile. Better to fly it until it gets low....more fun that way too.

Unfortunately I can't. Winds are to high here

 

[dronexchange]

On days like that, you can just run it inside without the props on. Takes longer, but works.

 

[PhantomEvan]

On days like that, you can just run it inside without the props on. Takes longer, but works.

Ok thanks

 

[reversevector]

Be careful about the gimbal and camera heating up though, they need airflow for cooling and they can get burning hot if left stationary for too long. I'd point a fan at the gimbal if you plan on discharging the battery while stationary.

 

[120CCPM]

On days like that, you can just run it inside without the props on. Takes longer, but works.

Personally, I would not do that... gimbal & camera seem to have a tendency to get hot without proper airflow and the same might be true for the internal electronics. Moreover, running brushless motors with no load for extended periods of time is not a good idea (which turns into a definitely bad idea if you run them at high speed).
If flying outside is really not an option and you don't feel comfortable hovering in ATTI mode inside the house (garage, for example), I would probably put the props on and give a bit of throttle, without taking off. That should generate a good airflow and put some load on the motors, giving you a reasonable discharge time. If you go this route, use common sense and take proper precautions (no kids/dogs/cats running around; mother-in-laws are ok).

 

[msinger]

While all of the above options would work, you could just let the battery auto discharge on its own. All will be just fine if you stop pressing the battery button

 

[solentlife]

msinger has the best option of all there .....

a) As another says - running motors without props is bad news ... and in fact because of no load - the amp draw is abyssmally low making the whole exercise drawn out ....
b) Draining down a battery on the model except by flying is not a good idea anyway ... hot camera, safety aspects etc.

Personally - why not just power everything up ... go into App and set battery to discharge after 1 day ... switch all off ... pull battery ... put it aside and leave it alone to start self discharge next day.

You can of course invest in this little gadget that is an excellent buy for about $5 .....

Battery Control USB Lamp Charger Discharger Power Adapter for DJI Phantom3 RC402 | eBay

With its USB socket in the side - the energy you discharge can be used to charge up a mobile phone / tablet / even your Controller .....
You can just use the lamp and set it to 15.2V and let it discharge to storage ............

Puts control in your hands direct.

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

On days like that, you can just run it inside without the props on. Takes longer, but works.

Sorry but as an "Approved vendor" ... I cannot believe you suggested that ............

Nigel

 

[120CCPM]

Personally - why not just power everything up ... go into App and set battery to discharge after 1 day ... switch all off ... pull battery ... put it aside and leave it alone to start self discharge next day.

Good point... sometimes the easiest options are right in front of us, yet we don't see them...

 

[Matts175]

I have mine all set to discharge themselves after 3 days.

 

[Mr. Salty]

I have mine all set to discharge themselves after 3 days.

Exactly. We have the winning answer.

Connect you controller, drone and smart device, go into the DJI Go app and set your batteries to self-discharge in a shorter period of time. I have mine set to three days, but I think you can set them for even less than that.

You'll need to do this with each battery you own.

 

[PhantomEvan]

I just ran the drone while holding onto it to get it down to 85 percent

 

[solentlife]

Here's demo of the little discharger transferring energy from battery to the Controller via USB ...



Now that's what I call being 'green' !!

Nigel

 

[dronexchange]

Sorry but as an "Approved vendor" ... I cannot believe you suggested that ............

Nigel

Hi Nigel,

Despite what you may or may not think, "Approved Vendor" is not necessarily meant to propose "expert". I'm sorry if my suggestion was not accurate. I was advised to do that in the past by a vendor I worked with, and haven't seen problem with it. However, perhaps I was not advised correctly myself. We are all here to learn and I appreciate the additional suggestions made.

 

[solentlife]

Hi Nigel,

Despite what you may or may not think, "Approved Vendor" is not necessarily meant to propose "expert". I'm sorry if my suggestion was not accurate. I was advised to do that in the past by a vendor I worked with, and haven't seen problem with it. However, perhaps I was not advised correctly myself. We are all here to learn and I appreciate the additional suggestions made.

My apology .... sorry no offense meant.

I would suggest based on my limited experience of LiPo and Brushless motor use - the advice given you by person was not as good as it first appears.
The danger with the motor is tendency to overspeed ... leading to increased running temp on bearings etc.
Second that the amp draw is so low as to be a long process.

I personally feel that until a person gets used to LiPo's and BL motors use - we have a duty to provide sound good info to help. The setting of discharge time and dare I say it - the $5 plug discharger I linked to provide safe and dependable discharge without any stress on model etc.

Again .. I apologise.

Nigel

 

[Matts175]

Does that discharger stop at 50%?

 

[solentlife]

Does that discharger stop at 50%?

It has 2 position switch ....

Pos 1 stops at 15.2V which is ideal storage voltage point.

Pos 2 is a full discharge to 3V per cell - which I do not advise to use

Here's the write up :

"
Description：
This is a smart discharger, specially created to help you correctly store, maintain and carry your Phantom 3 Standard/Professional/Advanced batteries.

Features:
1. Discharge Power For DJI Phantom 3 Battery

Full-discharging mode:the battery can be fully discharged,before carrying it on an airline flight or proceed with some deep charge-discharge cycles to increase the optimal performance of your new battery or stored battery which has a “passivation” problem.

Auto-discharging Mode: the battery will automatically discharged to its nominal voltage(15.2V) prior to storing or transporting it.

2,Mobile Power Bank

It was designed with USB port, can out put 5V power from DJI 3 battery to charge USB your devices such as USB LED light,Bluetooth Speakers, Mp3/4, GoPro Cameras, and Smart phones.

3,Lighting

An USB 10W light bulb coming with the package,it is used to consume the power when discharging battery, and can be used as emergency lighting working with the DJI battery.

Specifications:

Dimensions: 8.15x3.02x1.25cm/3.2x1.49x0.49 inches

Item Weight: 22g / 0.78ounce

Packing Include:

1 * Battery discharger

1 * 10W USB Bulb"

Unquote...

For the $5 ... I think its a good item to have ... mine certainly does a good job.

Nigel

 

[Matts175]

Thank you very much. I'll look at them on Ebay and order.