When and how often am I supposed to discharge my battery? I only flown once, I do use the simulator on occasion, I owned the P3S since Christmas and have never discharged the battery and I also keep the battery in the AC, not sure if thats bad?

Set the discharge in the DJI Go app to 3 days, it is at the 3 day point it will start to self discharge. Just top it off prior to going flying. I personally do not leave any battery in the AC.

Should you have a rare battery breakdown/leakage/fire, you'd loose the aircraft if BATTERY LEFT IN P3.  Not ACCEPTED practice to leave in the aircraft. Never heard of it, but.....

MerlinL14 Posted at 2017-2-2 08:08
Set the discharge in the DJI Go app to 3 days, it is at the 3 day point it will start to self discharge. Just top it off prior to going flying. I personally do not leave any battery in the AC.

Here's an interesting video on the Phantom batteries that you may find of use.  Basically, after every 20 flights drain it to around 8% then recharge.  I haven't really looked for a DJI reference to that, but it is also what HealthyDrones recommends.

DLX734 deep discharging has been abandoned by DJI and should not be performed. It is old and not very sound advise that DJI has accepted as not good husbandry practice.

MerlinL14 Posted at 2017-2-2 08:24
DLX734 deep discharging has been abandoned by DJI and should not be performed. It is old and not very sound advise that DJI has accepted as not good husbandry practice.

MerlinL14, thank you for the update!

MerlinL14 Posted at 2017-2-2 08:08
Set the discharge in the DJI Go app to 3 days, it is at the 3 day point it will start to self discharge. Just top it off prior to going flying. I personally do not leave any battery in the AC.

Should the battery be on or off?

MerlinL14 Posted at 2017-2-2 08:24
DLX734 deep discharging has been abandoned by DJI and should not be performed. It is old and not very sound advise that DJI has accepted as not good husbandry practice.

It may not be documented on the DJI site any longer, but it's not harmful in the least. The theory was as it's a smart battery (has IC chips) that the battery would learn (for lack of a better word) during it's use how quickly it discharges and would get better at battery % prediction over time. I see no harm in doing or not doing it.

Pat C Posted at 2017-2-2 08:56
Should the battery be on or off?

On or off during charge? Just plug it in, doesn't need to be turned on first normally.

It is lithium technology it has no perceived 'memory' like NiCd technology. There is nothing for it to learn or remember.

Pat C Posted at 2017-2-2 08:56
Should the battery be on or off?

Boot up your transmitter, AC and phone/tablet. Within the DJI Go settings you can set the self discharge rate in there.

Should the battery be on or off?

Leave it off ... if you touch the button at all to check battery etc. - it will reset the discharge timer and start all over again. So put the battery to safe place and LEAVE IT ALONE ... Do not leave in the AC.

When and how often am I supposed to discharge my battery?

Don't is the simple answer. Let the program do the storage discharge.

As another says - DJI themselves no longer advise in their Battery Literature to do deep discharge and having found that the 'intelligence' of the battery is not as expected - I strongly advise against deep discharge in any form. It can only be done well - if careful monitoring of INDIVIDUAL cells can be done ... which DJI have made impossible. The battery dies not balance at that point - so you run risk of over discharge of one or more cells ... as the 'intelligence' monitors TOTAL voltage not individual cells.
The comment about setting the battery % prediction .... I'll refrain from answering that one ... just to say - anyone flying to battery limits should learn to watch the red / yellow / green line that runs under the menu title on screen ... that tells you state of battery as you fly ... return and land well before you get near critical !!

I submit the post as my observation of the DJI batterys and testing over last couple of months .... which has also been confirmed by others who tested similarly.

Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2017-2-2 09:48
Leave it off ... if you touch the button at all to check battery etc. - it will reset the discharge timer and start all over again. So put the battery to safe place and LEAVE IT ALONE ... Do not leave in the AC.

My battery is set to discharge in one day , so should I let it discharge or not I'm getting conflicting answers?

MerlinL14 Posted at 2017-2-2 09:37
It is lithium technology it has no perceived 'memory' like NiCd technology. There is nothing for it to learn or remember.

I'm not talking about the Lithium battery itself. If you read my post, I'm talking about the IC chip within the battery case, that reports to the drone's FW and that data (battery %) being past on to us on our devices via the Go app. But as "solentlife" states, this properly did't work the way intended so it was removed in it's documentation. Also agree that battery voltage is a much better figure to be looking at when flying than the battery %.

Pat C Posted at 2017-2-2 09:56
My battery is set to discharge in one day , so should I let it discharge or not I'm getting conflicting answers?

Lot of people set it for 3 days .... I have 3 days ... that way I have a battery to use if I decide to go out there ... especially if you stagger the charging of multiple batterys ... Clever eh ?

Note - The discharge starts at the end of the set period .. so in your case battery sits for 24hrs and then starts a slow discharge over 2+ days.

LiPo batterys should not be left fully charged indefinitely or keep topping up. The Internal Resistance increases and then the battery fails to provide full power. The voltage drop due to resistance is too great.

LiPo's 'accumulate' damage ... so if you damage 5% today and then 5% next week - that makes 10% damage ... it is not recoverable.
You should never store a LiPo full charged unless it has a discharge routine such as these do. Normal LiPo's as used in other models without built in discharge - are discharged by users to the storage level of about 3.75V per cell ....
The quoted voltage of the DJI battery is 15.2V .... that is storage level of 3.8V per cell. maximum voltage when full is 17.4V  at 4.35V per cell (these are HV LiPo's).

So to conclude ...

To allow your batterys to discharge as they should via the built in program - leave them alone in safe place and do not touch.

Deep discharge is no longer advised and in fact carries more risk of damaging the battery than any perceived good.

Do not keep topping up unless you are going to use it. Topping up is also not a good practice to keep doing just to keep charged !

While flying - keep an eye on the coloured line under the menu title so you do not over-run battery capacity.

And finally ... ENJOY it !!

Nigel

WilliamM Posted at 2017-2-2 09:35
On or off during charge? Just plug it in, doesn't need to be turned on first normally.

On or off during charge?

While discharging

I always switch mine ON for charging even with the DJI charger, though not necessary unless they are in high charge state.

Its habit because to charge from my LiPo chargers - I have to switch on the battery otherwise LiPo charger says not connected. But I get better info and control of the charge process with a LiPo charger than the DJI unit.

Nigel

Hello Pat C, here is the video tutorial for your reference.
If there's nothing wrong with your battery, you don't need to discharge it manually.

For heating of batterys ... you can use the DJI box ... or get as I have the Turnigy LiPo heated bag ... I can put 3 DJI batterys or a mix of DJI and my normal in it to keep warm ready for flight.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turn ... mer-bag-12v-dc.html

Turnigy Programmable Lipo Battery Warmer Bag - Lipo's can lose up to 40% of their capacity when used in cold weather. This of course will drastically shorten flight/drive times and of course performance. This superb Turnigy lipo warmer is perfect for the RC enthusiast who is flying/driving in cold weather/climate and also for competition pilots/drivers looking to squeeze every ounce of capacity from their battery for optimum performance, even in warm ambient temperatures.
You can select the desired temperature via the simple to operate buttons/LED display on the front of the bag, the inbuilt microprocessor offers a 7 step heater range from 25ºC ~ 45ºC (77ºF ~ 113ºF) and the sealable bag, which is lined with a heat reflective material, keeps your lipo snug and ready to use.
Specs:
Input Voltage: 10v ~ 13v DC
Idle Current: <30mAh
Working Current: 2A
Programmable Temp Value: 25/27.5/30/32.5/35/40/45ºC (2 button -/+ operation with LED display)
Operating Temp: -10ºC ~ 45ºC
Dimensions Overall: 295mm x 230mm
Dimensions Lipo Cavity: 195mm x 230mm
Weight: 135g
Connector: XT-60 + Croc Clip Lead (supplied)

It works a treat and whats more costs little ! Any power source of around 12V is good ... car cigarette socket ... 3S LiPo ..... 8 cell NiCd ...... etc.

Nigel

Looks like a good unit. Does it come with a connector that you can plug into your cigarette lighter?

SITKAMICK Posted at 2017-2-3 11:37
Looks like a good unit. Does it come with a connector that you can plug into your cigarette lighter?

No - it comes with the croc clip connector you see ....

But 5 mins with a soldering iron .. a plug and bit of wire ... nothing hard about that ...

The yellow connector you see is an XT60 standard RC LiPo battery connector.

The unit is simpy very good and does the job without being fancy or proprietary. Accepts any lipo you want to get in there AND its fire retardent to give you time to jettison in case of incident. Your DJI heater certainly is not that !!

Nigel

Thanks, how long does it take to heat up with a couple of P3S batteries inside?

DLX734 Posted at 2017-2-2 08:16
Here's an interesting video on the Phantom batteries that you may find of use.  Basically, after every 20 flights drain it to around 8% then recharge.  I haven't really looked for a DJI reference to that, but it is also what HealthyDrones recommends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7xALycWiq8

The 'every 20 cycles' recommendation has been posted around by seasoned users and other DJI mods as well. It's a staple for a while.

MerlinL14 Posted at 2017-2-2 08:24
DLX734 deep discharging has been abandoned by DJI and should not be performed. It is old and not very sound advise that DJI has accepted as not good husbandry practice.

It is something that has been around since the Phantom 2. The newer units don't really need it.

Pat C Posted at 2017-2-2 09:56
My battery is set to discharge in one day , so should I let it discharge or not I'm getting conflicting answers?

It all really depends on how often you fly. If you fly often, then you can set the discharge to a later period. If the time between flights will be pretty lengthy, then the discharge should be sooner.

SITKAMICK Posted at 2017-2-3 19:53
Thanks, how long does it take to heat up with a couple of P3S batteries inside?

Basically you have bag indoors with your battery's, place all together - close up .... go to car and plug in. Heating up then is not an issue as you already have it warm. The heater then maintains it. I've never had to use it to heat up from cold ... it will do it but how long I have no idea.
Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2017-2-3 22:59
Basically you have bag indoors with your battery's, place all together - close up .... go to car and plug in. Heating up then is not an issue as you already have it warm. The heater then maintains it. I've never had to use it to heat up from cold ... it will do it but how long I have no idea.
Nigel

Thank you, I really appreciate the information.

SITKAMICK Posted at 2017-2-4 00:08
Thank you, I really appreciate the information.

Considering the price and its ability to carry at least 2 DJI's ..... its a good tool.

And while flying with one battery - another can be put in ready to fly again ...

But lets be honest - battery warming is actually not the biggest issue when you get on the 'cold field' .... its IMU warming up.

Even when I have had the P3S in the car / home warmed up ... I go outside and even if I start up immediately with warm IMU and battery - I have to wait 1 - 2mins for IMU warming up ... ITS ALREADY WARM !! but it says not.

Nigel