Can you allow the Phantom 3 Standard battery level to go to 0%? will it damage it in any way? just wondering..

Aloha Sky,

     Others have said on this Forum that the Phantom batteries are not able to get to 0.  Still, it is not a good idea to let it get down past 7-8%.  That resets the charge cycle and is enough for that job (also said on this Forum).  I end up taking mine down that low about every 5-10 flights (at least I try not to anyway).

     BTW, the points made on the Forum were mostly by DJI-Team members.  Interesting discussions on the subject.

     Hope this helps!

Aloha and Drone On!

Cetacean Posted at 2016-11-11 05:36
Aloha Sky,

     Others have said on this Forum that the Phantom batteries are not able to get to 0. ...

I concur with Cetacean.

Rule of thumb is 3.3 safe no lower 3 Voltz extreme maximum per cell. so never lower than 12v for the phantom batery

I try to get mine down when its at 30%

Once you hit 0% the voltage will be so low that the aircraft will power off. Usually that means voltage below 3.0volts per cell, which can do damage to lips/lihv batteries. Going to zero shouldn't be done regularly,  it it won't help extend the life either. That's why autolandung kicks in at 10%.

The Phantom battery is a LiPo despite its fancy label and case.

a) It should not be left full charged for days on end. That damages the cells and Ri increases making the battery run hotter in use ... reduces power output .... reduces run time .... makes it harder to charge.

b) Should be stored at 3.7 - 3.9V per cell whic h is termed Storage Charge ... the Phantom battery has a built in program to do this ... you can set the length of time to discharge.

c) Should not be run to LVC or shut down point as that stresses the cells past the recc'd low voltage point. 3.0V is absolute lower limit and not to be repeated .... 3.3V is OK as once battery rests after use should recover to reasonable storage level.

d) LiPo's do not like being 'topped up' as this keeps them banging up against their safe max level of 4.2V per cell.

e) 20% remaining is the usual recc'd level for storage meaning that for flight use - 80% is the recc'd drain.

Given the design of the Phantom battery - its difficult to check the above particularly that you do not have access to the 4 individual cells.

Nigel