Anyone know if their battery life (Flight time)  is getting shorter after several charges ? I feel my battery is not lasting as long as it did after the first few charges. I understood  even with Lipo batteries they needed to be re conditioned every so offten to get the full charge capticity out of them. Any thoughs or suggestions.

I found the opposite, mine got better the more I used them.. How did you treat the battery for the first 5 to 10 flights? Did you just use them to 50% and recharge or go down low as you can?

You can now buy the official DJI Hardshell Backpack

Remember to buy extra propellers and one or two spare batteries to keep you flying

www.Phantom-Guide.co.uk - The Ultimate Phantom 3 Resource

Also, keep in mind while comapraing flight times that weater conditions can influance the battery drain speed quite a bit.
With a slight wint the drone will adjust constandly to remain in the same location. While with no wint there are less adjustments needed, so less battery drain.

sploodge Posted at 2015-6-8 05:13
I found the opposite, mine got better the more I used them.. How did you treat the battery for the f ...

heya, sploodge.   Really enjoy the advice you hand out.

I'm pretty new to these LIPO batteries.    What do you suggest for battery usage on a normal flight day.   And, should you actually run the batteries further down below 10% every 20 charges, as some of said?

What have you found optimal??

MikeAngelo Posted at 2015-6-8 05:54
heya, sploodge.   Really enjoy the advice you hand out.

I'm pretty new to these LIPO batteries.  ...

Hi, Mike

I'm no expert on Lipos and tend to follow the advice from the "old timers" on battery care.

The suggestion is, for the first 10 flights on a new battery not to take it lower than 50% ( they call it Lipo Breakin - Good video here . In my experience, doing this DID make a difference. After breaking in, its advisable not to take the battery below 20% ( that's why I advise to get more than one battery ). After 20 flights, take the battery down to 8% ( I normally fly to 20% and idle the rest ) before recharging.

This is what I do, same as I do for the Phantom 2. Other swear blind that they rag the life from the battery from day one and have no issues.. Who knows..

Also take note of DJI's guide for the batteries also - http://download.dji-innovations. ... y_Guidelines_en.pdf

sploodge Posted at 2015-6-8 14:42
Hi, Mike

I'm no expert on Lipos and tend to follow the advice from the "old timers" on battery ca ...

This is my first drone....and, I've been following those suggestions as well.    My battery seems to get stronger.   I was most interested in the after 20 sorties.   This seems to be the consensus of valued opinions.....Thank you, sir!

Mike

what is the overall life expectancy of the battery?  how many charges before it is useless?

sploodge Posted at 2015-6-8 14:42
Hi, Mike

I'm no expert on Lipos and tend to follow the advice from the "old timers" on battery ca ...

I'm no expert either but I wonder what the reasons are for all of these rules.  Various videos describe a break-in where batteries shouldn't discharge down past 50% and then there's a 20-charge cycle where batteries must discharge to 8%.  None of the videos I've yet seen explain _why_ batteries must be handled this way.  Is it something about the chemistry?  Do the laws of physics require such handling?

I've been working with Lipos for years and in my experience if the battery includes 'smart' technology (a voltage/current limiter chip), they need no special treatment.  This does not mean batteries are care-free.  Batteries must be handled properly.  For example, one shouldn't fly or recharge a battery that is hot or even warm to the touch.  Also, don't use a battery that looks like it is 'bloated'.  These are basic rules justified by the laws of physics.

I see many folks saying they do absolutely nothing special with their batteries and their batteries just work.  Are these people lying or is there some misinformation being spread around?  I can't think of a reason why an authorised dealer would provide 'battery rules' other than, if someone wants to return a 'defective' battery the dealer can ask if all the 'rules' were followed and if not, decline replacing a bad battery.  Hmmm...