Are there Typhoon H+/H3 battery meltdown and pin problems?

Quadflyer Gary · Oct 31, 2021

First up... are the H+ and H3 batteries the same/interchangable? Please confirm.

I am planning on getting an H+ very soon. Yuneec has recently discontinued the H3. I have been reading about plenty of battery issues on these forums and it has me concerned. To what extent is this a problem. Is it like 50% or more of the H+/H3 made that have a battery connector pin/overheating/meltdown problem? Or is it like less than 10% of the these drones. And, can it be due to the use of 3rd party batteries or is it that several people are really pushing these drones and the extra current being supplied by the battery for a long time is causing the problem? I'm just concerned and want to know the likely hood that my new H+ when I get it is going to fly right and not fall out of the sky. Thanks for your advice.

DoomMeister · Nov 1, 2021

First off the H3 is the newer of the two systems you are considering. The H Plus has been around since mid to late 2018.

The batteries are NOT interchangeable between the H+ and the H3. Batteries are interchangeable between the H+ and H520 or the H3 and the H520e.

The H520e has had the issue with the battery connector melting and likely the same with the H3 if it were flown under similar conditions.

The H+ is not troubled by the battery issue and is a very stable platform. I would suggest you read the sticky threads in the H+ forums, download the user enhanced manual found there, and also download https://yuneecpilots.com/attachments/wtfdproject-rev83-pdf.26829/ and have it handy for the attachments dedicated to the H+ and C23.

The last piece of advice is to reinstall the gimbal lock after the aircraft and camera initialize when doing the compass calibration. This will help prevent issues with the flexible printed circuits inside the C23 camera.

Quadflyer Gary · Nov 1, 2021

Thank you for clearing up a few things that I was concerned about. I only have so much money to put into a new drone venture and didn't want a lemon that was down half of the time. With your advice and reading more posts... I've ordered an H+ from Vertigo and should have it soon. I'm getting just the base model H+ kit(standard sonar, no Real Sense) for about $450 US less than any new H3 I could find. But, I'm in Western PA and winter is setting in so I'll not get much time with it till next spring.

DoomMeister · Nov 1, 2021

It will fly in the winter if you can stand the cold. The biggest issue with winter flying is keeping the batteries warm before use and monitoring the battery level more closely. Do not push the batteries to extremes. A safe plan is to have the aircraft back near the landing zone no less than at the 40% level and be on the ground by 30%. The colder the weather the more important this becomes.

If you do not already have a charger that can place the batteries at storage charge when not in use be sure to get one along with adapter cables for the batteries if necessary.

Quadflyer Gary · Nov 2, 2021

I will try to do some short flights if temps are above 55. I'll not have my H+ until Nov 10th or so. The batteries for these are very costly. 2 will come with the drone. I checked Amazon and they even have the exact Yuneec battery 5450mah qty 1 for $298. But, a company GiFi has has them with more mah for $118. Link is below... They are orange and look to have a door on the back of them, will they fit/work? Has anyone used them? Are they a good buy or not. Couldn't find black one's for H+ on Amazon. I will also check Venom Power.
Here is orange battery link... Amazon.com: for Yuneec H520 Replacement Lipo Battery,for Yuneec Typhoon H Plus Battery Too (Do not for Yuneec Typhoon H) : Toys & Games

DoomMeister · Nov 2, 2021

$298 for a Power4P battery is nuts. The seller on Amazon for that battery can’t even describe it properly in the description text. They state it is a 14.8V LiPo when it is supposed to be a 15.2V LiHV pack. You can buy the proper battery from Yuneec US for $220 here Typhoon H+ with Real Sense or at Vertigo Drones.

The GiFi batteries work fine and are cheaper, but there have been issues with them in the past. Their QC program is lacking in my opinion. The latch spring in the battery lock is weaker than the OEM battery so extra care must be taken to ensure the battery is fully seated snd latched before taking flight. If you order them make sure you get the 15.2V and not the 14.8V.

The H Plus can use the 14.8V batteries intended for the H480, but the balance contacts are different between them and take different chargers/adapter cables. The low voltage alarms will trigger on the H Plus before the H480 batteries are really low due to the voltage difference between the LiPo and LiHV cells. This means you have to monitor the flight yourself and possibly cancel the low voltage RTL that will occur. I believe @Ty Pilot , @DCH , and @Steve Carr can shed more light in that subject.

Quadflyer Gary · Nov 3, 2021

Ya, I don't even want to pay $218 or so for just one battery. What is really the difference of the standard LiPo and the HV? It only looks like the HV gives 0.1 volt more per cell. And will they charge in my LiPo charger Onyx KX80... I know that I'll have to make a special adaptor cord for H+ batteries. Venom no longer makes batteries for Yuneec products. So, it looks like I'll be buying the orange ones unless GIFI also makes them in black, grey, or whatever. That brings me to the enclosed pic. Can you identify what each of these terminals 1 - 6 connect to so I make the proper cable for my charger. I will get 2 batteries, soft backpack , ST16S, charger and other stuff with my deal. I really don't care to use the Yuneec charger unless I have to. I'm still waiting(72 hours now) for Vertigo Drones to ship my H+ and send me tracking info.
Opps, I just see that you told me above to get 15.2 volt batteries. Should I charge them fully or cut them off at 14.8?

DoomMeister · Nov 3, 2021

Left most terminal is the Main negative terminal and negative balance terminal for Cell 1, the next to the right is balance terminal for Cell 1+/Cell 2-, then Cell 2+/Cell 3-, then Cell 3+/Cell 4-, next Cell 4+ balance terminal, and last on the right is the Main positive terminal.

The thing to realize using LiPo instead of LiHV battery packs is that you will be losing flight time due to the low voltage set points that cannot be changed in the software. The other issue is the LiPo and LiHV battery packs use different contacts for the balance leads. This is what the H480 LiPo packs look like. Note the circular balance contacts as opposed to the mini Dean’s on the LiHV pack.

The GiFi packs at $118 are usable, you just need to keep a close eye on them to ensure they are latched in. Also monitor the connector for broken plastic and/or loose terminals.

Quadflyer Gary · Nov 4, 2021

DoomMeister said:
The thing to realize using LiPo instead of LiHV battery packs is that you will be losing flight time due to the low voltage set points that cannot be changed in the software.

I understand the balance contacts part. But, you lost me at this point.
1) Will I get more time with LiPo or LiHV?
2) Should I charge the LiHV fully? My charger will do LiHV at 4.20 - 4.35 volts per cell. 4.35 x 4 = 17.4 volts. Is this OK?
3) I don't have the H+ or ST16S yet. But, are you telling me that the system will auto land when a low voltage set point is reached?
Not good for me as I often fly out over lakes and shoot sail boaters. I always thought low voltage warnings were just telling the user to be careful of where they were in respect to needing to land the drone. Flying was still possible... just to be careful. And, that auto land would not cut in(turn on) until the battery was very depleted.

In the Q500's the battery balance contacts do nothing with the drone. Only the main + and - connect to ESC.
With the H+ batteries LiPo or LiHV versions do the balance contacts make electrical contact with the drone and for what do they do?
Or, is it just the main + and - like the Q500's.

I also do not like the design of these batteries. It seems that they come to a "V" point for connection to the charger and when in the drone. There is no connecting cable involved. This means that you are "butting up" a V shape to another V shape and that this would create a weaker match point of the two. It also does not allow for good heat dissipation when in the charger or in the drone. What do you think? Remember that I don't have the charger or drone to actually confirm this.

DoomMeister · Nov 4, 2021

1) Flight time will be a bit longer with the LiHV due to the trigger points for the low voltage alarms. The first alarm is a warning. The second is a warning and after 30 seconds will trigger an automatic RTL. The RTL (return to location) can be set to the take off site or the position of the ST16S controller.

2) Any lithium based battery should be fully charged before using in a flight operation. LiPo charged to 4.2V/cell and LiHV charged to 4,35V/cell. Either battery will require an adapter cable to be able to be charged on the 3rd party charger. https://yuneecskins.com/all-products/ols/categories/yuneec-battery-adaptors

3) The H Plus is very similar to the Q500 as far as the battery voltage alarms go. The first is just a warning that you are nearing a critical point in charge level and if you are not in the general vicinity you should start bringing it back. The second warning is saying you are critical and will initiate an automatic RTL after some time (I think it is 30 seconds). At some point after that the aircraft will initiate an auto landing so it doesn’t just fall out of the sky.

3-1) Only the Main +/- contacts are used in the aircraft. The balance contacts are only used in charging functions.

3-2) The battery design is actually good as far as guiding the contacts to mate properly and the heat dissipates just fine. The narrowed area only contains the wiring and in the OEM packs there is an overcharge protection circuitry.

I brought up the point of the low voltage alarms because they trigger at the proper voltages for the LiHV packs, but trigger too early on the LiPo packs because of the voltage differences. For the 4S packs the LiPo is always 0.6V less than the LiHV pack. I use both in my Typhoon H (H480) and I have the opposite issue as far as battery levels go. I have to monitor the LiHV pack and bring it back before I get low voltage alarms.

Quadflyer Gary · Nov 7, 2021

DoomMeister said:
1) Flight time will be a bit longer with the LiHV due to the trigger points for the low voltage alarms. The first alarm is a warning. The second is a warning and after 30 seconds will trigger an automatic RTL. The RTL (return to location) can be set to the take off site or the position of the ST16S controller.

2) Any lithium based battery should be fully charged before using in a flight operation. LiPo charged to 4.2V/cell and LiHV charged to 4,35V/cell. Either battery will require an adapter cable to be able to be charged on the 3rd party charger. https://yuneecskins.com/all-products/ols/categories/yuneec-battery-adaptors

3) The H Plus is very similar to the Q500 as far as the battery voltage alarms go. The first is just a warning that you are nearing a critical point in charge level and if you are not in the general vicinity you should start bringing it back. The second warning is saying you are critical and will initiate an automatic RTL after some time (I think it is 30 seconds). At some point after that the aircraft will initiate an auto landing so it doesn’t just fall out of the sky.

3-1) Only the Main +/- contacts are used in the aircraft. The balance contacts are only used in charging functions.

3-2) The battery design is actually good as far as guiding the contacts to mate properly and the heat dissipates just fine. The narrowed area only contains the wiring and in the OEM packs there is an overcharge protection circuitry.

I brought up the point of the low voltage alarms because they trigger at the proper voltages for the LiHV packs, but trigger too early on the LiPo packs because of the voltage differences. For the 4S packs the LiPo is always 0.6V less than the LiHV pack. I use both in my Typhoon H (H480) and I have the opposite issue as far as battery levels go. I have to monitor the LiHV pack and bring it back before I get low voltage alarms.

I did look into the above link for the battery adapter cable. It is $40 and currently out of stock. So, I may have to make one from scratch.
If they are getting more in... I can wait. But, take a look at this link...

https://yuneecskins.com/all-products/ols/products/typhoon-hh-proh480-battery-adapter-for-aftermarket-chargers

This cable is only $20...ya, I know it's not the right cable. But, if I bend the contacts it should make contact. There will be a gap, for the two connectors will not mate correctly. But, If care is taken that the parts do not move after contact... this cable should work. But, here is another problem. Run your mouse over the first pic to get the enlarged view and you will see 2 cables with 2 different ends for the balance leads, 1 white and 1 black. I would need the white one to connect to my multi balance board. But when you put the product in your cart, the sites order process doesn't ask which balance cable end you need. This is just a back-up solution for the proper connector.

DoomMeister · Nov 7, 2021

I can tell you now that the adapter for the H480 batteries will not work on the H+ batteries. You might get lucky bending the spring loaded pins to the point they make contact, but you are more likely to break them trying.

There is a modification you can make to the OEM charger so it can be used as is or on a 3rd party charger.

WTFDproject · Nov 7, 2021

Quadflyer Gary said:
I did look into the above link for the battery adapter cable. It is $40 and currently out of stock. So, I may have to make one from scratch.
If they are getting more in... I can wait. But, take a look at this link...

https://yuneecskins.com/all-products/ols/products/typhoon-hh-proh480-battery-adapter-for-aftermarket-chargers
This cable is only $20...ya, I know it's not the right cable. But, if I bend the contacts it should make contact. There will be a gap, for the two connectors will not mate correctly. But, If care is taken that the parts do not move after contact... this cable should work. But, here is another problem. Run your mouse over the first pic to get the enlarged view and you will see 2 cables with 2 different ends for the balance leads, 1 white and 1 black. I would need the white one to connect to my multi balance board. But when you put the product in your cart, the sites order process doesn't ask which balance cable end you need. This is just a back-up solution for the proper connector.

Quadflyer Gary said:
But, if I bend the contacts it should make contact. There will be a gap, for the two connectors will not mate correctly.

I would expound a little on @DoomMiester's Post. Those are not simple contacts. They are spring loaded pins that slide in guides. And they are fragile. If you are lucky the pins will break off while your are trying to bend them and the rig simply will not work. Otherwise you will have a poorly made contact that may work for awhile, or may result in very undesired consequences. It's not just the possible poor contact to worry about. If the pin comes off while on charge, it will likely fall inside the battery you are charging.

I would not recommend anyone attempt to convert an H480 adapter to use on an HPlus battery. It is much safer to convert the stock HPlus charger into a proper adapter. Or wait until you can find an HPlus Adapter.

Quadflyer Gary · Nov 8, 2021

WTFDproject said:
I would expound a little on @DoomMiester's Post. Those are not simple contacts. They are spring loaded pins that slide in guides. And they are fragile. If you are lucky the pins will break off while your are trying to bend them and the rig simply will not work. Otherwise you will have a poorly made contact that may work for awhile, or may result in very undesired consequences. It's not just the possible poor contact to worry about. If the pin comes off while on charge, it will likely fall inside the battery you are charging.

I would not recommend anyone attempt to convert an H480 adapter to use on an HPlus battery. It is much safer to convert the stock HPlus charger into a proper adapter. Or wait until you can find an HPlus Adapter.

I thank you guys for your knowledgable insite to my concerns. Since I don't have the H+, charger, or batteries yet I'm just looking at options. The RC guy at my hobby store should be able to make the right cable once he sees the battery for less than $40. Finally got an email from Vertigo Drones saying that they are sorry that the H+ hasn't come in as they promised me. They now say they should have it this week. Which means I will not get it till next week. We shall see.

Mickeyboo · Nov 17, 2021

Regarding Yuneec H+ batteries...I've had 6 and all of them had issues. One even had one of the cells drop to 0 and will not charge...I used one yesterday which indicated it had 99% Voltage on the controller but it gave me 6 minutes of flying and had dropped to 39%. I flew in Iceland with my H+ and Yuneec gave me batteries in lieu of paying me for using my stills and video from Iceland to promote the H+...as they say you get what you pay for and those batteries were all suspect. I do not use the very limited H+ charger, I always like to have cell by cell information and more options so I can clearly understand what's happening to the batteries life. I use a $500 charger, the Graupner Poloron. I've not had problems with any other Yuneec batteries...I own 4 Typhoon H's and 23 batteries and none of them have presented me with battery issues like the H+. Nor have I had any battery issues with the DJI drones I use.

Rayray · Nov 18, 2021

Oh Mickeyboo, how do you do?
Been a long time, thou King of Iceland. Best wishes to you!

terrence davidson · Nov 26, 2021

I do not have the h plus but I do have the first gen h520 (not talking about the 2nd gen h520e here). however the power system are pretty much equal here. another power charger that has been in stock a lot of the time is version of dy5 for first gen h520. the first gen h520 and h plus are same voltage and chemistry both charge to 4.35 per cell. and that charger been made to support it. it gives the voltage at each cell as well milli amp hours readings for the battery. plus ability to put the batteries into the correct storage value for when they are not to be used for a period of time.

Vaklin · Dec 15, 2021

To use the topic, because my question is around it.

I bought a DY5 charger, which was described as H520/H+ one. Exactly the unit is designed for H3/H520E. The price was good, the purchase was away from me, so no reason to claim anything from the seller. My idea is to use the unit with some cross wire to charge the H+ batteries. Can you provide me with a connection diagram of the 520E/H3?

Someone in the EU or the UK can supply me with dead batteries for these platforms to use the connectors from them. I'll pay for the delivery.