Battery Question

[Stumann]

I purchased a Breeze from Woot back last winter ($99). I flew it a few times shortly after purchase, then the weather prevented me from flying it for about 3 months. The battery was on the charger the whole three months. A few weeks ago I got a chance to fly it again and it flew well until the battery went down. I didn't time it, but it seemed like a normal amount of time. I put the battery on the charger and got the dreaded flashing blue light. I checked the voltage between cells and there was very little difference, maybe a few tenth of a volt difference. I decided to invest in a new battery ($60), a Yuneec brand, and it charges just fine. I guess my question is, should I always remove the battery from the charger as soon as it reaches full charge? What seems to be the general rule for charging these batteries? Did I kill the old one by leaving it on the charger too long?

 

[DCH]

There is hardly an easy/short answer to this question, it is a fairly complicated subject with MANY warnings to heed, a subject everyone who uses them should have at least a basic knowledge of. I think the first rule we all learn is never leave a LiPo fully charged.

However the best way to answer to your battery question is with a question: Did you search the forum for any posts on "LiPo Maintenance"? There is much to learn on the subject and much to be read here, and your time would be well spent researching it because there are serious risks associated with the care and feeding of these very temperamental (and potentially dangerous) batteries. This is a great thread started by @rdonson that will give you a good knowledge base on the subject: LiPo Battery Care

 

[WTFDproject]

should I always remove the battery from the charger as soon as it reaches full charge?

Yes. Storing the battery in either the Breeze or the Breeze charger will kill the battery.

 

[DoomMeister]

I am not sure if you left the battery on the charger and the charger plugged in or unplugged. Either way is not good. The battery should be monitored while charging and removed from the charger when the charge cycle is finished.

If you have the means to measure the voltage on each cell, report the levels you are seeing. See this post for a pinout diagram Battery blinking blue light.

If the battery remained on an unplugged charger for 3 months it is likely bad.

 

[airborne]

That works for me since two years: Never drain a battery below 20% as displayed in the app during flight - so have the breeze coming home when the meter says 30% left. This equals to 6 to 8 minutes of airborne time. Next tip: Just forget yuneec's charger, have a good aftermarket charger. Yes, you would have to have an adapter cable to fit the batteries. In my opinion these chargers (around 60 $, Vingo Imax B6AC for example) do a better job in balancing the batteries' cells. Furthermore they offer the option for a "storage charge" at around 50% or 3.8V per cell. In this setup I have 5 batteries in perfect working condition for two years now.
When storing LiPos have them disconnected from all appliances.
No charging/discharging except under supervision.
Fully charge your batteries immediately before flight.

An aftermarke charger might revive your dead battery.

HTH
airborne