Battery Stuck

SkySpy · Apr 28, 2019

Greetings Fellow Pilots,

I had an interesting morning this morning, see "Heartburn". After that close call I found that I was unable to remove my battery. At this point, I decided to box up Q500 and head home. However, I do carry a Breeze for backup. I took the last couple of shots with it before leaving. Well worth the $150 purchase price. I ordered this battery directly from Yuneec to insure they would not be out of date, however I could not find any production date stamp on the battery. It only has about 5 charge and flight cycles on it. I charge it with the HiTech X2 Balance charger and I charge at a slow rate, therefore battery swelling should not be the issue. So my question is, how should I go about getting the battery out? I'm thinking I will start loosening fuselage screws until I can remove it. Do any of you have a better way?

WTFDproject · Apr 28, 2019

Depends on how really stuck it is. You will have to evaluate that, of course. Before I tried to "force" it out and risk damaging the air frame, I would remove the props and ALL the screws, and lift the top shell off. You can then get a better idea of what your are dealing with.
Two events in one day trigger the thought of an unrecognized common cause. You might want to upload your telemetry to let some folks take a look.

SkySpy · Apr 28, 2019

Hello Tom, yes I was wondering if there could be a connection between the two. How do I go about uploading the telemetry?

WTFDproject · Apr 28, 2019

There are better instructions on the forum, but I couldn't find them right away.

The flight logs are on the SD card under the controller battery. Either put the card in your PC, or connect the controller to the PC with a DATA type USB cord.
You have to copy the "FlightLog" directory to your PC.
Once it is on your PC, right click the folder, select "Send To" and then select "Compressed (zipped) folder.
It will create a zip file.
You may have to change the extension from "zip" to "txt" to get it to upload. If the zip file is too large, it will take some other tricks to get it on the forum.

While you are doing all this, I'll go try to find the better directions.

WTFDproject · Apr 28, 2019

This link from @Steve Carr will tell how to upload only the last telemetry file, which is often the only one of interest. This should be easier than uploading the entire directory.
Yuneec Q500 4k All motors failing in GUI plus binding issues

SkySpy · Apr 28, 2019

WTFDproject said:
This link from @Steve Carr will tell how to upload only the last telemetry file, which is often the only one of interest. This should be easier than uploading the entire directory.
Yuneec Q500 4k All motors failing in GUI plus binding issues

Okay, thanks Tom!

SkySpy · Apr 28, 2019

SkySpy said:
Okay, thanks Tom!

Oh.....another thing I want to mention. The prop issue may be in part due to the fact that these props I have may not be OEM. I bought this drone from a friend and these were an extra set. Neither the set on the drone nor these extra had any identifying logo. Therefore i'm assuming these are not OEM. Just ordered two sets from Yuneec. Also, still finding my range too limited. Going to talk with Carolina Drones tomorrow about an antenna.

Steve Carr · Apr 28, 2019

SkySpy said:
Neither the set on the drone nor these extra had any identifying logo.

That is a sure sign they are the cheap aftermarket props. Throw them away. They are known to break while in flight and are dangerous to use.

Concerning the stuck battery...have you removed it before with no problem? The batteries pull out much harder than they slide in. Considerable pull may be required.

SkySpy · Apr 28, 2019

Steve Carr said:
That is a sure sign they are the cheap aftermarket props. Throw them away. They are known to break while in flight and are dangerous to use.

Concerning the stuck battery...have you removed it before with no problem? The batteries pull out much harder than they slide in. Considerable pull may be required.

Yes, those props are gone! As for the battery, I took the top of the fuselage off hoping to see what is holding it. No luck! It still does not budge. I cant see any reason for it to be stuck. The battery doesn't seem to be swollen or distorted. No I have never had this kind of problem before. I definitely feel something is going to break if i apply anymore pressure.

SkySpy · Apr 28, 2019

WTFDproject said:
This link from @Steve Carr will tell how to upload only the last telemetry file, which is often the only one of interest. This should be easier than uploading the entire directory.
Yuneec Q500 4k All motors failing in GUI plus binding issues

Hey Tom, Got the upper fuselage off. I can't see any obvious reason for this battery to be stuck, but i feel like it something will break if I apply more pressure. Not sure what to do now. May have to send it off.

WTFDproject · Apr 28, 2019

The battery does not seem to be swollen in the pictures. If the batteries are not swollen, remove the two screws that hold down the terminal block. See if you can move the battery, or pull the cables out of the battery with the battery still in the box. (I'm wondering if the cables are fused into the battery.) Use a LOT of caution. This is starting to sound a little dangerous.

Mokuluanui · Apr 29, 2019

I had a battery that was stuck recently as well in my Q500. After checking the battery in the harness, I had the firmware jack pushed in with the battery through the entry harness. I pushed the wire deeper into the body until I got the battery loose. Looking at your photos, it doesn't appear to be your problem, but I would check out the entry harness for any trapped wire or any other part that might be trapped since the fit is very tight.

SkySpy · Apr 29, 2019

Hey Tom, Got the upper fuselage off. I can't see any obvious reason for this battery to be stuck, but i feel like it something will break if I apply more pressure. Not sure what to do now. May have to send it off.

Mokuluanui said:
I had a battery that was stuck recently as well in my Q500. After checking the battery in the harness, I had the firmware jack pushed in with the battery through the entry harness. I pushed the wire deeper into the body until I got the battery loose. Looking at your photos, it doesn't appear to be your problem, but I would check out the entry harness for any trapped wire or any other part that might be trapped since the fit is very tight.

WTFDproject said:
Depends on how really stuck it is. You will have to evaluate that, of course. Before I tried to "force" it out and risk damaging the air frame, I would remove the props and ALL the screws, and lift the top shell off. You can then get a better idea of what your are dealing with.
Two events in one day trigger the thought of an unrecognized common cause. You might want to upload your telemetry to let some folks take a look.

SkySpy · Apr 29, 2019

I did try removing the screws from the terminal harness, hoping that it would free up that end of the battery. Still stuck. I'm wondering if a wire became wedged between the battery and the tray. Is there an opening in the bottom of the tray that could allow this?

AH-1G · Apr 29, 2019

Check the clip that keeps it from falling out.

SkySpy · Apr 29, 2019

AH-1G said:
Check the clip that keeps it from falling out.

SkySpy · Apr 29, 2019

Where is this clip located?

AH-1G · Apr 29, 2019

I have to admit, I do not won a Q500, so when you insert the battery do you not hear a click?
How then is the battery being kept from falling out?

SkySpy · Apr 29, 2019

I removed the screws from the terminal end of the battery tray. I can left that end of the tray high enough to see the underside of the tray. I do not see any wires interfering with the battery and tray. I cannot lift the tray on the other end where the battery door is located. Not sure why this will not lift, but just below is that main status LED indicator. I left my comfort zone several with this several steps back. I do not wish to press my luck any further so I'm not going to lift this end of the tray. I ran a butter knife along both sides of the tray. Nothing seems to be stuck there. Back to the terminal end. After I removed the screws here I tried to lift the terminal wires from the housing, but they seem to be glued in place with silicon or something. This may be a dumb question, but could the terminal ends have welded themselves to the battery? I see no indication of excess heat in that area, but this is about the only area that remains to be considered.

AH-1G · Apr 29, 2019

Stick your nose next to the terminals, do you smell anything burnt? if not most likely no.
Can you see any blackish marks that look like arcing took place?