Help with Morpilot DY3

BobDE · Mar 14, 2018

I bought the DY3. The instructions were less than impressive. I did a quick Google search and could not find any better. I was wondering if anyone found any better instructions, or could maybe answer some questions.

1. I acquired some used batteries and I think that the previous owner charged them and left them that way. I used them and they didn't last long. I am thinking that a few uses may remedy that. If I charge them and then put them in storage mode for several cycles, would that help or simulate use situations?

2. After a flight should I put the batteries in the charger and put them in storage mode regardless of capacity?

3. Does it matter if the batteries are inserted while power is on? Or should the batteries be installed first?

4. Can you offer any other advice on this charger?

Thanks in advance!

Bob

DoomMeister · Mar 14, 2018

Have you tried here DY3 - Product - EV-PEAK?

BobDE · Mar 14, 2018

DoomMeister said:
Have you tried here DY3 - Product - EV-PEAK?

Yes. Those are the same exact instructions that came with mine.

Eagle's Eye Video · Mar 14, 2018

BobDE said:
I bought the DY3. The instructions were less than impressive. I did a quick Google search and could not find any better. I was wondering if anyone found any better instructions, or could maybe answer some questions.

1. I acquired some used batteries and I think that the previous owner charged them and left them that way. I used them and they didn't last long. I am thinking that a few uses may remedy that. If I charge them and then put them in storage mode for several cycles, would that help or simulate use situations?

2. After a flight should I put the batteries in the charger and put them in storage mode regardless of capacity?

3. Does it matter if the batteries are inserted while power is on? Or should the batteries be installed first?

4. Can you offer any other advice on this charger?

Thanks in advance!

Bob

1. As long as they do not show signs of puffing, I would actually fly them down for several cycles to see if performance improves. If not, keep them aside (and marked appropriately) for your secondary non-flight uses... firmware updates, any calibrations, sitting for 10-15 minutes to download a current GPS almanac. That way you never burn down flight time with those secondary functions.

2. If you do not plan to fly again within a couple of days, you should bring the batteries down to storage level... This will help slow down the chemical reactions that shorten the life of a lipo. And yes, it takes longer for these to do a storage discharge, than to do a standard charge. It will take 4+ hours to storage discharge a fully charged battery that was not used.

To minimize that, you should double check your batteries... by that I mean, when you are done shooting, put each of your batteries back in the H and do a quick launch and just hover at 7-8 feet. Keep an eye on the H's voltage and land at 14.5V. Repeat for all batteries. This will get you close to the target storage voltage of 3.85V per cell. Any remaining balancing by the DY3 will be much quicker.

3. I have always made it a habit to plug in the charger first, and then insert the batteries when the readout is up and stable. And I pull the batteries out, before unplugging the charger.

4. Nothing specific... sometimes it does take a couple of times re-seating the batteries to get an accurate reading. But the Yuneec OEM charger did that too.

NorWiscPilot · Mar 15, 2018

Rather than putting more time on your aircraft just to run down any batteries, another option is to piece together a simple discharge rig. Steve Carr has mentioned one such technique in several threads.

I have this Lipo tester meant for the H and Q500 (unfortunately "not currently available" but who knows, maybe it will return). I noticed the pins meant for the Q500 batteries are live when the tester is attached to an H battery. I just had to try it so I rigged up a automobile fog light that was tucked away doing nothing but collecting dust.

The discharge is not too fast so as not to stress the batteries. Seems about the length of a nice flight!

The beauty of this set up is that I can easily watch the voltage level while doing other things. Let it drop around 14.8 to 15.0 volts, flip the switch to turn off the light, and see what the rebound voltage is. If 15.2, good to store.

If one is concerned about draining too far, either pay attention or set a timer!

Jeff