New drone batteries not charging

[Jafo]

Buying cheap is probably going to leave you disappointed in the end.
If you over stress or over work your charger your just going to burn it out early and you'll be buying another sooner than you need to.
Bight the bullet and spend what you need to to get the equipment that you need and works well.
$100.00 will get you a good charger and lipo tester.
For some, it's certainly a bit to put out but well worth it in the end.

 

[Bartcephus]

Had the same exact problem... the battery voltage is below a minimum threshold for the charger, so it can't/won't charge it. I took another 12V LiPo and connected it with a couple of stripped wires together for about 2 minutes and the voltage came up just enough to get it to charge. Be careful, it should only take a couple of minutes and stay with it while you "jump" it.... should be fine.

I too found this out when I accidentally left the battery in the drone and it TOTALLY discharged. The Charger needs to detect a "minimum" voltage to initiate the charging process.

 

[Chitown harry]

Chuck and Jafo, one last question on chargers. What Is lacking on the oem Yuneec charger. Is it not that smart? Or does it not have the capacity? Just wondering where they are lacking as compared to the Venom chargers?
Any particulars to this sparky would be very helpful.

 

[ChuckBridges]

The OEM charger that is included with the Q500 works fine for what it is. It isn't fast, takes two hours to charge a battery and doesn't have a display to show you what it is doing, but it does work If you have multiple batteries, it will be frustrating to wait. You have to read the manual to determine what the lights mean. I used it for the first few months. One advantage it does have is the DC adapter. This lets you charge on the go. I am not certain if it stops charging after the light shows completed. Yuneec warned me not to leave the battery plugged in longer that two hours. The charger I use, and most after market chargers will stop the charge when complete. That being said, it does look and feel cheap. Jafo is correct. If you can afford it, spend the money on a decent after market charger and LIPO voltage tester. You won't be sorry.

 

[Jafo]

You want a charger that feeds you details and allows you to manipulate your cells.
The stock charger offers none of that.
You want a charger with a clear display of all voltages (individual cells and totals), charge current and rate and maybe an option of discharging. The Venom Pro I linked to has all of that plus fast charge,balance and normal charge with full displays while your connected and charging.
Far superior to the stock charger. The stock charger also takes twice as long or longer to charge.
It will work while you get your feet wet and save your pennies for the nice charger.

 

[Merz300ce2]

I just bought the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4k. It's my first drone, I read all instructions on it when I unpacked it. I took the batteries out, charged them both. I flew it twice, went to charge one of the batteries and got a solid red light. Thinking there was a Issue with the charger, I tried a different plug in my house, and got the same thing. Solid red, I took the drone out for a evening flight to kill the 2nd battery, after the flight about 20 to 22 mins. I brought the battery in, let it cool about 10 mins. Plugged it into the charger, went to flashing green light. Tells me the 1 battery is bad, I called Yuneec and lets just say the customer service I got, was less the helpful. I am not happy about this $800 Purchase as of now. I got home from work last night, decided I wanted to do a flight took the drone out, flight time about 22-25 mins, no issue's with flight. Battery was totally dead, as the the motors would not even come on. I took the battery out, let it cool for about 10 mins. Went to plug it up, and what do you know SOLID RED, second battery is no good as well. I started digging, and found all kinds of Issue's with this battery. Yesterday while talking to the company I bought the drone from, they said batteries for them are on 3 week back order right now... I am wondering if there are any better after market ones, out yet and if so can someone please give me links or names so I can look them up... I am beyond pissed off, because as of now, I have a very nice paper weight. **** Let me add I only flew the drone twice on the one battery and maybe 5 or 6 times on the 2nd battery.

 

[Jafo]

Slow down my friend..... Things will be okay.
First off.... for a new battery, you have let the voltage drop pretty low.
What does your cell checker tell you about the cell conditions ? I'll bet they are out of balance by a lot at this point and would be a reason the charger gives you the error light.
Without a cell tester, you have no way of knowing the condition of the battery and whether it's shot or not.
True.... some of the stock batteries have had issue but most of those have been worked out and Yunnec has been good about sending out replacements when needed.
What does your cell checker tell you about the cell conditions ?
Many use GIFI brand batteries and have good success with them.

 

[Merz300ce2]

Awwwwww No I will not slow down! That's 1 and when I spend $800 on something That is 5 days old I do not expect problems at all, that's 2. Lets move on to number 3 the batteries are so dead, they won't even power on the motors at all. Move on to number 4 shall we, Yuneec has shown me less than good customer service! 5 this is not the only forum I have found problems with on these batteries. I will be ordering some after market one's off line, as what I have read, They have not corrected the problems with these. Matter fact the aftermarket one's are supposed to last longer, and not have the Issue's that the factory one's do. They have a better warranty as well. Thanks for your reply, But right now I am for sure not happy

 

[ChuckBridges]

Jafo is correct. If you read back, you will find where I had a problem with an unbalanced cell that wouldn't let the stock charger charge the battery, as well as how I fixed it. If you do not have a cell checker, I recommend that you purchase one. I bought mine at our local hobby shop. It will help out with diagnosing the problem with your battery. I also added a schematic of how I brought the one cell into balance so the battery could be charged.

Please let us know how the cells read. There is a multitude of people on this forum with the knowledge and willingness to help you.

Have a great day!

 

[Merz300ce2]

Slow down my friend..... Things will be okay.
First off.... for a new battery, you have let the voltage drop pretty low.
What does your cell checker tell you about the cell conditions ? I'll bet they are out of balance by a lot at this point and would be a reason the charger gives you the error light.
Without a cell tester, you have no way of knowing the condition of the battery and whether it's shot or not.
True.... some of the stock batteries have had issue but most of those have been worked out and Yunnec has been good about sending out replacements when needed.
What does your cell checker tell you about the cell conditions ?
Many use GIFI brand batteries and have good success with them.

 

[Merz300ce2]

I have no Idea what you guys are even talking about. Or even how to hook or what to get on this stuff. Like I said when you spend $800 on something, I do not expect to have any Issue's on it in 5 days. This proves to me, that they have not corrected the problem at hand as you guys seam to think they have... Now don't get me wrong, I love the Drone I can not believe how good the pics and video are, but there customer service sucks!!! Matter fact the first time I called I was on hold for 30 mins, and the 2nd time 60 mins. The company I bought my drone from said they was on hold for 45 mins. Thanks for the reply's But I am going after market because these batteries are TRASH...

 

[ChuckBridges]

I am sorry you are having a tough time with your batteries. The cell checker that we speak of reads the voltage on all cells and individual cells. here is an example that also balances cells.

RC Planes, Helicopters, Cars, Parts and Accessories

Any battery, whether OEM or aftermarket, will not charge if the cells are not balanced (All the cells need to be close to the same voltage this is balanced). Even if you go with aftermarket batteries you really should invest in one of these. It can save you a lot of headaches and makes checking you batteries quick and simple.

The schematic I added earlier in this thread shows how a battery is connected in series.

On one last note, an aftermarket charger will show you more information on your battteries and make charging faster.

Good luck and have a good day!

 

[Jafo]

Awwwwww No I will not slow down! That's 1 and when I spend $800 on something That is 5 days old I do not expect problems at all, that's 2. Lets move on to number 3 the batteries are so dead, they won't even power on the motors at all. Move on to number 4 shall we, Yuneec has shown me less than good customer service! 5 this is not the only forum I have found problems with on these batteries. I will be ordering some after market one's off line, as what I have read, They have not corrected the problems with these. Matter fact the aftermarket one's are supposed to last longer, and not have the Issue's that the factory one's do. They have a better warranty as well. Thanks for your reply, But right now I am for sure not happy

Well.... it's obvious you have it all figured out so I'm done here.

Good luck and happy flying,
Jafo

 

[Merz300ce2]

Thank you! Glad your done, cause it's apparent you think you know it all.

SMH

 

[Louie]

Chuck, and anyone else who wants to chime in. I too am electronics inclinded . Did you have to open the case to do this? I assume so.any tricks to that? Sorry I don't have mine yet to be able to inspect it yet. And my second question, has anyone tried to rebuild their battery packs using new cells purchases and replace the bad one in the pack.

And what better chargers are out there that service this particular style of battery and connector? Please make some recommendations .
Much appreciated.
Tks

I have been using the Venom Pro Due charger. It works great and can charge two batteries at a time. You will need to purchase additional charging and balancing cables in order to charge two batteries a a time.

Venom Pro Duo 80W X2 Dual AC/DC 7A LiPo/LiHV & NiMH RC Battery Balance Charger

 

[franknetty]

Had the same exact problem... the battery voltage is below a minimum threshold for the charger, so it can't/won't charge it. I took another 12V LiPo and connected it with a couple of stripped wires together for about 2 minutes and the voltage came up just enough to get it to charge. Be careful, it should only take a couple of minutes and stay with it while you "jump" it.... should be fine.

captjack you are the man stripped 2 wires connected 2 batteries together for 2-3 minutes gave the battery enough of a charge so the battery would charge when I put it back on the charger thank you

 

[phernandez254]

@Merz300ce2 Man, whats up with you? Jafo wad trying to explain to you what might be wrong with your battery and you were acting as if you were talking with Yuneec Customer Service still. You need to chill out and learn about Lipo batteries. Any battery will give you somehow and someday a problem with a basic charger such as the one that comes with your drone. The factory charger is not bad, its just basic, however, it does its job. NOW, if you want to really have control of your batteries, buy a cell tester and a more advanced charger that has a fancy display and a bunch of options such as storage, discharge, fast charge and some other stuff. In my case, I use a Venom cell checker and a iMax B6AC charger that has all those options and can charge at an steady 6 amps, it even has a temperature sensor that will shut off if it detects the battery is too hot. I paid less than $25 for this charger and I have had it for over 2 years with no issues at all. Version 2 of this charger is already out with even more features. So, summarizing, if you want to deal with Lipo batteries somehow, then invest in the right tools to avoid headaches down the road.

 

[franknetty]

@Merz300e2 Man, whats up with you? Jafo wad trying to explain to you what might be wrong with your battery and you were acting as if you were talking with Yuneec Customer Service still. You need to chill out and learn about Lipo batteries. Any battery will give you somehow and someday a problem with a basic charger such as the one that comes with your drone. The factory charger is not bad, its just basic, however, it does its job. NOW, if you want to really have control of your batteries, buy a cell tester and a more advanced charger that has a fancy display and a bunch of options such as storage, discharge, fast charge and some other stuff. In my case, I use a Venom cell checker and a iMax B6AC charger that has all those options and can charge at an steady 6 amps, it even has a temperature sensor that will shut off if it detects the battery is too hot. I paid less than $25 for this charger and I have had it for over 2 years with no issues at all. Version 2 of this charger is already out with even more features. So, summarizing, if you want to deal with Lipo batteries somehow, then invest in the right tools to avoid headaches down the road.

I DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR MESSAGE IS ABOUT i WAS THANKING CAPTJACK HE GAVE ADVICE ON BATTERY CHARGING THAT SAVED MY BATTERY AND MONEY AND I APPRECIATE IT

 

[phernandez254]

First of all, dont YELL at me. And second, that message was directed to "Merz300ce2". Didnt you see the @ symbol?

 

[ChuckBridges]

phernandez254 was referring to an earlier conversation in this thread. The person, Merz300e2 , was irate and unfortunately, did not appreciate the help that Jafo was providing. I think he simply came here to vent, not seek assistance, even though Jafo and I tried to assist him.