Unexpected Typhoon H battery failures

[brianpk]

I was flying the other day on a cold frosty morning and my first battery lasted about 10 minutes or so, which I was okay with. But I put the second battery in and it failed almost immediately - about 3 minutes.
I spent some time yesterday (another cold day) testing all the three batteries I have and each one hovered for 15 minutes before the low battery warning.
Today I've been out again and one battery showed low warning within a couple of minutes (I'm not sure if it's the same one as before - I've now numbered them) - but I recharged it again and it's just performed fine.
Any ideas what's going on?

 

[thetrecker]

what temperature are you flying at at the moment
had the same problem with cold batteries i now have hand warmers to warm them up before flying and have not had a problem since

 

[brianpk]

what temperature are you flying at at the moment
had the same problem with cold batteries i now have hand warmers to warm them up before flying and have not had a problem since

Well, it's several degrees above freezing, but chilly. The confusing thing is today the one battery failed but then on recharge was okay - and the temperature hadn't really changed.

 

[Jon Tore]

Winter in Norway is allways a challenge beacause of sub-zero tempratures. I havel learnt from my experience as a proffessionel photographer it is allways advisable to keep the batteries in your jackets inner pockets near to your.boddy. The most difficult thing I think is finding the right way to climatice the drone before take of in the cold up to c 27-.
I hope some of you can help me in this matter. I fly a H plus drone.

 

[Hawkeye Alaska]

Well, it's several degrees above freezing, but chilly. The confusing thing is today the one battery failed but then on recharge was okay - and the temperature hadn't really changed.

The first was warm and the rest had cooled. Keep each battery warm before putting in will increase flight time.

 

[thetrecker]

Well, it's several degrees above freezing, but chilly. The confusing thing is today the one battery failed but then on recharge was okay - and the temperature hadn't really changed.

did you fly right after recharge or with in a short time ????

my experience is
i charge my batteries in a cool place my cellar is my workshop and in the winter rarely gets above 10 degrees c this is not ideal for battery flying
but had the same experience if charging the day before flying and not warming the batteries pre flight then i would get around 3 mins ( only did this twice )
if then recharged ( i did notice that the batteries were not low on charge so could only put it down to the temp ) and fly a short time after no problems and can only assume this is due to the battery still being warm

my current flying temp is between 3c and 7 c at the moment and as-long as my batteries are warm i am getting around 15 mins flying time

 

[thetrecker]

Winter in Norway is allways a challenge beacause of sub-zero tempratures. I havel learnt from my experience as a proffessionel photographer it is allways advisable to keep the batteries in your jackets inner pockets near to your.boddy. The most difficult thing I think is finding the right way to climatice the drone before take of in the cold up to c 27-.
I hope some of you can help me in this matter. I fly a H plus drone.

from reading other post flying in the cold apart from keeping the batteries warm is that they also keep the drone warm with the car heating before flying that dosent climatise the drone to the cold though but from what i can understand is it is the best cause of action

 

[brianpk]

The first was warm and the rest had cooled. Keep each battery warm before putting in will increase flight time.

No, not the case. They had all been in my van for several hours and the flight time was less than you'd expect even from a cold battery. This morning I left them in the garage to test them when cold and only the one failed - However, I think it might be a problem with the charger, which started bleeping intermittently for a couple of hours while balancing a battery today. I swapped charger and they all seemed to charge properly - so tomorrow will perhaps tell.

 

[brianpk]

from reading other post flying in the cold apart from keeping the batteries warm is that they also keep the drone warm with the car heating before flying that dosent climatise the drone to the cold though but from what i can understand is it is the best cause of action

All the batteries were equally cold (in UK terms - warm for Alaska) but I think it might be a problem with the charger, which started bleeping intermittently for a couple of hours while balancing a battery today. I swapped charger and they all seemed to charge properly - so tomorrow will perhaps tell.

 

[thetrecker]

All the batteries were equally cold (in UK terms - warm for Alaska) but I think it might be a problem with the charger, which started bleeping intermittently for a couple of hours while balancing a battery today. I swapped charger and they all seemed to charge properly - so tomorrow will perhaps tell.

good luck lets us no how you get on i am sure somebody will jump in here and tell you to check you batteries internal resistance < dont ask me to get into that i leave that to the experts

 

[AH-1G]

@brianpk,
My suggestion is to carry/own a multimeter, this way you can check the cell voltages, before and after flight.
I carry 13 batteries, it helps me to keep track of the cell voltages.

 

[brianpk]

@brianpk,
My suggestion is to carry/own a multimeter, this way you can check the cell voltages, before and after flight.
I carry 13 batteries, it helps me to keep track of the cell voltages.

Yes, that sounds like a sensible idea - thanks.

 

[Hawkeye Alaska]

I bought one of these from Terrestrial back when I got my 4 Hawks. Works great and easy to carry. Battery Voltage Reader - H, H Plus, 520, Q500

 

[NorWiscPilot]

I bought one of these from Terrestrial back when I got my 4 Hawks. Works great and easy to carry. Battery Voltage Reader - H, H Plus, 520, Q500

Again, this type only gives total voltage; does not give tastings for individual cells.

What this type unit does provide is a quick means to set up a discharge station using vehicle headlamps, fog lights, or the like, as discussed a few times in these pages.

Just remember to use heat shrink or other insulator methods for any bare connectors or clips, as well as something to cool those lamps while in use. Oh, and a timer so as not to forget about the discharging and end up totally emptying the battery.

Jeff

 

[brianpk]

After further testing in cold weather today, it turns out just one of my batteries is dead/faulty. Although the voltage read 16.6V before use it failed almost immediately on take-off. The other two performed fine. So, I've just ordered a couple of new ones.
A bit disconcerting though how quickly the one went "bad".

 

[Phaedrus]

Keep in mind that most of the "cell testers", etc. do not put a load on the pack. So it may read OK but as soon as you put a load on it the voltage will drop very quickly.

 

[AH-1G]

After further testing in cold weather today, it turns out just one of my batteries is dead/faulty. Although the voltage read 16.6V before use it failed almost immediately on take-off. The other two performed fine. So, I've just ordered a couple of new ones.
A bit disconcerting though how quickly the one went "bad".

What is the date on the battery?

 

[PatR]

What is the date on the battery?

That was important. Check the code under the release latch. If part of it notes 2016 the battery is at least two years old even if you just recently obtained it. Batteries degrade over time and become unreliable. Cells self damage and lose charge quickly and can be unpredictable in performance.

 

[brianpk]

What is the date on the battery?

The first part of the code is 01042016 - and yet I bought the drone less than 12 months ago.

 

[brianpk]

That was important. Check the code under the release latch. If part of it notes 2016 the battery is at least two years old even if you just recently obtained it. Batteries degrade over time and become unreliable. Cells self damage and lose charge quickly and can be unpredictable in performance.

The first part of the code is 01042016 - so despite the drone being less than 12 months old it looks like it was sat on a shelf for a while. Thanks for the info.