Probably a stupid question... but should you break in the
Inspire 2 batteries, I.e. Not run below 50% or sustained high speed for the first few usages. I've seen various posts mentioning this, but not seen anything in the manaual (may have missed it).
Thanks.
It's funny how much mystery our LiPo batteries are nestled in. As a guy who has owned, used and maintained dozens of LiPo batteries over a period of many years and many flights, I can say with a lot of confidence that longevity and reliability lie with how you store them, not so much how you use them. I have batteries still in service with over 100 flights on them. Conversely, I've had batteries fail in < 30 flights. Both are my fault. The age-old practice of tossing batteries into a closet and forgetting about them is the bane of their existence. That said...
I know this doesn't directly answer your question, but I'll share this information anyway. My experience has been that 60%-70% (third blinking LED) is the best storage capacity. I have P4P batteries still in service with over 100 flights on them. Conversely, I forgot about my Mavic Pro batteries and sure enough, one of them is now dead, dead, dead after only 30-something flights on it.
Common sense dictates that a gentle break-in is probably better for a LiPo than running it hard out of the box. But there is zero data to support this (at least I can't find any). So, we should entertain the possibility that the opposite could be true. So, I say just use 'em normally, but make sure you store them correctly.
Another "best practice" is to not allow them to drop below 30% capacity. 90% of my flights fall into this category. About half of my flights I'll change the battery @ 50%.
If you have a two-battery mission, it makes more sense to divide the wear evenly between the two batteries than to drop one to 20% and the other to 90%. Dropping both to 50% means a short, 5-10 minute charge will bring them up to the sweet 60-70% storage capacity.
Another best practice is to fully drain the battery down to 0% capacity (which is NOT 0 volts), and then fully charge it every 10 flights.
Following these best practices should allow your batteries to last many years.
This is why it never works for a company to purchase a drone. They never delegate drone stewardship to any specific person, so the drone loses its luster, gets tossed in a closet and everyone is shocked when the batteries are dead and won't accept a charge a year later.
Good luck!
D
