Cycle discharge required, performed and...required again...and again...

[Dobmatt]

One TB47 battery from my collection just reached deep discharge maturity, as requested by the frightening Go app message. Discharged follow The Editor recommendations down to 3.3V per cell, that is until the idling bird died by itself. Soon after the battery chilled down full charging cycle was performed and warning message disappeared, but today ... hello, message popped up again!

Any ideas how to fix the issue? Accordingly to the warning the consequences can be catastrophic ...

 

[The Editor]

One TB47 battery from my collection just reached deep discharge maturity, as requested by the frightening Go app message. Discharged follow The Editor recommendations down to 3.3V per cell, that is until the idling bird died by itself. Soon after the battery chilled down full charging cycle was performed and warning message disappeared, but today ... hello, message popped up again!

Any ideas how to fix the issue? Accordingly to the warning the consequences can be catastrophic ...

Hmmmm......that's strange.
I have seen the message remain when batteries are not taken down to 3.3v per cell but not if they are.
Did you run the battery all the way down until it actually shut off by itself?
That should do the job. If not, try again with a deep discharge all the way until the battery shuts itself down.
Nothing too catastrophic will happen as the battery will have been calibrated it is probably just one cell that maybe slightly out of balance with the rest ( you can usually see this in the battery page in the app).
Give it another try and the message should disappear.

 

[Kiwipete88]

Phantom Angel
Get one of these,they are great,has worked every time for me.

 

[The Editor]

Phantom Angel
Get one of these,they are great,has worked every time for me.

Yes I have one and they are very good but the OP doesn't possess one and it doesn't help his immediate situation unfortunately.

 

[Dobmatt]

Hmmmm......that's strange.
I have seen the message remain when batteries are not taken down to 3.3v per cell but not if they are.
Did you run the battery all the way down until it actually shut off by itself?
That should do the job. If not, try again with a deep discharge all the way until the battery shuts itself down.
Nothing too catastrophic will happen as the battery will have been calibrated it is probably just one cell that maybe slightly out of balance with the rest ( you can usually see this in the battery page in the app).
Give it another try and the message should disappear.

Thank you for the response, Sir. Yes, I left the battery in and on until it shut itself, monitoring cells voltage with Go app. Indeed, some cells exhibit slightly uneven voltage just before shut-off (3.28V being the lowest, if I remember correctly). This minor inconsistency - within .02V - is visible with fully charged battery as well, so maybe that's the reason for Go app disapproval?
I'm in the middle of nowhere on my boat (Arrow Lake BC), and this is the issue I forgot totally about when preparing for summer vacations. Although charging Phantom and Inspire batteries is no problem whatsoever using my DIY devices and huge on-board solar system, cycling is painfully troubled without dedicated devices like the mentioned Angels.
Well, I'll try to cycle this stubborn battery again and see if it balances better ...

 

[Kiwipete88]

You could give this a go:
Charge the battery till full,then while the battery is still connected to the charger,turn the battery on,this helps balance the cells,it should charge for another 5 minutes or so,then will switch off automatically,then do the full discharge.

 

[Dobmatt]

You could give this a go:
Charge the battery till full,then while the battery is still connected to the charger,turn the battery on,this helps balance the cells,it should charge for another 5 minutes or so,then will switch off automatically,then do the full discharge.

You mean "full discharge" to 3.3V per cell? OMG, that will take eons without Angel device ... I'm a bit freaked by the idea of flying my bird with this "crippled" battery. OK, first let's see what second cycling does. Thanks for this tip anyway.

 

[Kiwipete88]

It does take eons,that's where the angel comes in handy,plus it saves flight time on the inspire and the worry of it switching off while hovering.
Good luck,but if you have any doubts with this battery,don't use it.

 

[Jon Sales]

Yes I have one and they are very good but the OP doesn't possess one and it doesn't help his immediate situation unfortunately.

Hi Ed, i'm very interested in getting a couple of these. Do you know if anyone deals them in the UK? I'd prefer not to wait ages and pay postage from America.

Thanks in advance,

Jon

 

[The Editor]

Hi Ed, i'm very interested in getting a couple of these. Do you know if anyone deals them in the UK? I'd prefer not to wait ages and pay postage from America.

Thanks in advance,

Jon

They do not come from the US. Alex makes them to order and he lives in Greece.
The lead time is because he has an order list and makes every one by hand.
There are no dealers I'm afraid but Alex is very good at communication and will inform you on lead time and when it's made and ready for shipping.
Once shipped, mine took around three days to arrive (no import duty/taxes etc).

 

[Jon Sales]

Thanks for the info Ed, much appreciated. I just assumed they came from the U.S. because the price was quoted in dollars.
I will send Alex an email to check lead time etc.

Thanks again,

Jon

 

[Kiwipete88]

Yes Alex is very helpful and keeps you informed,highly recommended.

 

[The Editor]

@Dobmatt - did the second discharge solve the problem?

 

[Dobmatt]

@Dobmatt - did the second discharge solve the problem?

Just finishing charging cycle as we speak, will keep you posted in minutes ...

 

[Dobmatt]

@Dobmatt - did the second discharge solve the problem?

Well, second discharge/charge went well, warning message disappeared, cells voltage seems OK within +/_0.01V... Will see if that'll hold till tomorrow ...

Meantime one of my Phantom batteries decided to exhibit identical discomfort, demanding deep discharge procedure ... It's going to be be a pain in the @ss, I'm afraid ...

 

[The Editor]

Well, second discharge/charge went well, warning message disappeared, cells voltage seems OK within +/_0.01V... Will see if that'll hold till tomorrow ...

Meantime one of my Phantom batteries decided to exhibit identical discomfort, demanding deep discharge procedure ... It's going to be be a pain in the @ss, I'm afraid ...

Glad it worked.
Yeah - calibration/discharge can be a PITA sometimes.
That's why I got one of the Angels mentioned earlier on in this thread. Well worth it.

 

[Dobmatt]

Glad it worked.
Yeah - calibration/discharge can be a PITA sometimes.
That's why I got one of the Angels mentioned earlier on in this thread. Well worth it.

Alex was kind enough to respond to my e-mail already, promising to do the best and ship two units ASAP to a local post office. Will see how it works ...

 

[Dobmatt]

Glad it worked.
Yeah - calibration/discharge can be a PITA sometimes.
That's why I got one of the Angels mentioned earlier on in this thread. Well worth it.

Oops, my optimism was short lived ... few hours later I tried to fly with this battery and the red warning sign is on again! Interestingly the history page doesn't display battery serial #, rather a row of zeros instead. There's definitely something wrong with this unit, therefore I decided not to dance with the devil and to store it for further investigation after my holidays. This battery was in the box with my bird, purchased Nov 2015, charged a mere 16 times. Hope it is still on warranty ... or isn't?. Luckily I have also three TB48's here, more than enough for my daily activities ...

 

[southerndoug]

I've got a TB48 that has been doing this for ages. I just ignore it now, and go through usual cycle discharge routine. The cells show pretty good balance, and flight times are unaffected. I've convinced myself it's some kind of software glitch...

 

[Dobmatt]

I've got a TB48 that has been doing this for ages. I just ignore it now, and go through usual cycle discharge routine. The cells show pretty good balance, and flight times are unaffected. I've convinced myself it's some kind of software glitch...

Well, that's one way to deal with the issue ... However, after 3rd attempt finally the warning's gone, battery is charged to full capacity and cells voltage appears nicely equalized ... Will see for how long ...