Step by step.... out of the box...

[LutherinLondon]

So.... finally took down the dusty box with my old new Phantom 1 (P330). Bought this back in August 2013 but never got round to taking it out of the box

I figure there won't be much in resale value so I may as well hook it up and take it out for its maiden voyage.

Created this thread as I'm sure I'll have a load of questions.... so hope you guys can point me in the right direction.

I will mention that I am in the UK which I guess is pertinent to my first question.

The original DJI battery has never been charged or used. Is it worth putting it on a charger or should I just get a new unit and start afresh? I have an Overlander RC-65 A.C. Pro charger (again new and never used) but I guess it's just a case if plugging it and letting it do it's thing.

I also purchased 2 Turnigy 2200mah batteries which again have never been used. Same question... charge or dispose?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Monte55]

So.... fit's ally took down the dusty box with my old new Phantom 1 (P330). Bought this back in August 2013 but never got round to taking it out of the box

I figure there won't be much in resale value so I may as well hook it up and take it out for its maiden voyage.

Created this thread as I'm sure I'll have a load of questions.... so hope you guys can point me in the right direction.

I will mention that I am in the UK which I guess is pertinent to my first question.

The original DJI battery has never been charged or used. Is it worth putting it on a charger or should I just get a new unit and start afresh? I have an Overlander RC-65 A.C. Pro charger (again new and never used) but I guess it's just a case if plugging it and letting it do it's thing.

I also purchased 2 Turnigy 2200mah batteries which again have never been used. Same question... charge or dispose?

Thanks in advance.

Check the voltage on the batteries. They are probably bad but its worth a shot. Which P1 do you have? Does it have one or two antennas on the legs.

 

[LutherinLondon]

Check the voltage on the batteries. They are probably bad but its worth a shot. Which P1 do you have? Does it have one or two antennas on the legs.

Thanks Monte.... it has one antennae by the looks of it.
What voltage range should a 'usable good' battery have? I'm guessing just measuring with a multimeter is accurate enough?

 

[Waylander]

Hi Luther

I guess (but dont know) that your Overlander RC-65 A.C charger has a battery voltage measurment function, does it also have a ballance port connector, if so plug the P1 battery in and look at the voltages. If a LIPO cell gets to around 3.4 volts it is dead, and a lot of chargers will refuse to recharge them.
However, (and this depends on how sophisticated the Overlander RC-65 A.C) if like my Turnigy Accucel 6 charger yours will charge a number of different types of batteries, then there is a chance that you can resurect your dead battery.

This is what I would do, if you cant switch the battery on in the normal 1 quick press followed by a second 2 second hold then there will not be enough voltage to allow the intelligent circuit in the battery to switch on, so now you have to mess around with the Ballance Plug connector.

I don't have a P1 battery so I cant be very specific, but 1 of the 4 connections in the Balance plug will be the "common" (0 volt) connection, and it will be one or the other of the two outermost pins. Put the negative lead of an AVO on one of the outer pins and the positive lead on the other, you should get a reading, if it reads eg -3.4 volts then you have the leads the wrong way around, so change them and if it reads 3.4 volts without the " - " minus sign then you have them the correct way around, so now the pin where the Black ( - ) negative AVO lead is connected, that is the Battery Common ( 0 Volt ) connection, the other 3 connections are 1 to each of the 3 battery cells.

You can check your findings by switching the AVO into the Ohm's setting and there should be 0 resistance between the Black power lead of the battery and the pin you identified as 0 volts ( common ) on the balance connector.

Clear so far... OK now get your charger and select the Pb type battery ( Lead Acid ), and select a voltage range above 4 volts but less than say 9 volts ( gennerally around 2.15 volts per cell on a Pb battery) .
If your charger allows it, limit the charging current to around 1 amp, connect your charger so that the 0 v output ( common or black ) goes to the pin on the balance connector pin you identified as 0 volts, and connect the + positive output to any one of the other pins, you should see from the dispaly on you Charger that the cell is taking some current, leave it ( but attended ) for a couple of minutes, then stop charging and go back to your battery measurment function, look at the voltage, if it has increased go back to charging again, until that cell reaches around 3.7 volts, if it does then hurrah, thats 1 of the cells resurected, now do the same for the other remaining cells.

Once all three cells are around 3.7 volts you should be able to connect your battery to the normal LiPo balanced charge function of you charger, and charge the battery in the normal way.

I have recovered many LiPo batteries this way....
PS.. DO NOT LEAVE the battery Unattended when doing this procedure, take fire risk precautions.

Good Luck
Waylander

 

[Monte55]

Thanks Monte.... it has one antennae by the looks of it.
What voltage range should a 'usable good' battery have? I'm guessing just measuring with a multimeter is accurate enough?

One antenna...must be an earlier model. I have 3 P1s and still fly them. Mine are P1 ver 1.1.1. They are good reliable birds and you dont have the built in flight restrictions. The battery consist of three cells. Nominal voltage is about 3.7 volts per cell. They should be close to each other. A fully charged battery is about 12.6 volts.

 

[ScouseMouse]

Hi from Liverpool! I also fly an early P1 so share the same interests when it comes to battery packs. As previous comments have pointed out your old packs may still be useable but follow the recommendations regards voltages etc and even then make some flights close to take-off point so you can keep the bird in view at all times, you don't want a cell going down on you when the AC is over water or trees etc

 

[LutherinLondon]

Thanks for your inputs guys. I'll pull out the batteries and check voltage tomorrow however I'm not hopeful that all the batteries may work; one of the packs seems to be slightly expanded which is worrisome. I may just dispose of this one and accept the loss. Will try with the other two.

I know getting hold of the original DJI packs are hard so what brands and where from can I now buy replacement LiPo pack?

 

[LutherinLondon]

11.3v, 11.4v and 12v. Worth plugging into a charger?

 

[Monte55]

Thanks for your inputs guys. I'll pull out the batteries and check voltage tomorrow however I'm not hopeful that all the batteries may work; one of the packs seems to be slightly expanded which is worrisome. I may just dispose of this one and accept the loss. Will try with the other two.

I know getting hold of the original DJI packs are hard so what brands and where from can I now buy replacement LiPo pack?

batteries are easy to come by.....check Amazon

 

[Monte55]

11.3v, 11.4v and 12v. Worth plugging into a charger?

Sure...charge them up and see what you have. After a full flight my battery reads around 11.1 volts. Do you have a cell checker. The little digital ones with alarm can be had for a few dollars.

 

[ScouseMouse]

Although a multi-meter is fine, one of the cheap battery checkers would be really useful. Also, I use an IMax B6 AC charger which gives a readout of each cell after charging so I have a good idea of how each pack is holding up. If one of your packs shows signs of "puffing up" or swelling I wouldn't use it for flight purposes, LiPo packs aren't fun things when they go on fire!

 

[Terry Evans]

I tossed my dji battery and bought two Mad Dog 2700s. I love them. More power and flight time. Get two of them and use the stock charger, and learn to fly. I wouldn't even consider putting a GoPro on a P1. I also have a P2 with no gimbal or camera. Just the way I like it. Big difference between a P1 and P2. These two are perfect for a large back yard or field, and learning to fly. Slow and close. I just got a P3P as a camera drone. Haven't used it yet.
Terry

 

[LutherinLondon]

I tossed my dji battery and bought two Mad Dog 2700s. I love them. More power and flight time. Get two of them and use the stock charger, and learn to fly. I wouldn't even consider putting a GoPro on a P1. I also have a P2 with no gimbal or camera. Just the way I like it. Big difference between a P1 and P2. These two are perfect for a large back yard or field, and learning to fly. Slow and close. I just got a P3P as a camera drone. Haven't used it yet.
Terry

Do these Mad Dog 2700s fit inside the P1? If so, where can I source such batteries?

 

[LutherinLondon]

The Mad Dogs don't seem that readily available especially here in the UK.

I noticed talk of graphene batteries from HobbyKing.
Turnigy Graphene Professional 4000mAh 3S 15C LiPo Pack w/XT60

Has anyone tried these and if so, do they fit without modifying the door and shell?

Thanks.

 

[Terry Evans]

The Mad Dogs don't seem that readily available especially here in the UK.

I noticed talk of graphene batteries from HobbyKing.
Turnigy Graphene Professional 4000mAh 3S 15C LiPo Pack w/XT60

Has anyone tried these and if so, do they fit without modifying the door and shell?

Thanks.

I get mine at RC Groups.com. Really fast shipping. I found these by doing a lot of research, and no modification to the drone at all. You just have to put the battery in with wires facing in. Much easier that way, too. They made these especially for this drone with no modifications. They are bigger than stock battery, but fit perfect. I am thrilled with mine, and wouldn't use anything else.
Terry

 

[Terry Evans]

Do these Mad Dog 2700s fit inside the P1? If so, where can I source such batteries?

Yes, they fit perfect without any changes. They need to be put in with wires first, then they slide all the way in and door shuts. They really are great batteries for the P1.
Terry

 

[Some-E]

Strange info on battery voltages, no offense, but 3.0 V is the minimum per cell for LiPo (it CAN take it, though considering storage it should be more to minimize oxidation). For reference, Naza-M battery protection level 2 can be lowered down to 9.5V on zero line loss (that means less than 3.2V per cell), just found out.

Full charge (with Imax B6 or the white balancing charger) the 3S should be at 12.6V.

Always use balancing charging option, unless in great hurry and it's mandatory to get the pack charged ASAP.

With Imax B6 there are no tricks on resurrecting LiPos. Just balance charge with LiPo program, LONG enough. I had one cell on a battery at 2.2 V when I got my second hand bird. Charged fine with patience - but of course the actual damage depends on the case. Must check the real performance by careful flying if in doubt.

 

[rebelyellNC]

I use an IMax B6 AC charger which gives a readout of each cell after charging

Hey mouse, don't mean to hijack, but I use the exact same charger and after a Balance Charge session, all I get is a flashing "Full" indication. How do you see each individual cell? Thanks...

 

[Some-E]

Press the button "right" to change from overall to cell display and back. Works during the charge or when finished.

 

[rebelyellNC]

Press the button "right" to change from overall to cell display and back. Works during the charge or when finished.

Hey thanks Some-E for the tip. So under the blue down button and the yellow up button is a white label that says Status, and it has a left and right arrow. Is that it?