Quick drawdown on battery

[mutiny92]

A month ago, my 3S 2200mAh E-flite batteries lasted a good 10+ minutes when flying the simple storch with the stock Suppo 2217 motor and the 9x4.7 prop. All was well...

The last couple of times I have been flying, I get about 2 minutes on the battery (both of my 3S batteries purchased at Christmas) before it cuts out and I have to glide the plane down. Granted, the temperature has been in the 30's and 40's here, but I wouldn't think that would draw down the voltage that much.

I confirmed that the batteries were fully charged when I started, and when I got them back to my house, they were down to 10ish volts.

The only thing different is the temperature, but that seems mighty drastic.

Any other troubleshooting ideas or other suggestions? Maybe move to a smaller prop during the colder weather? Or larger?

Thanks

 

[johnmw]

on battery:
have you used the battery on other aircraft? was it depleted in the same manner?

on storch:
run the storch static and see if the amp draw or anything abnormal and if battery last the same.

on charger:
although it is very unlikely, compare the voltage readout with multimeter.

just my 2cts.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Have the batteries ever been discharged below 3.2 volts per cell (9.6 volts)?

 

[mutiny92]

I did use both batteries on my radian pro and they discharged quickly as well. I will check the voltmeter. I will have to figure out the amp draw. I don't have the telemetry module, but I wonder if I could monitor it with the volt meter?

The batteries haven't been discharged that low.

 

[johnmw]

then most likely it's your batteries gone bad.
i'd check the charger as well if it had anything to do with it.
also borrow a friend's battery (using his charger) plug it on storch, just to confirm.

 

[mutiny92]

shoot...considering that they are only 2 months old...

 

[mjmccarron]

What's the temperature when you are flying? Lipo's diminish capacity rather quickly in colder temperatures. I keep mine in my pocket to keep them warm on cold days.

 

[mutiny92]

What's the temperature when you are flying? Lipo's diminish capacity rather quickly in colder temperatures. I keep mine in my pocket to keep them warm on cold days.

I went out at <30 F, and yesterday was in the mid-40's

 

[PhenomPilot]

If you have a digital charger, you can run a discharge and charge cycle to get a good idea of the capacity. Also, make sure they are balanced.