How to Use and Maintain the Agricultural Spraying Drone Battery

In modern agricultural production, agricultural plant protection drones play an increasingly important role. As the core of UAV power, the correct use and maintenance of the battery is crucial to ensure the efficient operation of the UAV, prolong its service life and ensure operational safety. So, how to effectively use and maintain the battery of agricultural plant protection UAV? This article will provide you with detailed answers.

Common Problems in the Use of Agricultural Drone Battery

Battery Water or Medicine Damage

Nowadays, most of the plant protection machines use Smart Lipo batteries equipped with a battery management system (BMS). These batteries need to pay special attention to waterproof, dustproof and anti-drug spraying. You should try to choose a drone battery pack with a protective shell, good waterproof performance and reasonable design, otherwise it will lead to a number of hazards.

Battery circuit board damage: battery circuit board into the water or medicine, will corrode the components on the circuit board, which will lead to functional failure. For example, the button display light is wrong, the light does not light up when charging or discharging, or even the battery can not be charged.

Battery leakage: Pesticides entering the battery will corrode the aluminium-plastic film of the battery cell and other battery materials, which will eventually lead to battery leakage.

Battery plug problem: After the battery plug is corroded and oxidised, there will be poor contact, resulting in increased voltage drop, shorter flight time, and serious heating. For a long time, this may cause the battery to short-circuit, or even cause a fire.

Battery Over-discharge

Excessive use of batteries and long-term storage without maintenance are the two main factors causing excessive discharge of batteries, the harm is as follows:

Permanent damage to the battery: large voltage difference after charging, slight bulging of the battery, shortened flight time, and a significant drop in service life.

Battery failure or fire: the battery cannot be charged and may even catch fire.

Risk of drone crash: battery depletion may cause the drone to crash.

Mixed-use Batteries

Mixed use of batteries refers to the combined use of batteries of different ages and power levels, the hazards of which include: degradation of battery performance, lack of range, shortened service life, and over-discharge of batteries. To avoid mixing batteries, the following points should be noted:

Use batteries with the same number of strings/cells: Ensure that the internal structure of the batteries used is consistent.

Directly use a group of batteries with multiple cells: Reduce the risk of confusion caused by combining different batteries.

Check battery level before flight: Ensure that all batteries are at the same level.

The correct use of agricultural drone batteries specification

Charging Safety Standards

Use a dedicated charger: Be sure to use a dedicated charger for UAV / Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) batteries to ensure the stability and safety of the charging process.

Check cell voltage: Before charging, carefully check the voltage of individual cells to ensure it is in the normal range.

Follow the specified charging rate: Charge in strict accordance with the specified charging rate (charge c rate) and do not change it arbitrarily.

Avoid charging in extreme temperature environments: High or low temperature environments may cause damage to the battery and charging in such environments should be avoided.

Choose a ventilated and open area: Charge in a well-ventilated and open area to facilitate heat dissipation and reduce safety risks.

Prepare emergency fire-fighting materials: Prepare a bucket of sand in advance in case of accidents during charging.

Discharge Safety Standards

Always keep in mind: Do not excessively drain the drone’s battery. When the voltage drops to 3.7V, return the drone to flight or land it as soon as possible! The following is an explanation of the voltage changes when discharging the drone battery:

Initial discharge stage: The voltage drops relatively quickly when the battery begins to discharge.

Intermediate Discharge Stage: When the battery is discharged to between 3.9V and 3.7V, the voltage drop becomes slower.

Low voltage stage: Once the voltage drops to 3.7V, the voltage drop will speed up again.

Criteria for Low Temperature Use

When using the battery in cold weather, the battery voltage will drop rapidly, which is a normal phenomenon, and it is recommended to warm up the battery first before using it.

Maintain battery temperature: Try to keep the temperature of the battery itself above 5℃, 20℃ is the best temperature.

Avoid low temperature and high intensity flight: When the battery temperature is not 20℃ or higher, it is not recommended to perform high intensity flight tasks.

Warm-up and quick installation before take-off: Before take-off, place the battery in a warm environment (approx. 20°C), such as indoors, in a car or in an insulated box. When taking off, quickly install the battery on the UAV.

Shorten the flight time in low temperature: When flying in a low temperature environment, shorten the flight time to half of the normal temperature flight time to ensure flight safety.

Maintenance Methods to Extend Battery Life

Regular Inspection

Check the battery frequently for signs of damage, such as bulging, leakage or reduced performance. Early detection of these problems can effectively prevent more serious failures.

Proper Storage

If the drone is not to be used for a long period of time, the battery needs to be stored in a cool, dry place. Ideally, the battery should be stored at about 60% of its capacity to help maintain its health.

Cleaning Operations

Keep the battery and its connecting parts clean. Dust and debris may affect the efficiency of the battery and may even cause damage.

Firmware Updates

Update the firmware of the drone and the battery regularly. Manufacturers usually release relevant updates to enhance battery performance and prolong service life.

Conclusion 

The proper use and maintenance of agricultural spraying drone batteries are essential for the smooth operation of agricultural drone – based farming activities. By being aware of the common problems, following the correct usage specifications, and implementing regular maintenance measures, farmers can not only ensure the safety of their drone operations but also significantly extend the lifespan of their batteries. This, in turn, will lead to more cost – effective and efficient agricultural production. Remember, a well – maintained battery is the key to maximizing the potential of your agricultural spraying drone.