Hello GoPro Karma Pilot!
Join our Go Pro Karma community today!
Sign up

Karma drone batteries on sale at bestbuy $49.99

My fourth to my battery stable arrived today from Best Buy in dead flat condition. It took just over two hours to charge up and I put it back in the case with a date of charge on the outside. They do run down slowly over time.
 
You say charged it up. All the way?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Yes to four steady lights. Then after a period of time and before you fly then top off all your batteries. Remember do not push your flying times. Plan flights of about 10 minutes. Then land and change the battery and carry on with the second phase of your flight plan.
 
They do have a manufacturing date on them thus one can check stock age.

Not sure about Karma flight batteries but other makers drone batteries smart electronics discharge the battery to optimum storage charge level after ten days.
 
Mr. Hatch

Like I said you have to be most conservative flyer ever. However, You are wrong about charging batteries. LiPo batteries, like Karma batteries, should NEVER be stored fully charged. Numerous articles will consistently support this. Here is an excerpt from learningrc.com:

LiPo Battery Life Span

As you use your battery, charging and discharging it, the capacity of it will slowly drop. So if your battery is 1300 mAh out of the box, it might drop to 75% of that (about 1000 mAh) after 200 charge/discharge cycles. A LiPo may last 300 to 500 cycles, depending on how it is cared for.

What should you do to maximize battery life?

There are a number of things you can do.

First, using the proper charge voltage is necessary. Never charge your battery past 4.2 V per cell.

Second, don’t over-discharge your battery.

Third, never store your battery fully charged. The recommend storage voltage is 3.8 V to 3.85 V. Most chargers will allow you to set it to a storage charge.

Fourth, use balance charging.

The Karma setup does not give us much control over actual max. charge level. (I did check and it is very close to 4.2 volts per cell) or how deep actually discharged to. The battery connector and charger indicate by number of connections balanced charging going on. As far as storage level goes I would charge to point the 3rd light just starts flashing and unplug the battery or charger. Checking every so often is fine but a lower level is no where near as bad as storing fully charged. Yes batteries tend to drop level over time and Karma smart package seems to do so worse than just plain LiPo packs. I never have had to add charge to any LiPo pack after long term storage except for Karma batteries.

A few years ago I bought a pair of 120C, 5000 mAh, 6 cell batteries for my 550 Heli and not knowing better kept them fully charged. In a matter of weeks they were puffing up bad and one started leaking a tiny bit and I threw it out on patio where it really started smoking and burst into flames. It and it’s partner went to recycling center in an amo can. I got maybe 10 flights off each battery. These were early version high performance batteries and things are better now, but storing batteries fully charged is really bad for your batteries.

GoPro seems tight lipped about details of battery system, but from engineering standpoint I cannot see how they have mechanism to automatically put at storage level. How would it know when to do that? I charge up in evening, go flying next day and batteries have started to discharge?

Also your telling people to only fly for 10 minutes AND stay close, etc. is really overkill. I watch and start heading home, depending on how far out and if over water or not, with 5 min. left and seriously have never had a problem. Obviously if you fly Karma straight away at Max speed you need equal amount of time to get back. Just takes a little common sense. Enjoy better battery life now.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: XerxesZ
You forgot one thing! Use only the GoPro Charger supplied with the Karma unit for both the Karma battery hand the hand grip battery, also refresh the camera at the end of each expedition.
 
Mr. JCLs,

You are referring to LiPo batteries, which is pretty much spot on. But the Karma batteries are lithium ion batteries, not LiPo. Lithium Ions are not so finicky when it comes to storage, discharging, overcharging, etc. as LiPos are.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ironspear
Mr. JCLs,

You are referring to LiPo batteries, which is pretty much spot on. But the Karma batteries are lithium ion batteries, not LiPo. Lithium Ions are not so finicky when it comes to storage, discharging, overcharging, etc. as LiPos are.

Be darned, yep if I get mag glass out can see. So I read up on specs and differences. Seems not as big a deal but I think storing at 50% probably helps, can’t hurt. At same time these batteries really discharge pretty fast just sitting so is it better to have them go to no light status or put away at full charge? I really did get what I thought was cell voltage on one set of pins but have to be very careful getting at them and with no circuit diagram have no idea what was really on.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ironspear
Yes. I am still doing things the lipo way too. I store them on 2 lights. Recently I hadn't used them for about 3 months and one of them had no lights on at all. I thought I had lost it. BUT it recharged and performed perfectly! Awesome batteries.
 
  • Like
Reactions: XerxesZ
Just ordered two online. I was out flying today and wished I had at least one more to stay up in the air. Oh well, next week it will be possible. $49 on sale is something that you cannot pass up.
 
just checked bestbuy and its at the regular price. Did the sale end?
 
just checked bestbuy and its at the regular price. Did the sale end?

I would assume it ended Saturday. In all likelihood it will be on sale again in the next few weeks.
 
Wish we had Best Buy here in Oz :(
 
It's hot or miss.
I would check online once a day, whenever it's $49 I'd buy 1 or 2 online then pick up at the store.
It is strange cause when I pick them up I'd ask for 1 or 2 more and the sales guy would say the price went back up.
Then I'll check online and the price will drop a day later.

I have 8 batts now so I stop playing the bestbuy game
 
Good! Without pushing a planned flight time, you now have 80 minutes to play with, you ma need an extra SD card, depending how many gigs your present one holds. All my SD cards are 60 gigs.
 
I have a few 32g and 64g.
I have all the time, batteries, storage.
All I need now is better NJ weather..

I did took my Karma apart and realized the circuit board is coated. May be light rain and snow proof.
 
I just bought one from Best Buy; they are on sale for 49.99 again.
 
Hello all,
I stopped at a Best Buy in Fort Worth, TX this weekend and they had one Karma battery left on the shelf.
Bought it right away so now I have three. The manufacture date on this one is 2016 so I will have to compare the performance of this one against the other two (2016 and 2017). Interestingly, the 2016 batteries were made in the same month.

Thanks to Nitrobootoo for the tip!
Happy Flying!
 

New Posts

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
1,039
Messages
7,641
Members
2,566
Latest member
BTFLYS