Swollen drone battery: don't fly with it, and don't put it in the bin

Drone batteries are high-discharge lithium cells, pushed hard on every flight. They age faster than a phone's, and a weakening cell endangers the whole flight: the drone lands in emergency, or falls.

The signs

• The battery is domed, no longer clips in cleanly, or unclips in flight.
• The app reports a cell imbalance or a “damaged” battery.
• Flight time has dropped suddenly, or the level drops in steps.
• The battery gets unusually hot while charging.
• It has been in water, or been through a crash.

The battery check

At the workshop we read the battery's internal data (cycles, voltage of each cell, internal resistance, error history) and run a discharge test. Result: a healthy battery, one to watch, or one to retire. The check is at a fixed price on the prices page, and we can check all your batteries in one go.

What not to do

Don't puncture, don't squeeze and don't throw a swollen battery in the household bin: it can catch fire in the truck. Bring it to us, or drop it at a battery collection point. In the meantime store it apart, in a non-flammable container, at half charge.