FTC Battery Maintenance
FTC Battery Maintenance is critical to maintain the robot, driver hub and battery powered tools to their peak performance. The FTC Batteries provide a rechargeable power source.
- Battery Types
- Battery Safety
- Charging
- Battery Use
- Storage
- End of Life, Disposal
Battery Types:
Lithium ion batteries (Li-ion) is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. The anode of a conventional lithium-ion cell is typically graphite made from carbon. The cathode is typically a metal oxide.
The typical estimated life of a Lithium-Ion battery is about two to three years or 300 to 500 charge cycles, whichever occurs first. One charge cycle is a period of use from fully charged, to fully discharged, and fully recharged again.
Nickel Metal Hydride battery (NiMH or Ni–MH) is a type of rechargeable battery. The chemical reaction at the positive electrode is similar to that of the nickel–cadmium cell (NiCd), with both using nickel oxide hydroxide (NiOOH). However, the negative electrodes use a hydrogen-absorbing alloy instead of cadmium. NiMH batteries can have two to three times the capacity of NiCd batteries of the same size, with significantly higher energy density, although much less than lithium-ion batteries.
Typical estimated life of Nickel Metal Hydride battery up to 5 years or 200 to 600 charge cycles.
The typical estimated life of a Lithium-Ion battery is about two to three years or 300 to 500 charge cycles, whichever occurs first. One charge cycle is a period of use from fully charged, to fully discharged, and fully recharged again.
Nickel Metal Hydride battery (NiMH or Ni–MH) is a type of rechargeable battery. The chemical reaction at the positive electrode is similar to that of the nickel–cadmium cell (NiCd), with both using nickel oxide hydroxide (NiOOH). However, the negative electrodes use a hydrogen-absorbing alloy instead of cadmium. NiMH batteries can have two to three times the capacity of NiCd batteries of the same size, with significantly higher energy density, although much less than lithium-ion batteries.
Typical estimated life of Nickel Metal Hydride battery up to 5 years or 200 to 600 charge cycles.
Battery Safety:
1. Do not discharge below low battery limit. 2. When the battery swells up, leaks, etc., stop using it immediately 3. Do not put the battery in water or get it wet 4. Do not throw the battery into the fire or heat the battery 5. Do not short-circuit the positive and negative poles of the battery with wires or other metal objects. 6. Do not disassemble the battery in any way 7. In the transportation process, pay attention to moisture-proof, moisture-proof, avoid squeezing, collision, etc., to avoid battery damage. 8. Do not use or place the battery under high temperature (in the hot sun or in a very hot car), otherwise it may cause the battery to overheat, catch fire or function failure, and shorten its life. 9. Do not store in places with strong static electricity and strong magnetic fields, otherwise it is easy to damage the battery safety protection device and bring insecurity. 10. Discarded batteries should be covered with insulating paper to prevent fire and explosion.
Charging:
1. When the battery swells up, leaks, etc., stop using it immediately 2. Use a regular matching battery charger to charge the battery type. 3. Do not use the battery if it emits peculiar smell, heat, deformation, discoloration or any other abnormal phenomenon. If the battery is in use or charging, it should be removed from the electrical appliance or the charger immediately and stop using it. 4. Do not over charge a battery. Once the battery is fully charged remove from the charger. Do not exceed 8 hours charging. Disconnect the battery from the charger once it indicates a full charge. 1. Driver Hub Max Charge time: 5 hours1 2. Robot Battery Max Charge time: 2 Hours2 3. Laptop and Tools refer to changing manufactures max charge times 5. Do not charge a battery that hasn't been discharged significantly.
Battery Use:
1. Driver Hub1 1. Driver Hub Battery Troubleshooting It is generally recommended to separate the battery from the Driver Hub for long term storage, such as over the summer or a similar long break.In this troubleshooting guide we will use specific language to describe different ways of power cycling the Driver Hub. ◦ Turn Off/Power Off - Long press (1-2 seconds) the power button so that a drop down menu appears, then tap "power off" on the screen ◦ Hard Reboot - Hold power button for at least 10 seconds and do not touch anything on the screen. Once the green LED light turns off and the screen goes dark, release the power button, and the hard reboot is complete. Battery Calibration
◦ Driver Hub calibration - If you are experiencing power issues such as trouble charging or being unable to power on the device, try the following: 1. Plug Driver Hub into a charger without battery (Please use the charger that came with the Driver Hub to ensure a proper calibration) 2. Turn on Driver Hub and verify that the Driver Hub reports 100% battery charge. If the Driver Hub does not report 100% charge, you may be using a PD charger and not the one that came with the Driver Hub. 3. Install battery into Driver Hub while device is still on and charging 4. Charge for at least 8 hours and do not remove battery or charge cable 5. Remove Driver Hub from Charger 6. Hard Reboot 2. Battery Verification After completing a battery calibration, use these steps to verify that your battery is functioning as expected. 1. Place the battery in a Driver Hub and verify that the Driver Hub turns on. 2. Shake the Driver Hub with the screen still on and verify that the battery does not lose physical contact with the Driver Hub's contacts. If power drops, please see instructions for Unexpected Shutdown above. 3. Take note of the indicated battery charge level, charge the Driver Hub for 10 minutes, and verify that the battery charge level increased. 4. If you have the time, perform a full charge/discharge cycle with the battery to verify that the battery behaves normally. 3. Battery Lockout Recovery The Driver Hub can enter a "safe" mode intended to protect the battery. This safe mode, also referred to as a battery lockout, keeps your battery and Hub safe by preventing the battery from overcharging and/or keeping the Driver Hub on continuously. This most often happens when the Driver Hub’s battery charge is too low or the device has not been charged for a long period of time. Symptoms of this lockout mode include: To get the Driver Hub out of the Safe Mode, please follow these steps: ▪ The Driver Hub only turning on while plugged to the USB without the battery installed. ▪ The Driver Hub appearing to not charge the battery after being connected for long periods of time. ▪ The Driver Hub not turning on with the battery installed and the USB connected. ▪ The Driver Hub not turning on, but the red Status LED lighting up while on USB. 1. With the battery installed, plug the Driver Hub into its original USB-A Wall Charger and the Orange USB-A to USB-C Cable. The Battery Status LED should blink red at this time, indicating that power is being received. 2. Let the battery charge for 5 minutes then unplug the Driver Hub. Wait just a moment then plug the Hub back in. 3. Check to see if the Driver Hub is out of lockout by pressing the power button while the Driver Hub is charging. ▪ If the "Battery charging icon" (red or white) appears on the screen proceed to Step 4. ▪ If you do not see the battery charging icon, please repeat Step 2. Typically, it takes 4-5 cycles of short charging to recover a Driver Hub from this lockout state. 4. Let charge while completely off for 8 hours to complete a battery calibration. 2. Robot Battery 1. For example, running the robot under minimal load for a few minutes will not significantly discharge the battery. 2. Minimum no-load voltage: 9.0V 3. Discharging the battery past 9.0V can reduce the lifespan of the battery and can permanently damage the cells. 4. Periodic dips below 9.0V when under load is expected and OK. 5. For example, don't forget to unplug your battery after you are finished running the robot and don't run your robot until it completely stops responding!
◦ Driver Hub calibration - If you are experiencing power issues such as trouble charging or being unable to power on the device, try the following: 1. Plug Driver Hub into a charger without battery (Please use the charger that came with the Driver Hub to ensure a proper calibration) 2. Turn on Driver Hub and verify that the Driver Hub reports 100% battery charge. If the Driver Hub does not report 100% charge, you may be using a PD charger and not the one that came with the Driver Hub. 3. Install battery into Driver Hub while device is still on and charging 4. Charge for at least 8 hours and do not remove battery or charge cable 5. Remove Driver Hub from Charger 6. Hard Reboot 2. Battery Verification After completing a battery calibration, use these steps to verify that your battery is functioning as expected. 1. Place the battery in a Driver Hub and verify that the Driver Hub turns on. 2. Shake the Driver Hub with the screen still on and verify that the battery does not lose physical contact with the Driver Hub's contacts. If power drops, please see instructions for Unexpected Shutdown above. 3. Take note of the indicated battery charge level, charge the Driver Hub for 10 minutes, and verify that the battery charge level increased. 4. If you have the time, perform a full charge/discharge cycle with the battery to verify that the battery behaves normally. 3. Battery Lockout Recovery The Driver Hub can enter a "safe" mode intended to protect the battery. This safe mode, also referred to as a battery lockout, keeps your battery and Hub safe by preventing the battery from overcharging and/or keeping the Driver Hub on continuously. This most often happens when the Driver Hub’s battery charge is too low or the device has not been charged for a long period of time. Symptoms of this lockout mode include: To get the Driver Hub out of the Safe Mode, please follow these steps: ▪ The Driver Hub only turning on while plugged to the USB without the battery installed. ▪ The Driver Hub appearing to not charge the battery after being connected for long periods of time. ▪ The Driver Hub not turning on with the battery installed and the USB connected. ▪ The Driver Hub not turning on, but the red Status LED lighting up while on USB. 1. With the battery installed, plug the Driver Hub into its original USB-A Wall Charger and the Orange USB-A to USB-C Cable. The Battery Status LED should blink red at this time, indicating that power is being received. 2. Let the battery charge for 5 minutes then unplug the Driver Hub. Wait just a moment then plug the Hub back in. 3. Check to see if the Driver Hub is out of lockout by pressing the power button while the Driver Hub is charging. ▪ If the "Battery charging icon" (red or white) appears on the screen proceed to Step 4. ▪ If you do not see the battery charging icon, please repeat Step 2. Typically, it takes 4-5 cycles of short charging to recover a Driver Hub from this lockout state. 4. Let charge while completely off for 8 hours to complete a battery calibration. 2. Robot Battery 1. For example, running the robot under minimal load for a few minutes will not significantly discharge the battery. 2. Minimum no-load voltage: 9.0V 3. Discharging the battery past 9.0V can reduce the lifespan of the battery and can permanently damage the cells. 4. Periodic dips below 9.0V when under load is expected and OK. 5. For example, don't forget to unplug your battery after you are finished running the robot and don't run your robot until it completely stops responding!
Storage:
In general, Lithium ion batteries (Li-ion) and Nickel Metal Hydride battery (NiMH or Ni–MH) should not be stored for longer periods of time, either uncharged or fully charged. Since lithium and NiMH batteries self-discharge, it is recommended that they must be recharged every 12 months.1. Charge battery2. Let battery cool for 4 hours and should be 50 to 80 Deg. F temperature. If battery is still hot battery should be properly disposed.3. Remove battery from control unit; Driver Hub, Control Hub, Robot assembly4. Store the battery in dry place5. If storage over 12 months repeat from Step 1
End of Life, Disposal:
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) and Nickel Metal Hydride battery (NiMH or Ni–MH) batteries and devices containing these batteries should not go in household garbage or recycling bins. They can cause fires during transport or at landfills and recyclers. Instead, batteries should be taken to separate recycling or household hazardous waste collection points.
David Barr, FIRST Alabama MentorRev. 1.2 May 27, 2024