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Cracked battery mid-flight after updating firmware
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10660 97 2016-4-20
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Jim Watkins
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Old Geezer Posted at 2016-5-23 16:33
Has anyone with a Phantom 3 had this issue?

A little concerned as my battery ID labels cover the ar ...

It is NOT an issue with the P3.
2016-6-8
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Jim Watkins
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Jim Watkins Posted at 2016-4-26 16:27
Wow!  I ordered a spare battery from DJI about 3 weeks ago and I have about 15 charge cycles on it s ...

Incidentally, as I predicted, the cracks have gotten larger over time.  What's interesting though is that my other battery (the one that came with the P4) has NOT developed any cracks.  Maybe they have modified the design and newer batteries aren't having this problem.  Just a thought.
2016-6-8
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Snowwolfwarrior
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I think the problem of the cracking occures when you push the battery in, it snaps in with quite a click, I think at the time it does that the point of the spring clip jumps up off the plastic and back down again, best way to eliminate the crack is to push the plastic sprung parts in when pushing the battery in
2016-6-8
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acenothing
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That's not good.  I would not use that battery again too.
2016-6-8
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anthonytori
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Snowwolfwarrior Posted at 2016-6-8 16:10
I think the problem of the cracking occures when you push the battery in, it snaps in with quite a c ...

That's what I did after my first cracked battery, but one of my new ones did the same thing.
2016-6-9
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Jakebilling
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With the nature of Lithium Polymer technology, it'll probably be the continuous hot and cold conditions created by the discharge of the battery causing this to happen, The Plastic is probably expanding and contracting.
Added with the release spring this probably explains a lot. Although I wouldn't worry it's not going to fall out of the sky - it is frustrating though!  
2016-6-9
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lukx
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Is it me or Phantom 4 is like Windows Me
2016-6-9
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ArtistFirst
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Oh here is this thread.

Has nothing to do with the update.  Ridiculous to think it was.

I did however, check my bats after seeing this thread and the only one that had a crack was my original "Part 7" battery and by the way, it only has about 10-12 flights on it.

Crack indeed.  I wonder if the Part 54 battery was actually a fix for that.

2016-6-9
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anders_alergard
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Had all the other common problems with my phantom 4....so ofcours I have a faulty battery aswell
image.jpeg
2016-6-10
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gasram
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Just checked mine and it too has a very small crack developing in the same area. Drone is two weeks old.
2016-6-10
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anders_alergard
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Could anyone from DJI please confirm this problem? Would also be nice to know if anything has been done to the problem. Only got crack on my battery that came with the drone so far. Don't know if that's because the extra battery is newer or if it has an other design with thicker plastic? If that's not the case and all batteries are the same I might aswell wait  to return it. Because then it will just happen again.
2016-6-11
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Jim Watkins
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Jim Watkins Posted at 2016-4-26 16:27
Wow!  I ordered a spare battery from DJI about 3 weeks ago and I have about 15 charge cycles on it s ...

Well, low and behold!  A similar albeit smaller crack (at least for now) has developed in my other battery.  This, despite no crashes or even hard landings.  This is a design flaw and it's going to affect a lot of batteries I predict.  Keep a close eye out for this.

--jim
2016-6-13
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ArtistFirst
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Well, something has been figured out by me.

I was wondering why they all of a sudden changed the batteries from Part 7 to Part 54 and the answer is obviously clear I think.

It's easy to tell the part 54 batteries, even when the LED's aren't lit because they don't have the matte finish on the battery.

I am contending that the Part 7 battery has a malfunction that causes the battery to start to get a hardline crack at that one spot.  Look at the images, they are all of the Part 7 variety.  Personally since the part 54 batteries don't fit as snug as the Part 7, I would rather tale my chances with the little crack and add a little epoxy rather than the not as snug part 54.

Eeither way, it appears as though the Part 7 bats are the ones that crack. It might be because they are older but it just doesn't jive that out of nowhere, DJI decided to change the part number and the battery itself (as far as the plastic they use around the LEDs).  Don't think it's a coincidence.
2016-6-18
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Jim Watkins
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Jim Watkins Posted at 2016-4-26 16:27
Wow!  I ordered a spare battery from DJI about 3 weeks ago and I have about 15 charge cycles on it s ...

Hey guys,

Thought you all might like to see what that same battery looks like after 40 cycles.  As you can see, the cracks are considerably larger.  Does anyone have any ideas how one might go about trying to repair this.  I was thinking about mixing up some epoxy or JB weld and spreading it over the cracked area.  Not really sure, but the battery is fine from an electrical standpoint.  I hate to discard it if it is salvageable.  Any constructive thoughts appreciated.

Same battery

Same battery
2016-7-17
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Snowwolfwarrior
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All the people that are having this problem, are you pushing the battery in till it clicks loudly into place? this is what is causing the cracks to appear as the center point of the cracks is the spring clip bouncing on the plastic, I always push in the release finger clips when push in the battery so you dont get the loud click, I then just push the battery at the sides just to make sure it is fully home, I have no cracks.
2016-7-17
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gsxr07boy
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Well me to guys both of my battery's have the same cracks in same spot
2016-7-17
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gsxr07boy
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Well me to guys both of my battery's have the same cracks in same spot
2016-7-17
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Jim Watkins
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Snowwolfwarrior Posted at 2016-7-17 14:47
All the people that are having this problem, are you pushing the battery in till it clicks loudly in ...

Doesn't make any difference.  Well, okay you might buy yourself some time, but this is a design flaw.  It is going to happen to all batteries eventually.  After I discovered that this was a problem, I have been certain to be careful to squeeze the tabs when inserting batteries so as not to pop them in.  Never the less, even on newer batteries that have always been handled very carefully, they too developed cracks eventually.    DESIGN FLAW.
2016-7-17
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dlongcamp
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Is it safe to send a cracked lipo battery through the mail?  It seems like that is an unnecessary risk.
2016-7-17
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thorsten.yachtc
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Jim Watkins Posted at 2016-4-27 07:27
Wow!  I ordered a spare battery from DJI about 3 weeks ago and I have about 15 charge cycles on it s ...

Hi Jim.
You said" that crack can cause big problems...."
Just cerious.. way "big problems" you mean.?  
P4 will explode?
2016-7-19
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thorsten.yachtc
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Oh-boy.... some easy to explain cracks and a big wave here.
Really?
Give a sh** for some cracks on my batterys sourced by springs. It it would effect com ip76... ok. But the drone or the battery is not waterproof designed at all.
I agree...it's a weak design.
But what you aspect....?
Its a cheap toy made... where?
Stopp be a crying baby.
U can buy easy a new Battery if u don't like the micro cracks..btw ... easy to fix.
Cheers.
2016-7-19
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bmamalis
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thorsten.yachtc Posted at 2016-7-19 07:34
Oh-boy.... some easy to explain cracks and a big wave here.
Really?
Give a sh** for some cracks on m ...

Don't feed the trolls.
2016-7-19
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Jim Watkins
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thorsten.yachtc Posted at 2016-7-19 07:27
Hi Jim.
You said" that crack can cause big problems...."
Just cerious.. way "big problems" you mea ...

I mainly meant that it would be a big problem for DJI since these batteries have a design flaw which could result in them having to replace A LOT of batteries for free.  Of course it will be a BIG PROBLEM for the owner of a Phantom 4 if these cracks cause a battery to fail in flight due to a mechanical failure.  That would almost certainly result in a catastrophic loss.  When they are charging $175.00 for a battery, customers have a right to expect better quality than this.  Any other questions?


--Jim
2016-7-19
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mochorm
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Yes I have a question if you would Jim, how is DJI handling this issue ?

Are they replacing any battery that is cracked?
Are they asking you to ship the battery in to get a replacement?
What are they telling people that are out of warranty?
Are they telling you guys it's OK to use said battery?
Have registered owners been informed of the issue?
Is there a recall on that part # ?

Thanks...
2016-7-19
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Snowwolfwarrior
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You may find when the plastic area finally gives way there will be no Spring pressure to keep the clip in place and perhaps the battery could fall out of the plane when flying, I'm only saying
2016-7-19
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Jim Watkins
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Jim Watkins Posted at 2016-7-17 12:47
Hey guys,

Thought you all might like to see what that same battery looks like after 40 cycles.  A ...

Hello friends,

I thought some of you might be interested in how I fixed my P4 battery with the big cracks pictured in the previous message.  I used 5 minute epoxy and applied a coat over the cracks and then put a small strip of thin brass over that.  After that dried, I applied a second application of epoxy encasing the brass strip completely.  I let that dry over night and then used white glossy spray paint from a hobby shop to paint the area.  I used masking tape to protect the lights and button.  It looks okay and I can tell you it is quite strong now and I don't think it will break easily.  This fix didn't add significantly to the battery weight.  If you do this, I recommend that you use some fine sand paper to rough up the plastic around the cracks because that will help the epoxy hold.

--Jim
2016-07-17 12.36.16.jpg
2016-07-17 17.36.55.jpg
2016-07-18 08.40.39.jpg
2016-7-19
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BrianJ
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Good job Jim. Funny, I was thinking about how best to repair this a couple of days back and you come back with this post including the glossy white finish. What epoxy is that? Can you get that from a model shop also?
2016-7-19
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Jim Watkins
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BrianJ Posted at 2016-7-19 13:57
Good job Jim. Funny, I was thinking about how best to repair this a couple of days back and you come ...

Here is all the stuff I used.
2016-07-19 14.44.11.jpg
2016-7-19
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Redro
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Happened to me too.  Brand new P4.  Appeared after about 4 flights.  No accidents or collisions.  Not very impressive, for such an expensive item.
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2016-7-19
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DJI-H.C
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Redro Posted at 2016-7-20 03:33
Happened to me too.  Brand new P4.  Appeared after about 4 flights.  No accidents or collisions.  No ...

We're very sorry about this, please contact seller and see if you can get a replacement. Or you can contact support@dji.com and we'll replace the battery for you.
2016-7-20
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Redro
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DJI-H.C Posted at 2016-7-20 10:58
We're very sorry about this, please contact seller and see if you can get a replacement. Or you ca ...

I bought the P4 from Apple (Lyon, France).  Do I take the battery back to them?
2016-7-20
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Redro
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Redro Posted at 2016-7-20 11:15
I bought the P4 from Apple (Lyon, France).  Do I take the battery back to them?

Is this a cosmetic problem, or must I stop using the battery?  It looks just cosmetic to me - the battery still fits securely into the P4.
2016-7-20
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Jim Watkins
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Redro Posted at 2016-7-20 07:56
Is this a cosmetic problem, or must I stop using the battery?  It looks just cosmetic to me - the  ...

Well, some say it's cosmetic, but the cause of the cracks is the spring mechanism inside which holds the upper latch in place for battery security.  If no repair is done, the possibility may exist that at some point the battery could become unsecured in the quad and possibly fall out during flight or fail to maintain electrical connection.  I realize that there are two latches, but better safe than sorry.  If the battery dislodges from your p4 in flight, you are going to lose a lot more than the battery.


--Jim
2016-7-20
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DJI-Ken
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Old Geezer Posted at 2016-5-24 07:33
Has anyone with a Phantom 3 had this issue?

A little concerned as my battery ID labels cover the ar ...

It was only seen in the P4.
If you see anything on your P3 battery, please post a photo of it.
2016-7-20
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Redro
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Jim Watkins Posted at 2016-7-20 19:48
Well, some say it's cosmetic, but the cause of the cracks is the spring mechanism inside which hol ...

Thanks for the feedback, Jim.
2016-7-20
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marc16
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Is there an official DJI statement on this recurring problem?
2016-7-20
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Jim Watkins
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mochorm Posted at 2016-7-19 10:13
Yes I have a question if you would Jim, how is DJI handling this issue ?

Are they replacing any ba ...

I do not know the answer to these questions.  People who have complained about this issue have been instructed to contact DJI at 818-235-0789.

--Jim
2016-7-20
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asimokid
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wow after see this thread, i check all 3 battery i have. all have 10 charge times
not seeing crack in around battery lamp. i think is about how depend you press for take off the battery

but i think its very poor desing about the spring!
2016-7-20
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shareef777
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anthonytori Posted at 2016-4-21 13:07
By the looks of it you guys seem to be right and it makes sense regarding the clip. You just can't b ...

Wait, what!? Didn't read anything about having to drain the battery to 50% ten times before use. Where'd you get that from?
2016-7-20
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anthonytori
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shareef777 Posted at 2016-7-20 22:10
Wait, what!? Didn't read anything about having to drain the battery to 50% ten times before use. W ...

That's just what I read a few times around here. I don't think it really makes a difference though. I didn't do it for my replacement battery and it lasts just as long as the ones I did "train."
2016-7-22
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