I left three Phantom 4 batteries in a powered triple charging tray set to storage mode for several months while away from a seasonal home.(I decided to keep batteries at both of my homes to avoid having to take them on airplanes, which is a hassle).I assumed that this was the correct way to store these batteries... after all it says storage mode!
I have returned and found all 3 batteries to be completely dead, i.e. no lights when the button is pressed,
and nothing happens when in the charging tray, regardless of whether it is set to storage mode or charge mode.

I am presuming that somehow this charging tray/battery system is so stupid that even though the batteries are in a powered charging tray,
they allow themselves to discharge so much that they stop working completely.  Is this correct?
Is there anything that can be done to recover these batteries?

When and where did you buy the battery? If the batteries are idle for a long time, fully charging and discharging is recommended every 3 months to keep the liveness. And I'll attach the battery maintenance for your reference.

Is it possible the intelligent flight battery packs, are in self hibernation mode?


RedHotPoker

Hi Susan,

Where it says "3.  Fully charge and discharge the battery..." does it mean to discharge it very low like 8%, or does it mean discharging to what might be a normal flight, say, 30%?

Thanks

I was led to believe that this would mean discharge to 30-40%.  I always try to keep mine around 50% if I am not going to fly for 7-10 days

Hello Susan,
These batteries were bought at B&H or Amazon or I believe one was actually a replacement from DJI for a defective battery.  But that is not the issue.
All worked fine for many flights until I left them many months ago at my seasonal home, left in a powered charging try set to storage mode.
I presumed, perhaps erroneously, that being "intelligent" batteries, that they would be smart enough to maintain themselves at an appropriate level of charge suitable for long term storage,
when left in a powered charging tray that is set to storage mode.
If this is not the case, then I would suggest that DJI explicitly make customers aware that batteries cannot be stored this way and that they are frankly not intelligent at all!
Understand that it is quite reasonable for a person having two homes to want to store batteries at each home, in a location free of flamable materials,
as it is a hassle to fly with lithium batteries on an airplane across borders.  And it is quite misleading to have a charger with a storage mode that is not intended for battery storage.
I would like a clear answer as I currently have 3 other batteries stored in the same manner in my home in Canada, and if they too are going to go dead and become useless, I would like to be able
to ask a family member to do something before I waste another US$350+ of batteries as they too go dead before I return home.
Can you give me a clear answer as to whether or not phantom 4 batteries can be stored long term (i.e. more than 3 months) in a powered DJI charging tray that is set to storage mode?
Further, can you give me a clear answer as to whether there is any way to restore these batteries to an operational state?

I have learned from another DJI representative that this issue is due to a firmware bug in these batteries where they will allow themselves to discharge completely, even if left in a powered DJI charger tray set to storage mode.  This issue is apparently corrected if one updates to firmware v1.8.  But unfortunately if the batteries are not up to date they will discharge to the point of being unrecoverable, even if left in the charger as described.  Thus I have sent these batteries back to DJI to be replaced as defective.  And I will have to get somebody to "cycle" the batteries that I left on a charger in storage mode at another location or they will die as well.  And from now on I must ensure that batteries have their firmware updated to v1.8 or later.  So much for being an "intelligent" battery.  The Phantom 4 is a great aircraft... but the batteries have been a mess from day one (as it is, two of the three batteries that died now were DJI replacements for orginal batteries that were DOA a year ago when originally purchased).

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-11-4 03:09
Hi Susan,

Where it says "3.  Fully charge and discharge the battery..." does it mean to discharge it very low like 8%, or doe it mean discharging to what might be a normal flight, say, 30%?

The battery level should be no more than 5% in fully discharging.

ckh Posted at 2017-11-4 17:25
Hello Susan,
These batteries were bought at B&H or Amazon or I believe one was actually a replacement from DJI for a defective battery.  But that is not the issue.
All worked fine for many flights until I left them many months ago at my seasonal home, left in a powered charging try set to storage mode.

Please kindly send an email to the support.us@dji.com, including the purchase invoice and battery serial number. Let us know the ticket number once you got it, we'll keep follow up for you.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-11-6 23:56
The battery level should be no more than 5% in fully discharging.

So DJI recommends a discharge to 5% every three months for proper battery maintenance.  Correct?  

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-11-7 03:36
So DJI recommends a discharge to 5% every three months for proper battery maintenance.  Correct?

Add the precondition: If the battery will be idle for a long time...

Thank you

...

I know this is an older thread, and I'm really sorry for reviving it. I just have a general statement and some thoughts on this issue (and this thread seemed like the best place). What general hobbyist spends each week maintaining the delicate balance of charging/discharging batteries for each of their devices? i mean, this isn't my only hobby, and there are many things in our home that have batteries of all sorts. These are the only batteries I've had to replace several times (total of 5 batteries now). When they're discharged, the "intelligent" batteries stop working entirely. They're DOA, and there is absolutely no way to bring them back (at least in any way that doesn't void the warranty of the aircraft...as far as I'm aware). Doesn't anyone think that this works to the advantage of DJI? If I could've brought back my original batteries out of "dead mode", then I wouldn't have had to buy additional batteries. Other batteries will at least take a charge out of dead mode...why doesn't DJI? There doesn't seem to be a way to bring them out of this mode...making them useless. And then people are forced to pay, and discard of the batteries responsibly. This whole experience has changed my opinion on owning a DJI aircraft as a general hobbyist.

Hello v1k0d3n... I certainly felt the same pain as you last year.  But I can report that after getting new batteries and updating the firmware on my old batteries (and getting some batteries from another supplier - called PowerExtra I believe)  that I have now managed to leave batteries on the storage tray for 6 months with the tray set to storage mode and I have not lost another battery due to this discharge issue.  So touch wood... I hope this will continue.  I have a recreational property far from home and thus leave batteries at each end to avoid having to carry them on aircraft and thus must leave batteries in storage mode when away.  So I think the only solution is to invest in a storage tray and make sure all batteries have current firmware.  Regards,  Kevin

Hello v1k0d3n... I certainly felt the same pain as you last year.  But I can report that after getting new batteries and updating the firmware on my old batteries (and getting some batteries from another supplier - called PowerExtra I believe)  that I have now managed to leave batteries on the storage tray for 6 months with the tray set to storage mode and I have not lost another battery due to this discharge issue.  So touch wood... I hope this will continue.  I have a recreational property far from home and thus leave batteries at each end to avoid having to carry them on aircraft and thus must leave batteries in storage mode when away.  So I think the only solution is to invest in a storage tray and make sure all batteries have current firmware.  Regards,  Kevin

Since you reopened this old thread, I'm going to fully charge all four of my intelligent flight packs today.
Get them ready for some much needed air time.  Thankfully the ground cover of our last snow has all but receded back into the ground.


I certainly Hope everybody has a wonderful summer time, with plenty of great RC travels aloft.


RedHotPoker

I had the same experience- I stored 4 batteries in 2 "Intelligent" charging hubs in storage mode, and all four batteries were dead in the spring. Two wouldn't turn on or charge at all, and two turn on but have a bad cell so won't charge or run the drone.  I put them in the hub at only 4 months old and very little flight time in October, I tried to use them again for the first time this spring, now ~9 months old.  DJI refused to replace the batteries because they were out of the 6 month warranty period. I would have been happy if they had just offered to replace 2 of the 4, but they totally refused to entertain anything outside of warranty. Very disappointing to have such lousy customer care.

fans87303c4f Posted at 2018-5-9 13:02
I had the same experience- I stored 4 batteries in 2 "Intelligent" charging hubs in storage mode, and all four batteries were dead in the spring. Two wouldn't turn on or charge at all, and two turn on but have a bad cell so won't charge or run the drone.  I put them in the hub at only 4 months old and very little flight time in October, I tried to use them again for the first time this spring, now ~9 months old.  DJI refused to replace the batteries because they were out of the 6 month warranty period. I would have been happy if they had just offered to replace 2 of the 4, but they totally refused to entertain anything outside of warranty. Very disappointing to have such lousy customer care.

I have just had the same experience. Using a DJI marketed and sold "intelligent" charging hub to store my batteries which both now are dead and useless, after a month of storage. DJI Support is an apparent joke as they won't do anything to help me out since I'm out of the 6 month warranty (by 3 months). When I inquire about what they perceive as a reasonable lifespan for the batteries I get no reply to the question. It's ridiculous that a high end product is followed by such lousy support.

Add me to the list.  Three dead batteries from being in storage mode.  I am calling the local DJI center here in LA today because over email I was told I was screwed and had to buy new batteries.  If they do not cover these (out of warranty I will probably sell the P4P and never buy a DJI product again.

MaxDroner Posted at 2018-5-14 12:21
Add me to the list.  Three dead batteries from being in storage mode.  I am calling the local DJI center here in LA today because over email I was told I was screwed and had to buy new batteries.  If they do not cover these (out of warranty I will probably sell the P4P and never buy a DJI product again.

Let us know what they say...totally unacceptable that this is happening.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-11-7 20:01
Add the precondition: If the battery will be idle for a long time...

Susan hi

Can I please ask, I do not have a charging hub, so what is the best or recommended method to discharge your batteries down to 5%-6% (every 3 months) before giving them a 100% recharge ?


Thanks

KEJ Posted at 2018-6-1 21:00
Susan hi

Can I please ask, I do not have a charging hub, so what is the best or recommended method to discharge your batteries down to 5%-6% (every 3 months) before giving them a 100% recharge ?

You can insert the battery into the drone and turn it on to consume the battery until it powers off.(PS, no need to attach the propellers).

DJI Susan Posted at 2018-6-10 02:29
You can insert the battery into the drone and turn it on to consume the battery until it powers off.(PS, no need to attach the propellers).

Thanks for replying and just to confirm.

Engines running(no propellers) or just having the drone powered on ?

Cheers

KEJ Posted at 2018-6-10 07:58
Thanks for replying and just to confirm.

Engines running(no propellers) or just having the drone powered on ?

just having the drone powered but not "armed" would be enough' but you can use the time to play with the flight simulator, and that will drain the batteries a bit faster...

Antonio76 Posted at 2018-6-13 06:58
just having the drone powered but not "armed" would be enough' but you can use the time to play with the flight simulator, and that will drain the batteries a bit faster...

Thank you

It'd also be smart to have some sort of fan blowing onto the vents, since the internals do get warm.

Just_nick Posted at 2018-6-13 13:44
It'd also be smart to have some sort of fan blowing onto the vents, since the internals do get warm.

This is a good tip.... I must have a couple of tiny computer fans somewhere...

KEJ Posted at 2018-6-10 07:58
Thanks for replying and just to confirm.

Engines running(no propellers) or just having the drone powered on ?

Both are OK. Antonio proposed a quite good suggestion, you can have a try.

How i update the batteries??

Similar issue here. Someone donated a P4A to the rescue squad. It was in an unopened box for over a year before we got it. I unpacked it and the battery was toast, no lights and wouldn't charge.

Add me to the list, three completely dead Phantom-4 batteries that each had a total flight time of maybe 8 hours. These are a joke and of course since I stored them (properly) for 4 months you can bet I am over the 6 month warranty.

Does anyone know if there is any way to revive these things? I have seen instructions for taking apart older DJI batteries and bringing them back to life.

I am with you all.  3 dead batteries with red lights on the charger.  Any solutions?

I'm aware of the basic maintenance procedures, yet I try to practice frequently and one of the purposes is to prevent such sad things from happening.

I have 6 batteries for P4 (4 standard, 2 HC), all in storage status, and they're used at least once a month even during winter. I also have 2 hubs.

Whenever I have to fly, I charge the battery from 50% to 100%, wait for it to cool down a little bit (30-45 minutes at least), use it, then recharge it to storage status at 50%, and finally store it.

I hope this procedure is correct!

Be sure the batteries that you think are dead are not actually in hibernation mode.

Charged mine today... ha



RedHotPoker

We have now heard a number of similar stories about dead batteries after being placed in the multi-charger tray and left in 'storage' mode. The flight batteries have a complex circuit board inside them, and this is always connected, therefore it will be drawing current from the batteries at all times. Therefore the best way to look after the batteries is to fully charge them every 3 months, then remove them from the charger and leave them disconnected from anything. the auto discharge system will kick in, the batteeries are then taken down to a safe storage level and then shut off. As long as you charge the3 batteries again in 3 months and repeat the procedure, they should be OK.

Three months, without any flight? Hmmmm?!



RedHotPoker

RedFive Posted at 8-29 06:21
Add me to the list, three completely dead Phantom-4 batteries that each had a total flight time of maybe 8 hours. These are a joke and of course since I stored them (properly) for 4 months you can bet I am over the 6 month warranty.

Does anyone know if there is any way to revive these things? I have seen instructions for taking apart older DJI batteries and bringing them back to life.

I decided to pull apart one of these dead batteries, once apart I disconnected balance connector lead and connected later...the light on the battery came on with one light flashing. When I tried to charge battery with the dji charger the battery lights turn on and off intermittingly. I have charged battery with a lipo charger to 15.1volts but the battery is still dead wont turn on drone. I have come to the assumption the board is faulty which is real handy.

PowerBand1 Posted at 12-8 19:06
I decided to pull apart one of these dead batteries, once apart I disconnected balance connector lead and connected later...the light on the battery came on with one light flashing. When I tried to charge battery with the dji charger the battery lights turn on and off intermittingly. I have charged battery with a lipo charger to 15.1volts but the battery is still dead wont turn on drone. I have come to the assumption the board is faulty which is real handy.[view_image]

I am afraid you will not get anywhere doing what you did. In effect you bypassed the battery's control board, so the board does not know that the cells have been charged. The cells may very well be fully charged, but the charge counter in the board still thinks the cells are fully discharged. I suggest the board is not faulty at all.

I am having the same issue here as well. I had 3 batteries on the "intelligent" charging hub and they all have gone dead. Now I am left with $1000 worth of damages, and the best the customer support could do was to "send me the link to buy new batteries". This is probably the worst customer service I have dealt with. Has anyone gotten anywhere with their issues of this problem?