So for the past few flights, I've had a battery giving a "damaged battery" warning. Thing is, there's nothing obviously wrong with it. There are no damaged cells showing in the app. There's no obvious damage or deformity and, apart from the message in the app, the battery is functioning normally. I flew the drone low and waited until 14% before shutting down. I'm hoping I can deplete it and recharge. Maybe that will fix things? Any other ideas or is this one likely shot?

How many times have you charged and used the battery?
Has the battery been an any type of accident?
Are you sure the battery firmware matches the P3 firmware?
Are ANY of the cells more then .1 volt different from the other cells?

1. Not sure. Probably around 20 times.
2. The worst my drone has had was a couple of rough landings. No damage. The battery started doing this spontaneously, not after after any event.
3. A-ha! I might have to check this one. Just did upgrade a few flights ago. Issue showed after that. Maybe the battery needs an update.
4. No cells look any different than any other

put the battery in the drone power everything up look at the battery in the app write down each cells voltage and compare them to each other they should all be the same voltage +or - a tenth of a volt or two if all cells look good Id say you have a battery firmware issue. the batteries have a small control PCB that monitors the batteries voltage, amp draw, over charge, over discharge as well as temp. that board has a program and microchip to be able to do all this its possible its software is corrupt  from the factory or during a firmware upgrade. also is this a factory battery or aftermarket battery?

Better keep a close eye on that one!

Better deep cycle that errant flight pack. ;-)



RedHotPoker

Double check to see if there is any cell damage information in the app. You did mention that you had a few rough landings. Is it possible that the connector is not connect to battery properly? Does the battery look damaged in any capacity?

DJI-Mark Posted at 2017-10-2 09:08
Double check to see if there is any cell damage information in the app. You did mention that you had a few rough landings. Is it possible that the connector is not connect to battery properly? Does the battery look damaged in any capacity?

Hi, when I've looked in the app, there has been no difference in voltage levels between the cells and no indication that anything was wrong, apart from the damaged battery warning on the main screen. The rough landings are not recent and didn't result in any damage to the drone. I only get this warning on one flight battery and not the other that I have, so it's the battery only and not the drone, it seems. The connectors on the drone look in good shape, with no obvious marks or damage. I'll maybe take some alcohol swabs and give them a good clean to see if that improves the connection. The battery itself looks brand new. There are no marks anywhere on it and no deformities or bulges (if there were, I would get rid of it safely as fast as I could).

I've completely drained the battery and now have just given it a full charge. I'll see if that has cured the issue. I'll also see if I need to update its firmware. It might be running the wrong version. I'm hoping that's all that's wrong. If not, I guess it's just gone bad.

DJI-Mark Posted at 2017-10-2 09:08
Double check to see if there is any cell damage information in the app. You did mention that you had a few rough landings. Is it possible that the connector is not connect to battery properly? Does the battery look damaged in any capacity?

Ok, I've recharged the battery and I'm still getting the warning. I've been sitting with the drone on and app open in the aircraft battery screen on my desk. I can see it is discharging unevenly. The first 3 cells are reading 4.24V, but the 4th is reading 4.09V. The battery has been charged 21 times, including this last charge. Is the battery toast then?

DroneSmeg Posted at 2017-10-3 06:35
Ok, I've recharged the battery and I'm still getting the warning. I've been sitting with the drone on and app open in the aircraft battery screen on my desk. I can see it is discharging unevenly. The first 3 cells are reading 4.24V, but the 4th is reading 4.09V. The battery has been charged 21 times, including this last charge. Is the battery toast then?

Please make sure that your battery is within the warranty period. http://www.dji.com/service/repair

If it is, please contact Customer Support for further assistance on your battery;

DJI-Mark Posted at 2017-10-3 06:43
Please make sure that your battery is within the warranty period. http://www.dji.com/service/repair

If it is, please contact Customer Support for further assistance on your battery;

Hi Mark,

I've been able to find a receipt for the battery. I've had it since the end of January and it has exactly 21 cycles. Is it still in warranty?

DroneSmeg Posted at 2017-10-13 01:22
Hi Mark,

I've been able to find a receipt for the battery. I've had it since the end of January and it has exactly 21 cycles. Is it still in warranty?

The warranty of battery is 6 months. I'm sorry to tell you that your battery has been out of the warranty.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-10-13 01:43
The warranty of battery is 6 months. I'm sorry to tell you that your battery has been out of the warranty.

I've just bought a dji battery off Amazon, charged it up and one of the lights was flashing when fully charged, put it drone and synced battery to drone. Next day went out for fly and RC says problem with cell? amazon sent a replacement out the next day. 100% customer satisfaction.

Paul Tomo Posted at 2017-10-13 13:22
I've just bought a dji battery off Amazon, charged it up and one of the lights was flashing when fully charged, put it drone and synced battery to drone. Next day went out for fly and RC says problem with cell? amazon sent a replacement out the next day. 100% customer satisfaction.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Wish you have a great time on flying!