So, learning more and more each day. I was finally able to sync my flights and learned on Airdata that the battery giving me the problems is due for a service. The battery has 21 or 20 charges and since it will not allow me to take the drone off, discharging it to 25% is not something I can do, I think.

The battery "error" says overcharge, but I am thinking it is due to some sort of software issue, hence why every thread I see seems to have little or no input from the actual DJI people.
With all due respect, if the dang things get 20 charges and then "need to be serviced", seems to ME they are "working as designed" and there should be better support for the stupid things, OR.. at least the ability to take them and discharge them so they can be "serviced".

6 months warranty on a $90 battery and only 20 charges on it... seems a little crappy imo.

Sorry, in the middle of reading and learning more about my drone and wondering if I made the right choice getting one of these things if the only "real" option is paying to replace them with an insurance policy because the company that makes them does not make good enough quality they can last more than 6 months.

I understand crashes... but batteries designed to break at 20 charges?

I am still working on getting this battery to work. I just don't see how ow why it would stop working, and then I saw the flight data.. still trying to see what all data the airdata can show me.

Russ

Russ, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Regarding the battery error, please try to fully discharge the battery(less than 5%) and recharge fully again to see whether it is the misinformation. If no helps, I'd suggest to send it in if it is still in the warranty period: https://www.dji.com/support

I would have zero idea if it is under warranty since I got it off Craigslist and the guy says he bought an extended warranty from someone that, according to the forums, went out of business and scammed a bunch of people.

I would think, having the serial number of the battery would be sufficient to tell when it was bought and if it was under warranty. The issue I find most annoying, no offense, is the log clearly shows it has 20 charges.

Now, if that was 100, or, heck, 50, I might be inclined to think bad luck, but since I have 6 batteries now and it is the only one that has had 20 charges and, according to the flight data information I am now able to upload to that Airdata site, it shows these batteries need special care once they reach 20 charges...some sort of "service"..that makes me wonder if all 6 are going to have issues once they reach 20 charges.

Either way, while 6 month warranties may seem nice to those at DJI, I would think "quality" would demand that A.) They last longer than 20 charges and B.) That a serial number should be sufficient to find out whether something still has a warranty. and C.) Lastly and most importantly, an actual guide on how to "discharge and recharge" when the drone itself cannot be flown.

Either way, I figure the battery is a loss, but felt it pertinent to at least point out the "coincidence" of the 20 charge "service" and the fact this battery died after 20 charges when I find thread after thread all over the internet about this issue and the only response that DJI has given is to discharge and recharge and then check the warranty.

Since I clearly cannot take off with this battery, finding the means to discharge it is pretty hard, unless that means leave it there till it dies from powering the lights and fan, but do we let it get below 25%? I have read 5", but do not let it die all the way, or do not get below 25-30%.. not sure which it is.

Also, CLEAR instructions from a DJI technician on the steps required to discharge a battery that clearly will not launch a DJI drone would be helpful.. you know, so that the forum readers all over the internet do not have to try to hunt down and patch together possible fixes.

Just an idea. Not trying to be rude or mean, but hell.. I already got "discharge and recharge" a week ago. I'd like an affirmative step by step guide on how to actually DO that, unless taping two wires to a light bulb and trying to splice them into the battery to light it so it can power the bulb constitutes a discharge?

Russ

Battery Error - Issues with the Mavic Pro battery.  Anyone else having this issue? What was your customer service experience and final solution?

not sure I would trust it even if you could "fix" it

Rancher Posted at 2017-12-28 20:19
I would have zero idea if it is under warranty since I got it off Craigslist and the guy says he bought an extended warranty from someone that, according to the forums, went out of business and scammed a bunch of people.

I would think, having the serial number of the battery would be sufficient to tell when it was bought and if it was under warranty. The issue I find most annoying, no offense, is the log clearly shows it has 20 charges.

Seriously?  and you're blaming DJI for this?

Tviscomi Posted at 2017-12-29 17:03
Seriously?  and you're blaming DJI for this?

honestly regardless of where he got it; if it is a genuine dji battery it should not be doing jack squat at anywhere near 20 charge cycles. it shouldn't even be doing anything at 100 cycles.
so yes provided dji can verify they are genuine; they should be replacing them regardless of who bought them.
a lipo with 20 cycles on it and is having issues would have had to been severely damaged physically or had been defective from the start. and considering how dji basically encases the battery in a plastic shell any significant physical damage would be readily apparent.

it is a lithium polymer battery and before anyone goes mouthing "it's a lithium ion battery" all lithium polymer batteries are lithium ion batteries they are just a further sub-type of lithium ion batteries with a better aging and self discharge rate.

unless they are using a weird specialty mix of lithium chemicals for their lipos (which from the 11.4 nominal voltage of a pack and the max 12.5 where the charger stops it is not; these are within normal lipo operating ranges of 3.0v to 4.2v per cell) these batteries should at a bare minimum be problem free for around 350 or 400 charge cycles and if they are sourced from even close to a decent quality lithium cell producer they should reach 500 to 800 cycles with proper care to not leave them charged and unused for long periods.
(for reference some of the most common lithium battery types and specs: Battery University - Lithium Cell Types  )

if they are having issues at 20 cycles and are reporting that they need to be "serviced" this is either by software design or severely low quality lithium cells being used in production.
and there is no way to "Service" a lithium battery beyond balancing the voltages between the cells to match (which is a common thing every quality multi-cell lithium charger on the market today does as part of the charge process)
the only other possible "service" would be to take out the currently installed cells and replace them entirely with new ones.
so if anything says it "needs" service performed on the battery i would be very suspicious of the battery being DOA and just happened to work for long enough to get 20 flights out of it (which is possible, cell productions with irregularities do still work just not as they should or for very long; that's why you see "b-grade" lipos online, they have defects but do still work and not fail for low power designs.

Tviscomi Posted at 2017-12-29 17:03
Seriously?  and you're blaming DJI for this?

Seriously? Yes, I do. I blame anyone that has a product that:

1 - There is ZERO documentation on the exact procedure as to how one discharges the battery and recharges. I have had to piecemeal steps and those differ on what to do. "Do I discharge it to no lower than 25%, or do I discharge it to no lower than 5%?" You see? Multiple forum sources differ on which is supposed to be the lowest you should go. Also, do I let it cool before it recharges? One post suggested it would be bad to recharge if it is hot. Where's the documentation, if this is "the fix"? Oh wait, the only people saying this is "the fix" are the people like you and me that are trying to get our $90 brick to work.

Then add into the aspect that there are settings in the DJI app that do not let you go lower than a certain percentage. I had to locate those on accident.

Then add in that the drone shut off at 7%.

Proper documentation on such a prevalent issue (and it is all over the forums with errors like this and all they say is discharge and recharge), is not only essential, it is paramount to solving a problem as you can and people do mess up their batteries trying different methods to discharge a lithium battery.

2 - The input on any of these threads has been no more than, "Discharge and recharge and then check the warranty". Nothing more.. barely that.

I go to Walmart and buy a $15 toaster that dies inside a year and I get a brand new one. This is a $90 brick after what it clearly NOW shows as 22 charges because I have been trying everything I can to see if I can get it to work and I have not heard more than 10 words out of DJI.

I get it. Six month warranty and I cannot get the guy I bought it from to find a receipt, even though he says it was bought like 5 months ago.

I am not upset about a bad purchase, the drone works, as do the other batteries. I have 3 brand new ones as well (batteries)... it is the principal and the worry that I now have 5 batteries that could do the exact same thing and while I have 3 that I have receipts for, I have 2 that I do not. This happens on those two, now we are talking $300 worth of batteries. This happens while in mid-flight, I have a dead drone.

A bad policy and product is bad, before it becomes $300.


And while You may not have an issue with it and find it incredulous, good for you. When your stuff breaks and you start raising hell about it, we will remember you found it incredulous that someone might find the battery policy a bad one.

Oh, and 3 - lastly.. and because I like to have 3 things.. lol.. When their own software shows a cell with 3.69v while the other two have 3.90v, and the thing has 20 charges.... regardless of the receipt or not, unless the thing is version 1... they can track the stupid serial # and see it was not made in 1980...that is clearly a bad battery and to default to "it's not under warranty" may be legal.. but it sure is not business savvy or moral.

Again, I love the drone....but I am already looking at which battery is next and dreading the fight when that happens.

Russ

The Serious one.

erikThureson Posted at 2017-12-29 16:57
not sure I would trust it even if you could "fix" it

Agreed. I think the batteries should be replaced as defective. Since the drone cannot be flown WITHOUT a battery, having a smaller, ineffective, warranty on the battery just goes to show how little faith they have in them, imo.

Rancher Posted at 2017-12-30 01:20
Seriously? Yes, I do. I blame anyone that has a product that:

1 - There is ZERO documentation on the exact procedure as to how one discharges the battery and recharges. I have had to piecemeal steps and those differ on what to do. "Do I discharge it to no lower than 25%, or do I discharge it to no lower than 5%?" You see? Multiple forum sources differ on which is supposed to be the lowest you should go. Also, do I let it cool before it recharges? One post suggested it would be bad to recharge if it is hot. Where's the documentation, if this is "the fix"? Oh wait, the only people saying this is "the fix" are the people like you and me that are trying to get our $90 brick to work.

You're right...my bad

Rancher Posted at 2017-12-30 01:20
Seriously? Yes, I do. I blame anyone that has a product that:

1 - There is ZERO documentation on the exact procedure as to how one discharges the battery and recharges. I have had to piecemeal steps and those differ on what to do. "Do I discharge it to no lower than 25%, or do I discharge it to no lower than 5%?" You see? Multiple forum sources differ on which is supposed to be the lowest you should go. Also, do I let it cool before it recharges? One post suggested it would be bad to recharge if it is hot. Where's the documentation, if this is "the fix"? Oh wait, the only people saying this is "the fix" are the people like you and me that are trying to get our $90 brick to work.

Hi Rancher,

Given that the cell voltages are not matching each other, I think that is why you are geting this fault. All of the cell voltages should be the same(or within a few mV).
This coud be from a bad cell, a bad balancing circuit/component or at some point the battery has been drained too much, causing permanent damage to the lowest/weakest cell. However, the cells used shoudl be matched during manufacture and looking at the quality of the DJI gear, I would say that the cells are matched.

As for charging when hot, as long as a li-ion battery(lipo is li-ion in a mylar sack instead of a metal cylinder) is between 0 and 40°C it is ok to charge. I am also sure that the DJI batteries have a temp sensor and will control the charging based on the temp of the cells.
You have problems when charging lipo's when idiots get involved. They charge unprotected lipos that are too hot at too higher current without temperature protection.

As for a way to discharge the pack, it is probably best to just put it in your drone, switch it on and just leave it until it shuts off as it will shut off at a critical low level. Then when you charge it up, it should charge all of the cells evenly. If it does not then it is defective in some way and needs to be fixed/replaced.

As said above, lipo's if looked after should do 500 cycles, so unless something bad had happened to the pack, such as extreme cold, heat, or overdischarge, the battery shoudl not be doing what it is.

It is quite common for lithium batteries to only be covered by warranty for 6 months. However, if it was the electronics around the battery that caused the fault, you could argue that it technically wasn't the battery...

There's so much misinformation and confusion in this thread -- and the posts are so long -- that I'm not going to try to address each one, but there are some points I think need to be made to address the comments.

• A LiPo battery can easily be ruined in six months through simple neglect, such as by leaving it in a discharged state for weeks or months. That's the nature of the technology and not DJI's fault.
• The number of charge cycles on a Mavic battery isn't a reliable indicator of a battery's health.
• DJI representatives never try to do in-depth problem solving in these forums; that's what opening a case is for.
• There is no such thing as a Mavic battery needing to be "serviced": that's an invention of AirData.
• DJI only knows when items were purchased from them; they don't know when something was purchased from, say, Amazon unless you can produce a receipt.
• A battery can be discharged by putting it in the aircraft, turning it on, and leaving it there until it reaches a low level (e.g., 10%).
• Buying a used Mavic system is like buying a used car: you may save some money initially, but it's a bit of a gamble in terms of the condition of the items you purchased.
• DJI has consistently replaced for free batteries that can be shown to be within the warranty period, which is no more or less than what other companies do.
• DJI doesn't know about or try to cover in the manual every one of the thousands of possible problem scenarios that can occur with their products.
• Even without the inclusion of those many scenarios, some people don't read, understand, and remember what is covered in the manual.
  

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-12-30 06:15
There's so much misinformation and confusion in this thread -- and the posts are so long -- that I'm not going to try to address each one, but there are some points I think need to be made to address the comments.

While some of what you say is correct, let me throw this out. What you state is not correct information, it is interpretive.

1 - "The number of charge cycles on a Mavic battery is isn't particularly relevant"... but, then again, it can be if there is a pattern and there is a pattern. If, a baseline is drawn, and I have 2 other batteries from the same purchase by the same person, and we also have others experiencing the same issue, then a pattern may be drawn and thus a hypothesis can be made that the two are, in fact, related.

2 - Yes, a Lipo battery can be ruined in six months through simple neglect. I see no signs of wear and tear on this battery and with having flown it prior to today and the records show no evidence of neglect or issues, the assumption that this is, again in fact, related to neglect, is just that, an assumption.

3 - DJI reps never try in-depth problem solving in a forum. Agreed. No-one asked them to go, "okay, Rancher, let's take a closer look at this" in the open forum. All that was stated was there was no discussion or any sort of documentation related to what is a pattern of issues with a product that is vital to the operation of the drone.

4 - I did put it in the drone and let it sit there for almost an hour. We have already established this and thus, not relevant.

5 - Buying a used Mavic is not the issue, the fact the battery is dead in only 20 charges is. If I bought a used Mavic and the battery had 50-100 charges, I would probably go "eh".. but since I clearly conducted the last 2-4 charges myself, it was purchased with only 16 or so charges and that is an unacceptable failure. This is not about buying habits or expectations but about the quality of a product that should be expected to last longer and can clearly, by use of the Manufacturer software, be shown to be totally unacceptable. So, your advice on this aspect is, once again, irrelevant to this topic, but very good advice.

6 - I disagree whole-heartedly with DJI should not have to do more. If I show a product to be inferior to what general expected expectations should be, they are under zero obligation to replace said item, but that does not mean they should not agree that there is a very large and growing issue with this product and it should be addressed.

7 - DJI does not know or cover every issue- but thisis not "every issue". If there is a specific way that this battery can be saved and should be saved, then there should be documentation on how to do this.

I come from a software testing and quality control background. I would in no way allow an ongoing issue, one that has garnered so many forum posts on so many sites and Youtube videos to go unanswered with a "best practices" on how to care for your battery and, in the event that one goes bad like this, what can be done and what steps can be taken. It is about taking a few hours, documenting possible fixes, and then posting a link so people do not have to browse the entire web trying to find solutions. It is called "responsibility" and has nothing to do with whether they are at fault or I am, or whether they replace a batter or not, it is about a known vital aspect of the Drone life, and 1/8th of it's price. It deserves some documentation to preserve it.

Not only is it the right thing to do, but it would save money on RMAs.

Lastly.. #7 - Again, an assumption. People understand, but they get fanboys that try to talk to them like we are idiots and do not comprehend the issues. We do, I assure you. While your input is very nice and appreciated, whether this sounds like it or not...I am a grown man that knows how to read and has exceptional troubleshooting and research capabilities. The fault in this device transcends warranty issues and while I am not asking them to replace it, clearly I already did by buying three more brand new ones, I DO expect my input to help ensure the next person does not have to deal with this.

In closing, I am not asking DJI to replace the battery. I already count it as a loss. I am not asking them to accept blame. I am giving as much input on a topic that is vital to our enjoyment. Without this healthy discussion and input like mine and others, DJI may not move forward and provide us all a better product and better support in the future. It is, I feel, all of our responsibility to ensure that we give a full account and demand a better product going forward. Without that, without someone(s) standing up and demanding that this be fixed, if we all simply accept what it is and ask for nothing, then we truely do deserve what we get.

And THAT...is the purpose in my posts.

So, while you may disagree with who and what is at fault, anything beyond this is an assumption of guilt and I am here to tell you the facts dictate exactly that this is a faulty product (this one battery) and should be addressed for future products,.

Now.. I am going outside to fly.

not ME..

The drone..

Because if it were ME.. that would be painful...

And my battery is WAY out of warranty.. lol

Russ

Rancher Posted at 2017-12-30 08:31
While some of what you say is correct, let me throw this out. What you state is not correct information, it is interpretive.

1 - "The number of charge cycles on a Mavic battery is isn't particularly relevant"... but, then again, it can be if there is a pattern and there is a pattern. If, a baseline is drawn, and I have 2 other batteries from the same purchase by the same person, and we also have others experiencing the same issue, then a pattern may be drawn and thus a hypothesis can be made that the two are, in fact, related.

I see no signs of wear and tear on this battery . . . Buying a used Mavic is not the issue, the fact the battery is dead in only 20 charges is.

First off, the type of neglect I described wouldn't necessarily produce any externally visible sign of "wear and tear".

Second, you seem fixated on the fact that the battery had "only 20 charges", but what is it exactly that you think is special about 20? That number may seem low to you, but in reality whether a LiPo battery can reasonably be expected to be fully functional is more complicated than how many cycles it has on it. Again, that's the nature of LiPo batteries in general, and I doubt that you can find any with a warranty that applies regardless of how the battery is used or maintained.

Again, an assumption. People understand, but [DJI gets] fanboys that try to talk to them like we are idiots and do not comprehend the issues. We do, I assure you . . . I am a grown man that knows how to read and has exceptional troubleshooting and research capabilities.

I've made no assumption. Some people admit outright that they didn't read the manual and others -- including you -- have posted questions or incorrect statements about things that are clearly spelled out in the manual, which strongly suggests that either they didn't read it, didn't understand it, or have forgotten what they read.

I don't think I or anyone else has talked to you like you're an idiot, but I suppose that's subjective. What I do know is that you're the one who has now resorted to name-calling for no apparent reason other than that someone disagreed with you about whether DJI should provide free replacement batteries after the warranty period expires. If you want to claim that makes someone a "fanboy" that's your choice, but I don't think you'll find many who will agree with you.

Name calling, DroneFlying - No-one has called you a name. You are the only one that has entered this conversation and implied that none of this is the fault of the battery or DJI.

You are inferring I was calling you a "fanboy", and while you may or may not be, that is not a derogatory term, but you can choose to think of it that way.

When you make multiple points that all are geared towards how it is either the fault of the user or the battery and no fault of the company and the quality of the work, well, you can see where someone might think you have some sort of interest in defending DJI.

I in no way shape form or fashion stated that DJI should provide free replacements for batteries out of warranty. What I said and keep saying is there is zero support, zero real documentation on how to handle this issue, one that is prevalent in more than just my case.

So, grab a cup of coffee or whatever calms you down as you seem to be fixated, as you call it, on how someone is asking for a free battery.

Read the entire post.

Picking out the parts you think support your argument, don't actually do that.

As for me, I am done with the conversation. I got my point across. The battery is dead as a doornail. After the last charge, it developed a "bubble" on the top. Whatever the issue, this IS a defective unit... and I have already replaced it.

And no, I did not get a free battery nor have I asked for one.

Russ

One thing that could cause one cell to be at a lower voltage than the others is if they use that cell to power the electronics in the battery.
One thing that you can do to discharge the battery is put it in your drone turn it on, connect to the go app. Under the battery section select advanced then set days to discharge to 1 day.
Then fully charge the battery and in one days time it should discharge the battery down to near 50%.
What can happen is you charge up a battery and put it in storage and if you don't know about the self discharge feature and you leave it, in a few months the cell voltage s will be low, especially the cell that is running the battery electronics.(assuming that is how it is set up to work) Can anyone point me to a schematic?
Perhaps they need to make the battery electronics work from the full battery potential and not just from one cell. Or incorporate discharge cell balancing to keep the cell voltages matched during storage.

"4 - I did put it in the drone and let it sit there for almost an hour. We have already established this and thus, not relevant."
What percentage of discharge was the battery at after sitting there for an hour? You need to FULLY discharge it, then charge it up again. The cell balancing works during the charge cycle.

And just to be extra mean....I have just finished cooking this prime rib....so there!

I win the discussion fanboy!

That was a joke...

Rancher Posted at 2017-12-30 15:39
Name calling, DroneFlying - No-one has called you a name. You are the only one that has entered this conversation and implied that none of this is the fault of the battery or DJI.

You are inferring I was calling you a "fanboy", and while you may or may not be, that is not a derogatory term, but you can choose to think of it that way.

Name calling, DroneFlying - No-one has called you a name . . . ["fanboy"] is not a derogatory term [but] when you make multiple points that all are geared towards how it is either the fault of the user or the battery and no fault of the company and the quality of the work, well, you can see where someone might think you have some sort of interest in defending DJI.

It's fine if you want to act coy. I just thought that if you were going to toss out an insult -- which I'm sure you well know "fanboy" is pretty universally considered to be -- that you'd at least be man enough to admit that you were doing so and who you were referring to, though apparently you aren't.

P.S. That was a "joke" too.

I would still argue that it is the electronics at fault and not the "battery" as the electronic protection side of things is not really protecting/maintaining the cells(battery) and keeping them in a usable state(according to the dji soft/firmware).
DJI could also add a full discharge/cycle mode into the battery software seeing as though they have the ability built in to discharge to 50% while in storage, so then for a reset cycle, they could discharge is to 8% or whatever they see fit. And this could all happen automatically when connected to the charge hub when it is needed without the user ever needing to know ;)

wow...okay, I am “man enough” to tell you to stop acting like a know-it-all and be respectful. read the posts. not one single person has taken the stance you have taken and you are being rude. if you have nothing constructive and factual to add, please all the folks to carry on and then, perhaps, this topic will move on into obscurity.

to all the rest, thanks for the input and  very sorry for the off-topic “discussion”.

now, can we get back to discussing the batteries and how we can ALL gain some insight here?

Macdude, agreed. if DJI is reading and can take some of the information we are discussing, maybe they can incorporate it into Mavic 3.0?;)

I am actually glad I saw the “bubble” on the battery. At least I can see the damage now. the temp while it was discharging was, I think, a high of about 36.5 cel. not sure what that is in f yet heh.

Anyway, I’d be happy to ship the thing to dji and buy a brand new one if they wanted it to see why it occurred. I still think that somewhere in the symptoms and information is a clue to why it occurred and maybe information on how to keep it from occurring again.

Oh very nice, tyvm. Wife is doing some work around the house so now is a good time to watch some videos. I like my ipad, but the controller does not fit on it. I saw some device a guy was selling on clist today that mounted to the controller and also had a bracket for the ipad. Going to have to check it out.

I took the drone to a friend of mine that has been dying to play with it so will work on the videos tomorrow.

Still new, tons and tons to learn and am open to all of it.

Don’t let the battery discussion fool you, this thing was worth every penny and having a blast. No buyers remorse in the sligtest...heh

Looking forward to a couple Austin drone gatherings soon too.

Thanks, bud!

Russ

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-12-28 19:09
Russ, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Regarding the battery error, please try to fully discharge the battery(less than 5%) and recharge fully again to see whether it is the misinformation. If no helps, I'd suggest to send it in if it is still in the warranty period: https://www.dji.com/support

I would like to add, with all due respect, that this post was edited after the fact. This was not as detailed as this in the original post. The 5% was added later.

The drone turned itself off at 7%, so no means to discharge to 5%.

No means to check the warranty, so that is useless.

For your information only,Susan, since you did take the time to update and it is appreciated sincerely, the batter developed a physical problem when it was discharged below 10% the last time. There is a physical "bubble" or protrusion on the outside of the battery now.

So, battery supposedly purchased July 2017 and sold to me in December 2017.
Battery now shows 22 charges.
Cell 1 showed 3.69v while #2 and 3 showed 2.90v, clear variance.
No signs of physical damage on the outside and it ran fine for 3-4 charges when I got it.

So, information for you all. If you want it for testing, let me know, otherwise I am throwing it away and chalking it up as a bad purchase.

Let me know.

Thanks!

Russ

Rancher Posted at 2017-12-31 04:44
I would like to add, with all due respect, that this post was edited after the fact. This was not as detailed as this in the original post. The 5% was added later.

The drone turned itself off at 7%, so no means to discharge to 5%.

Well, 7% should have been enough, but given the fact that one of the cells has swollen and it is much higher voltage than the other 2, it has a problem!
So the question is, was it the cell that failed or was it the battery protection/management circuit +battery firmware that has let the cell down by not doing its job properly?
Really with all of the protections in place, these batteries should last a long time and be almost impossible to kill, with the exception of heat/cold/moisture or physical damage(external crushing of the pack etc).

I think it is a good thing to partially discharge these batteries if you don't plan to use them. And only charge them up just before use. To get a bit of extra runtime out of them, they charge up to 4.3v per cell and they really should not be stored at this voltage, hence the "time to discharge" feature.

Good input, Mavdude. It is a great learning lesson and helps me understand better how to protect the other 5 batteries. So, I guess since I got such a great price on it, I count it as a bonus.. heh.. only way I can count it ;)

I am really looking forward to the Austin gatherings in January so I can hang out and learn some more from Austin folks.

Thanks for the ideas and input! Sorry it has been a bit of a roller-coaster, but even though I disagree with a few statements, they are still great input and good people to learn from as well.

Russ

As a newbie to the drone scene, it has been a good thing to learn about the failures. That way I can do what I can to stop my batteries from going foobarr before their time.

Probably a good thing at the end of each flight to take note of the individual cell voltages too.

Hopefully DJI will make some improvements to their battery systems too.

Rancher Posted at 2017-12-31 04:44
I would like to add, with all due respect, that this post was edited after the fact. This was not as detailed as this in the original post. The 5% was added later.

The drone turned itself off at 7%, so no means to discharge to 5%.

Russ, the warranty period for a product starts on the day a product is received, or as may be otherwise specified by DJI. I understand your frustration and that's the current policy. Sincerely sorry for the inconvenience.

Yesterday I was flying on the second battery of the day when I had the "Battery Error" message pop up on the controller display a few seconds after takeoff.  I was able to fly the Mavic back to me and land safely, and I turned off the Mavic then I turned off the controller.

I pulled the battery out and looked at the battery contacts as well as the Mavic's.  Both looked clean so I put the battery back in and pushed a bit firmer to ensure that a good contact was made.  I turned on the controller and Mavic and the "Battery Error" message was gone and did not return for the remainder of the 10 minutes flight.

Not sure what caused the error message, just some more details to help troubleshoot.

Then maybe just a bad contact ?

DJI Susan Posted at 2018-1-1 02:34
Russ, the warranty period for a product starts on the day a product is received, or as may be otherwise specified by DJI. I understand your frustration and that's the current policy. Sincerely sorry for the inconvenience.

Hey Susan, seriously not a huge issue. Look, it is all about talking about the products, coming up with better ways to make them, and yes... talking about the bad things. The bad things, if recieved in the right manner, are just ways to learn how to make them better.

ALL I care about is that people listen and improve the product. I can afford a $90 'brick' (lol) if that means I get a better product AND documentation in the future.

So, Like I have tried to say, the product was not the real issue here, it is the fact there is no down to the nitty gritty documentation on this issue.

So, maybe we have a little more here. We will see.

I may get bored today and try and put something together with all we have learned and then the next smarter person can add to that ;)

Have a great day. I am looking at warmer weather so I can stand outside and fly a drone ;)

Russ

Dirty Bird Posted at 2018-1-2 14:38
Have you read the owner's manual?  The batteries automatically self-discharge to a storage state of ~65% in 1-10 days (user selectable, default is 10).  

The manual also states (at least it once did I am told this is no longer pertinent) to discharge the batteries to

Dirty - You are correct on everything you say. That beaing said.. heh.. Much of it is assumption.

We can infer from inspection of the battery that it was well taken care of. Now, you are still totally right, it could have been badly managed anyway. The issue is, without any sort of marks on it, and all we see is a bad cell (one is .2 variance compared to the two others) the better assumption is there simply was something wrong with the battery.

Any way you slice this, and warranty.. manual.. craigslist.. all this stuff aside, this battery went dead at about 18 charges. I then tried to revive it, that added 2 more charges. When you look at all of this together, this was a product failure and could have been avoided had there been a more in depth handling procedure...instructions specific to discharging and handling of a battery, more in depth for a specific issue that has plagued the Internet forums... "Battery error messages".

Again, not arguing with you or with DJI on this. MY frustration is lack of communication OR people that have gotten on and defended DJI and/or attacked me for the audacity of speaking up. Look back over my posts and you will see downvotes simply because someone got angry...I mean, look at the downvote posts... some of them had not a single mean or derogatory thing in them.. that points to people voting them down just to be a jerk. How does this help the issue or situation in the slightest? People need to realize that we improve through discussion, whether they agree or dislike the ideas. Someone(s) will even vote this down. Too bad we cannot see who does it so we can ask, "why? What is it you disagree with in a statement that says, "have a nice day?"....or are you doing it because someone said something you did not agree with.. in anotrher post.. not related to this topic?

So, you are totally right, not even wrong at all. What your statement needs, and this is NOT a slam on you in the slightest, is less "I think" and more "Here is the manual on how to handle batteries".

I mean, let's really take a close look at "problems with your drone" and outside of firmware updates.... which you need a battery plugged into the drone to handle.. am I right?...

What do you see problems with?

Flying... i.e. "My drone got away from me"

And Battery issues.

And "I crashed..."

Not a lot of variance there.. other than HOW my drone got away.. how I lost signal... how I improve x, y, or z..

But.. the single biggest mechanical issue on the internet is battery life or errors.

Everything else is related to doing it right, wrong, or better.. user assistance and experience.

So, you address the biggest issue with a specific PDF download that tells you how, when, how often, what to do to prolong the life of your batteries... i.e. I never knew about the 20 cycle service till I uploaded to airdata... not a dji site.

Why is that?

AGAIN.. DJI, please take this as a suggestion, not a slam.

I made this post to help, inform ME.. and maybe others.

Thanks guys,.

Threw the batter in the trash, already warned the wife I need a replacement as it was named battery #3.. and I am CDO (That is the order they go it.. lol) and I cannot have 1 -2 -4 - 5 - 6

Have a great and WARM day!

Russ

MacMike Posted at 2018-1-2 04:03
Yesterday I was flying on the second battery of the day when I had the "Battery Error" message pop up on the controller display a few seconds after takeoff.  I was able to fly the Mavic back to me and land safely, and I turned off the Mavic then I turned off the controller.

I pulled the battery out and looked at the battery contacts as well as the Mavic's.  Both looked clean so I put the battery back in and pushed a bit firmer to ensure that a good contact was made.  I turned on the controller and Mavic and the "Battery Error" message was gone and did not return for the remainder of the 10 minutes flight.

Mike, does the issue only appear once? If yes, it sounds like the misinformation. I'd suggest to take care when you test the performance, and land it asap if the message pops again.

Rancher Posted at 2018-1-3 05:41
Hey Susan, seriously not a huge issue. Look, it is all about talking about the products, coming up with better ways to make them, and yes... talking about the bad things. The bad things, if recieved in the right manner, are just ways to learn how to make them better.

ALL I care about is that people listen and improve the product. I can afford a $90 'brick' (lol) if that means I get a better product AND documentation in the future.

Thanks so much for your feedback. Feel free to contact us if you encounter any other issues.