Dear fellow drone enthusiasts,  


I have a DJI Phantom 4 Pro and left one of my Batteries in storage for awhile because I was traveling and have been busy. I want to know if am good to recharge it and fly it right away or are there are things I need to do before I can proceed to use it again.  I read the manual which stated that it is not good to leave batteries full and wanted to know the consequences of doing such a thing.  The last thing I want to do is lose the expensive drone that I have used for many shots over the year that I have had it. Lastly, I must say that the DJI Phantom 4 Pro and that platform of drones, in general, is superb. It has stunning 4K at an amazing 60 frames per second at higher bitrates and not to mention the 20-megapixel images that have high dynamic range. The build quality of Phantoms, in general, is also just as amazing as the image quality of the drone. Who else thinks the Phantom platform is pretty awesome. Thanks for your help it is greatly appreciated.

Keep Flying,

Cooper Neel   

What does the battery level currently read?

If it shows any kind of power level then you should be able to charge it up immediately and assuming it charges up correctly then you can use it immediately
If it shows being dead then you may or may not have a problem, I would attempt to charge it but I would watch it during that time, if it charges up normally then you should be OK.  However, if it does not charge correctly or at all then you may have bricked it.  I do not know enough though to say whether there is anything you can do to save it, possibly someone else here can explain that, but I think your odds are slim in that case.
Let us know what happens?

All P batterys have a self discharge program ... and as Genghis says - if it shows life - it will charge.

My preferred charge method is regardless of charge level of battery - To switch it ON before connecting charger.

If it does not or you get strange lights .......... its probably in Hibernation mode. I assume P4 is same as P3 in this ...

Procedure to 'restart' a P battery from long term storage (Hibernation mode).

1. Have all charger gear powered ready and battery OFF and not connected. (Note only a DJI charger will work this sequence ...).
2. Switch on battery as you would normally - then LEAVE alone ignore lights etc.
3. Wait 5 mins - DO NOT TOUCH BATTTERY during this ..
4. After 5 mins - DO NOT TOUCH buttons - you plug in DJI charger. ONLY PLUG IN - do not do anything else.
5. LEAVE all alone trying to charge - it may take seconds ... minutes ... hours ... for battery to wake up.

If nothing after half a day for example - battery is likely 'stuffed' !

But note - the above sequence is only if battery entered Hibernation Mode ... it would usually take a long time to get to that ..

Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2018-1-25 00:51
All P batterys have a self discharge program ... and as Genghis says - if it shows life - it will charge.

My preferred charge method is regardless of charge level of battery - To switch it ON before connecting charger.

I will do exactly that and then get back to you when I power it up tonight.

Much as I dislike the DJI battery system - it does have its uses !!

Good luck.

Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2018-1-25 07:47
Much as I dislike the DJI battery system - it does have its uses !!

Good luck.

I totally agree with that statement, although  I do like how they are proactive in thinking that people might not be able to use their drone. That is when the discharge feature comes in handy I guess.