Hi folks,

I left my three Mavic Mini batteries in the charging hub for a number of months and now none of them will charge. I have also tried charging individual batteries in the Mini drone. The charging lights flash, 1, 1+2, off, 1, 1+2, off, etc. I left one charging overnight there and it was still doing the same thing in the morning. I was able to turn the drone on, but it said it had 0% charge and switched itself off after a minute.

I'm hoping the batteries have just gone into hibernation mode and can be woken up somehow, but all the instructions for getting batteries of of hibernation is for the larger Mavic Pro batteries with a button on them. There is no button on the Mavic Mini batteries and they can only be charged in the hub or in the drone.

Please help.

Thanks.

If you know what you're doing, there is one thing you can try to resuscitate the batteries, and it's to open the housing in order to expose the 18650 cells, then apply direct voltage to each of them (UNDER SUPERVISION) for 5-10 minutes. Something like 5V should do it, limiting the current to 1A. This could (COULD) be enough to raise their voltage to a point where the built-in BMS doesn't refuse a charge anymore.
I have never done it with the Mini, but I used this method a few times to revive over-discharged LiPos that my RC charger would refuse to charge because their voltage was too low. Switch the charger to NiMh, let it pump a few mA into the battery to raise its voltage, then switch back to LiPo and charge as usual.
Note: there is a good possibility this method will not work with the Mini, and it's also possible that the cells are damaged beyond repair, but if you feel it's something you can SAFELY try, I'd give it a shot.

See this page for some photos of the Mini battery pack with its 18650 cells.

Thanks for your replies, folks. I love the suggestion to directly charge the cells. As it happens, I have an 18650 charger in my drawer with some spare 18650 batteries. I'll give it a go, thanks.

TheTimC Posted at 8-22 19:53
Thanks for your replies, folks. I love the suggestion to directly charge the cells. As it happens, I have an 18650 charger in my drawer with some spare 18650 batteries. I'll give it a go, thanks.

You cannot remove the cells and charge them in a 18650 charger! First, there were reports of the BMS stopping to work, if power was disconnected (cells removed). Secondly, a proper 18650 charger might still refuse to charge them if their voltage is too low, for the same reason the BMS does. What I described above is a hack, you need to pry open the Mini battery pack in order to expose the 18650 cells, then apply voltage directly to each cell's terminals and monitor the current (keep it under 1A). A modern RC charger on its NiMh setting would do the trick. If you're not 100% confident on how to do it, don't risk setting the house on fire! Buy a new battery for $35 and you're good to go...

Have you tried charging through the drone, just to rule out any issues on the charging hub?
If its the battery issue, I'd just get new batteries if you plan on keeping it for some time.

Hello there TheTimC. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. Kindly please post a short sample video showing the issue for us to be able to see and can give out the best resolution for this issue. Thank you.