I have just got my mini 3 pro from DJI.
I have not flown it yet however on powering up both the drone and remote in order to adjust settings the battery in the drone is getting well hot.
Is this normal?
Thanks.

A quick skim of 3 Mini 3 logs suggest 70F in one in flight, 123.8F (holy mackeral) in another flight and 85F messing about on the ground,
Aside from that, there are the circuit boards to consider, the drone has no internal fan so, if you are leaving it sitting on the ground powered up direct the out put of a fan over it to cool it. Also ensure you have removed the gimbal cover.

Thanks for your reply. I have 3 batteries I can try so I will keep an eye on this.

Same here. Even a brief firmware update lasting 3-5 minutes can make me a bit anxious.

Zhillz Posted at 4-19 13:31
Same here. Even a brief firmware update lasting 3-5 minutes can make me a bit anxious.

Without an internal fan the drone will overheat unless it is in flight.  I'm sure the fan was sacrificed to keep it under 249G.  Best to keep a fan blowing on it during firmware updates or when it is not flying.  Also, mine once heated up just hovering in place on a super hot day.

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-19 13:42
Without an internal fan the drone will overheat unless it is in flight.  I'm sure the fan was sacrificed to keep it under 249G.  Best to keep a fan blowing on it during firmware updates or when it is not flying.  Also, mine once heated up just hovering in place on a super hot day.

Same here. In a 34° day, it got really hot just by hovering... I got the feeling that we'll see few recalls for the Mini series, especially the 3 pro, sold in places like Brazil, Australia, North Africa.... I get the overheating warning nearly every time I try to adjust some settings, while it sits on a table.
The portable fan was not in the kit...

I had mine running for quite some time during the last FW update and it didn't shut down, it did become quite hot but I let it do its thing just to see if it would shut down, it didn't and that last update appeared to take a lot longer than previous updates, it probably helps that i keep my heating at 17.5C, i doubt it would have been the same had it been at 20C/21C.

From what i could make out last summer from another member, if its around 35C with little to no wind, in the sun and you're just hovering then this may cause the drone to do an emergency landing, this could be problematic because if nothing has changed, when the drone does this emergency landing, the pilot has no control of the drone whatsoever, unlike when it does a forced landing due to low battery, in that case, you have some lateral control to direct it to a better landing spot if needed. I cannot say that this is still the case, DJI may have changed it so we now have some control, if not then it will just land where ever it is and you will have no control over that. Something to bear in mind.

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. The DJI Mini 3 Pro is designed without a built-in fan, which can effectively reduce power consumption to make the flight time longer. Additionally, the new structural design with propellers that have been adjusted for a more aerodynamic flight, allows the drone to use the wind generated by the propellers to dissipate heat, ensuring good heat dissipation effects during the flight. If the drone stays in standby mode for a long time, its temperature may continuously rise. DJI Mini 3 Pro comes with a built-in temperature control system that the drone can detect the current temperature and decide whether to automatically power off to prevent overheating.

So the bottom line is that it is normal for the mini 3 pro to get really hot to the touch even when flying on hot days.

In the manual:

"The operating temperature of this product is -10° to 40° C. It does not meet the standard
operating temperature for military grade application (-55° to 125° C), which is required to
endure greater environmental variability. Operate the product appropriately and only for
applications that it meets the operating temperature range requirements of that grade."

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-19 13:42
Without an internal fan the drone will overheat unless it is in flight.  I'm sure the fan was sacrificed to keep it under 249G.  Best to keep a fan blowing on it during firmware updates or when it is not flying.  Also, mine once heated up just hovering in place on a super hot day.

... this is exactly the way that I use myself again and again, with every software upgrade...   

Thanks for the input peeps.  At least now I have peace of mind that it’s operating within its parameters.
I take my maiden flight this Saturday. My friend has a very large field in the middle of nowhere and not on any flight paths.
Looking forward to that. By the way for those that are interested I’m using the optional wide angle lens which is perfect and a Samsung Evo 512Gb micro SD card as recommended by DJI.

Yes, there is no internal cooling system or fan. I've had mine shut down while conducting large updates due to overheating and have used a small fan to keep air flowing through it. Keep the thermal issue in mind as you fly on warm days as well, it can be a problem with a un fun ending.

Burt37 Posted at 4-19 15:53
Same here. In a 34° day, it got really hot just by hovering... I got the feeling that we'll see few recalls for the Mini series, especially the 3 pro, sold in places like Brazil, Australia, North Africa.... I get the overheating warning nearly every time I try to adjust some settings, while it sits on a table.
The portable fan was not in the kit...

I took the fan out of an old PC and mounted it in a DIY case and it works fine to keep the Mini 3 Pro cool during firmware updates.  

frankymusik Posted at 4-19 21:57
... this is exactly the way that I use myself again and again, with every software upgrade...

It's a proven method that has worked for me.  

Hope you are having a great week Franky.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-20 02:50
It's a proven method that has worked for me.  

Hope you are having a great week Franky.

... thank you, everything ok so far!

I wish you a good time too...   

I have made "ventilation" from a 140x140mm PC fan. The stand can also be tilted and cools the drone well.
I feed the fan on the stand through a reduction with an inverter, the power bank serves as the source.
Stand printed from STL (printables.com) and adjusted to size 140x140mm.

If you have access to a 3d printer, you can download this for free from https://www.printables.com/cs/mo ... i-3-pro-cooling-fan

Aurgelme Posted at 4-20 04:36
If you have access to a 3d printer, you can download this for free from https://www.printables.com/cs/model/347440-dji-mini-3-pro-cooling-fan

[view_image]

Nice solution.
I also use the fan to cool the DJI Avata, I can't just have it on the Mini 3 Pro, I have to be universal.

BIGTONE Posted at 4-19 22:50
Thanks for the input peeps.  At least now I have peace of mind that it’s operating within its parameters.
I take my maiden flight this Saturday. My friend has a very large field in the middle of nowhere and not on any flight paths.
Looking forward to that. By the way for those that are interested I’m using the optional wide angle lens which is perfect and a Samsung Evo 512Gb micro SD card as recommended by DJI.

Low and slow at first, leave fancy flying until you gain some experience.
Remember your legal height limit is 400ft above the ground beneath the drone.

I would suggest you download the manual and save it on a phone etc. or print it, so that you can read it whilst out in the field. I would bet that there are behaviour descriptions that you will misunderstand and if you have a copy of the manual you with you you can at least refer to it when you encounter an unexpected behaviour.

I suggest you trigger every form of RTH whilst practicing in a safe area, well away from others. The RTH behaviour of every model of DJI drone that I have flown has, at one time or other, 'caught me out'.

Personally I think a 512Gb card is excessive, if you lose the drone you stand to lose an awful lot of imagery, smaller cards are, I think, safer.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 4-20 08:47
Low and slow at first, leave fancy flying until you gain some experience.
Remember your legal height limit is 400ft above the ground beneath the drone.

Thanks for your reply. I do have a little experience of drone flying. I bought a phantom 4  in  2017 however I haven’t flown it much. With the mini 3 pro it has come a long way both in features and software so it’s a case of getting used to that now and DJI have made the drones very user friendly. As for the 512Gb card I intend to fly it up to 1 and half hours in 4K on each session ( I have 3 batteries) then download each session to my pc.

BIGTONE Posted at 4-20 09:31
Thanks for your reply. I do have a little experience of drone flying. I bought a phantom 4  in  2017 however I haven’t flown it much. With the mini 3 pro it has come a long way both in features and software so it’s a case of getting used to that now and DJI have made the drones very user friendly. As for the 512Gb card I intend to fly it up to 1 and half hours in 4K on each session ( I have 3 batteries) then download each session to my pc.

happy flying then.

What do you think of the fly app in comparison toGo4?

If you are moving straight from the P4 to the n Mini 3 read the emergency motor stop section of the manual carefully.

In normal flight and with the default settings the FLY will not stop the drone's motors if the CSC command is issued whilst the drone is in flight.
The alternative setting triggers a shut down if the CSC is held for around 1.7sec and that is too short a delay for it to be a safe 'normal setting'. I recollect that DJI tried a number of differing 'emergency motor stop' solutions with the P4.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 4-20 09:44
happy flying then.  

What do you think of the fly app in comparison toGo4?

Yes the fly app is well informative of all active system operations. The P4 was good in its day but the mini drones are well small and packed with loads of features. It certainly helps having the inbuilt screen on the remote. One thing I’m not sure of yet is….do I need to have it connected to the internet in flight via the remote or is that only for the GPS positioning and geofencing?
DJI should have incorporated a parachute system in case of motor shutdowns.  LOL

Internet access is not required unless there is a need to login to the app or you wish to down load maps etc. etc., many folks fly with wifi off.

GPS data for the drone comes from the drone's own GPS receiver, I imagine the DJI RC controller has its own independent GPS reciever. The controller without the built in screen, RC231,  uses the GPS data from the attached phone.
If by ''geofencing'' you mean knowledge of restriction and no fly zones then I think, note think, that is carried in 'permenant' memory in either the App, or the controller or the drone (probably the drone). It needs/requests updating only when it 'knows' there is an update and then, if you chose to update, you would need a wifi connection.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 4-20 10:35
Internet access is not required unless there is a need to login to the app. GPS  data for the drone comes from the drone's own GPS receiver, I imagine the controller has its own independent GPSreciever.
If by geofencing you mean knowledge of restriction and no fly zones then I think, note think, that is carried in 'permenant' memory in either the App, or the controller or the drone (probably the drone) . It needs/requests updating only when there is an update and then, if you chose to update, you would need a wifi connection.

Ok cheers for that. So it seems it works similar to TomTom navigation not requiring internet under normal flying conditions.

BIGTONE Posted at 4-20 10:40
Ok cheers for that. So it seems it works similar to TomTom navigation not requiring internet.

No idea sorry.

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-20 02:48
I took the fan out of an old PC and mounted it in a DIY case and it works fine to keep the Mini 3 Pro cool during firmware updates.

Yes, that does fix the problem on a desk, but not when you are hovering on a hot day...

The rear blade spinning on a hot day, are simply not enough... If you keep moving forward it seems to cool a bit more... Time will tell...

BIGTONE Posted at 4-20 10:40
Ok cheers for that. So it seems it works similar to TomTom navigation not requiring internet under normal flying conditions.

Yes, all GPS/GNSS do work without Internet...

Burt37 Posted at 4-20 11:48
Yes, that does fix the problem on a desk, but not when you are hovering on a hot day...

The rear blade spinning on a hot day, are simply not enough... If you keep moving forward it seems to cool a bit more... Time will tell...

I've flown mine several different days here last summer and the temps were in the high 90s and low 100s without any overheating as long as the drone is moving.

frankymusik Posted at 4-20 03:11
... thank you, everything ok so far!

I wish you a good time too...

Many thanks for the well wishes Franky.  I'm down to my last 6 days of physical therapy to rehab a broken clavicle.  Other than that it has been a really good week.

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-20 12:27
I've flown mine several different days here last summer and the temps were in the high 90s and low 100s without any overheating as long as the drone is moving.

Which state are you in if you don't mind me asking?

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-20 12:37
Many thanks for the well wishes Franky.  I'm down to my last 6 days of physical therapy to rehab a broken clavicle.  Other than that it has been a really good week.

Oh man, get well soon, dear DowntownRDB...   

Burt37 Posted at 4-20 16:49
Which state are you in if you don't mind me asking?

Southern Florida.

frankymusik Posted at 4-20 23:39
Oh man, get well soon, dear DowntownRDB...

Thanks for the well wishes Franky.  I'm down to my last 5 days of rehab now and have gained full strength back at 99% range of motion.  So I should be back to scuba diving and making bubbles really soon.

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-21 03:05
Southern Florida.

I'm in Queensland, always hot and also always very humid, but yes, not much different from where you are, I guess...

Just for info I bought this off Amazon. 12 volt vehicle fans. Ideal for cooling even out in the field with my 12 volt mobile power pack.

Burt37 Posted at 4-21 14:46
I'm in Queensland, always hot and also always very humid, but yes, not much different from where you are, I guess...

Weatherwise seems to be very similar.  

I got a folding Furo mini fan, charges off a usb and just set it in front of the drone when its doing software updates or whatever. Works perfect and keep the Mini 3 from going into a nuclear meltdown

Manitobahunter Posted at 4-23 19:02
I got a folding Furo mini fan, charges off a usb and just set it in front of the drone when its doing software updates or whatever. Works perfect and keep the Mini 3 from going into a nuclear meltdown

Sorry to hear you got this drone.  I'm selling mine.