hi,

After latest update it is impossible to take off when third party (NOT DJI) battery is installed in Mini 4 Pro.
When this fill be fixed ?

Hi there,  to ensure optimal flight performance and safety, we recommend using official batteries. Thank you for your support and understanding.

To meet the EASA C classification label on your drone it cannot take off with non OEM modifications.    Dont expect to see this fixed and be sure to buy real batteries and accessories in future.  

DAFlys Posted at 6-8 00:28
To meet the EASA C classification label on your drone it cannot take off with non OEM modifications.    Dont expect to see this fixed and be sure to buy real batteries and accessories in future.

This comment isn’t acceptable!

The Dji Mini 4 Pro has been on the market for nine month now, and, if now Dji should have blocked non Dji batteries, it should have been in the first firmware version!

To do a block now, nine month later, when certainly hundreds of people bought “pirate batteries” for a lot of money, it’s insane and probably illegal action from Dji!

In this case I understand why some people is using cracked firmwares to drones…

ErrkaPetti Posted at 6-8 02:00
This comment isn’t acceptable!

The Dji Mini 4 Pro has been on the market for nine month now, and, if now Dji should have blocked non Dji batteries, it should have been in the first firmware version!

Sorry bro,  take that up with the people that make the regulations.    They dont trust us pilots to fly correctly,   non oem parts = 150m away from people in A3.  

After latest update it is impossible to take off when third party (NOT DJI) battery is installed in Mini 4 Pro.
Firmware update or Fly?
What batteries do you use? What message are you receiving?
Take a photo of the battery label and attach it here.

ErrkaPetti Posted at 6-8 02:00
This comment isn’t acceptable!

The Dji Mini 4 Pro has been on the market for nine month now, and, if now Dji should have blocked non Dji batteries, it should have been in the first firmware version!

Hi there,

It is recommended to use the original DJI battery. As you can check on the Terms of Service of DJI any damage caused by using the DJI product with a non-DJI product or third-party accessory/software that is not authorized by DJI will losses, expenses, liabilities and also not covered by the Official Warranty service.

I hope this information has helped to clarify your inquiries. If you have any other questions, kindly let us know. Thank You!

DAFlys Posted at 6-8 00:28
To meet the EASA C classification label on your drone it cannot take off with non OEM modifications.    Dont expect to see this fixed and be sure to buy real batteries and accessories in future.

Can You point me where in regulation it is specified that DJI is responsible for cert compliance AFTER the drone was sold ?
I briefly looked through "Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 of 12 March 2019 on unmanned aircraft systems and on third-country operators of unmanned aircraft systems" and didn't see such a rule.

DAFlys Posted at 6-8 03:13
Sorry bro,  take that up with the people that make the regulations.    They dont trust us pilots to fly correctly,   non oem parts = 150m away from people in A3.

And I'm fine with "A3 150m away" I have cert for that. It is just DJI that prevents me from flying at all.

What I mean is after DJI sold drone, it is Pilot/Operator responsibility. Like car manufacturers do not prevent You from changing a light bulb to an not certified one - because this is Your responsibility.

Second thing is Mini 4 Pro can be changed to C1,  which gives you the possibility to legally fly up to 900g - but You cannot  buy larger DJI batteries in the EU as DJI does not sell them here. Only way is  *third party* then, and still even with *third party* battery You will  be flying legally if it is under 900g.

DJI Natalia Posted at 6-9 01:38
Hi there,

It is recommended to use the original DJI battery. As you can check on the Terms of Service of DJI any damage caused by using the DJI product with a non-DJI product or third-party accessory/software that is not authorized by DJI will losses, expenses, liabilities and also not covered by the Official Warranty service.

"It is recommended to use the original DJI battery."

It is not that this is NOT RECOMMENDED. It is that it is actively prevented.

Struthio Posted at 6-12 23:15
And I'm fine with "A3 150m away" I have cert for that. It is just DJI that prevents me from flying at all.

What I mean is after DJI sold drone, it is Pilot/Operator responsibility. Like car manufacturers do not prevent You from changing a light bulb to an not certified one - because this is Your responsibility.

I have official plus batteries bought in the EU.  You just need to know where to look.

But you forget EASA does not trust the pilots to do the right thing and they are regulating this hobby like they are people carrying airplanes.   

Struthio Posted at 6-12 23:11
Can You point me where in regulation it is specified that DJI is responsible for cert compliance AFTER the drone was sold ?
I briefly looked through "Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 of 12 March 2019 on unmanned aircraft systems and on third-country operators of unmanned aircraft systems" and didn't see such a rule.

Not without opening hours digging through the regulations,   

this is insane i had the  same problem today with the mini 4 pro and aftermarket battery.

i had no problem with this aftermarket battery in the mini 3 and mini 3 pro but the mini 4 pro does not fly with this battery, error reads " no DJI battery".
is there any trick to overcome this issue?
if the above is true that the lates FW upgrade was doing this it is ridiculous - it is my responsibility how i use the drone not DJI. after all they use them in the ukraine too. sorry for this comparison.

thanks
erhard

Struthio Posted at 6-12 23:15
And I'm fine with "A3 150m away" I have cert for that. It is just DJI that prevents me from flying at all.

What I mean is after DJI sold drone, it is Pilot/Operator responsibility. Like car manufacturers do not prevent You from changing a light bulb to an not certified one - because this is Your responsibility.

well, unfortunately it does not work the way that C1 is up to 900g, so you can attach to your drone any item you want up to 900g. You can attach only accessories approved by drone producer and in case of DJI Mini 4 Pro this is in detail stated in user manual on pages 115-116, that MTOM of C1 version is 342g and it is fulfilled with specific accessories only.

Struthio Posted at 6-12 23:17
"It is recommended to use the original DJI battery."

It is not that this is NOT RECOMMENDED. It is that it is actively prevented.

Hi there, we advise users to use original DJI battery because any damages caused bvy non-DJI product will not be covered by DJI Official warranty. Kindly take have a look on the DJI Terms of Service for further information. You can find it through the link below :
https://terra-1-g.djicdn.com/ec8 ... 0Care%20Refresh.pdf

Thank you for your understanding.

Perhaps you should contact the manufacturer of the after market battery and see what assistance they will provide....... if any.

Struthio Posted at 6-12 23:17
"It is recommended to use the original DJI battery."

It is not that this is NOT RECOMMENDED. It is that it is actively prevented.

Sorry but you will not get support on this.  DJI is under no obligation to support 3rd party batteries or any other critical component so when you purchase this type of item to save money, it comes with risks.   Many 3rd party companies have to reverse engineer the design of an item to make them compatible so the hardware/software/firmware can be suspect.   Also, companies such as DJI do not want to support some 3rd party items because (1) it cannibalizes their sales of those same items, (2) it may damage the product or cause an accident if does not perform correctly and (3) it can add complexity to Care Refresh and warranty claims.

Yep, they f'd over their customers

Monkieboy00 Posted at 6-13 09:03
Yep, they f'd over their customers

No one forced anyone to buy a pattern battery. I know of at least one camera company that discourages the use of pattern batteries via software.

I would say the main problem is for people who have already purchased extended batteries. It's just a very unfair change. If it hadn't been possible to use these batteries since the launch of the M4P, I would understand that, but changing the rules in the middle of the game is a pretty strong move against customers from my point of view.

Jan Spacil Posted at 6-14 00:54
I would say the main problem is for people who have already purchased extended batteries. It's just a very unfair change. If it hadn't been possible to use these batteries since the launch of the M4P, I would understand that, but changing the rules in the middle of the game is a pretty strong move against customers from my point of view.

Even if I have always used original batteries, I totally agree.

Jan Spacil Posted at 6-14 00:54
I would say the main problem is for people who have already purchased extended batteries. It's just a very unfair change. If it hadn't been possible to use these batteries since the launch of the M4P, I would understand that, but changing the rules in the middle of the game is a pretty strong move against customers from my point of view.

This is how greedy companies act against customer they dislike…

I have only original batteries, but, if I had bought third party batteries months ago, and, with these had only good things to say - but, as you wrote, doing this battery block all of a sudden after several firmware/software upgrades, that fuckin’ criminal!!

I have in my neighborhood many acquaintances that have been talking about to buy a Drone (because it’s really funny), but, from now on I will never ever suggest/recommend people to buy something from Dji company….

It may be hard to find similar drones on the market (Dji have 65% of the global market), but, this eventually ban from customers around the glob will open up the market for competitors to Dji…

ErrkaPetti Posted at 6-18 13:25
I have in my neighborhood many acquaintances that have been talking  about to buy a Drone (because it’s really funny), but, from now on I  will never ever suggest/recommend people to buy something from Dji  company….

It may be hard to find similar drones on the market (Dji have 65% of the  global market), but, this eventually ban from customers around the glob  will open up the market for competitors to Dji…

What affordable, comparable alternatives are there ?
What competition ? Any competition has had years to step but so far they have failed.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 6-18 14:03
What affordable, comparable alternatives are there ?
What competition ? Any competition has had years to step but so far they have failed.

Just plain reverse engineering will fix that ”little” problem…

If we now also get an ban of Dji as a company in USA, Europe will follow, and then the domino effect is rolling forward…

ErrkaPetti Posted at 6-18 14:59
Just plain reverse engineering will fix that ”little” problem…

If we now also get an ban of Dji as a company in USA, Europe will follow, and then the domino effect is rolling forward…

Then why has no one been successful with that approach up to the present moment.

For me, the issue is easily solvable. The firmware from December of last year will simply be the last one that I will have uploaded to the RC2 and the drone.

These changes in DJI's approach may ultimately be beneficial for customers, as they will mean increased competition and further development of alternative drone manufacturers, from which customers almost always benefit in the end.

ErrkaPetti Posted at 6-18 14:59
Just plain reverse engineering will fix that ”little” problem…

If we now also get an ban of Dji as a company in USA, Europe will follow, and then the domino effect is rolling forward…

In USA the ban is like the Huawei ban, economic sanctions and backdoor blackmail, in Europe DJI will have to comply with GDPR and stop the stealing customer data and will keep on selling in Europe

ErrkaPetti Posted at 6-18 14:59
Just plain reverse engineering will fix that ”little” problem…

If we now also get an ban of Dji as a company in USA, Europe will follow, and then the domino effect is rolling forward…

DJI Ban complicates things a bit. If no new drones are sold, then there is little reason (economically) to sell batteries for 'old' drones. So if our battery dies we will have to throw our drones as no battery replacement will be possible.

Struthio Posted at 6-24 05:17
DJI Ban complicates things a bit. If no new drones are sold, then there is little reason (economically) to sell batteries for 'old' drones. So if our battery dies we will have to throw our drones as no battery replacement will be possible.

You could replace the individual cells but take care to keep the BMS board powered/supplied-with-voltage during the swap otherwise the BMS board may open the connection to the input output terminals thereby bricking the battery.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 6-24 06:48
You could replace the individual cells but take care to keep the BMS board powered/supplied-with-voltage during the swap otherwise the BMS board may open the connection to the input output terminals thereby bricking the battery.

Hi, could you please explain how to keep the BMS board powered during replacement ?

Jan Spacil Posted at 6-18 22:00
For me, the issue is easily solvable. The firmware from December of last year will simply be the last one that I will have uploaded to the RC2 and the drone.

These changes in DJI's approach may ultimately be beneficial for customers, as they will mean increased competition and further development of alternative drone manufacturers, from which customers almost always benefit in the end.

Just a reminder: not updating your MP4 to the latest available firmware brings it out of Cx compliance. Many people are not considering this as relevant, but it would be better to know it.

And I think that also the problem with the batteries is related to the Cx compliance: using accessories that are not between the ones described in the section "Qualified Accessories" of the User's Manual, puts the drone out of compliance.  And DJI is making any effort to prevent this kind of situation. They cannot control some other accessories (the propellers, for instance) but the batteries they can ...

djiuser_RZzoo0RoucoB Posted at 6-26 22:28
Hi, could you please explain how to keep the BMS board powered during replacement ?

connect the new cells to each other in series to form what will be the new battery.
connect the would be output leads of the 'new battery' to the solder points on the BMS board so that you end up with the new cells and old cells in parallel.
Disconnect the leads from the old cells at the BMS board

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 6-27 00:34
connect the new cells to each other in series to form what will be the new battery.
connect the would be output leads of the 'new battery' to the solder points on the BMS board so that you end up with the new cells and old cells in parallel.
Disconnect the leads from the old cells at the BMS board

Thank you very much.

IHI Posted at 6-27 00:55
Thank you very much.

Be aware that there is a chance that even a momentary loss of connection to the BMS board may' brick' the board, so you would need to be very careful.
There might be more info about this on the git hub forums, they are 'into' this sort of thing.

I totally agree that DJI should not block the customers from using OEM battery but I wouldn't trust my investment on a third party battery, the reliability and longevity of the battery would be an issue.

Mercury724 Posted at 6-27 18:27
I totally agree that DJI should not block the customers from using OEM battery but I wouldn't trust my investment on a third party battery, the reliability and longevity of the battery would be an issue.

Hi there,
thank you for reaching out.

Just a quick heads-up to consider using official DJI products to enhance your flight experience. We recommend checking out our range of products on our official website and in our stores. Happy flying.

FabioV Posted at 6-26 23:48
Just a reminder: not updating your MP4 to the latest available firmware brings it out of Cx compliance. Many people are not considering this as relevant, but it would be better to know it.

And I think that also the problem with the batteries is related to the Cx compliance: using accessories that are not between the ones described in the section "Qualified Accessories" of the User's Manual, puts the drone out of compliance.  And DJI is making any effort to prevent this kind of situation. They cannot control some other accessories (the propellers, for instance) but the batteries they can ...

I'm aware of this issue, my M4P is officially declassified. So even the increased weight is not a problem, I simply fly as the A1/A3 + A2 license allows me to.

And let's be honest, the software restriction on 3rd party batteries is much more of a business decision than anything else. I won't repeat myself again, changing the terms after more than half a year since the release of the M4P is a rip-off for customers.

A thought occurred to me but it's probably wrong, I half wonder if this is a test run for blocking use the plus battery in Europe etc. ?

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 6-30 03:20
A thought occurred to me but it's probably wrong, I half wonder if this is a test run for blocking use the plus battery in Europe etc. ?

That is something that came to my mind when @DAFlys wrote that he has a 'Plus' battery in EU. The only fair approach would be to block DJI Plus batteries, as they also violate weight restrictions for C0, but I wouldn't bet on it. I'm just with @Jan Spacil on it - this is just to force buying batteries directly from DJI not from a third party.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 6-27 01:01
Be aware that there is a chance that even a momentary loss of connection to the BMS board may' brick' the board, so you would need to be very careful.
There might be more info about this on the git hub forums, they are 'into' this sort of thing.

Is this 'bricking BMS on power loss' a DJI thing ?