I have a Phantom 3 Standard with a very lightly used battery with only 26 charge cycles on it when this problem happened. An error appeared in the DJI GO app saying the following:

"Battery Error. Return home and land soon. View the checklist after landing."

I always follow directions for the battery in order to maximize its life. After 26 charge cycles, it really doesn't make sense that the battery would be diminished in its life. Unfortunately, the battery is no longer in warrantee, since I purchased it about a year ago and the DJI warrantee is for only 6 months.

I'm a Graduate student/drone hobbyist on a budget, and the idea of buying a brand new battery after only getting 26 charges out of this one is totally absurd. What is my best course of action? I'd really like to fix this issue in a way that doesn't involve me buying a brand new battery.

Troubleshooting I've done already:

• Turning Phantom off and back on
• Calibrating IMU
• Discharging battery in flight (deep discharge), then recharging
• Reinstalling Phantom firmware
• Updating DJI GO app

Troubleshooting I have not yet tried
• Setting "Time to Discharge" to 1 Day in DJI Go, allowing battery to self-discharge (DJI Support claims that doing this resets something differently from a manual discharge)
• Any other ideas that I haven't encountered

I have attached a screenshot of the DJI GO app on the Aircraft Battery screen immediately after fully charging the flight battery. Cell 1 appears significantly lower than the other cells. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the error I'm getting, but it's worth mentioning.

Thanks,

Daniel

try using normal eraser to rub on the battery contact point... try on the cleaning of the contact points and try it...i got this issue b4 but not sure if it works for ya....

The voltage difference is 0.15V, and discharging and recharging do not save it. I would recommend you to consider a new one.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-8-30 00:11
The voltage difference is 0.15V, and discharging and recharging do not save it. I would recommend you to consider a new one.

Thanks for your advice. Doesn't this strike you as peculiar, though, that this battery has only been charged less than 30 times, and already is giving issues? Judging from how new the battery is, I feel like there should be some way to solve this problem without buying a new battery.

fansea65e6ec Posted at 2017-8-30 00:39
Thanks for your advice. Doesn't this strike you as peculiar, though, that this battery has only been charged less than 30 times, and already is giving issues? Judging from how new the battery is, I feel like there should be some way to solve this problem without buying a new battery.

As you mentioned, the battery warranty is 6 months. Also, there is no repair value for broken battery.

Having been in the Model RC hobby for many years, I can tell you there is no absolute charging cycle or life span for any particular battery. My first experience close to 20+ yrs ago the Ni-Cad batteries were all the rage and you'd be happy to get 5-6 minute flights, hence the name "brick packs", they were heavy and big but times have changed but unfortunately batteries have a " life expectancy" that is not a science. I have had batteries that worked for many years and have been trouble free where another battery from the same manufacture, has had a shorter life.

In my opinion, its cheaper to replace a defective battery than risk crashing your aircraft. Unfortunately Phantom batteries are not like running down to the hobby store and picking up a brick pack for $20.00 but in my own experience I don't ever recommend a force discharge or buying discharging devices, I have used them in the past but I feel they shorten a batteries service life. I have yet to find a discharger than will deplete a battery at the normal operating voltage. The discharge devices spike the voltage so it can drain faster (people want to fly now vs waiting hours to discharge), it can cause one cell to weaken faster than the other. Just my .02

I guess they may just wear out maybe quicker over time.  Solution is to fly more and get your money's worth!

Here are some guidelines  you may want to consider: http://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/p ... _Guidelines__en.pdf

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-9-1 01:49
As you mentioned, the battery warranty is 6 months. Also, there is no repair value for broken battery.

Sorry for the hijack---My battery gives an error of temp below 15 DegC but it is 27 DegC outside (infrared thermometer shows 24.5 DegC on battery)--When battery is inserted into P4 all is well and no error codes--as soon as P4 is started the battery goes into error mode--1 led and on/off button flashing and DJIGO 4 battery status shows empty cells and temp below 15 DegC--Remove battery from P4 and after 20 minutes battery light return to normal ??

ZS1SSM Posted at 9-21 06:01
Sorry for the hijack---My battery gives an error of temp below 15 DegC but it is 27 DegC outside (infrared thermometer shows 24.5 DegC on battery)--When battery is inserted into P4 all is well and no error codes--as soon as P4 is started the battery goes into error mode--1 led and on/off button flashing and DJIGO 4 battery status shows empty cells and temp below 15 DegC--Remove battery from P4 and after 20 minutes battery light return to normal ??

Just to verify, does the issue remain if changed to another aircraft or battery to verify? If yes, please kindly offer your operation video and the battery SN for double check, thanks!