FYI :

::: DJI Advises Customers To Fly With Caution When Using TB50 And TB55 Batteries In Drones ::::

DJI Advises Customers To Fly With Caution When Using TB50 And TB55 Batteries In Drones

https://www.dji.com/newsroom/new ... RpRZouCO2kEZRhstieQ


Following a copy of the news article for those not being able to view it:

DJI Advises Customers To Fly With Caution When Using TB50 And TB55 Batteries In Drones

News2018-10-31

DJI Advises Customers To Fly With Caution When Using TB50 And TB55 Batteries In Drones
DJI Investigating Cause Of Small Number Of Batteries Reporting Incorrect Power Levels

DJI is investigating reports that a small number of TB50 and TB55  batteries have shown incorrect  power levels that have led to loss of  power mid-flight. Flight safety and product reliability are our top  priorities, and we are advising customers to fly with caution when  operating their drones equipped with these batteries. In addition, DJI  is working on a firmware update that will provide improvements to flight  safety for the affected drones.
  
DJI strongly advises customers to strictly follow regulations that are  designed to mitigate the risk of a power failure, including U.S. Federal  Aviation Administration prohibitions against flight over people and  vehicles, and the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority's offset requirements  from people and property. Do not operate over, or in close proximity to,  people or property that could be injured or damaged in the event of a  power loss. Customers performing non-essential operations may also  choose to delay those operations until we are able to provide more  information.
   
DJI is taking this step out of an abundance of caution, and we are  urgently working on a mitigation plan to allow customers to confidently  use these batteries again as soon as possible. DJI is working on a  firmware update for the affected batteries which will provide  improvements to flight safety and be made available in the coming weeks.  DJI will promptly update customers on the status of these efforts.
   
In the meantime, customers are advised to check the voltage of their  TB50 or TB55 batteries before and during the flight. Instructions can be  found below.*

TB55 batteries are used to power the Matrice 200 series of professional  drones, while TB50 batteries are used to power the Matrice 200 series  and Inspire 2 drones. A small number of customers have reported mid-air  power failures while using TB55 batteries, which share similar power  management firmware with the TB50. DJI is working with our battery  supplier, which developed the power management algorithm for those  batteries, to determine the underlying cause of those failures and  develop a solution for them.
   
DJI is reviewing all recent reports of power problems that may be  connected to this issue. Any customer who believes he or she may have  experienced a related power problem involving the TB50 or TB55 battery  should contact DJI customer service at dji.com/support to report the  issue.

*Instructions before and during flight:
1. Fully charge the battery according to the indicator on the charger, not the indicator on the battery itself
2. Insert the battery in the drone, power on and check in the app that the voltage is above 4.25V (fully charged)
3. During flight, continue to monitor the voltage of the battery in the  battery submenu of the app at all times and ensure it is above 3.7V
4. Plan your flight so as to end the operation and land with at least 3.7V indicated (approximately 30% of full charge)
5. Reminder: Keep the flight within visual line of sight (VLOS) to support a safe return to home
6. Do not fly over people, moving vehicles, or other property that is susceptible to damage

Hi All,
We're sorry for the inconvenience. It has come to our attention that a few TB50 and TB55 batteries may display the battery power in the app inaccurately. After assessing the issue, we have confirmed that it can be fixed with a firmware update. The new firmware will be released in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, please confirm that your Inspire 2 or Matrice 200 series product has been fully charged, and the battery temperature is higher than 15℃ before taking off and avoid flying beyond visual line of sight, and over crowds and traffic. Please monitor the battery voltage during flights and be sure to fly back when the cell's voltage is lower than 3.7V. If any anomalies occur, please find the nearest safe place to land as soon as possible.
Thank you so much for your support and patience.

That Information seems to only appear on the U.S. (english) localized website.
Others, like Germany do not have this info present.

Thank's to my Enterprise dealer - He sent me the warning via e-mail 2 days ago.

I had an email from the CAA in the UK.

It states you currently can't fly the M200 over people among other restrictions but doesn't mention the I2 - thankfully.

Not good for anyone's reputation.

The question is ... can i fly ? or not !

engelo Posted at 2018-10-31 21:08
The question is ... can i fly ? or not !

We had four pairs of batteries that failed in the las months. Fortunately, the Inspire 2 could go back home. One of the batteries just showed 0%. But what if both batteries showed 0% at the same time?
We took some time to claim to our DJI dealer because we were trying to figure out what was going on. Now, DJI answer is: "If they are beyond warranty period you just need  buy another pair". If DJI sends a newsletter saying that  there are faulty batteries out there, there should be called back regardless of time of purchase. Otherwise DJI would be saving a lot of money if the battery just fails after 6 months, 1 day old.
Anyway they are risking that more drone falls from the sky (several M200 reported) Totally annoying. We lost four pairs. USD 1300 plus taxes that are grounded. And with this newsletter, DJI proves that they know there are faulty batteries out there. We just want to keep our investment and fly safe again. Is there some other faulty pair of batteries we have? We do not want to find it the hard way.

engelo Posted at 2018-10-31 21:08
The question is ... can i fly ? or not !

From DJI's statement:

In the meantime, customers are advised to check the voltage of their TB50 or TB55 batteries before and during the flight.

I am grounding my M200 / Inspire2 until we receive a definitve answer from DJI that the issue was found and fixed! (or that issue could be assigned to a specific batch of batteries)

Keule Posted at 2018-10-31 21:54
From DJI's statement:

In the meantime, customers are advised to check the voltage of their TB50 or TB55 batteries before and during the flight.

I'm purchasing a trapeze net until DJI figure out what's the problem . Anybody would like to guess what next?

Jesus !!!!

Both batteries 0% !?!?!

Constant bad firmwares and now this. Thank's DJI.

Although the information is out there, it would be nice to read the original advice from DJI. BUT: it is still not available in Germany. All I get is the Newsroom cover page with no info on the TB50-issue whatsoever.

Christian_T Posted at 11-1 01:49
Although the information is out there, it would be nice to read the original advice from DJI. BUT: it is still not available in Germany. All I get is the Newsroom cover page with no info on the TB50-issue whatsoever.

Following a copy of the news article for those not being able to view it:

DJI Advises Customers To Fly With Caution When Using TB50 And TB55 Batteries In Drones

News2018-10-31

DJI Advises Customers To Fly With Caution When Using TB50 And TB55 Batteries In Drones
DJI Investigating Cause Of Small Number Of Batteries Reporting Incorrect Power Levels

DJI is investigating reports that a small number of TB50 and TB55 batteries have shown incorrect  power levels that have led to loss of power mid-flight. Flight safety and product reliability are our top priorities, and we are advising customers to fly with caution when operating their drones equipped with these batteries. In addition, DJI is working on a firmware update that will provide improvements to flight safety for the affected drones.

DJI strongly advises customers to strictly follow regulations that are designed to mitigate the risk of a power failure, including U.S. Federal Aviation Administration prohibitions against flight over people and vehicles, and the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority's offset requirements from people and property. Do not operate over, or in close proximity to, people or property that could be injured or damaged in the event of a power loss. Customers performing non-essential operations may also choose to delay those operations until we are able to provide more information.
  
DJI is taking this step out of an abundance of caution, and we are urgently working on a mitigation plan to allow customers to confidently use these batteries again as soon as possible. DJI is working on a firmware update for the affected batteries which will provide improvements to flight safety and be made available in the coming weeks. DJI will promptly update customers on the status of these efforts.
   
In the meantime, customers are advised to check the voltage of their TB50 or TB55 batteries before and during the flight. Instructions can be found below.*

TB55 batteries are used to power the Matrice 200 series of professional drones, while TB50 batteries are used to power the Matrice 200 series and Inspire 2 drones. A small number of customers have reported mid-air power failures while using TB55 batteries, which share similar power management firmware with the TB50. DJI is working with our battery supplier, which developed the power management algorithm for those batteries, to determine the underlying cause of those failures and develop a solution for them.
  
DJI is reviewing all recent reports of power problems that may be connected to this issue. Any customer who believes he or she may have experienced a related power problem involving the TB50 or TB55 battery should contact DJI customer service at dji.com/support to report the issue.

*Instructions before and during flight:
1. Fully charge the battery according to the indicator on the charger, not the indicator on the battery itself
2. Insert the battery in the drone, power on and check in the app that the voltage is above 4.25V (fully charged)
3. During flight, continue to monitor the voltage of the battery in the battery submenu of the app at all times and ensure it is above 3.7V
4. Plan your flight so as to end the operation and land with at least 3.7V indicated (approximately 30% of full charge)
5. Reminder: Keep the flight within visual line of sight (VLOS) to support a safe return to home
6. Do not fly over people, moving vehicles, or other property that is susceptible to damage

Keule Posted at 11-1 01:57
Following a copy of the news article for those not being able to view it:

DJI Advises Customers To Fly With Caution When Using TB50 And TB55 Batteries In Drones

Thank you .. copy 2 my post !!

Altitude Drones Posted at 10-31 14:26
I had an email from the CAA in the UK.

It states you currently can't fly the M200 over people among other restrictions but doesn't mention the I2 - thankfully.

As the new safety notice regarding the TB50's and TB55's has been published the I2 is now under the same restrictions.

Mark

I think I have a pair of TB50's or at least a single battery out of that pair that is having an issue. I noticed on the last few flights of this pair when fully charged that the battery percentage shows normal but the overall cell voltage is low after a few minutes in flight. Say I have been flying for minutes, the cell voltage is reading low at 3.88 volts and seems to stay there a long time yet the battery percentage capacity seems normal. I will not fly with this pair anymore and do some testing to see if I can locate it to a single unit out of that pair. How can we tell what firmware the batteries are at? My guess is that we cannot unless I purchase a 1200.00 charger...DJI should be able to display the battery firmware on the info page easily. Should I attempt a deep discharge on this set and see what happens? Suggestions? They have about 65 cycles on them.

Airdata.com is also aware of the problem.
They had already implemented a method/algorithm to identify a possible problem with the TB50/55 batteries.

i created a thread in the Pro section: https://forum.dji.com/thread-171175-1-1.html

epicjib Posted at 11-1 09:49
I think I have a pair of TB50's or at least a single battery out of that pair that is having an issue. I noticed on the last few flights of this pair when fully charged that the battery percentage shows normal but the overall cell voltage is low after a few minutes in flight. Say I have been flying for minutes, the cell voltage is reading low at 3.88 volts and seems to stay there a long time yet the battery percentage capacity seems normal. I will not fly with this pair anymore and do some testing to see if I can locate it to a single unit out of that pair. How can we tell what firmware the batteries are at? My guess is that we cannot unless I purchase a 1200.00 charger...DJI should be able to display the battery firmware on the info page easily. Should I attempt a deep discharge on this set and see what happens? Suggestions? They have about 65 cycles on them.

For some reason battery's FW is stated in DJI Pilot app only, but not in Go 4 app. Fortunately DJI Pilot is now compatible with Inspire 2 as well. Install newly released official version 1.01. You should see 01.00.00.71 FW version there.

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... =171077&pid=1629936
BTW, 65 cycles seem to be significant for some batteries, which may exhibit voltage drop under load. Observe battery status page during flight. Usually voltage drop is normal as long as it stays on green and evenly on all cells. Rapidly rising temperature above, say, 50C may also indicate signs of aging battery. Some of my 3 years old TB48 batts are pretty weak, despite carefull winter storage and a mere 60-70 cycles.

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 11-1 10:54
For some reason battery's FW is stated in DJI Pilot app only, but not in Go 4 app. Fortunately DJI Pilot is now compatible with Inspire 2 as well. Install newly released official version 1.01. You should see 01.00.00.71 FW version there.

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... =171077&pid=1629936

So $500.00 for a pair of TB50's at 65 cycles is $7.70/flight for 25 minutes.. More expensive that gas, lol
Is the DJI Pilot App available for iPads? I can't seem to find it in the App Store

epicjib Posted at 11-1 17:10
So $500.00 for a pair of TB50's at 65 cycles is $7.70/flight for 25 minutes.. More expensive that gas, lol
Is the DJI Pilot App available for iPads? I can't seem to find it in the App Store

Interesting calculation ... I didn't look at it from this viewpoint...

As we speak, Pilot app is not yet available for IOS.

epicjib Posted at 11-1 17:10
So $500.00 for a pair of TB50's at 65 cycles is $7.70/flight for 25 minutes.. More expensive that gas, lol
Is the DJI Pilot App available for iPads? I can't seem to find it in the App Store

I'm not saying that my remotely delivered verdict is accurate and final in your case. All I'm saying is that some LiPO batteries may exhibit signs of premature aging for many reasons. Do the flight test observing cell's voltage drop. If at any moment during aggressive flight the voltage drops dangerously into yellow or red zone, abort the mission immediately and discard the battery in question. You have 6 months warranty on them.

I believe DJI Pilot app is developed for CrystalSky device in Android incarnation only.

DJI Susan Posted at 11-2 00:36
Hi All,
We're sorry for the inconvenience. It has come to our attention that a few TB50 and TB55 batteries may display the battery power in the app inaccurately. After assessing the issue, we have confirmed that it can be fixed with a firmware update. The new firmware will be released in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, please confirm that your Inspire 2 or Matrice 200 series product has been fully charged, and the battery temperature is higher than 15℃, before taking off and avoid flying beyond visual line of sight, and over crowds and traffic. Please monitor the battery voltage during flights and be sure to fly back when the cell's voltage is lower than 3.7V. If any anomalies occur, please find the nearest safe place to land as soon as possible.

Susan, thanks for the update.

I hope, both, the Inspire 2 and M200 series receive a FW update.

engelo Posted at 10-31 21:08
The question is ... can i fly ? or not !

Hi engelo, we're sorry for the late response. Please refer to 2#, make sure the product has been fully charged, and the temperature is higher than 15℃ before taking off, thank you!

epicjib Posted at 11-1 09:49
I think I have a pair of TB50's or at least a single battery out of that pair that is having an issue. I noticed on the last few flights of this pair when fully charged that the battery percentage shows normal but the overall cell voltage is low after a few minutes in flight. Say I have been flying for minutes, the cell voltage is reading low at 3.88 volts and seems to stay there a long time yet the battery percentage capacity seems normal. I will not fly with this pair anymore and do some testing to see if I can locate it to a single unit out of that pair. How can we tell what firmware the batteries are at? My guess is that we cannot unless I purchase a 1200.00 charger...DJI should be able to display the battery firmware on the info page easily. Should I attempt a deep discharge on this set and see what happens? Suggestions? They have about 65 cycles on them.

Hi epicjib, we're sorry for the inconvenience. May I know which drone do you use? M200 or Inspire 2?

Keule Posted at 11-2 00:43
Susan, thanks for the update.

I hope, both, the Inspire 2 and M200 series receive a FW update.

Thanks for getting back to us. If there is an update, we'll release on our website at the first time.

Christian_T Posted at 11-1 01:49
Although the information is out there, it would be nice to read the original advice from DJI. BUT: it is still not available in Germany. All I get is the Newsroom cover page with no info on the TB50-issue whatsoever.

I'll help you in German, KAPUT !!!

Today i recived an email from DJI direct.
It seems we don't have to wait very long that the battery problem is being fixed.

Here an excerpt:
DJI is taking this step out of an abundance of caution, and we are urgently working on a mitigation plan to allow customers to confidently use these batteries again as soon as possible. DJI is working on a firmware update for the affected batteries which will provide improvements to flight safety and be made available in two weeks. DJI will promptly update customers on the status of these efforts.

Good news !

DJI done it again ! I shoot live shows so now what????? come on !!!!! You should be more serious or we should suit DJI for every accident we have !! We all purchased Inspire 2 to work with not to play !! and we spend lots of dollars on it ....... is there any international loyer or someone who take care of ours inquiries? i am tired of DJI, mine burn out the servo and the local dealer tells me to send the drone back to DJI.  Maybe we should send a complain to better business bureau o chamber of commerce son.

Rodger8 Posted at 11-2 05:11
I'll help you in German KAPUT !!!

Rodger, please ... You can do better than that ...

We're sorry for the inconvenience. It has come to our attention that a few TB50 and TB55 batteries may display the battery power in the app inaccurately. After assessing the issue, we have confirmed that it can be fixed with a firmware update. The new firmware will be released in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, please confirm that your Inspire 2 or Matrice 200 series product has been fully charged, and the battery temperature is higher than 15℃ before taking off and avoid flying beyond visual line of sight, and over crowds and traffic. Please monitor the battery voltage during flights and be sure to fly back when the cell's voltage is lower than 3.7V. If any anomalies occur, please find the nearest safe place to land as soon as possible.
Thank you so much for your support and patience.

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 11-1 10:54
For some reason battery's FW is stated in DJI Pilot app only, but not in Go 4 app. Fortunately DJI Pilot is now compatible with Inspire 2 as well. Install newly released official version 1.01. You should see 01.00.00.71 FW version there.

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... =171077&pid=1629936

Matthew
The DJI Pilot App was released for iOS but it is V1.0(406) which only works with the M2E so far. It will connect to my Cendence remote but not the Inspire 2....

My batteries seem to be okay right now, but I am not on the latest FW 1.0.0.71

Rich

edit screenshots

RichJ53 Posted at 11-5 20:35
Matthew
The DJI Pilot App was released for iOS but it is V1.0(406) which only works with the M2E so far. It will connect to my Cendence remote but not the Inspire 2....

Thank you, Rich. Since I purchased CrystalSky some time ago, the iOS versions of any related apps are beyond my radar range. There's nothing wrong with my iPad Air2, but I must focus on CS and Android versions before I lost my mind completely. Actually Go 4 and Litchi are serving me just fine, birds behave up to my expectations, batteries are seemingly OK as well. With 12" of snow and -10C here in Alberta the season is pretty much over anyway. I'm a bit tired of all this firmware/software/hardware mess, endless speculations, promises, rumours etc. I need a time off. I'm building RC camera dolly now. On Traxxas frame ...

Cheers,
Matthew.

Rodger8 Posted at 11-2 05:11
I'll help you in German, KAPUT !!!

Thank you, Rodger8, for this awesome summary of the issue (you forgot a 'T', btw).

It's not that I don't understand it in English. It just seemed and still seems a bit odd, that the information was/is not available on the German DJI pages.
I just can't believe, that the faulty batteries are restricted to the rest of the world but Germany

Christian_T Posted at 11-6 03:35
Thank you, Rodger8, for this awesome summary of the issue (you forgot a 'T', btw).

It's not that I don't understand it in English. It just seemed and still seems a bit odd, that the information was/is not available on the German DJI pages.

Probably an oversight. Be sure that when the batteries are fully charged that they are over 4.25 volts and do not let them get below 3.70 volts while in use. Also be sure that cell deviation is below .07 volts.

I had an issue with my Phantom in that while the battery was on and you pushed in on the face of the battery it would turn off. I found 2 like that. I had a Phantom that just fell out of the sky and I believe that was the cause.