I'm planning to use the Mini3Pro in Ireland later this month.  On most weather apps it looks like the temps in Ireland will be lows in the 30s and highs in the low to mid 40s. F  The spec on the DJI batteries lists 41*F as the lowest acceptable temperature.  Assuming the batteries start out the day at room temp (say,68*F) will keeping them in some sort of insulated carrier and then running them in the drone for a while before lifting off be sufficient?  What happens if the battery drops below 41*F while in flight?  Will the minutes left suddenly drop to zero or some amount too small to get back home?

Hi, fans4b89104f. Thank you for reaching out.  Due to the characteristics of lithium batteries, the battery performance will be greatly decreased in a low-temperature environment. The main reason is that low temperatures cause the chemicals in the battery to become less active, resulting in higher internal resistance and lower discharging capacity. At this point, the battery voltage will also reduce sharply. When the single-cell voltage is decreased to 3V, there are two risks:

1. If the battery output voltage is insufficient, the aircraft will trigger an early low-voltage landing, which may lead to an unexpected power shutdown.
2. After this flight, the battery may enter the over-discharge protection status and will no longer be able to be charged and used.

Here are some tips for flying your aircraft in the cold to help you take better pictures of the winter scenery.

Winter Usage Recommendations

1. Before takeoff:
1) Charging:
Please fully charge your battery before use to ensure that it is in a high-voltage state.
If a battery that is not fully charged is used, the battery’s initial voltage will be low. In addition, low temperatures will continue to decrease the battery voltage and increase the Undervoltage risk.
2) Warm-up:
Place the battery in a room temperature environment and allow it to fully warm up to above 20°C (You can check the battery temperature using the DJI app).
If possible, put the battery in your car and turn on the heater to warm up it during outdoor operation.
3) Battery visual inspection:
Check the battery appearance for damage, misshape, etc.
Check the battery port’s metal sheet for damage, burning, etc.
Check the battery charging cable for looseness, and check whether the battery can be inserted and removed smoothly.

We hope that this helps. Thank you for your valued support.

DJI Gamora Posted at 12-7 03:24
Hi, fans4b89104f. Thank you for reaching out.  Due to the characteristics of lithium batteries, the battery performance will be greatly decreased in a low-temperature environment. The main reason is that low temperatures cause the chemicals in the battery to become less active, resulting in higher internal resistance and lower discharging capacity. At this point, the battery voltage will also reduce sharply. When the single-cell voltage is decreased to 3V, there are two risks:

1. If the battery output voltage is insufficient, the aircraft will trigger an early low-voltage landing, which may lead to an unexpected power shutdown.

Thanks for your thoughtful answer.

I plan to use a battery powered hand warmer (glove) to keep the drone batteries warm.  I've also purchased a car charger for my Mavic but unfortunately it has no ports for the Mini3Pro batteries, only the Mavic.  I'll try to find a cigarette lighter charger with USB A or C ports capabale of putting out 30 watts.

Since I have no way to test all this in Florida, can you give me any idea how much time I will have to get the drone back as the drone batteries cool down in flight?   Or will they cool down in flight in 40*F werather?  They heat up in operation here in Florida in 85*F weather.   Will RTH be triggered by falling voltage before an early low-voltage landing, perhaps over the ocean as I'm taking pictures of the cliffs in Ireland??

Also, I haven't addressed the RC controller batteries ... what can I expect to happen when they get cold and drop in voltage?  Since the drone battery heats up in operation, I'm assuming they will take longer to get operationally non-functional, but the controller batteries seem to be of a larger capacity (4 hours), so would they be more tolerant to the cold?  What happens when they quit working even if the drone is still flying?  Will RTH be triggered with a totally non functioning controller? If they do fall below the low voltage threshold, do they also become useless, i.e. not able to be recharged?  How do I replace the controller batteries if this happens while I'm in Ireland?  Or am I just left with no drone capability for the remainder of the trip?

Wrong forum. Next time post in the Mini 3 Pro Forum:
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... peid&typeid=776

patiam Posted at 12-7 07:38
Wrong forum. Next time post in the Mini 3 Pro Forum:
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=129&filter=typeid&typeid=776

agree
DJI moderator wake up please ! Its time to clean the forum

I did a 10-minute flight with my Mini3Pro this morning when the temperature was reported as minus 3 Celsius. This was after a 20 minute car journey, drone enclosed in its carry-case. Took it straight out and launched immediately.  No dramas at all.

fans4b89104f Posted at 12-7 06:07
Thanks for your thoughtful answer.

I plan to use a battery powered hand warmer (glove) to keep the drone batteries warm.  I've also purchased a car charger for my Mavic but unfortunately it has no ports for the Mini3Pro batteries, only the Mavic.  I'll try to find a cigarette lighter charger with USB A or C ports capabale of putting out 30 watts.

Hello, fans4b89104f. You're welcome. I have forwarded your concerns to our relevant team for further checking. We will update you once we receive feedback from them. Thank you for your kind understanding.

fans4b89104f Posted at 12-7 06:07
Thanks for your thoughtful answer.

I plan to use a battery powered hand warmer (glove) to keep the drone batteries warm.  I've also purchased a car charger for my Mavic but unfortunately it has no ports for the Mini3Pro batteries, only the Mavic.  I'll try to find a cigarette lighter charger with USB A or C ports capabale of putting out 30 watts.

I come back a little on the theory of DJI Gamora which obviously did not have to operate a lot of lithium in the cold.

First and foremost, remember that a Lithium battery is always a potential hazard, especially during charging. The battery can be "intelligent" it is not less than Lithium elements.

When I read things like:
"I plan to use a battery powered hand warmer (glove) to keep the drone batteries warm"
"I'll try to find a cigarette lighter charger with USB A or C ports capabale of putting out 30 watts"

You do what you want, but our DJI 'moderator friend forgot to say, Do never leave your batteries unattended.
The risk of fire exists, especially during charging, especially with third-party chargers.

DJI Gamora #2 : "If possible, put the battery in your car and turn on the heater to warm up it during outdoor operation"


1/Is the fuel offered and free of any emission of polluting gas at DJI? Whoever answers me that he has an electric car must find out how his electricity is produced before returning his comment.
2/ Unless you put the battery directly on the ventilation vent expelling hot air, in winter conditions you have little chance of keeping a warm battery this way.


I am going to describe to you the technique that I use, which in view of my geographical situation, you understand, is widely tested.
-I have what are called LiPo guard bags. Write that on a search engine, you will find it.
-I keep my batteries at home in an environment close to 19 degrees.
-When I leave the house, I place the batteries in the LiPo Guard bag that I put in an inside pocket of my jacket which is fireproof. The pocket is quickly accessible in order to eject the bag without delay in the event of a problem.

This keeps the batteries at the correct temperature and is very efficient.

Let's get to the worst:

source : Lithium Polymer battery pack, Lithium polymer cell, Li po cell, Li po battery, protection circuit (ibt-power.com)

As you can see from the graph, the battery's ability to return energy is influenced by temperature.

Our faithful moderator has stated it well,
-when the voltage per element goes below 3 V, you will no longer be able to charge your battery.
-The auto-RTH will happen much sooner than under normal conditions of use.

From experience I can say that the RTH is quite well managed, but nevertheless takes a little leeway because, again as you can see on the graph, the discharge is much faster when it's cold.
I'm usual to fly my drones between 0 and -20 degrees C, don't worry 40 degrees F it will be fine. Just keep in mind the safety.




Let's be honest, this doesn't happen every day. It happened to me once, with a DJI F550, the battery was not DJI but third party. It simply self-ignited in flight.

fans4b89104f Posted at 12-7 06:07
Thanks for your thoughtful answer.

I plan to use a battery powered hand warmer (glove) to keep the drone batteries warm.  I've also purchased a car charger for my Mavic but unfortunately it has no ports for the Mini3Pro batteries, only the Mavic.  I'll try to find a cigarette lighter charger with USB A or C ports capabale of putting out 30 watts.

Hello, fans4b89104f. Thank you for patiently waiting. We now received feedback from our relevant team to answer your questions. Please see below:

• Can you give me any idea how much time I will have to get the drone back as the drone batteries cool down in flight? Or will they cool down in flight in 40*F weather?
- We do not have an exact test time when aircraft fly in low-temperature places, but the usage time will decrease. It will have some possible risks like the battery drop fast and so on, which is dangerous, about the battery operation temperature, our Mini 3 Pro battery is 5° to 40° C (41° to 104° F), and we suggest to use it under above temperature range.

• Will RTH be triggered by falling voltage before an early low-voltage landing?
- Yes, if aircraft fly at a low temperature lower than 5°, it will trigger RTH earlier than normal usage.

• What can I expect to happen when they (RC controller batteries) get cold and drop in voltage?
- Like aircraft, the usage time will decrease, and might have some controller problems when the temperature is lower than our normal usage range.

• But the controller batteries seem to be of a larger capacity (4 hours), so would they be more tolerant to the cold?
- Yes, if you are using DJI RC or RCN1, the operation temperature is -10° to 40° C (14° to 104° F), which higher than aircraft battery.

• What happens when they quit working even if the drone is still flying? Will RTH be triggered with a totally nonfunctioning controller?
- Yes, RTH will trigger itself when RC lost connection with the aircraft, so even if the RC has a problem, the aircraft can RTH normally (But need to be under good GPS condition).

• If they do fall below the low voltage threshold, do they also become useless, i.e. not able to be recharged?
-  It will have this possibility, so that's why we suggest using it under our operation temperature range.

• How do I replace the controller batteries if this happens while I'm in Ireland? Or am I just left with no drone capability for the remainder of the trip?
- Remote controller has 12 months warranty (within North America only if purchased in North America) but After-Sales Policy Does NOT Cover the following:
× Damage caused by flights that did not follow instruction manual recommendations.
× Damage caused by operation in bad weather (i.e. strong winds, rain, sand/dust storms, etc.
You may contact DJI Europe to check if they can accommodate an out-of-warranty repair for the remote controller. You may contact DJI support at https://www.dji.com/support.

We hope this helps. Thank you for your valued support.

How long will you be here, where are you basing yourself and are you fully vaccinated?

Blériot53 Posted at 12-8 14:35
I did a 10-minute flight with my Mini3Pro this morning when the temperature was reported as minus 3 Celsius. This was after a 20 minute car journey, drone enclosed in its carry-case. Took it straight out and launched immediately.  No dramas at all.

Thanks for relaying your experience in the cold weather with the Mini3Pro.  It's reassuring to know I may just be acting like a drama queen about all this.

DJI Gamora Posted at 12-10 20:35
Hello, fans4b89104f. You're welcome. I have forwarded your concerns to our relevant team for further checking. We will update you once we receive feedback from them. Thank you for your kind understanding.

Thanks, I'll look for their reply.

LV_Forestry Posted at 12-11 00:51
I come back a little on the theory of DJI Gamora which obviously did not have to operate a lot of lithium in the cold.

First and foremost, remember that a Lithium battery is always a potential hazard, especially during charging. The battery can be "intelligent" it is not less than Lithium elements.

I'm sorry I didn't qualify my comments.  The hand warmer has three settings to allow for less heat and longer battery charge life.  I would use the low setting which is 80*F.  And the hand warmer would not be in contact with the battery, only in the same case some distance away from it.  The DJI batteries would also be in their fireproof case.  I'll try your method of placing the batteries in the Guard bag and keeping that in an inside pocket.

I purchased the extended flight package so I will be using the DJI charger came with it, what I meant is I will be powering the DJI charger with a USB power supply capable of 30w as suggested in the DJI manual.

The chart you included is very helpful.  I'm encouraged to see that the mAh capacity is only diminished by about 15% at O*C (32*F).  I suspect below that temperature, I won't be doing much drone  flying.

Also, many thanks for the link to the source article.  I learned a lot about lithium batteries.  And I'm glad to hear you usually fly your drones below the DJI recommended 41*F lowest temp in the 0 to -20*C range with no problem.  Too cold for me, speaking as a long time Florida USA resident.

DJI Gamora Posted at 12-12 00:15
Hello, fans4b89104f. Thank you for patiently waiting. We now received feedback from our relevant team to answer your questions. Please see below:

• Can you give me any idea how much time I will have to get the drone back as the drone batteries cool down in flight? Or will they cool down in flight in 40*F weather?

Thanks for the answers.  Good to know the RC controller has that wider operayting temperature range.  Doesn't seem likely I'll need to replace the batteries overseas.

CuAnnan Posted at 12-12 22:16
How long will you be here, where are you basing yourself and are you fully vaccinated?

What?

I'm based in the USA and touring Ireland for 12 days.  I'm fully vaccinated by my doctor for the travel I have planned, including the flu which seems to be spiking early this year, at least here in the USA.  I wouldn't think of travelling on a commercial flying aluminum tube of germs without being protected.  May I ask why you ask?  I don't see what it has do with this thread.

fans4b89104f Posted at 12-13 09:28
I'm sorry I didn't qualify my comments.  The hand warmer has three settings to allow for less heat and longer battery charge life.  I would use the low setting which is 80*F.  And the hand warmer would not be in contact with the battery, only in the same case some distance away from it.  The DJI batteries would also be in their fireproof case.  I'll try your method of placing the batteries in the Guard bag and keeping that in an inside pocket.

I purchased the extended flight package so I will be using the DJI charger came with it, what I meant is I will be powering the DJI charger with a USB power supply capable of 30w as suggested in the DJI manual.

"I will be powering the DJI charger with a USB power supply capable of 30w as suggested in the DJI manual"
-> ideal ! Take a big enough power bank because these things don't last very long. If I understand correctly, you're going to fly with it. Make a quick phone call to the airline's customer service concerning the carriage of the batteries.


"The chart you included is very helpful"
Be careful, this is a general graphic. It is not specified for the batteries you use, we do not know under what conditions it was made. The only thing is that I think it reflects my experience, but that's it. If the drone tells you RTH earlier than usual, don't think, don't cancel the RTH.


"0 to -20*C range with no problem."
There's no problem because I'm used to it, I've crashed more drones than I have fingers. By -20C I simply avoid flying, and if I really have to, I'm super careful, landing planned at 30% not below, pre-heating... It must be said that the "enterprise" range firmwares are relatively good made for battery management.


"Too cold for me, speaking as a long time Florida USA resident."
Ah, Florida makes me dream! Just for vacation. Here it is currently -5C outside and 17C in the house because we don't have enough money to heat more since the recent market increase, but I wouldn't leave this place for anything in the world.


Have a good trip, fly safe!

fans4b89104f Posted at 12-13 09:38
What?

I'm based in the USA and touring Ireland for 12 days.  I'm fully vaccinated by my doctor for the travel I have planned, including the flu which seems to be spiking early this year, at least here in the USA.  I wouldn't think of travelling on a commercial flying aluminum tube of germs without being protected.  May I ask why you ask?  I don't see what it has do with this thread.

The question of the vaccine was a bit awkwardly posed but I think CuAnnan just wants to give you the right information to visit his country.

fans4b89104f Posted at 12-13 08:58
Thanks for relaying your experience in the cold weather with the Mini3Pro.  It's reassuring to know I may just be acting like a drama queen about all this.

Maybe not - have a look at this thread, and read through.

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... p;page=1#pid2927061

The worst scenario i've flown in my life (with a "non enterprise" drone) was at -18°C with 35km/h wind with a Phantom 4 PRO. Batteries fully charged few hours earlier. I operated for about 1h, 3 batteries used.
It was so damn cold i had to operate inside a car, outside i couldn't due to too cold wind on my hands.
The Phantom handled it very well, but for safety reason i landed at 50% of battery, and it was running out of fuel very very fast. But it did it!
I think the Mini3PRO can handle same conditions.

fans4b89104f Posted at 12-13 09:33
Thanks for the answers.  Good to know the RC controller has that wider operayting temperature range.  Doesn't seem likely I'll need to replace the batteries overseas.

Hi, fans4b89104f. You're welcome. We're happy that we were able to provide answers to your questions. Have a safe flight and travels always!

LV_Forestry Posted at 12-13 11:07
"I will be powering the DJI charger with a USB power supply capable of 30w as suggested in the DJI manual"
-> ideal ! Take a big enough power bank because these things don't last very long. If I understand correctly, you're going to fly with it. Make a quick phone call to the airline's customer service concerning the carriage of the batteries.

Thanks for the pointers, yes, I did call the airline about the batteries.  The agent thought only one spare was allowed but is checking into it further for me since the fly more pack consists of two spares plus the one that comes with the drone.  If I can only bring one spare, so be it.  

By "enterprise" do you mean the larger professional drones vs the "pro"sumer drones like the MIni3"Pro?"

If I had my druthers, I'd prefer seeing Ireland in the greener, warmer summertime, but that time of year is so popular, I've since learned that arrangements and reservations have to be secured at least a year in advance.  Some of our kids have never seen snow so in a way we're looking forward to the winterscape.

Thanks, since a good percentage of our US Air Marshalls have been transferred to our southern border to help the border patrol when Title 42 is withdrawn, hopefully we'll have safe flights both ways and a safe visit to your lovely island.  No offense if you prefer it not be called an island.  How about country?  Two countries? Kingdom?  Republic?  Oh well, you get what I mean.

Panph Posted at 12-14 01:55
The worst scenario i've flown in my life (with a "non enterprise" drone) was at -18°C with 35km/h wind with a Phantom 4 PRO. Batteries fully charged few hours earlier. I operated for about 1h, 3 batteries used.
It was so damn cold i had to operate inside a car, outside i couldn't due to too cold wind on my hands.
The Phantom handled it very well, but for safety reason i landed at 50% of battery, and it was running out of fuel very very fast. But it did it!

I'll keep the land at 50% safety suggestion in mind.  Thanks.  Yes, I'm afraid my hands will give out to the cold before the drone's batteries do.  Or maybe I should practice flying with gloves on before I leave? lol
I think the "PRO" as in Phantom 4 PRO, and for that matter, the Mini3PRO is often misinterpreted as enterpise level "professional" drones when I do believe, it's really a somewhat misleading abbreviation for PROsumer, or upscale consumer.

Blériot53 Posted at 12-13 15:49
Maybe not - have a look at this thread, and read through.

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=281149&page=1#pid2927061

YIkes!  My plan is to take video and pictures of our family group (including the inlaws) with various interesting scenic backgrounds around Ireland.  I'll probably do most of the flying manually and keeping the drone close in case it runs low on battery very rapidly and lands unexpectedly.  Which will hopefully be a short walk to pick up.  I'm not planning on doing any maximum range tests or smart modes like dronie or asteroid.

LV_Forestry Posted at 12-13 11:09
The question of the vaccine was a bit awkwardly posed but I think CuAnnan just wants to give you the right information to visit his country.

Apologies if I overreacted.  Things are pretty tense in the US these days as far as who is allowed to do what depending on whether or not they are COVID vaccinated,  Nevermind you can die from the flu and be a carrier.  Nevemind millions can enter the country illegally and no one cares if they are vaccinated.  US citizens are losing their jobs over this issue so it can be a very serious situation.  It may ber similarly threatening in Europe?
We booked the trip through a travel agency, Love Ireland Tours, and for the king's ransom they charged us, hopefully all the details for an interesting visit are being taken care of.

LV_Forestry Posted at 12-13 11:09
The question of the vaccine was a bit awkwardly posed but I think CuAnnan just wants to give you the right information to visit his country.

Nah, I was gonna offer to lend them my M3. And because I'm in Cohort 4 (significant risk of death from Covid), I take all exposures seriously. Now that I have an M3E it doesn't get much use, and the M3 has a battery that'll run at much lower temperatures, well within what Ireland gets.

But then I saw the bull... about "illegals in America" and any inclination to be charitable dissappeared.

fans4b89104f Posted at 12-14 06:17
YIkes!  My plan is to take video and pictures of our family group (including the inlaws) with various interesting scenic backgrounds around Ireland.  I'll probably do most of the flying manually and keeping the drone close in case it runs low on battery very rapidly and lands unexpectedly.  Which will hopefully be a short walk to pick up.  I'm not planning on doing any maximum range tests or smart modes like dronie or asteroid.

Fingers crossed

Blériot53 Posted at 12-14 08:19
Fingers crossed

Indeed!  And thanks for the well wishes!

But I think armed with the helpful info I've received here and elsewhere, the Mini3Pro should perform fine if we take sensible precautions.  

I was at one time contemplating shipping one of my Mavics over as a backup but the whole reason I bought the Mini3Pro is  because I have no desire to lug around a bigger, heavier drone.  Yes, bigger, larger mass batteries have a wider operating temperature envelope and would cool down slower,  but I really don't plan on flying for any extended periods of time in any one spot.  We are travelling around in rental cars so things will be able to warm up some (or at least stop getting colder) between stops.

One concern based on the news here lately, is that Europe is experiencing a more severe heating fuel shortage than what we're experiencing here in the US, so I'm hoping hotels aren't severely cutting back on heating to save fuel and/or money.  After a whole day in the cold I would be looking forward to a nice warm hotel room. Hopefully the news here is just sensationalizing the situation over in Europe.

CuAnnan Posted at 12-14 08:05
Nah, I was gonna offer to lend them my M3. And because I'm in Cohort 4 (significant risk of death from Covid), I take all exposures seriously. Now that I have an M3E it doesn't get much use, and the M3 has a battery that'll run at much lower temperatures, well within what Ireland gets.

But then I saw the bull... about "illegals in America" and any inclination to be charitable dissappeared.

Well bless your heart for the kind albiet brierf intention, but I would not have taken you up on the offer anyway.  I never borrow anything I don't intend to buy, and I don't want another used M3.  I could have brought my own Mavic but I bought the MIni3Pro since it's an ideal travel drone.  Small, light, cool RC remote and has most all the high end featrues of the Mavic that I use and then some.  I'd much prefer shorter flights in the cold than lugging around heavier, bulkier hardware.

I only stated facts, no BS. I'm 77 years old with the usual age attendant co-morbidity issues, so I know well the importance of making sure I'm protected.  I can't depend on others to do the right thing like getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and the right masks at that, worn correctly.  Very few do.  I've never been infected with Covid.  I just got a flu vaccine as that is peaking here early, so I try to not take any unnecessary chances.

DJI Gamora Posted at 2022-12-14 04:15
Hi, fans4b89104f. You're welcome. We're happy that we were able to provide answers to your questions. Have a safe flight and travels always!

I appreciate all the good advice here, so here's a report on how the trip to Ireland went as far as the Mini 3 Pro was concerned.  The temps during the day were in the 4-6*C range. Rained every day on and off.  The winds at Giant's Causeway, the Aran Islands, and Cliffs of Moher were so high that I didn't want to chance flying the drone especially since the wind chill was down in the sub-zero range.  Definitely gloves and hand warmer weather.

Just before we left for Ireland the day after Christmas the temps here in Florida were about the same as we were expecting in Ireland, so I did some testing of the batteries before we left.  I soaked the batteries and controller out in the cold weather for about two hours and then flew the drone until the battery gauge was down to 50% at which point I still had 20 minutes of flying left.  With the high capacity batteries, I flew down to 50% and silsl had 30 minutes left.  This is just hovering a few feet off the ground in front of me.  No wind.

Unfortunately, Ireland was having an endemic of sicknesses while we were there, so much so hospitals were at peak capacity.  Our whole family caught something similar to the flu so we lost a lot of sighseeing time in bed resting.  Getting a late start each morning, by the time we reached our next stop there was little time left before sundown which was around 4pm.

Bottom line, I'm sure if I had a chance to use the drone more it would have done fine in that weather although much of the time I was more concerned about the drizzling rain's effect on the eletronics than the temperature.

LV_Forestry Posted at 2022-12-7 09:56
agree
DJI moderator wake up please ! Its time to clean the forum

Get a grip man

fans920e302a Posted at 12-2 04:37
Get a grip man

Dear customer, thank you for sharing your valuable suggestion with us.  Be sure that we will not fail to forward it to the relevant team.  Thanks for support.

fans920e302a Posted at 12-2 04:37
Get a grip man

It was a reasonable suggestion (and a freekin year ago...). Cross- and mis-posts should be moved to the correct forum by mods. The "Pro" in several DJI model names leads uninformed users to post about consumer-grade recreational aircraft in this forum, which is supposed to be dedicated to Enterprise (Pro) Systems.

Perhaps it is you who should acquire a hold.