I honestly think it's BS. I have never ran into that issue and I'm on the last update. I will let my batteries sit for greater than a week with no issue. Sure they are around 85% or so but that's just the lifestyle I live. Only when I have a dedicated trip planned with the phantom do I charge the night before. And that's rare.
So... why are you here?
As far as details tied to the issue. All you have to do is go back and read the threads related to them. Sure it'll take some time, but once you are willing to spend the time, sometimes you see a pattern emerging. So staying "on topic", there are plenty of threads out there. Plenty of people posting their DAT files. And there is a pattern. Go dig it up for yourself so you don't have to listen to the old-timer.
alokbhargava
Premium Pilot
Auto discharge is expected to stop when you turn on the battery so how can it be responsible for dropping P3 suddenly unless auto discharge circuit has a bug. Also, no auto discharge system will discharge the battery to almost to critical voltage levels in few minutes.
In other words either auto discharge circuit fails to do what it's supposed to do or there is a bug that DJI tried to fix.
In other words either auto discharge circuit fails to do what it's supposed to do or there is a bug that DJI tried to fix.
I think you are assuming the instrumentation is correction. Which from some of the reports here, it isn't (ie. DJI Go apps says 90%, 50%, etc, while the DAT file says 20% battery).
This theory is pants. Working on photography in the field I can get 95% of shots in under 3 minutes then I bring the bird down move location, take off with the same battery. It's just not viable to say always take off with 100% when out in the field unless you had about 10 battery's, one for each location. I myself can take off at 50% get my shot and land but I am always monitoring voltage in the cells and I don't fly at full throttle.
I just don't think dji would devolp something to use professionally with such a big clause over the battery.
I just don't think dji would devolp something to use professionally with such a big clause over the battery.
I agree with people who have to do lots of short flights for their photography/video work, it's nearly impossible to have to fully recharge the batteries back up to 100% for each flight. They should be able to take off again with batteries at 80% provided they monitor the battery voltage and the weather is not too cold. I personally also don't set the battery auto-discharge to just 1 day, never know if I fly more than 24 hours after last recharge the batteries may have started the auto-recharge process. So I set mine to 5 days auto-recharge. These are supposedly to be expensive smart Lipo batteries, if they can't even deliver the performance when they are under 100% capacity, then I think they are "dumb" batteries instead and not worth DJI's asking price 
ianwood
Taco Wrangler
That's pretty interesting. Try this next time to mimic the "failure" condition.
1. Do what you do and leave the battery around until auto-discharge kicks in a day or two. And verify that your battery is only partially charged (to prove your point).
2. If you can roll your firmware back to pre 1.06 that would prove you are right. Supposedly the firmware issue relating to the battery is fixed in the latest firmware. So testing it with 1.06 firmware wouldn't be conclusive as it could have been the firmware fix that did its job.
3. Then take your quad out for some hard flying like moving forward and ascending at the same time at top speed until you reach 400 AGL. Then maybe some more hard flying like fast forward to reach maximum speed and then full reverse a few times.
If you do three above, please post your DAT file so people can do an analysis to see how the quad is behaving.
Here's the common denominator from most of the "P3 drop out of the sky".
1. battery wasn't freshly charged prior flight and may have already entered auto discharge state, but almost always the instrumentation reads a good amount of charge left (60% or more).
2. Not running on the latest 1.06 firmware which supposed to have fixed the battery logic issue.
3. Took the quad for some hard flying that pulls a lot of juice causing the battery to shut itself down due to under voltage.
Here's the difference from what I can gather from all the reports on this forum:
If you just charge your battery up to say 65%, take it off the charger, then go out and use it. You would not have the problem.
If you left your battery on the shelf for a few days UNTIL auto-discharge kicks in. Then you go use THAT battery for some hard flying (say ascending and accelerating forward at the same time at full speed), you would potentially get the battery shut off in mid-air issue (in previous version of firmware).
In all the cases that I have read happened, reported, and DAT files provided, the "starting out" capacity of the battery was way less than what the DJI Go App reported. Hence, you get people thinking they actually still have 65% of battery when in fact they have less than 20% and then took it out for hard flying.
Now reading the entire thread was a bloomin nightmare... But in a nutshell +1
I have been reading & analysing myself...
& I AGREE (all be it that I am shouting here.. which doesn't make it right - but just go read & analyse everyone!)
The common link is the battery auto discharge.
Flying on used batteries is different to flying on discharged batteries..
(My own flights confirm... i.e. I have flown on part used batteries (landed & taken off again without charging - on the same day or next day)
(My batteries start auto discharge after 3 days)
If it has been two days since flying I simple top up - as my own "good practice"
Now I have had ZERO problems (& many many other users haven't either)
BUT... I also respect allowing batteries to warm up (whilst in hover for a min or two) - I am in the uk (getting cold at the mo - about 5c on average where I live & fly often)
So much of this thread is based on theory / speculation... it's BS (but it's a forum.. Each to their own!)
I'm enjoying A LOT of flights (on most up-to-date software.. like I always am)
I am doing fine & not encountering ANY problems... (In very similar situations to others.. But maybe they haven't realised certain facts or have unintentionally omitted something from their explained scenario)
Sorry to those of you that are having problems - but technology is consistent (regardless of if it is good or bad)... humans are not, (we are all different.. & that's great!)
Please can people start putting the correct procedures in place & read the DJI advice properly
(This forum is betting boring with the same repetitive threads that are getting completely out of hand... for no reason)
So when a battery enters discharge state. It becomes drunk and paralytic and can no longer communicate with the app. Causing false readings
Would you know if it is just the dji app messing up. As I am using litchi, in fact I might put a battery into discharge state and try both apps to see if readings are different.
ianwood
Taco Wrangler
I am going to repeat this again:
There are two very simple ways to avoid this problem:
There are two very simple ways to avoid this problem:
- Update to the latest firmware. It's not 100% certain it is fixed but DJI indicated they made changes to address it.
- Do not fly on partially charged batteries that have been sitting for a long period (e.g. > one day).
I was at a regional RC event (representing my rocketry club that shares the same facility) and an airplane fell out of the sky and landed about 4 feet from me in the spectator area. No sound because the engine had stopped. The reason it stopped was probably the flaming battery pack inside the wreckage.
Maybe they figure a flaming battery pack falling from the sky is more of a liability than a plastic drone?
Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app
Agreed.... when one cell collapses under load the rx can go offline (esp if the pack total voltage drops below the lower limit of the BEC).... happend to me more than once. The pack does seem to recover quick and to the point you can land. Load it up though and the problem repeats. It seems this is an operating characteristic of the lipo technology the smart circuitry cant sace us from. Unfortinately if it happens with the phantom its all over, no opportunity to glide.
Alright, up to you what you want to believe. I did some of the groundwork for you. Now you just have to read it for details:
Here's a search of all the threads in P3 area containing keyword "fall" or "drop"
I'll skip over the obvious root causes like a pilot error (simply crashing into something or executing a mid-air CSC stop command).
Also read this thread first to get some background (at least acknowledgement from DJI) so you get some background information:
DJI may replace your P2, Inspire, or P3 if it crashed due to battery | DJI Phantom Forum
Advance falling out of sky | DJI Phantom Forum
OP stated he started with 55% battery.
Root Cause: not determined.
Phantom 3P falls out of sky | DJI Phantom Forum
OP recalled battery at 95% when took off.
Flight Record indicate OP took off at 63% battery.
Flight Record indicate battery shut off when voltage hit 3V due to a steep climb.
Sky Fall | DJI Phantom Forum
OP stated took off at 58% battery
Root Cause: not determined.
Fell Out of Sky - Total Loss | DJI Phantom Forum
OP reported battery at 100% but auto discharge had kicked in.
Flight Record indicate OP took off at 61% battery.
P3P - Loss of Power and Crash | DJI Phantom Forum
Flight Record indicate battery at 54% on take off.
Flight Record showed voltage drop below 3V (real battery capacity should be 0%)
Root Cause: battery voltage drop below critical level
Phantom 3 fell from the sky today (lost power?) | DJI Phantom Forum
Flight Record indicate battery at 55% on take-off.
Root Cause: battery voltage drop below the critical 3V level.
Phantom lost connection and fell from the sky for no reason. | DJI Phantom Forum
OP reported took at less than 60% battery
Flight Record indicate taking off less than 70% battery.
P3 Pro Crash. Drone falls from Sky no warning. | DJI Phantom Forum
Flight Record indicate take off at 68% battery.
I would like try to tie down my phantom and try the scenario with the propellers on and full power usage is different directions while different battery % and also while self discharging.
What I'm not aware of is if that would void the warranty ( I've already got a RMA label for cracks under rear arms)....
Also, does anyone compared the log txt file from the device with the dat file for the battery %? that would help see if what is displayed by the DJI GO app is accurate or not, we are all prone to mistakes....if in the case in which DJI GO displays inaccurate charging levels, maybe there are flaws in other appis and reports, maybe underlaying cause for another good % of crashes? how one/more value/s reportes by the same sensor could be read different? or are there more sensors ( ex: latency reasons)? does DJI Go gets not real time values or just memory and some surface estimates???
What I'm not aware of is if that would void the warranty ( I've already got a RMA label for cracks under rear arms)....
Also, does anyone compared the log txt file from the device with the dat file for the battery %? that would help see if what is displayed by the DJI GO app is accurate or not, we are all prone to mistakes....if in the case in which DJI GO displays inaccurate charging levels, maybe there are flaws in other appis and reports, maybe underlaying cause for another good % of crashes? how one/more value/s reportes by the same sensor could be read different? or are there more sensors ( ex: latency reasons)? does DJI Go gets not real time values or just memory and some surface estimates???
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I don't wanna stir the pot but **** here goes
My battery was at 100 or **** near when I took off flew around for 10-12 min batt level at 50 %yhen drop out the sky from about 15 ft . P3p and four batteries less than a wk old. Discharge at default 10 days. At Dji support now waiting on it to be repaired and shipped back to me . At less than a wk old , I flew my bird daily and recharged to full every time. Maybe just a placebo
Due note new style motor and the day my quad crashed I got the update to 1.06 pop up when entering the app
My battery was at 100 or **** near when I took off flew around for 10-12 min batt level at 50 %yhen drop out the sky from about 15 ft . P3p and four batteries less than a wk old. Discharge at default 10 days. At Dji support now waiting on it to be repaired and shipped back to me . At less than a wk old , I flew my bird daily and recharged to full every time. Maybe just a placebo
Due note new style motor and the day my quad crashed I got the update to 1.06 pop up when entering the app
HI,
to me there's a difference in voltage drops between taking off easy hovering at 10 feet for a while, descending easy and landing, as opposed to take off full throttle, flying full throttle for the same time, working the speed hard and fast and then landing. If you measured the voltage drops thru time on both flights, Im under the impression that the hard flight would show higher drops. When you have a full battery, with 100% of milliamp hours charged, the deeper drop doesnt matter, when you battery depletes and the static voltage is lower and closer to critical, any great load will drop the volts close to or below the critical stage... Ex. I just saw an RC heli do this at the local field. at the end of flight we commented how powerful the motor was, the pilot decided to show us the power by ascending full throttle. Because he was close to the ground the battery didn't recover in time and he had a very hard landing. I am not an elec engineer, but this is how I understand how ohms law works. Hitec also cautions users to design the batt source so a catastrophic voltage drop doesnt cause a crash. They even design there recvers so you can tap off of the higher votage tap direct from the batts (instead of the ESC) Which I think is a good design... (prob. from experience ;-)
Holy Crap Llambo
Can you post more details. This is not good, Sorry for your loss! Keep us posted on dji's response!
Can you tell us: What the % or voltage was when you started a charge. How long did the charge take? What was the voltage at end or charge or at start of flight?
Thank you
