I am going to repeat this again:
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).
Note: It is OK to fly on partially charged batteries if you use them right away. On set, we take off, shoot and land multiple times on one battery. Not a problem.
All you guys should listen to Ianwood, his advice will solve your problems and bring back your confidence in your Phantom 3 over time.
I just got back from CES where I had two separate conversations with knowledgeable DJI employees, one from each of their two booths at the show. Each of their booths had one technical person there, and I made it a point to seek out that person. I asked for the most knowledgeable person to discuss Phantom 3 firmware. Below is what I learned, and this info was echoed by both employees in these separate conversations.
Regarding reports of sudden power loss during flight,
battery shut downs are only a problem with the 1.5 firmware, period. 1.4 did not have the problem, nor any firmware before 1.4. It's important to know 1.6 solved this critical problem. That's why 1.5 was replaced so quickly with 1.6. So if you're using 1.5, DON'T FLY again until you either go back to 1.4, or move up to 1.6. After these conversations I deem 1.5 as the kiss of death, so just don't fly it!
The problem is solely in the 1.5 Phantom firmware, NOT the battery firmware. The 1.5 Phantom firmware was misreading the voltage levels from the battery, simply as that. However the display was showing the right voltage and % level. This misreading of the battery below 3.0V by the firmware is what triggered the battery protection which shut down the motors. Again, this was
not a problem in the battery firmware, it was solely a Phantom firmware problem. If you recall there was no battery update in 1.5, however the shutdown problems started with 1.5, which supports the the notion that the
Phantom 1.5 firmware is what started this issue. In 1.5, although you may see 60% battery level in your display, and you really do have 60% battery (a true reading), the firmware does not see that level, it mistakenly sees a lower voltage. The firmware is flawed, way off. It misinterpreted battery level, lower than reality, hence battery protection kicks in and turns off the power when your battery gauge says it's at 40 to 60%, then falling from the sky. Not good.
Normally when you land at 20% your batteries are
not close to 3.0 V, I think the batteries read somewhere around 3.3V - 3.4V if I recall right. In 1.5 the firmware, when you see a reasonable battery level (I'll use 50 or 60% as an example), the firm sees 3.0V, which isn't reality, a bogus reading. Yes, this is a major error in battery level detection in 1.5 FW, one that will cost DJI a fair amount in warranty claims, I would assume. In this particular case, I can see why DJI would be motivated to MANDATE getting off 1.5, given the catastrophic consequences being reported. Anyone flying 1.5 is on thin ice, IMHO.
So what's the battery firmware update for in 1.6? This new battery firmware is where the acceleration decrease and vertical speed decreases comes from. They put a governor to limit maximum current draw. Sudden high current drain can fluctuate voltage on a low battery which might contribute to a problem if someone ran the battery down to 10% and then gave it full throttle, instead of babying the throttle. 1.6 firmware should help with flight times for anyone that has a habit of full throttle flying. It's my opinion that DJI didn't have to put a governor in the battery since they fixed the root problem in the Phantom 1.5 firmware, by releasing 1.6. Given what I learned,
I believe the 1.4 battery firmware should work fine with 1.6 Phantom firmware, and you'll have your power back, and the drifting will be fixed too from the new 1.6 Phantom firmware (which was common complaint in 1.4 Phantom firmware). I particularly don't like losing the acceleration and vertical speed I use to have with 1.4 (I'm spoiled), so I'm going to do an experiment using
1.4 battery firmware with my
1.6 Phantom firmware and report back, to prove this point. I happen to have one battery with 1.4 firmware that I'm going to use for a quick test. All my other 4 batteries have 1.6 firmware.
The Phantom 1.6 firmware definitely fixes the battery shutdown issues. Nobody has has reported a problem to DJI with 1.6 , specifically with battery shutdown being an issue. With 1.6 you can fly partial discharge batteries like you use to do with 1.4 with confidence, just land before 20% for good margin and you'll be fine.
The auto-discharging of the battery also has nothing to do with this battery shutdown issue. If your battery goes into auto-discharge and you power up the craft with it, the discharging automatically stops. The Phantom firmware knows nothing about the discharge routine, it only reads the voltage at power up (correctly now with 1.6) and reports this to your screen. With 1.6, what the Phantom firmware sees as the voltage is now the same as what you see on the screen as the voltage, which is also interpolated into percentage left on the charge.
Cold weather has nothing to do with the battery shut down problem, however cold batteries will reduce your flight time, which is logical because Li-Po's are known to perform worse when cold, typically 10-15% less flight time. It is a good idea to keep the batteries warm before launch to maximize flight times, however a cold battery isn't a factor in battery shutdown, the 1.5 firmware was the sole cause, simply from misinterpreting the "true voltage" of the battery.
On a related subject...... regarding going back to 1.4 from 1.6, one for these tech guys (on this subject I didn't verify with the other guy) said you can go back to 1.4, however you have to go back to 1.5 first. Then after you have 1.5 loaded successfully you can go back to 1.4. He said this would work. That does not mean you can go back to 1.32 after you get to 1.4. Then he said try it if you feel compelled, he wasn't 100% sure about 1.32, he said it might work, but was pretty sure it won't.
FYI, going back to 1.32 I think you lose way-points, POI, and Follow me, etc. Those important features (Important to some) came in 1.4, if I remember correctly. For most people I don't think you'll want to lose these features. I realize 1.4 had the drifting issue, but I was able to tolerate that, however I don't get much wind here in So. Calif. That "drift fix" could be more important to others, and that's fixed in 1.6.
DON'T USE 1.5 !