ANYONE GET PROPULSION ERRORS WHEN FLYING!?!?!

I keep getting same message. DJI told me they have no idea what it is but I shouldn't fly until they figure it out. That was a month ago !!!
I received it three time yesterday, turned around and headed home got it back safe.....so now what do we all do.????


I was never near full throttle at any time
 
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I've had this message a few times. My friend (also a P3P 4k) has had it, once while we were flying together we were both getting the message. I fly in low temps quite a bit so I figured that is part of it (coldest day was about 15 degrees F) I also tend to fly pretty hard. On colder days I hover or slowly circle my position for a min or two to warm the battery up before I start my run.

I don't think its a serious problem as I've probably had it a dozen+ times, different batteries, variety of temps... But like I said, I run it hard. (got it once while trying to beat my 61 mph top speed) I generally get the message when the battery is below 50% (but not always) so I just back off the "go" pedal a bit and that seems to help. Also, Watch your voltage (not just the % of batt left) You can see when you are pulling hard on it and can back off as necessary when you see the voltage drop...

Like I said, I've had it quite a few times but its never been a problem. Seems to be low temps and hard use are the main factors. Keep on Flying!

"There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots but there aren't many old, bold, pilots."
(unless they fly a Phantom...);)
 
Got this message twice this morning during a 14m flight. Happened 9 minutes in with batt temp 113f and again at 12m30s temp 123f. When I landed at 14m the battery temp was 130f. I wasn't really pushing it that hard at all. Air temp was about 79f here in FL. I see these errors every 2 or 3 flights. They don't seem to effect anything though. Should I be worried?
 
I'd say No, don't sweat it, but that's must my opinion...

Like I said, I've had it quite a few times and I've never had a problem. I'm still flying...
How about the guys that have fallen out of the sky with the same warning......
 
Here is my 2 cents...

I had the same warning with my last flight this past Sunday, May 29th. (Just after I updated my RCs firmware to 1.6). I have attached an image of when the warning took place I took off with 97% battery. All firmware updates have been successful. Why did I get this warning with 30% battery remaining?

I flew the day before with no issues, even though I had a warning to upgrade the RC which had been done previously. I finally got the 1.6.0 version to stick, and my first flight I get the propulsion warning.

Here is my HealthyDrones Link for the data.
HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters

Please advise!!
Nervous to fly again!!
image.png
 
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Here is my 2 cents...

I had the same warning with my last flight this past Sunday, May 29th. (Just after I updated my RCs firmware to 1.6). I have attached an image of when the warning took place I took off with 98% battery. All firmware updates have been successful. Why did I get this warning with 30% battery remaining?

I flew the day before with no issues, even though I had a warning to upgrade the RC which had been done previously. I finally got the 1.6.0 version to stick, and my first flight I get the propulsion warning.

Here is my HealthyDrones Link for the data.
HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters

Please advise!!
Nervous to fly again!!
View attachment 55601
I'm not sure why you are worried. You should be happy I think. You said yourself that you were already down to 30%. The warning was telling you that you triggered a combination of low voltage levels and flight maneuvers that could have led to something bad. That warning is telling you effectively that it is saving you from yourself by not letting you draw more from the battery than it could give in its depleted state.
 
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I'm not sure why you are worried. You should be happy I think. You said yourself that you were already down to 30%. The warning was telling you that you triggered a combination of low voltage levels and flight maneuvers that could have led to something bad. That warning is telling you effectively that it is saving you from yourself by not letting you draw more from battery than it could in its depleted state.
But why now? As a rule, I usually land at or before 30% battery, but I have flown down to 10% before with no issues. On this day, the wind was very mild, and I was not pushing my Phantom 3 Pro hard at all. It was only after the RC update that I received this warning. Never had the warning before with lower battery percentages and working the P3P a lot harder.
 
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It's no big deal, I believe it was part of the 1.6 update to counter the drone falling out the sky if battery temp dropped, then the drone would just cut out and fall out the sky. What I don't understand is the that the propulsion has been limited warning, why is this, is it because the batteries are over heating, likely when drawing current or that they were too cold in which case you don't want propulsion limiting at all, in fact you want more
 
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But why now?
Because you exceeded one or more of the safety parameters that DJI implemented with AC FW 1.6 as a fix for the debacle of AC FW 1.5. With a 30% battery, it is highly likey (almost certain) that the software encountered conditions which would drive battery voltages too low. It then limited output as designed. It is normally acceleration or ascension with a depleted enough battery that leads to triggering this safety protocol. The Phantom calculates the potential to reach a critical voltage level, so it forces a slow down in propulsion. I can only speculate since I dont know all of the environmental conditions or what your stick commands actually were at any given moment. Nor do we know precisely what DJI has set as parameters or how they calculate for potential issues.

It was only after the RC update that I received this warning.
You've been flying with AC1.8 / RC1.6 since mid April, so its not related.
 
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is it because the batteries are over heating, likely when drawing current or that they were too cold in which case you don't want propulsion limiting at all, in fact you want more
It is actually the opposite of this with regards to cold batteries. If you have cold batteries, the last thing you want to do is increase propulsion. LIPO batteries need to be warm for best performance. DJI in fact suggests allowing a warm up period before lifting off. They also sell battery warmers.
 
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It is actually the opposite of this with regards to cold batteries. If you have cold batteries, the last thing you want to do is increase propulsion. LIPO batteries need to be warm for best performance. DJI in fact suggests allowing a warm up period before lifting off. They also sell battery warmers.

That rings true because when I bought my p3a in January this year it was cold and we had snow on the ground, taking the drone into a cold snow covered field, set it all up only to get a warning unable to fly - battery temp too low, needed to be 15°c, I have a hardcase now with foam insert so batts are always warm now but back then I just kept them in my pocket to get round the temp issue, had no problems since, I think it was at this time I read threads of AC dropping out the sky due to batt temp, then we had the 1.6 update which addresses that hence now we get the warning
 
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I got this warning too last month, on a cool night, it was my second flight on same battery...I was told P3P was landing, no matter what I said or did. Thankfully I was not over water, and only about 500 feet away from bird...but I was at an event where ordinary citizens were milling about...I made sure it was landing away from people...and that was it, landed, no questions asked.

I checked my flight on healthydrones...it showed no adverse warnings...battery levels were good, and temp was ABOVE normal operating temps, so I was pissed that there was nothing I could pinpoint as the reason for the msg.

I chalked it up to the temperature...50F. Haven't seen that same warning since...and now that it's summer here in New York, doubt I'll see it again for a while.
 
Haven't seen that same warning since...and now that it's summer here in New York, doubt I'll see it again for a while.
Just an FYI that you can see the warning no matter the ambient air temperature. If you are doing something that drives a voltage need which the Phantom calculates can lead to a critical low voltage situation, it will want to save itself and mitigate the risk it sees in those circumstances. It will issue the propulsion warning and limit voltage draw even in a NY summer.

For example, it's supposed to be around 100F/38C for me today. If I am flying with a low battery level and I try to accelerate or ascend quicker than the Phantom calculates is safe, I would expect to get the propulsion limited warning. If I didn't get the warning in those circumstance, then THAT would be a problem which would concern me. Cheers sir!
 
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Yeah that's exactly it but you put it better than I did, .....'it will want to save itself and mitigate the risk it sees in those circumstances'........

Before the update it would just shut off and fall to the ground and you'd be taking your bird home in a bag, +1 for a positive update for a change
 
Because you exceeded one or more of the safety parameters that DJI implemented with AC FW 1.6 as a fix for the debacle of AC FW 1.5. With a 30% battery, it is highly likey (almost certain) that the software encountered conditions which would drive battery voltages too low. It then limited output as designed. It is normally acceleration or ascension with a depleted enough battery that leads to triggering this safety protocol. The Phantom calculates the potential to reach a critical voltage level, so it forces a slow down in propulsion. I can only speculate since I dont know all of the environmental conditions or what your stick commands actually were at any given moment. Nor do we know precisely what DJI has set as parameters or how they calculate for potential issues.


You've been flying with AC1.8 / RC1.6 since mid April, so its not related.
That's what I thought too, but Sunday morning, I had a warning that there was a new firmware for my RC. It took me two different attempts to finally get the update to work. How can my RC back date itself? Very strange behavior indeed! As for conditions, they were perfect! Very little wind, mid 70s, 7:30 in the morning. Great flight except for that tiny scare toward the end when I was bringing it back to land it.
 
I got this warning too last month, on a cool night, it was my second flight on same battery...I was told P3P was landing, no matter what I said or did. Thankfully I was not over water, and only about 500 feet away from bird...but I was at an event where ordinary citizens were milling about...I made sure it was landing away from people...and that was it, landed, no questions asked.

I checked my flight on healthydrones...it showed no adverse warnings...battery levels were good, and temp was ABOVE normal operating temps, so I was pissed that there was nothing I could pinpoint as the reason for the msg.

I chalked it up to the temperature...50F. Haven't seen that same warning since...and now that it's summer here in New York, doubt I'll see it again for a while.
This happened toward the end of my flight, and my battery temp was at the highest it has ever been, 132.7 degrees fahrenheit. (See image attached.) I just think it's very strange behavior. If DJI implemented this as a warning, I wish they would have listed a set of parameters in which this warning would appear.
Screen Shot 2016-05-31 at 12.36.46 PM.png
 
thank you sir, and in that instance, I would be landing in a NEW YORK MINUTE! :D
Ha. There is nothing like a NY minute. I grew up out on Long Island and spent a bit of time in Yonkers and Armonk. :)
 
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