Cheap fix for preventing batteries falling out.

[foxtrot]

I don't necessarily think he's only referring to heavy rain, but also in moist environments such as close to surf or mist where the most stunning drone shots are often captured...

 

[Rick218]

Nothing against the OP but 2 seconds of caution making sure the battery is full inserted to me is a lot simpler....

 

[drvrbobob]

I love this idea and like most of the people have posted we all check the battery connection. I double check my battery b4 flying but this is such an easy insurance against pilot error (and it happens) it is certainly worth an ATTA BOY!

 

[PhantomWetSuits]

I'm not preaching.
I just wondered why you would take the chance of flying in the rain and ruining your drone wetsuit or not.. just trying to understand what they're thinking

Come on DOC: No one wants to fly in the rain, but US: We do it to show how well the Phantom Rain Wet Suit can handle the RAIN - SNOW - COLD.

You have the Hobby GUYS: they like to fly when the day is like Mary Fking Poppins outside, lalaalalalala daa lllaa singing and whistling.

Than you have the select groups that make money with there drone, they need to get the job done, clients dont care about weather, and many need you to work when its raining pouring and snowing .

So if your a Mary Poppins flyer that is cool, but there is another group that need the Drone , need to rely on the drone, Need to see the drone , that is what we have always been about.

if it starts raining during a shoot , no need to panic,
If your about to crash into the trees, your props are locked in nice and tight.

This question reminds me of the other question : Why would anyone want to fly a drone. LOLLLLLLLLL

35% of the sales is from the UK< hummmmm I wonder why
25% is from news teams.
25% Research teams
the other 15% are from those just wanting to protect there drone and dont always want to fly on
a Mary Poppins day.

Its all good DOC ;} But lets expand the mind just a little bit.

 

[PhantomWetSuits]

I love this video as it is a little more than a slight of hand. While it does demonstrate the difference between insterting the battery properly vs improperly the owner likes to claim the wetsuit makes the real difference when he uses two very different methods of insertion.

The key is to physically and visually ensure the battery is installed correctly. The wetsuit may seal a bit, which will degrade quickly over time as any gasket does, it is the proper insertion that really makes the difference.

Good point: Will let you know when the NEOPRENE SEAL starts to degrade so far going on 2 years in the Storms, and of course that Includes RAIN< SNOW< HAIL< X-TREME winds .

YES MIKEY:; There are two methods shown: The right way and the wrong way. But even the right way has some issues as i think the VIDEO shows, you know right ?

 

[PhantomWetSuits]

Reading all these reports of batteries not connecting on both snaps, or other reasons batteries falling out and phantoms crashing. Got me to thinking. So I came up with this 'fix'. It's lightweight. Rock solid. Battery will not budge even when I press release buttons. All I have to do is keep a pair of Clippers to snip off center zip tie between flights and replace the one center tie on my next flight. Only a few cents for another zip tie and peace of mind.
When center is tightened, you have to radically force it to make the tie slide up or down so it's not going to move during a flight. And as long as it's lying flat it does not interfere with the power button.
I'm sure this could be improved but this is simple, cheap and it works.

Recognizing that there is a problem is the first step to getting Help: LOLLL ok than.

 

[umanbean]

Now i have to unsubscribe this thread too! grrrr...

LOLLLLL

 

[FL_Mike]

Good point: Will let you know when the NEOPRENE SEAL starts to degrade so far going on 2 years in the Storms, and of course that Includes RAIN< SNOW< HAIL< X-TREME winds .

YES MIKEY:; There are two methods shown: The right way and the wrong way. But even the right way has some issues as i think the VIDEO shows, you know right ?

You have a very interesting sales technique. I've never met any salesperson that goes out of their way to insult such a large base of customers.

 

[PhantomWetSuits]

We dont got know sales technique, Just Videos DUDE. Straight Up in your face , vids.

Like this one: Part 1 or Part 2 the flight we had to climb fast
While showing off the Neon Navy Tac 4 Wetsuit this happened.

Approved Vendor:

 

[MotorCycle-Man]

People should not stand out in the rain holding a radio control unit as that would be great place for a Big Bolt of Lightning to strike that RC unit Right on the Antenna and your head !....the clients can wait....They need to understand that tragic fatal accidents could happen..period !
Bet None of you play golf in the rain either....holding a aluminum stick on a open golf course is just as bad and deadly.

 

[David_Cambridge]

The remote does not attract lightening any more than the top of your head. The only ground path from the remote controller is through your feet, if you are standing.

 

[Safety71]

Not necessarily. It's possible to insert the battery in a way that causes only the top latch to catch. @PhantomWetSuits shows that a few times in this video:

Then it's operator error for not taking time to ensure the bird is safe and ready to fly properly. These same operators have a history of making other mistakes with their Birds. So you have to consider the source, and the fact that some of the Phantom owners are not taking their ownership seriously and the value of their unit seriously in the safety of others around them seriously enough. Which causes problems for the rest of the operators who do take safety and proper equipment operation and check out seriously.

 

[msinger]

Then it's operator error for not taking time to ensure the bird is safe and ready to fly properly.

Bingo.

 

[fasterpastor]

Despite this being discussed frequently, I still haven't seen any evidence of an actual problem.
It's common for a battery to be ejected in the event of a crash but if the battery is properly latched, it doesn't come out in flight.

I did loose a P4P this way, was only 25 feet up, battery vibrated loose and it came down hard. I have noticed on several occasions that I can put the battery in, sometimes the top latch is latched and the bottom one is not. There does seem to be some difference in the tolerances on my batteries. Talking with Engineers about this to see how to categorize this, since others have obviously experienced the same issue. The ones I spoke with thought this would be categorized as a "design weakness" and not a "design flaw" in that people who repair these drones have seen this issue a lot.

I did speak with a Yuneec dealer as well, and they have seen the same thing on the yuneec H520, battery in the compartment, but not fully engaged with the locking mechanism. They know that is the issue by the flight data. There will be data, and then....nothing total loss due to lack of power

After having to pay for the repair, NOW - I insert the battery, turn the copter over and try to pull it out every time. Part of my pre-flight check. Good luck and be safe.

 

[lickitysplit11111]

Reading all these reports of batteries not connecting on both snaps, or other reasons batteries falling out and phantoms crashing. Got me to thinking. So I came up with this 'fix'. It's lightweight. Rock solid. Battery will not budge even when I press release buttons. All I have to do is keep a pair of Clippers to snip off center zip tie between flights and replace the one center tie on my next flight. Only a few cents for another zip tie and peace of mind.
When center is tightened, you have to radically force it to make the tie slide up or down so it's not going to move during a flight. And as long as it's lying flat it does not interfere with the power button.
I'm sure this could be improved but this is simple, cheap and it works.

Bravo, if DJI starts including wire ties with P4P's you should sue their a$$...

 

[onthewave]

If there is a real problem, why have Dgi not had a recall?

Great question! I have been on the phone with them numerous times and all the way up the chain as high AS THEY LET YOU GET. They refuse to be transparent about this issue and the number of incidents is growing exponentially. Hence the Version 2 fix adding a battery sensor. Our company has a small claims lawsuit filed with DJI now for the very simple reason that they will not acknowledge the problem publicly. We have had the battery disconnect in mid air issue twice now. Unfortunately the 2nd time it was over the ocean filming Great White sharks. Hopefully they did not make an unhealthy meal of it! To add insult to injury the environmental impact of these water crashes is truly awful.

 

[onthewave]

Shouldn't it be impossible not to have the top and bottom latches secure when the battery is inserted? If the bottom latch isn't locking, then there's a distortion in the shape of the shell that is preventing it. I've observed our P4P and there's no way to have just one latch lock and the other out. The battery bottoms out against the shell and that's it. You can't push it in any farther.
Something must be wrong with the manufacture of a number of shells.

Watch the PHANTOMRAIN.ORG video as they demo what the battery is subjected to during flight maneuvers. It is also possible after looking at some of our well used batteries that the plastic on the latches gets slightly worn down which apparently may be contributing to this problem.

 

[Pro4]

I can't believe this is even being talked about... I mean really push the battery in all the way til both latches are good. There problem solved. Some of you guys must be millennials who can't use a manual can opener. Smh

 

[onthewave]

The OP hit the nail on the head. Some pilots are not snapping the battery into place on both the top and bottom. A recall is not needed since it's a pilot error. The new battery sensor should help for those who have the V2.

I have had this happen with the battery securely latched with both latches. Upon close examination some of the older batts I have do not fit completely flush and the gap between battery and compartment varies from battery to battery. Add high winds, fast maneuvers and the mix can result in a sudden disconnect, loss of power.

 

[snownut]

I'm telling you, someone comes up with a re-usable retainer clip for under $15.00, I'd bet they would sell them like hotcakes. $15.00 would be cheap insurance to ensure battery stays put. All Phantom 4 shells look to be the same, so would fit quite a few drones.