Cold Battery Warning

[RVD98072]

I was flying today to try out a new battery. I also had 2 other batteries that were left in my bag in the car. The new battery was recently charged indoors so it worked fine but when I took the first of the batteries that was in the car I got a warning message that the battery temperature is below 25 degrees celsius. It was at 15 degrees so I flew up and flew around in circles to bring up the temperature. I played around with speed a bit and it didn't go very fast so the new firmware is working.

At around 22 degrees or so I brought it up and it got to 25 degrees when I got up to 400 ft. It flew fine.

I guess to avoid this you should have your batteries indoors or in your jacket or somewhere not too cold.

I'm in the Pacific Northwest so it's not really cold around here but it was probably in the low 40s today.

 

[neven]

Cold warning @ 25C? That's odd. I usually start with room temperature battery (20C) and have 25C few minutes into the flight/warmup when outside temp is 0-10C. Never had that warning.


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[RVD98072]

I actually recorded it so I can get it tomorrow but it said that my battery is too cold since it's below 25C. It was my first time seeing it. The battery screen said that my battery was at 15C.

 

[WetDog]

I've had this a couple of times. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a screen shot. DJI-Tim (or one of the 'DJI's' over at the DJI forum) was interested. I got the impression from his posts that he'd not seen this before. Once it happened about 2 - 5 C, the other in when the weather was about 15 C. I think it's a single battery in my case. Both times I've received the 'error' I put the battery in my coat pocket, ran another battery and installed the miscreant battery in again without problems or messages.

 

[steevo]

I live in Scotland and it does not get to 25c even in summer. I have flown several times this winter (last flight just two days ago) and the air temperature was only 3c. I put a hand warmer in the back pack to keep the temperature up and place the hand warmer on the next battery I am going to use while the drone is in the air. Flew for 50 minutes (I have 4 batteries) with no problems at all.


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[Sinisalo]

I actually recorded it so I can get it tomorrow but it said that my battery is too cold since it's below 25C. It was my first time seeing it. The battery screen said that my battery was at 15C.

To keep my batteries warm I put them in a backpack with bags of dry rice that I microwave. I keep the batteries in the styrofoam and cardboard packages they came in. This is my temporary solution until I get a drone crates backpack and then I will put the batteries in the cut foam of the backpack and put the bags of warm (dry) rice in with everything.

 

[RVD98072]

Well, I don't think it cares about ambient temperature (whether you are flying in 0 degree weather or 100 degree weather (in F, not C), it just cares about battery temperature. If it detects that the battery temperature is below 25C, it will limit thrust, etc. so the amps pulled from the battery will be minimized. This is until it detects that the battery temp is 25C or above at which point you can then accelerate and fly at top velocity as usual.

I attached 2 screenshots - first screenshot is of the warning message and the second is the battery screen that I immediately went to after that to see the temperature. As mentioned before I flew around in circles keeping the aircraft close to warm up the battery.

My batteries were sitting in the DJI hardshell backpack in the car in my office parking lot and then were sitting outside in the backpack while I was flying for about 15 minutes with my other battery. I guess in the future I will take out batteries that I plan to use and store them in my jacket to warm them up a bit before flying.

 

[Tim Swartz]

I've been flying in cold weather at high elevation all winter now. Sometimes keeping batteries in goggle pouches with hand warmers in my jacket, sometimes just keeping them in my hardshell pack while skiing. I've had some issues with low voltage while covering a lot of ground on a flight but for the first time today I was restricted on takeoff due to battery temp being too low. Was that recently added?

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I was flying today to try out a new battery. I also had 2 other batteries that were left in my bag in the car. The new battery was recently charged indoors so it worked fine but when I took the first of the batteries that was in the car I got a warning message that the battery temperature is below 25 degrees celsius. It was at 15 degrees so I flew up and flew around in circles to bring up the temperature. I played around with speed a bit and it didn't go very fast so the new firmware is working.

At around 22 degrees or so I brought it up and it got to 25 degrees when I got up to 400 ft. It flew fine.

I guess to avoid this you should have your batteries indoors or in your jacket or somewhere not too cold.

I'm in the Pacific Northwest so it's not really cold around here but it was probably in the low 40s today.

You didn't mention which Phantom series you had. This seems to be something new since the P3 battery came into play.

 

[WetDog]

I'm pretty sure this is new - Seemed to show up after 1.5.

Be nice if DJI just documented it. Wouldn't really hurt to write a paragraph stating a 'new feature'. It's not like they would have to reprint their manuals.....

Grrr.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I'm pretty sure this is new - Seemed to show up after 1.5.

Be nice if DJI just documented it. Wouldn't really hurt to write a paragraph stating a 'new feature'. It's not like they would have to reprint their manuals.....

Grrr.

It is part of the latest firmware...

What’s New:

1. Improved battery reliability when using the aircraft in cold environments.
2. Optimized battery management.
   

 

[Sinisalo]

lots of people were complaining that instead of leaving it up to them they should be locked out of flying on a battery that is too cold. In just about every thread where someone dropped out of the sky due to flying on a cold or not fully charged battery, someone complains that it should be restricting them from flying. I get why DJI put it in there, but I agree that they should have put it in the release notes.

 

[jclenik]

Thanks to all of you...great info!

 

[WetDog]

It is part of the latest firmware...

What’s New:

1. Improved battery reliability when using the aircraft in cold environments.
2. Optimized battery management.

I'd almost give them credit, but no - release notes need to be detailed so that 1) most users can completely ignore them and 2) a few OCD users can read them.

 

[RVD98072]

You didn't mention which Phantom series you had. This seems to be something new since the P3 battery came into play.

Yeah, you are correct. Phantom 3 Advanced.

 

[PeakXV]

It wouldn't let me takeoff. How do you override it within the P3S. It was cold here today, about -10c, I took from a very warm house, straight out to the launch pad and it was already too cold. Where is the sensor located?

 

[neven]

Leave it outside for 15 minutes turned off and then do a cold IMU calibration inside. Let it warm up, battery especially, and then try to power it up outside.


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[PeakXV]

Leave it outside for 15 minutes turned off and then do a cold IMU calibration inside. Let it warm up, battery especially, and then try to power it up outside.


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Ok, thanks Neven - I was way out of time/light and just wanted to do an up, some video, and down to do a quick test, as the next three days are storm/wind days. Didn't happen. Obviously it's a software bugaboo that needs an upgrade,,,,, asap!!

 

[PeakXV]

Leave it outside for 15 minutes turned off and then do a cold IMU calibration inside. Let it warm up, battery especially, and then try to power it up outside.


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Okay, I've tried this and a plethora of variations of this, and I keep getting the same error that prevents the quadcopter from starting up. It's a balmy -4c today, starting to get nervous as I've had it for almost 2 weeks, have not yet flown, and need it for a gig on sunday morning. Suggestions welcomed. On the DJI forum it says simply to put the battery in your pocket for a few minutes, and then try it ..... are they being serious?

 

[RVD98072]

yes, they are being serious. warm up the battery first by putting it in your coat pocket and then try it once the battery is warmed up.

most of these lithium batteries don't perform very well when really cold so they could cause the drone to fall out of the sky (battery cut off).

after you fly for awhile the batteries warm up though so you just need to make sure that they are sorta warm when you start.