Hi all. New hobbyist here. We just happened across a nearly brand-new in-box Phantom 2 Vision+ for next to nothing on a local auction site.
It appears the only time it's ever been out of the box is whenever someone removed the battery for some unknown reason, since that's the only thing missing.
I've been doing a little bit of reading on this site and elsewhere and I know there's a good chance if I want to get this legacy drone flying I'll have to re-flash the wifi module, track down an older phone to do the initial pairing on and potentially fly on, etc. That's all alright with me and I can do that.
The battery situation is what I'm curious about. This being an 11-year-old drone that has apparently just been sitting on a shelf somewhere the whole time, even if the original battery had been included, I'm not sure what the chances would've been of it still being functional anyway.
Without it, I've got to figure out what my best option might be for sourcing at least one compatible battery. Of course it's been ages since DJI has produced these batteries, so I'm not sure whether to trust any old-stock batteries online. There are a few 'new' ones listed on sites like Amazon, and eBay has a few used ones. I gave a listing off AliExpress a shot, that being the cheapest option I could find by far, but that particular one never arrived and was refunded after 30 days. Could have been a fluke, could be a sign of what to expect for any AliExpress batteries for these drones, don't know.
Are there reputable aftermarket manufacturers still producing compatible batteries? Or produced them recently enough to trust them if I can find one?
Are there modifications I can do to the drone to get it to accept other batteries that I have a better chance of finding?
I am at maybe a moderate level of experience with hobby electrical work, but I've never worked with drones before.
Is my best bet trying to track down a second used Vision+ or Vision+ battery that has been consistently used and kept/treated well for the last decade?
Sort of at the point of weighing my options between trying to get this one working or parting it out / selling for parts and putting whatever I make toward a different drone that isn't a historical artifact by drone standards. But if I can get this old-timer in the air, it should be capable of everything I currently want to do with a drone, mostly short-distance low-resolution aerial video and photography for photogrammetry.
Appreciative of any insight. Thanks!
It appears the only time it's ever been out of the box is whenever someone removed the battery for some unknown reason, since that's the only thing missing.
I've been doing a little bit of reading on this site and elsewhere and I know there's a good chance if I want to get this legacy drone flying I'll have to re-flash the wifi module, track down an older phone to do the initial pairing on and potentially fly on, etc. That's all alright with me and I can do that.
The battery situation is what I'm curious about. This being an 11-year-old drone that has apparently just been sitting on a shelf somewhere the whole time, even if the original battery had been included, I'm not sure what the chances would've been of it still being functional anyway.
Without it, I've got to figure out what my best option might be for sourcing at least one compatible battery. Of course it's been ages since DJI has produced these batteries, so I'm not sure whether to trust any old-stock batteries online. There are a few 'new' ones listed on sites like Amazon, and eBay has a few used ones. I gave a listing off AliExpress a shot, that being the cheapest option I could find by far, but that particular one never arrived and was refunded after 30 days. Could have been a fluke, could be a sign of what to expect for any AliExpress batteries for these drones, don't know.
Are there reputable aftermarket manufacturers still producing compatible batteries? Or produced them recently enough to trust them if I can find one?
Are there modifications I can do to the drone to get it to accept other batteries that I have a better chance of finding?
I am at maybe a moderate level of experience with hobby electrical work, but I've never worked with drones before.
Is my best bet trying to track down a second used Vision+ or Vision+ battery that has been consistently used and kept/treated well for the last decade?
Sort of at the point of weighing my options between trying to get this one working or parting it out / selling for parts and putting whatever I make toward a different drone that isn't a historical artifact by drone standards. But if I can get this old-timer in the air, it should be capable of everything I currently want to do with a drone, mostly short-distance low-resolution aerial video and photography for photogrammetry.
Appreciative of any insight. Thanks!
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