Invalid Battery on Phantom Vision..Advice needed.

not close unfortunately - had to buy online to be able to get it unfortunately, not really sure of any others users near by either :-(
 
Well, battery comm with the PV is not the problem; I can see the Assistant was able to read your battery's firmware (1.6.0.0) so clearly there's data communication. However I do see another problem, the hardware ID of your battery appears to be corrupt. Specifically, the last digit, it should be a numeral.

I also see that your Central Board firmware is not current. Your screenshot shows 1.0.1.16 yet the current version is 1.0.0.1.18 and we know a discrepancy in the PV's firmware can generate a false "invalid battery" warning.

Try upgrading your Central Board firmware again to see if that clears the problem.

iDrone
 
thanks iDrone -

problem is that i have just been downloading the firmware as per the DJI site, however it appears that it will never update further than the .16 version, so not sure how i can any update any further when its saying that there isn't a higher upgrade available :-/
 
Your upgrade screen looks different from mine, instead of saying "No Updates" in the last column, mine shows the firmware version as a link, and if you click it will re-download the firmware and ask if you want to proceed with the upgrade or cancel. Are you running a previous version of Assistant? Current version is v1.05 of course. If you're clicking a desktop shortcut, double-check it's launching the current version.

iDrone
 
iDrone - software version says it's the latest.....

Im running a VMware version of Windows XP on my Mac, so if i really need to, it's no dramas for me to reinstall a whole new windows machine to do a fresh install :p

In the mean time i downloaded the software and firmware again and have reinstalled it. I haven't worried about the drivers, as the communication lines seem to be fine, just the actual software side of things.

Once i get home i will try doing the updates again and see what happens.
 
lachers, no need to reinstall windows, just the phantom assistant.
Have you made sure that you have the latest one from their support page? (1.05)

I'd imagine a clean uninstall of whatever you got and a quick reinstall of that fresh binary would ensure that you have the latest one running.
 
SUCCESS - a complete un-install and re-install of everything appears to have allowed me to do the additional update.

Battery levels all appear to be accurate - it's measuring cycles and inputs ok, i guess the real test will be making sure it doesn't get false readings (assuming that the firmware fixes that anyway!)

To those that have helped - a HUGE thank you!! Cant wait to get it up in the air and start earning a $$ from it as a real estate photographer.

Thanks again guys!
 
I had "Invalid battery" messages and several involuntary vertical landings with red lights flashing even though battery was more than 70% charged, which was very alarming. Sent it back to retailer who upgraded the software and returned it saying that all was now well. Fifth cautious test flight in with batteries fully charged, while hovering at 100ft it gave one red flash, inverted, and fell with propellers not turning. Hit concrete patio and now in bits. That seemed very dangerous - fortunately neither water, buildings, cars nor grandchildren broke its fall.

Where do I stand with repair, replacement or refund?
 
I would copy your post verbatim sans the last question, submit it to your retailer and tell them, "No, it apparently isn't (fixed)". That four props stopped rotating in mid flight with a fully charged battery suggests to me a defective battery. Yours wouldn't be the first.

iDrone
 
I agree - the dealer took it in for "repair" and told you it was "fixed". What they obviosuly didn't do was check out the actual battery data, which probably would have shown up either a defective cell or a defective smart chip.

I would say they are responsible to repair, replace or refund so go for it. Do you have any video of the actual incident from the onboard camera? That would definitely show the "all stop" invert and plummet proving that the didn't fix your reported issue and it's down to them to fix it again!
 
So I have upgraded Firmware ETC. Fly's great. Got a 2nd battery on Amazon and I get invalid Battery? Any suggestions?
 
The invalid battery (assuming you're using a DJI battery) is always caused by the two gold data pins in the battery compartment bouncing or not making good contact with the two gold pads on the battery. The firmware upgrade (v1.05 & up) only patches the code so the Vision no longer initiates an auto-landing. A warning message will still appear but you'll still be able to fly, however you'll also temporarily lose your battery data so your battery gauge will be meaningless.

Clean the pins & pads, check to make sure the pins stick out before pushing the battery in, make certain the battery "clicks" when pushed-in, you can also apply a 1/2 drop of lubricant like silicone or contact cleaner with a Q-tip to the sides if the pins while pointing towards the ceiling to lubricate the springs behind the pins.

I don't recommend flying without a battery gauge as you won't get a first Low Battery warning, and when it drops to 15% the firmware will initiate an auto-landing over wherever your Vision is currently located.

iDrone
 
John LF said:
Hi

I have a similar problem did 5 flights no problems. Then yesterday with my battery charged at 76% suddenly after 2min of flight I get the low battery alert on my iPad, red lights, buzzer sound and a big 0% next to the battery sign.

I come back and land. I switch off the battery and restart. I get a big Battery Failure pop up on my iPad.

Since then I'm incapable of charging the battery, although it has 1 bar on the LED of charge the charger when connected stays green and doesn't switch to red and charge mode.

Any ideas?

Hi John.
Did you have a bad battery or was it the charger? I have a charger behaving exactly the same way. Just shows green and will not go into charging mode. I have more than one battery so I am thinking the charger may be bad.
 
HaM-73 said:
John LF said:
Hi

I have a similar problem did 5 flights no problems. Then yesterday with my battery charged at 76% suddenly after 2min of flight I get the low battery alert on my iPad, red lights, buzzer sound and a big 0% next to the battery sign.

I come back and land. I switch off the battery and restart. I get a big Battery Failure pop up on my iPad.

Since then I'm incapable of charging the battery, although it has 1 bar on the LED of charge the charger when connected stays green and doesn't switch to red and charge mode.

Any ideas?

Hi John.
Did you have a bad battery or was it the charger? I have a charger behaving exactly the same way. Just shows green and will not go into charging mode. I have more than one battery so I am thinking the charger may be bad.

Two things;

1- If the battery is somewhat charged, over 93-94% the charger will stay green and a charge will not start when you plug in. You can force a top-up charge by turning the battery on with the normal power on button presses.

2- If a battery has a bad cell, the charger will terminate charge early, before reaching full. The model will error with low battery very early. You can connect the model to the assistant and check the cell voltages, look for one cell being different from the other two.

There is also a slight chance that the mainboard has an issue. If the cable that plugs into the EXP port on the naza is loose, you will get the red alarm on the phone app with alarm and a 0% red battery indication, the model still functions. I found this when testing some things inside the model.

If the battery data pins had a problem, you would be seeing "Invalid Battery" but it doesn't look like that is your issue here. But if it was Invalid battery, then you have a data pin contact issue, the pins need to be checked, cleaned, lubed, and if the problem persists, the model needs to be repaired by your dealer (new contact block with updated pins).

Lastly, if you are comfortable with soldering, you can now buy the contact block assembly from many dealers now for $8.00 Most likely they are the updated pins seen on the new Phantom 2's that have 4 pointed tips and stronger springs which should cure this issue for good.
 
RemE said:
HaM-73 said:
John LF said:
Hi

I have a similar problem did 5 flights no problems. Then yesterday with my battery charged at 76% suddenly after 2min of flight I get the low battery alert on my iPad, red lights, buzzer sound and a big 0% next to the battery sign.

I come back and land. I switch off the battery and restart. I get a big Battery Failure pop up on my iPad.

Since then I'm incapable of charging the battery, although it has 1 bar on the LED of charge the charger when connected stays green and doesn't switch to red and charge mode.

Any ideas?

Hi John.
Did you have a bad battery or was it the charger? I have a charger behaving exactly the same way. Just shows green and will not go into charging mode. I have more than one battery so I am thinking the charger may be bad.

Two things;

1- If the battery is somewhat charged, over 93-94% the charger will stay green and a charge will not start when you plug in. You can force a top-up charge by turning the battery on with the normal power on button presses.

2- If a battery has a bad cell, the charger will terminate charge early, before reaching full. The model will error with low battery very early. You can connect the model to the assistant and check the cell voltages, look for one cell being different from the other two.

There is also a slight chance that the mainboard has an issue. If the cable that plugs into the EXP port on the naza is loose, you will get the red alarm on the phone app with alarm and a 0% red battery indication, the model still functions. I found this when testing some things inside the model.

If the battery data pins had a problem, you would be seeing "Invalid Battery" but it doesn't look like that is your issue here. But if it was Invalid battery, then you have a data pin contact issue, the pins need to be checked, cleaned, lubed, and if the problem persists, the model needs to be repaired by your dealer (new contact block with updated pins).

Lastly, if you are comfortable with soldering, you can now buy the contact block assembly from many dealers now for $8.00 Most likely they are the updated pins seen on the new Phantom 2's that have 4 pointed tips and stronger springs which should cure this issue for good.

Thanks for all the great info. It seems all functions of the batteries operate normal. I do not get any invalid errors etc and when they are charged they would charge all the way. Battery discharged all the way down to 1 blinking bar and charger will still not kick on. Tried the top off trick you mentioned and still the same results. Funny part is if I throw a meter on the charger I get 12.6v out even with the green light on the charger. Can't get any amps though.
 
If the battery is used, 1-3 bars, it should automatically power on and begin charging when connected to the charger. I have seen one other report of a battery that could not be turned on. You should be able to do the normal power up sequence on the battery any time, even outside the model. If it won't power up, then the smart circuit has failed. and the battery needs to be replaced.
 
There hasn't been any invalid battery report for quite awhile now. I wonder if it was just a very small defective batch or the new firmware relieved the issue for the rest of us...
 
DJI changed the data pins in all Phantom2's and new P2 Visions. They have a "crowned" 4-point tip with a stronger spring so they should be fine. Only a small percentage of the early Visions were out of spec enough to get invalid battery or loss of battery data messages. The firmware prevents an auto land sequence but still reports the problem if it occurs. I have an original Vision vintage and use it with a few different batteries and have never had the issue. I keep the pins lubed, use contact enhancer and don't store a battery in the model. If you felt like a little project, you can now buy the new contact block assembly for $8 and could swap it out if you wanted that extra measure of security. I bought one and will keep it on hand should I ever run into the problem.
 
Pull_Up said:
"Vintage" Vision! I like it. I've got one of those vintage ones too - just over 3 months old! ;) I've never had the issues some did with my original data pins but it's good to see there's an upgrade part available if I need it.

Hopefully we won't find out that we need it the hard way... :shock:

-slinger
 

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