Poor Battery Life

[vicdevore]

One of my DJI batteries died already. I noticed on my last two flights that I experienced sooner than expected low battery warnings. I always thought that the low batt warning would alert me at 30%, but it began warning me much earlier, around 50%. Additionally, it struggled to maintain altitude. I tested the battery again in low flight and confirmed my theory that the battery has obviously failed. It is puffier than my spare battery, but it's only been used for 8 charge/discharge cycles. Or, a total of around 1.95 hours. I don't push the unit hard and I've never exceeded 250' AGL. I also don't fly when the air temp exceeds 90-degrees Fahrenheit, which is every afternoon in the summer. I did send a ticket to DJI, but I don't expect much, even though I have asked for a replacement. If these were $20 batteries I may not care, but for $125 I should get more than 8 flights. I use it for photography and I fly in accordance with RCAPA guidelines. I'd love to know if the DJI batteries are just this bad, or if you think this defective unit is unusual and unexpected.

 

[msinger]

The battery warning issue seems to be a result of a recent firmware update. Others have randomly seen that message too. The battery really isn't low though, so it seems it can be safely ignored.

Has this battery ever been stored fully charged for more than 10 days?

 

[msinger]

Geert, I guess I should also point out that I'm referring to the message that displays to let you know you should turn back because there is not enough battery remaining. What you posted in the above video is a serious issue that should not be ignored.

 

[BlackTracer]

The battery warning issue seems to be a result of a recent firmware update. Others have randomly seen that message too. The battery really isn't low though, so it seems it can be safely ignored.

Has this battery ever been stored fully charged for more than 10 days?

I respectfully disagree. The batteries failing has been an issue long before this latest update. If it were the latest update, many more batteries would be showing failure. That is not the case. Please explain your observation.

I think these batteries are just crap.

 

[msinger]

BlackTracer, are referring to the problem in the above video? I was talking about a message that pops up in the DJI Vision app. It warns you that you might not have enough battery to return home. I've only seen it once, but others have seen it too after the most recent updates.

The OP stated the battery is puffy. That could mean it's damaged.

 

[crash1sttime]

Just as a side note, if i intend to store the battery what percentage should it be under to avoid any issues.?

 

[BlackTracer]

BlackTracer, are referring to the problem in the above video? I was talking about a message that pops up in the DJI Vision app. It warns you that you might not have enough battery to return home. I've only seen it once, but others have seen it too after the most recent updates.

The OP stated the battery is puffy. That could mean it's damaged.

Yes I am referring to the above video. The message you are referring to comes when you have that feature enabled in the assistant. That is why some see it and others don't. I have it disabled so never see it, even with early low batt red warnings on bad batteries. That feature came with 3.04 and consequently 3.06. If you uncheck it in the assistant you will never see the popup warning. The popup has nothing to do with low battery because of bad batteries. It is just a consequence of low battery.

 

[msinger]

The popup has nothing to do with low battery because of bad batteries. It is just a consequence of low battery.

Strange. Because I saw it at about 60% battery and I was about 100 feet from the home point.

Thanks for the tip about disabling that message.

 

[Meta4]

The battery warning issue seems to be a result of a recent firmware update. Others have randomly seen that message too. The battery really isn't low though, so it seems it can be safely ignored.

Kind of hard to ignore this one though.

I used to be able to fly past the low battery warning @ 50% but since the firmware upgrade this warning is there @ 100% and won't go away.

 

[msinger]

Meta4, yep. Looks like that one needs to be replaced.

 

[BlackTracer]

msinger, if thats the battery warning you are talking about (meta4 post), I haven't seen that one yet, and it seems to be new with the latest firmware like you said. The one I am talking about, which is configurable, is the one that gives you the option to RTH when it thinks it needs all the remaining battery to get home. And you can select yes or no.

 

[msinger]

Just as a side note, if i intend to store the battery what percentage should it be under to avoid any issues.?

If you install the latest battery firmware, this won't be an issue. It will drain your battery to a safe level if you store it fully charged for 10+ days.