I'm a Phantom newbie (have some time on a Syma), flown a handful of times on my P3A with the brand name battery. I purchased a battery on ebay a couple weeks ago and when it arrived I realized it was generic, a 'Gifi Power' battery to be exact. I didn't know that generic Phantom batteries were available so I hadn't thought to check. It doesn't seem to do anything strange when charging or while updating in the drone but I haven't tested it in flight yet. I'm tempted to return it but am not looking forward to the hassle of shipping it back to China. Anyone have experience with this particular manufacturer? Or just generic batteries in particular?
Advice on generic batteries
- Thread starter hew2702
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I can't verify this but I've heard Dji will void the warranty if not OEM batteries.
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In general, it's not a good idea to use generic batteries. Here's why:
- DJI does not support them and will not honor your warranty if your Phantom crashes while using one
- They have not been widely tested, so there is no telling how they will perform
- The small cost savings is not worth the cost of replacing a crashed Phantom
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I don't believe the warranty is an issue for me since I bought this used. And I definitely wouldn't have bought this if I'd known it was generic but now that I have it I'm just wondering what others experiences have been with generic batteries.
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The general consensus (after reading a number of tales of woe and destruction) is to avoid them. Return the **** thing and get a real DJI battery.
Aside from the warranty issue, DJI likes to tweak the system firmware so that aftermarket devices don't work.
You save a little bit of money and gain a lot of potential aggravation.
Ah the firmware thing makes sense, didn't know about that. Shoulda done more research and saved myself some hassle. Thanks for your help everyone!
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Really, where is that documented? I haven't seen major problems flying them. I have seen DJI make them bricks with software updates.
At the end of the day the generics are not cheaper because you will only be able to use them through the next update.
sad truth is chances are the exact same factory is making the exact same batteries,This isn't like getting a hamburger from Bobby Flay vs Bobby the garbage man , The battery generic is being mass produced and probably coming from the same factories.
Test it out at low alt in your backyard, compare flight times, compare temp. compare voltage on each cell using Healthydrones.
It's not saving a little, its actually saving a crap load , we're talking 60-80 bucks vs 125-150 bucks.
Test it out at low alt in your backyard, compare flight times, compare temp. compare voltage on each cell using Healthydrones.
It's not saving a little, its actually saving a crap load , we're talking 60-80 bucks vs 125-150 bucks.
Yeah, I've seen about the same amount of 'will work/won't work' comments that I would be comfortable flying with the generic for the most part but I'd hate to have it just stop working someday when I need it.
@fastfed True on the money, it is a lot more than a generic but if it might stop working in the future just because of a firmware update I'd rather spend $40 more now than spend $80 several times.
@fastfed True on the money, it is a lot more than a generic but if it might stop working in the future just because of a firmware update I'd rather spend $40 more now than spend $80 several times.
The one on Banggood has good reviews and is guaranteed to work with future firmware updates. It is $73.00.
4500mAh 15.2V 4S Intelligent Battery For DJI Phantom 3 Professional Advance Standard Versions
I have researched and have not found any issues with using non DJI batteries other than the issue of not working at all. Apparently if it works and accepts the firware, there will be no issues.
That being said, I will not buy one. I would rather spend the extra few dollars and not worry.
If the seller stated it as DJI original, you might be able to get a refund from ebay or PayPal as it is misleading in the description. Even your credit card will protect you. The seller will have to worry about getting the battery back or recovering their money.
4500mAh 15.2V 4S Intelligent Battery For DJI Phantom 3 Professional Advance Standard Versions
I have researched and have not found any issues with using non DJI batteries other than the issue of not working at all. Apparently if it works and accepts the firware, there will be no issues.
That being said, I will not buy one. I would rather spend the extra few dollars and not worry.
If the seller stated it as DJI original, you might be able to get a refund from ebay or PayPal as it is misleading in the description. Even your credit card will protect you. The seller will have to worry about getting the battery back or recovering their money.
They didn't state it was DJI but, since I didn't know generics existed, I didn't think to check. Now I have to ship it to China and wait on a refund -__-
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