BATTERY ISSUES (Early Autoland)??? POST HERE

[Rallyeman]

I am also having the same problem as soon as i updated to 3.06. Both batteries trigger auto landing in 40-60% . I had two emergency landings so far, and called my hobbyshop for assistance. They told me to deactivate the "when low battery, return home" feature that 3.2 assistand introduced and i will be fine. Anyone tried that? Waiting for the weekend.

 

[ianwood]

These battery issues aren't going away and I, for one, am finding it difficult to understand what the consensus is with regard to battery FW, physical versions, early auto-land, etc. Can we get a summary of what we know, what has been dismissed and what we don't know?

My original P2 battery has shown some minor puffing. It and one other battery also hit the low voltage auto-land earlier than I'd prefer.

 

[bells0]

I am also having the same problem as soon as i updated to 3.06. Both batteries trigger auto landing in 40-60% . I had two emergency landings so far, and called my hobbyshop for assistance. They told me to deactivate the "when low battery, return home" feature that 3.2 assistand introduced and i will be fine. Anyone tried that? Waiting for the weekend.

I have that unticked, still happened last night at 38%

 

[4wd]

I suspect the new power management concept in 3.06 is finding a few batteries that were already below par.
The problem seems to persist if you revert to earlier firmware though.
Could it be that something is triggered in the smart battery circuitry to do with detecting marginal voltage - and cannot be switched back?

 

[DJIp2v]

I am also having the same problem as soon as i updated to 3.06. Both batteries trigger auto landing in 40-60% . I had two emergency landings so far, and called my hobbyshop for assistance. They told me to deactivate the "when low battery, return home" feature that 3.2 assistand introduced and i will be fine. Anyone tried that? Waiting for the weekend.

Hi, the battery values can´t be modified on verson 3.2, there is no box to enter a different value. there is only availabe on version 3.0

 

[droneranger]

I am also having the same problem as soon as i updated to 3.06. Both batteries trigger auto landing in 40-60% . I had two emergency landings so far, and called my hobbyshop for assistance. They told me to deactivate the "when low battery, return home" feature that 3.2 assistand introduced and i will be fine. Anyone tried that? Waiting for the weekend.

I have unchecked the RTH box in the assistant software and it had no effect when the iOSD battery warning started flashing or when the fast flashing red lights on the Phantom illuminated. BTW, there is no longer a 1st level low battery warning (slow flashing) that I can see; the warning goes straight to the 2nd level (fast flashing). When this happens, if RTH is checked, the AC will attempt to return; if not, it will start to descend and land where it is. My experience has been that if RTH is checked there is a greater likelihood that the AC will end up in the terrain as it is trying to get home. If you have eyes on it, and it is safe to do so, I think landing it where it is is preferable to having the batteries drain even faster as it tries to fly home.

 

[dano7602]

I have just noticed my original P2 battery has started to early auto land.

Details:
+Firmware 3.04
+First warning set at 25%
+Second warning set at 14%
+Cell 1 reading: 3679
+Cell 2 reading: 3689
+Cell 3 reading: 3691
+Discharges: 75
+Auto land occurred at 25%

For the first time I have seen my oldest P2 battery begin to show signs of early autoland. I tested the theory by flying aggressively at around 50% battery to see how the battery would react. When I got down to 35% I noticed when I would ascend quickly I would get a couple blinking red lights however not related to GPS signal as I had 11 SATS. I tried this a couple times ascending from 3m to 20m very quickly and every time blinking red lights during ascend which would stop once I leveled off. Once I hit the first warning level at 25% the craft began to stop holding altitude, I had to give it about 90% throttle to make it hold however I did not see a auto land prompt on my OSD. I was able to keep my copter in the air till under 14% maintaining height with full throttle. I am not sure if I have a defective battery or what because it seems that my cell reading are fairly close in all three cells. However not being able to hold altitude at the first warning level of 25% is certainly a problem. I ran the battery under 8% and am doing a full recharge to see if this will fix the problem. After reading through this thread my battery will most likely get worse and start auto descending earlier and earlier in flight. Should I be eligible for a replacement battery because of this issue?

 

[bells0]

Geert

Are people actually getting replacements, or being fobbed off by DJI?

 

[bells0]

Sweet. Hope so!

 

[pencilcoil]

Here in the UK we are protected by the Sale of Goods Act 1979. Never mind what the warranty period says, many retailers hide behind this as a limit of their responsibility. In reality the Sale of Goods Act overrides any limitation that sellers of goods place into contracts of sale. Essentially, if the battery is poor quality and hasn't lasted as long as it should then they have to repair or replace, 6 , 12 or even 18 months after purchase, it's as simple as that. They would have no chance in a court of law if they were refusing to replace batteries that were failing at 25% of their quoted life expectancy. I would be issuing a "money claim online" against them if I had more than 1 failing battery, it's cheap to do and you can do it all from the comfort of your armchair. Your claim would be against the retailer, not DJI. Do you think that they would appoint a solicitor to defend the case? me thinks not! No defence by them would mean you getting judgement by default in your favour. They would then have no option but to pay up.

 

[benski]

I first bought the P2V and had some issues with it re distance before signals dropped out. I upgraded to the P2V+ in May this year. I kept one battery from the P2V and have 2 new batteries that I purchased directly from DJI. 3 of the 3 batteries have what I would consider bloating on the sides of the battery. It appears that it is a gas build up that can't be released. I just wonder how much bloat is too much bloat? The bloating hasn't caused any deformation of the plastic shell, yet..

I am flying with latest firmware/software versions and batteries on average have 15-20 cycles. Today after reading all the stories about early autoland I went out to do some controlled tests to see what my situation would be.

I had the box ticked on the battery options and was in Phantom mode. I haven't got the P2V+ connected and can't remember exactly what the tick box said but from memory you tick the box and that enables the autoland option (feel free to correct me on this).

Anyway first battery got to 46% and then the screen on my iphone started to do the red flash and I though OK bit strange to start flashing at 46% when it normally flashes at 25%. I had the P2V+ hovering about 15m away and 5m up and it took me by surprise it just started coming down. Having flown for over 12 months with earlier versions of the software and P2V this really took me by surprise and IMHO is a real bad idea. People on the whole should have the brains to realise that when their batteries get to 25% that it is time to hurry up and get home. For the thing to think for itself and just to decide to land is not real good idea..

No damage done and on the second battery it started to autodescend at around 12%. There is no consistency and it makes sense to me that a user should have the discipline to know when he needs to bring it back and land it safely.

If I untick the box in the battery options does that stop the P2V+ landing on its own accord? (take it back to how it used to be with red flashing screen and then you use your brain to make the decision to land)

Second how much bloat is too much bloat? If I purchased from DJI direct will they exchange the batteries?

The clone batteries put out by Nuke RC don't specifically say they are for the P2V+ can anyone confirm that they are compatible with the plus?

Thanks

ben

 

[TodayTrader]

This guy just discovered the auto-land feature over water. Video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok6YrLN5L_k

 

[quadroger]

Read this
Phantom Crash, related to Battery fault?
DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ Crash survey related to Battery fault.
My DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ fell from the sky on my 73th flight which happened in 1 minute and 21 seconds after the 30% low level battery warning came. The motors suddenly stopped to work and the phantom fell from the sky. There was no 16% low level battery warning nor did the phantom go to the self-landing. After the crash the battery level was 0%.
Here is the crash video: http://youtu.be/5aQPejbm6I0
After 19 days explaining and arguing with the DJI Shenzhen Headquarters technical support, I gave up. They just ascribed the blame to me and didn't even try to find out the real cause of the crash. I have sent them the “crash” video, explained everything very precisely and provided them all the information from the Assistance software. I provided them as much information as possible because I’d like to help to make this product even better before someone got hit by a falling Phantom or even worse. I asked them as well to get the battery back so that they can investigate the problem, but DJI didn’t ask for it or response on my request.
This is DJI’s final conclusion / comment to this case ( in their words): “…we all know this acident is caused by operation on the copter and would like to emphasize again the crash is caused by battery had used up all its power before crash during the descending process.
I’m not sure if DJI currently is able to handle the claim. I got the first answer to my email within 5 hours which was a very quick reply. Unfortunately, the product knowledge from DJI technical support team is not so efficient or helpful. Not meant to harm, defame, or cause any problems for DJI, but yet it is an unbiased, personal experience with the DJI Headquarters support center.
To have a safer Phantom, we need to have DJI to take battery issue seriously, to find out the cause of the problem and to fix it. Therefore, I would like to ask for your favor to help me complete this survey.
ONLY for DJI PHANTOM 2 VISION+
Can you please provide me the following information?
1. The Phantom serial no. & Version.
2. The battery serial no.
3. Did you get low battery warning during the flight even the battery was still more than 30% charged?
4. Did your motors suddenly stop working?
5. Did you get a 16% (or whatever you have set) battery low level warning?
6. What was the battery level after the crash?
7. How many flights did you make with this same battery before the crash?
8. Did you fly in NAZA mode or Normal mode?
9. If you flew in NAZA mode is it set to fallsafe or not?
10. Did you discharge to less than 8% and fully charge this “crash battery” just before the flight? This is important to know.

I’ll make a summary of all the comments and information I get and post to this forum.
Is there another good forum where I could post this info/survey?
Many thanks
Roger
Reuters interview
http://www.reuters.com/video/2014/07/30 ... e=Business

 

[4wd]

That one seems like a different issue from early autoland, worrying nonetheless.
Since the video stopped and it just fell it seems like sudden total loss of power.

The main issue in this thread you can generally limp home on full throttle to maintain altitude - if you realise what it's doing.

 

[4wd]

Here's another one found on youtube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFdb-xVBut0[/youtube]

 

[jimcking]

Posted the below on RCGroups. This is probably the better place for it.

Has anyone gotten a lot of cycles out of a battery? The most I have gotten is 43 cycles.

I have six P2 batteries. Three were purchased in Dec 2013 (One came with the P2 and two were purchased as spares). The other three were purchased in Jan, Apr, and June respectively. P2 has H33D and FPV transmitter making it a fairly standard Heavy P2. Normal flight time was 15 minutes to first battery warning at 30% on all of the first three batteries. Four of the six batteries bulge when discharged. They shrink back down when charged. The P2 has never been crashed so the batteries were not subjected to damage. When not in use batteries were kept in GoPro P2 case.

After upgrade to firmware 3.06 flight time for batteries 1 and 2 went way down. Battery 3 remained at 15 minutes. I have 15 minutes videos from the first 2 batteries confirming the 15 minute flight times. All of the first three batteries were treated the same and always charged with the stock DJI charger.

Immediately after upgrade the following battery data was obtained. Batteries were cycled three times to confirm data.

Battery #, Flight Time, Cycles, % of Charge at First Warning
1, 10 Minutes, 43, 40%
2, 7 Minutes, 17, 57%
3, 15 Minutes, 30, 20%

Do not know why two of the batteries died after the upgrade. Might be because they changed first warning level from 30% to 20% or could be just coincidental.

First three batteries were kept at 100% charge for quick use. Second three were kept at 40% charge and only fully charged when needed. The second set of three batteries are OK. Do not have many cycles on them yet though.

All of the dead batteries are well over 3 Months old so I am sure DJI will not cover them under Warranty. None of them got anywhere near 300 cycles.

The electronics for the batteries are still good. Anyone know where to get a replacement battery with the same capacity that will fit in the battery case?

Number of cycles is what the DJI software reports. Seems to me that the software does not always increment the cycle counter. May really have more cycles.

Bottom line is, keeping the P2 in batteries is proving to be very expensive.


Jim K.

 

[dano7602]

I have just recently confirmed that one of my P2 batteries has started to auto land at 25%. With the exact same symptoms as many have posted in this thread. I would like to know the best avenue to file a warranty claim on the battery. I know some people have been able to receive replacement batteries while others have been told there battery's warranty is not valid because it is outside the 3 month window. Unfortunately my battery is older then 3 months as I purchased my phantom 2 on 3/15/14 and it is my original battery that is faulty. I do have my receipt, I purchased the P2 online from ALL e RC which is located in Arizona. I am not sure if I should contact my dealer directly or call DJI LA offices to attempt to file a warranty claim for a replacement battery. Has anyone in this forum received a replacement battery through their dealer for this issue. I know how bad DJI customer service is so I am hoping I can go through my dealer for this issue. Am I screwed because my battery is over 3 months old? Any help on how to go about filing a warranty claim would be greatly appreciated.

 

[4wd]

It sounds like if you are in the EU you can probably press for a replacement up to a year old.
Other places it's more variable but worth asking your dealer for a start.
Some have longer warranties on the complete phantom including original battery than second one bought on its own which seems silly, and not sure how they know which is which as all you would have as proof of purchase is an invoice with no serial listed I expect.

 

[quadroger]

I didn't see this topic before . In my case the phantom just fell from the sky.
Please read this. Had more than 20 emails with DJI.
Firmware 3.04

Phantom Crash, related to Battery fault?
DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ Crash survey related to Battery fault.
My DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ fell from the sky on my 73th flight which happened in 1 minute and 21 seconds after the 30% low level battery warning came. The motors suddenly stopped to work and the phantom fell from the sky. There was no 16% low level battery warning nor did the phantom go to the self-landing. After the crash the battery level was 0%.
Here is the crash video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aQPejb ... nwhk_R-I-A

After 19 days explaining and arguing with the DJI Shenzhen Headquarters technical support, I gave up. They just ascribed the blame to me and didn't even try to find out the real cause of the crash. I have sent them the “crash” video, explained everything very precisely and provided them all the information from the Assistance software. I provided them as much information as possible because I’d like to help to make this product even better before someone got hit by a falling Phantom or even worse. I asked them as well to get the battery back so that they can investigate the problem, but DJI didn’t ask for it or response on my request.
This is DJI’s final conclusion / comment to this case ( in their words): “…we all know this acident is caused by operation on the copter and would like to emphasize again the crash is caused by battery had used up all its power before crash during the descending process”.

I’m not sure if DJI currently is able to handle the claim. I got the first answer to my email within 5 hours which was a very quick reply. Unfortunately, the product knowledge from DJI technical support team is not so efficient or helpful. Not meant to harm, defame, or cause any problems for DJI, but yet it is an unbiased, personal experience with the DJI Headquarters support center.

To have a safer Phantom, we need to have DJI to take battery issue seriously, to find out the cause of the problem and to fix it. Therefore, I would like to ask for your favor to help me complete this survey.

ONLY for DJI PHANTOM 2 VISION+ and Phantom 2

Can you please provide me the following information?

1. The Phantom serial no. & Version.
2. Which firmware did you use?
3. The battery serial no.
4. Did you get low battery warning during the flight even the battery was still more than 30% charged?
5. Did your motors suddenly stop working?
6. Did you get a 16% (or whatever you have set) battery low level warning?
7. What was the battery level after the crash?
8. How many flights did you make with this same battery before the crash?
9. Did you fly in NAZA mode or Normal mode?
10. If you flew in NAZA mode is it set to fallsafe or not?
11. Did you discharge to less than 8% and fully charge this “crash battery” just before the flight? This is important to know.

I’ll make a summary of all the comments and information I get and post to this forum.
Is there another good forum where I could post this info/survey?
Many thanks
Roger
Reuters interview
http://www.reuters.com/video/2014/07/30 ... e=Business

 

[gunslinger]

My initial battery just joined this club. At around 47% charge remaining, it has begun to autoland with no warning at all from the app. The Phantom Vision Assistant software tells me that the battery has 88% life remaining, which is obviously horseshit. They say they're not responsible for replacement since the battery is over eight months old. :evil:

This is a defective product I'm attempting to get replaced. This is not a warranty claim... This thread proves that it's obviously a design problem... :roll:

-slinger