HealthyDrones reporting major battery deviations and sudden drop in life %

Joined
Jul 17, 2015
Messages
99
Reaction score
16
Age
58
I've been watching my flight logs pretty close since finding healthydrones.com and my batteries are both increasingly reporting major deviations. One battery seems worse than the other, but the second one is catching up. The first one is reporting dozens of major deviations in Cell 1 now the last few flights, and today battery life dropped to 92%. The second, like I say isn't as bad, but it reports several major deviations as well and battery life on it today dropped to 95%. Thing is they've both only been charged 12 and 14 times respectively since purchase in July. Do these look like batteries that are defective...do you think DJI would replace?

Thanks for any advice...I can post log image if that helps.
 
I had one that was similarly reported by HealthyDrones. I contacted DJI and had a replacement shipped to me in less than 2 weeks. Do make contact with DJI, I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
 
  • Like
Reactions: badbeerbreath
I've been watching my flight logs pretty close since finding healthydrones.com and my batteries are both increasingly reporting major deviations. One battery seems worse than the other, but the second one is catching up. The first one is reporting dozens of major deviations in Cell 1 now the last few flights, and today battery life dropped to 92%. The second, like I say isn't as bad, but it reports several major deviations as well and battery life on it today dropped to 95%. Thing is they've both only been charged 12 and 14 times respectively since purchase in July. Do these look like batteries that are defective...do you think DJI would replace?

Thanks for any advice...I can post log image if that helps.
What voltage are you flying the batteries down to at landing?
 
What voltage are you flying the batteries down to at landing?

Ok...so the first 2 or 3 flights I took them down to about 10%-15%....because I had no clue that it was bad for them. I knew nothing of the breaking in process, or that flying them down to low voltage was harmful. There was nothing in any of the info I had received with the Phantom, so as far as I knew they'd be good to go to 1%! This was my first experience with Quads or remote anything.

Right after those first couple flights I read here about never flying lower than 3.5V and to ignore the battery percentage. Anyhow a short story long, after those first couple flights, I've never flown much below 3.6V, maybe 3.5V a couple times. I'm sure those first flights may have something to do with whats going downhill now, but DJI should still be liable for replacement if need be, as there is nothing of any kind of warning not to. No?
 
I had one that was similarly reported by HealthyDrones. I contacted DJI and had a replacement shipped to me in less than 2 weeks. Do make contact with DJI, I think you would be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks Jeff...yeah I've already sent an email with details. Hopefully they'll reply sooner than later, as I'm not too comfortable flying it any distance now.

How did you correspond, email?
 
Thanks Jeff...yeah I've already sent an email with details. Hopefully they'll reply sooner than later, as I'm not too comfortable flying it any distance now.

How did you correspond, email?
Yes. It was email for DJI Los Angeles. [email protected]
 
  • Like
Reactions: badbeerbreath
Ok...so the first 2 or 3 flights I took them down to about 10%-15%....because I had no clue that it was bad for them. I knew nothing of the breaking in process, or that flying them down to low voltage was harmful. There was nothing in any of the info I had received with the Phantom, so as far as I knew they'd be good to go to 1%! This was my first experience with Quads or remote anything.

Right after those first couple flights I read here about never flying lower than 3.5V and to ignore the battery percentage. Anyhow a short story long, after those first couple flights, I've never flown much below 3.6V, maybe 3.5V a couple times. I'm sure those first flights may have something to do with whats going downhill now, but DJI should still be liable for replacement if need be, as there is nothing of any kind of warning not to. No?
If you don't hear positively from DJI-- you may need to recalibrate the Smart Battery by taking it down to 20 %-- take it out, let it cool off, pull the props, sit it on the bench and take down to 8% just by idling the motors. At 8%, put them on the charger, charge fully and check your battery percentages to determine if they go up. The key to taking them down to 8% is to make sure that the amp draw is as low as possible. Watch the cell voltages when going down to 8% to make sure that they are balanced or closely balanced and don't have much deviation at that low voltage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: badbeerbreath
If you don't hear positively from DJI-- you may need to recalibrate the Smart Battery by taking it down to 20 %-- take it out, let it cool off, pull the props, sit it on the bench and take down to 8% just by idling the motors. At 8%, put them on the charger, charge fully and check your battery percentages to determine if they go up. The key to taking them down to 8% is to make sure that the amp draw is as low as possible. Watch the cell voltages when going down to 8% to make sure that they are balanced or closely balanced and don't have much deviation at that low voltage.

Ok thanks Bob, I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully DJI will sympathize and it won't be a problem.

With what I've said though, would you guys say they sound like toast? 92% and 95 % after 12 and 14 charges?
 
Ok thanks Bob, I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully DJI will sympathize and it won't be a problem.

With what I've said though, would you guys say they sound like toast? 92% and 95 % after 12 and 14 charges?
Not toast, but they shouldn't be depended on for anything longer than 4 to 500 feet out. The cell balance is the critical issue.. How much difference in the cell balance at full charge? You may be able to bring that voltage up with the deep discharge. There have been reports of improvements after the deep discharge and recharge.
 
Ok thanks Bob, I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully DJI will sympathize and it won't be a problem.

With what I've said though, would you guys say they sound like toast? 92% and 95 % after 12 and 14 charges?
Not toast, but they shouldn't be depended on for anything longer than 4 to 500 feet out. The cell balance is the critical issue.. How much difference in the cell balance at full charge? You may be able to bring that voltage up with the deep discharge. There have been reports of improvements after the deep discharge and recharge.
 
  • Like
Reactions: badbeerbreath
As of a couple flights ago it was only a matter of a couple decimal points difference. I'll charge them up tomorrow and have another look.
 
As of a couple flights ago it was only a matter of a couple decimal points difference. I'll charge them up tomorrow and have another look.
if they are over .05 difference and they remain that or increase when discharging, not good---

if there is 3 cells that are 3.9 and one is 3.7 -- bad-- and you will need to get into the deep discharge recycle to see if this can be corrected and even this up or send them back for warranty.
If they will take them back-- send em in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: badbeerbreath
I had one that was similarly reported by HealthyDrones. I contacted DJI and had a replacement shipped to me in less than 2 weeks. Do make contact with DJI, I think you would be pleasantly surprised.


Did you have to ship the battery to them, or were they able to determine it was faulty by viewing logs?
 
Did you have to ship the battery to them, or were they able to determine it was faulty by viewing logs?
I did ship the battery to them but they had already determined that there were problems with it and issued a "Replace" RMA.
 
  • Like
Reactions: badbeerbreath
So I just finished fully charging the worst of the two and now battery life indicates 100%. There is a noticeable difference with the cells still though at full charge, but what's up with the battery life going back to 100%? Does that fluctuate as well during flight and after?

IMG_0003[1].PNG
 
So I just finished fully charging the worst of the two and now battery life indicates 100%. There is a noticeable difference with the cells still though at full charge, but what's up with the battery life going back to 100%? Does that fluctuate as well during flight and after?

View attachment 32834

That may vary that much due the calibration in Smart Battery hardware. Suggestion at this point since you only have ten flights on this battery. Going to take some patience, but put the Phantom on the bench with the props off, and run this battery down to 20 percent at idle with the props off-- that will probably take over an hour-- mine did--- Let it set, fifteen or twenty minutes after the rundown and see it those cells get any closer together-- Then recharge it and see if that cell balance improves at full charge.
 
  • Like
Reactions: badbeerbreath
Here we go Bob.

The first image is of the battery at 20%. I watched the voltage quite a bit as it wore down, and the lower it went, the closer in voltage the cells stayed...not straying past .02 or .03 at the most.

Here it is at 20%

IMG_0004[1].PNG



I ran it down to 20% there last night, but had to wait till today to charge back up, but here it is fully charged up after running down to 20%

IMG_0005[1].PNG


For whatver reason, if you notice, the battery life is back up to 100%. The same goes for the other battery as well, which isnt getting nearly the major deviations though as this one.

I actually went out and flew today...couldn't resist. The worse battery is still getting dozens of major deviations, but the other one only had a couple, with both back up to 100% battery life. Go figure.
.
 
Here we go Bob.

The first image is of the battery at 20%. I watched the voltage quite a bit as it wore down, and the lower it went, the closer in voltage the cells stayed...not straying past .02 or .03 at the most.

Here it is at 20%

View attachment 32924


I ran it down to 20% there last night, but had to wait till today to charge back up, but here it is fully charged up after running down to 20%

View attachment 32925

For whatver reason, if you notice, the battery life is back up to 100%. The same goes for the other battery as well, which isnt getting nearly the major deviations though as this one.

I actually went out and flew today...couldn't resist. The worse battery is still getting dozens of major deviations, but the other one only had a couple, with both back up to 100% battery life. Go figure.
.
This is looking good! I think you will be good-- fly them down to 30 percent for the next 10 flights or so and then do the deep cycle recalibration-- Don't work about .04 to .06 variations as it is flying as long as they are stabilizing at the end of the flight. Let us know if you have any further issues--- Cheers
 
  • Like
Reactions: badbeerbreath

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,358
Members
104,936
Latest member
hirehackers