"Aircraft power insufficient" warning

[LeSchmoo]

I was doing some flight tests and noticed a "not enough power" warning (wording might be slightly different) a couple of times.

It was breezy and I also (later) got the windy warning - but couldn't find any info about the power warning...

(Battery was fully charged and drone was hovering when it got the message).

 

[Meta4]

I was doing some flight tests and noticed a "not enough power" warning (wording might be slightly different) a couple of times.

It was breezy and I also (later) got the windy warning - but couldn't find any info about the power warning...

(Battery was fully charged and drone was hovering when it got the message).

The power warning is unlikely to be related to the wind.
As usual, the recorded flight data is the place to start to find out what really happened.

 

[chriscuk]

I've seen the low battery warning on a number of flight videos online when in slightly windy conditions. One of the "ce test range" videos had it whilst the drone was at about 85% battery. I think it might be experiencing more battery drain than expected and its just a badly worded warning.

 

[LeSchmoo]

Checked the flight recording in "profile" (which is nice) and the actual message is:
"Aircraft power insufficient"

 

[LeSchmoo]

Side question: What is the best way to check the "recorded flight data"?

 

[Louis08]

Checked the flight recording in "profile" (which is nice) and the actual message is:
"Aircraft power insufficient"

Makes sense to me: strong wind requires more thrust to keep the drone in position - and above a certain windspeed you start drifting because thrust is limited on the Mini.

 

[LeSchmoo]

Makes sense to me: strong wind requires more thrust to keep the drone in position - and above a certain windspeed you start drifting because thrust is limited on the Mini.

This is what my gut said "not enough power to maintain position". I did switch to sport mode when I saw it...

But I haven't been able to find any official reference in the docs and was worried it might indicate a smart battery issue...

 

[chriscuk]

I've gone back through a number of youtube videos and the only time I've seen this warning is in windy conditions either just before the wind warning or at a time when it is obvious it is windy. Maybe they'll reword the message at a later date.

 

[Meta4]

Makes sense to me: strong wind requires more thrust to keep the drone in position - and above a certain windspeed you start drifting because thrust is limited on the Mini.

Except it doesn't work like that at all.
Your drone can hold its position in stronger winds than most pilots would fly in.
Fly in any strength wind and you don't see that message.
The message is usually associated with low-voltage situations when the motors are having trouble providing sufficient force to keep the drone in the air.

 

[Buzz_uk]

being lithium ion is it pulling too many amps when the wind gets up?

 

[Meta4]

being lithium ion is it pulling too many amps when the wind gets up?

Just noticed this is about the M Mini ..
Although the message is similar to one used in the larger DJI drones it's showing up for a quite different reason.
On the bigger drones, it means that battery voltage is very low and speed has been reduced for safety.
In the video above, the message might be related to aircraft speed rather than battery level??

 

[chriscuk]

Look at this example:

The battery is at 74% but its the strong wind which is causing the sudden drain.

There are lots more videos out there that show the same. All high wind with adequate battery levels.

 

[LeSchmoo]

The error doesn't show up in the online log viewer (interestingly the folder on my phone is called: dji.go.v5

 

[Lewberry6]

Hi guys. Just had this with my first flight in sport mode, no wind.

According to DJI this is a message in response to tilt angle and nothing to do with actual battery draw etc. Little confusing message.

Solution was “we don’t recommend pushing the sticks too hard in Sport mode”.... pretty sure the point of sport mode is to fly in that manner but there you go. Hopefully they at least update the message to provide a little less confusion.

 

[chriscuk]

I've had it a couple of times in heavy wind today with battery at 90% and 60%. It could well be the tilt as the craft was holding position.

 

[Buzz_uk]

i have long range wings using li lion batteries, they can only handle a certain amount of current draw. the extra power needed to cope with wind and the stick full forward in sport is obviously drawing too many amps..... which is a concern

 

[webvan]

Was wondering about that message too after seeing videos on YT.
This sounds like it could be doing some harm to the batteries in the long run but hopefully this will not cause any issues during flights

 

[Meta4]

the extra power needed to cope with wind and the stick full forward in sport is obviously drawing too many amps..... which is a concern

How would that be any more drain on the batteries than flying at full speed in still air?

 

[Buzz_uk]

The mini probably has it's speed restricted to stay consistently under the amp rating of the battery (i've noticed it's really quite slow), whereas it may be spiking when dealing with wind

 

[Meta4]

whereas it may be spiking when dealing with wind

If you fly it at full speed against a headwind, the drone doesn't work any harder than it does in still air, but the groundspeed is slower.
Or if the wind is strong enough, the drone might even go backwards.