Batteries… batteries…

Mavic Mitch · Mar 19, 2022

Hey everyone…. I’m hoping to get some battery advice from the wealth of knowledge that exists on this site. I have DJI PHANTOM 2 Plus… and a DJI Mavic Air. Recently, my Mavic Air intelligent battery stopped working (as in not taking a charge). I would simply replace it but the cost and availability of these batteries is an issue. That said, I’m not really sure what to do At this poin. Is there any way to “wake up“ a non responsIve intelligent battery or does anyo know of a reasonably cheap replacement option. Currently, battery replacement is more expensive than the cost of the drone

. Any suggestions are most welcome. Thank you guys in advance

. Mitch

MAvic_South_Oz · Mar 19, 2022

Yeah Air battereis when found are bringing well over US$100 it seems.

There is a fellow on the Spark forum who very successfully revives Spark batteries, also made obsolete some time ago and pretty much non existent now.

Maybe you can sign up there or get a message to them . . .

DJI SPARK repair a dead battery with TRB2300 and tools

sparkpilots.com

There may be others that can do this, maybe google search the software used (TRB2300) and battery revival, see if anything comes up in your region.

CaptainMavic · Mar 20, 2022

The DJI batteries have a circuit inside that protects the battery. The problem is if it sits too long, or battery cell balance gets too far off, the circuit will go into “permanent failure” mode. The battery will not output any voltage and you cannot charge it either. I purchased the EV2400 battery interface module and have the BQEVSW software installed on my computer. I have been successful in recharging the batteries and resetting the BQ chip inside, but it requires disassembling the battery without destroying the case. These were the Mavic Pro batteries but most of the DJI batteries work the same. It really is not advisable for an average person to mess around with as battery fires or explosion’s can result. There are also questions about battery reliability issues after reset. You really don’t want your drone falling out of the sky, although I personally have not had any issues. I could probably reset your battery but it would probably cost more to mail it to me and send it back than to just replace it. Just checked eBay and found many new and used phantom 2 batteries for sale, averaging about $60 apiece. Hopefully this helps, also there are a lot of videos on YouTube about this subject.

CaptainMavic · Mar 20, 2022

There are Mavic Air 2 batteries on eBay for approximately $60 and you can get a two pack for $160 on Amazon.

Kilrah · Mar 20, 2022

CaptainMavic said:
There are Mavic Air 2 batteries on eBay for approximately $60 and you can get a two pack for $160 on Amazon.

They have an Air 1 though.

This thing is unfortunately quickly becoming a doorstop with its batteries failing way quicker than those on other DJI drones and no replacements being available.

CaptainMavic · Mar 20, 2022

I see what you mean. $100+ on eBay and Amazon. There is a two pack on Amazon for $415. Maybe they come gold plated. It’s a shame DJI doesn’t support their products longer. I am surprised that someone doesn’t offer a economical battery rebuilding service. It would be a nice, profitable business for the right person.

MAvic_South_Oz · Mar 20, 2022

CaptainMavic said:
I am surprised that someone doesn’t offer a economical battery rebuilding service. It would be a nice, profitable business for the right person.

My post #2, this fellow can restore totally bricked batteries, I'm sure some other smart folk can too, or could.
You're right, it could be a great biz, main or side $.

He buys bricked Spark batts for $15, sells for $125 + shipping (edit, sorry that is for 2 batteries I recalled and checked), if it's a programmable fix, and not too involved, a nice tidy profit margin.
From some of his posts, he does other batteries too, so probably not limited to the Sparks.