Battery Err

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

I haven't flown my mavic in about 4 months. I just got done charging everything and powered it up. My controller gives me a BATTERY ERR on the screen. I also noticed I needed an update. I did the update and I'm still getting the battery error. I've only flown this thing a half dozen times since I've owned it. Would the battery go bad after sitting? I have 2 batteries and the 2nd one doesn't give me the error. Of course, I've never used the 2nd one before now.

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

So now after all version updates, I still get a battery error. So I went into the GO FLY screen and it says my battery has a broken cell. This thing stays in a very nice case and has not been touched until now. How can a cell get broken just sitting? Not very good quality for an $80 something battery.

4wd · Nov 23, 2017

Unfortunately just sitting is not good for them especially if it was left too low.
You might try a cautious discharge (low hover?) and charge again.
Batteries are relatively affordable, not much fun having one you don't quite trust.

Keule · Nov 23, 2017

As @4wd already mentioned, do a battery discharge cycle.

I suggest remove the props, insert the affected battery and power ON the aircraft.
With the remote connected and the GO 4 app active, goto the battery status screen.
Make a note of the voltage of all 3 cells. If one cell is below or at 3.2 V, the battery could be dead ...
but let's proceed;
Start the motors - watch the as the voltage slowly drops in GO 4.
Let the motors run until the aircraft shuts down by itself.
Within minutes, remove the battery from the airframe and charge it.

Maybe it will recover...

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

It won't let me start the motors. These are the faults it gives me in the Overall Status.
1. Battery cell broken. Land quickly and replace battery.
2.Battery cell broken.
3. Stop using the battery and contact dji support.

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

Well I just sent dji and email inquiring about the battery. Maybe they will respond.

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

Plus to add, the manual says that these will go into a hibernation mode if stored for a long time. They just need to hit the charger before use which is what I did. No where does it state that they cannot be stored for a long period of time.

Keule · Nov 23, 2017

Not good - Nevertheless, did you try to charge the battery and see what happens?
1 LED is blinking? Or nothing? Most likely the battery is bricked.

Let's see what DJI does - good luck!

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

Keule said:
Not good - Nevertheless, did you try to charge the battery and see what happens?
1 LED is blinking? Or nothing? Most likely the battery is bricked.

Let's see what DJI does - good luck!

Completely charged. I also had disconnected it a couple times, shutdown everything and restarted everything to make sure software version was good. Both times went thru the checks on the app and all looked good. The RC is the one telling me its bad.

f3honda4me · Nov 23, 2017

If the battery is over six months old you're out of warranty. This happened to a battery on my inspire 2. Only 6 cycles ever, but beyond 6 months so had to buy a new one. It was uneven cells. Basically at full charge some cells were more than .1 volt difference. 4.2 vs 4.1 etc. So it marks bad battery. I tried all the tricks, nothing worked.

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

f3honda4me said:
If the battery is over six months old you're out of warranty. This happened to a battery on my inspire 2. Only 6 cycles ever, but beyond 6 months so had to buy a new one. It was uneven cells. Basically at full charge some cells were more than .1 volt difference. 4.2 vs 4.1 etc. So it marks bad battery. I tried all the tricks, nothing worked.

Sounds about right. Only used a half dozen times. May be time to sell off if I have to pay $80 for a battery every 6 months.

FlyGuy8675309 · Nov 23, 2017

bsshog40 said:
Sounds about right. Only used a half dozen times. May be time to sell off if I have to pay $80 for a battery every 6 months.

That's fine if you're giving up quads altogether, but if you think you'll find anything better out there at any where near the price of the Mavic, I'll save you some time: You won't.

Sounds like you got a defective battery but didn't use it enough during the warranty period to shake it out.

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

FlyGuy8675309 said:
That's fine if you're giving up quads altogether, but if you think you'll find anything better out there at any where near the price of the Mavic, I'll save you some time: You won't.

Sounds like you got a defective battery but didn't use it enough during the warranty period to shake it out.

When I pay $1200 for a drone w/acc, I don't expect things to fail as soon as the warranty is up. I researched drones for 2 yrs until the mavic came out. It made up my mind to finally purchase one. If I sell this one, I won't be buying another so money is not the issue here. Quality is what I expect.

FlyGuy8675309 · Nov 23, 2017

bsshog40 said:
When I pay $1200 for a drone w/acc, I don't expect things to fail as soon as the warranty is up. I researched drones for 2 yrs until the mavic came out. It made up my mind to finally purchase one..

..and one bad battery and you're out. Got it.

Well model trains are relaxing.. ALL ABOARD! LOLOLOLOL

ps If you buy a new car (or anything, actually) don't use it only 6 times before the warranty runs out. You're not gonna have a good time.

bsshog40 · Nov 23, 2017

I was very surprised to get a response to my email already from dji. They gave me a remedy to try. I'll post it here if it fixes the battery.
And btw, I have a $2000 telescope also. I've went a year in between uses in the past. It fires up everytime with no flaws. $1200 may be chump change to some of you, but I had to save for quite awhile to pay for this mavic. Another $80 for a flawed battery is not a drop in the bucket for me niether. I know crap happens, and I would be able to handle it better if I had used it frequently, but a half dozen uses just doesn't seem right. Hopefully it is just a software glitch in the battery and dji's remedy will fix it. They also stated that if it didn't work, they will see what they can do. I definately cannot gripe about thier customer service.
And after looking at the battery status, my battery shows to have been charged 4 times. That's how much use it's had. I don't buy things to be forced to use or they fail, I buy things to enjoy when I want to use them.

FlyGuy8675309 · Nov 24, 2017

bsshog40 said:
I don't buy things to be forced to use or they fail, I buy things to enjoy when I want to use them.

That's fine. but you see what happens when you don't shake out defects with some burn-in.

bsshog40 · Nov 24, 2017

FlyGuy8675309 said:
That's fine. but you see what happens when you don't shake out defects with some burn-in.

I agree. I have 2 batteries. This was my #1 battery that I used all the time. Never flew it long enough to get to the second one. So the 2nd one has never been used until I flew it yesterday. Charged it up and all is good with it. Hopefully the fix will fix my #1 battery. So far I have discharged it once and recharged with the same error. DJI recommended doing this process twice to see if it will fix it.

bsshog40 · Nov 25, 2017

Well DJI's attempt at a remedy didn't work. Guess I'll just have to see if I want to buy another battery or just live with the good one I have. I don't fly it much anyway. This is the last screenshot of my attempt to fully charge and discharge as requested by DJI. I guess the battery just got a broken cell sitting.

Callum · Nov 25, 2017

bsshog40 said:
Well DJI's attempt at a remedy didn't work. Guess I'll just have to see if I want to buy another battery or just live with the good one I have. I don't fly it much anyway. This is the last screenshot of my attempt to fully charge and discharge as requested by DJI. I guess the battery just got a broken cell sitting.

What was DJI's remedy?