Did anyone try opening up the battery for the MA2?

[Flying Nimbus]

I'm having a hard time trying to get it open. I got the top plastic shell off but the glue inside seems to make it hard to pull out by hand.

 

[xunhui]

I'm having a hard time trying to get it open. I got the top plastic shell off but the glue inside seems to make it hard to pull out by hand.

No... Why would you want to open up the battery outer casing? ?‍

 

[InvisibleName]

I'm having a hard time trying to get it open. I got the top plastic shell off but the glue inside seems to make it hard to pull out by hand.

I don’t get why you would want to!

 

[Olav van Gerven]

I don’t get why you would want to!

Maybe an aplication for a darwin award?

 

[Flying Nimbus]

I don’t get why you would want to!

No... Why would you want to open up the battery outer casing? ?‍

I want to see what the inside looks like. I have an idea for 2 mods I want to try. One is expanding the battery capacity and the outer shell would be replaced with a 3D printed one. After looking at this post, I want to try it myself. The second, which is more important, is trying to reduce the weight of the drone to 249g so I don't have to register it in Canada, get a licence, and then send an application every time I want to fly in my city. Might be a long shot, but it's worth a try. I already designed a new frame that weights about 30-50g depending on how well it prints. The big issue is the battery which weighs a bit under 200g. I need to remove the outer shell and cut capacity to decrease the weight.

I just want to disassemble it in a way that I can reassemble it when I want to take it overseas. According to the countless Youtube videos, the drone itself is really simple to take apart, but I can't find any info about taking apart the battery.

 

[xunhui]

Curious and intelligent, like that in a man. But to be totally honest you are taking a huge risk and you need to be aware of this. Altering the battery configuration with it's capacity, weight and design could at the very minimal land you in some serious trouble if safety is not strictly adhered. The battery that you are altering I would never use in any public setting, never. This is just me and the thought of injuring someone or property damage is just to much of a risk.

So no, never taken the battery apart and have also never seen any videos of this process. Good luck, be safe and pay attention to detail and safety. Keep us updated if you so proceed with your alteration.

 

[InvisibleName]

I want to see what the inside looks like. I have an idea for 2 mods I want to try. One is expanding the battery capacity and the outer shell would be replaced with a 3D printed one. After looking at this post, I want to try it myself. The second, which is more important, is trying to reduce the weight of the drone to 249g so I don't have to register it in Canada, get a licence, and then send an application every time I want to fly in my city. Might be a long shot, but it's worth a try. I already designed a new frame that weights about 30-50g depending on how well it prints. The big issue is the battery which weighs a bit under 200g. I need to remove the outer shell and cut capacity to decrease the weight.

I just want to disassemble it in a way that I can reassemble it when I want to take it overseas. According to the countless Youtube videos, the drone itself is really simple to take apart, but I can't find any info about taking apart the battery.

OK, good luck! Must be nice to be able to spend $1000 on a drone to then rip it apart, void any warranty & run the risk of ending up putting it in the bin! but, having said that, I agree with what @THE CYBORG said

 

[THE CYBORG]

I say good for you
Where would the world be without inquisitive, innovative people ?

 

[Flying Nimbus]

Curious and intelligent, like that in a man. But to be totally honest you are taking a huge risk and you need to be aware of this. Altering the battery configuration with it's capacity, weight and design could at the very minimal land you in some serious trouble if safety is not strictly adhered. The battery that you are altering I would never use in any public setting, never. This is just me and the thought of injuring someone or property damage is just to much of a risk.

So no, never taken the battery apart and have also never seen any videos of this process. Good luck, be safe and pay attention to detail and safety. Keep us updated if you so proceed with your alteration.

OK, good luck! Must be nice to be able to spend $1000 on a drone to then rip it apart, void any warranty & run the risk of ending up putting it in the bin!

I must clarify that I don't plan on doing anything to my drone until I figure out how to open this battery and figure out if what I want to do is a possibility. I am not voiding my warranty (at least not yet) because I bought this battery separate from my Fly More Combo. I also might return the combo to the Apple Store and buy it online from DJI because apparently I save almost $300 CAD. ?‍

From what I can tell, it seems like I will only have 2 issues with my goal.

1) The motors which are soldered onto the board. I know how to solder well so it's not an issue. But it will be annoying having to unsolder and then resolder every time I want to change frames. Either I do that and potentially keep my warranty, or cut the wires and add a plug to make things easier.

2) The battery. It seems like there are multiple cells (4?) that link up to a strip of metal that connects to the little board. Removing or adding cells might not seem like an issue. The issue is will 1-2 cells bring the drone with the new frame under 250g? If not, then I need a new lighter battery and make sure it's sending the correct voltage, current, etc. If yes, then do I significant flight time? If not, then I still need a new lighter battery. If I can get both under 250g and 20 mins of flight time, then I'm golden. ?

That's basically my mindset. Figure out the battery issues before anything else. I've given up for the day and decided to go outside to fly this drone. I will post updates when I have significant progress done but don't expect anything soon. The only frustrating thing is that there are plenty of videos of people doing a teardown to their DJI drone or battery, but no videos or articles exist for the M2A battery. I can definitely take out the cells and board inside the plastic housing, but I'm just too hesitant in potentially damaging it. Do any of the other DJI drones use the same or similar model battery?

 

[TreeHugger]

I'm having a hard time trying to get it open. I got the top plastic shell off but the glue inside seems to make it hard to pull out by hand.

I've opened a battery or two - have had limited success wedging the credit card from this kit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0762BVXDY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Assuming you can see the naked "battery pack". Wedging the card in from the side, combined with a rocking motion of the battery pack might do the trick.
The adhesive is strong, you might end up cutting the plastic away.

Problem - sometimes the card will try to wedge between the bottom two batteries and you end up with a mess.
Of course, have a metal bucket with a lid near by to toss it if you spark up.

 

[hiflyer201]

Wouldn't buying a mini be a better solution..or at least an easier one

 

[Deleted member 114292]

I'm having a hard time trying to get it open. I got the top plastic shell off but the glue inside seems to make it hard to pull out by hand.

Ipad batteries are glued in - careful use of a heat gun is how they are loosened up.
YMMV.

 

[peterc4]

wow

 

[bumper]

Hiflyer201 is spot on, I was going to say the same thing. DJI tweaked most all the design rules to get the Mini to 249 grams. And they cut some corners to get there. When you design something to stay under an arbitrary bar, like weight in this case, while still maintaining an acceptable level of performance, it's hard to avoid unforeseen downstream difficulties (the Mini's prop flex, and easily torques front arms come to mind).

Seriously, there's no practical way, to start out with one of DJI's bigger drones, and have a remote chance of paring down the weight to 249 and still retain a semblance of practical performance. Maybe if a flight time in the single digits is good enough?

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Hiflyer201 is spot on, I was going to say the same thing. DJI tweaked most all the design rules to get the Mini to 249 grams. And they cut some corners to get there. When you design something to stay under an arbitrary bar, like weight in this case, while still maintaining an acceptable level of performance, it's hard to avoid unforeseen downstream difficulties (the Mini's prop flex, and easily torques front arms come to mind).

Seriously, there's no practical way, to start out with one of DJI's bigger drones, and have a remote chance of paring down the weight to 249 and still retain a semblance of practical performance. Maybe if a flight time in the single digits is good enough?

There’s always a nay sayer.
For one thing DJI had very different design goals than you or I might have. For example profit margin, ease of manufacture, testability and others.

I also think it’s pretty obvious the DJI doesn’t plan for everything look at the issues with the mini already.

You just never know what he might come up with if he’s willing to take on a task that could be arduous and met with many failures.

But if he has the will to see it through you
he could come up with An elegant new idea.

Inspiration is built on hard work.

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

Lot of Oscar's chimed in on this topic, lol. @Flying Nimbus ignore the old grouches on this forum and keep us posted on your path to modding your UAS. It's good to see folks who are curious and not afraid to open up stuff to figure out how it works. Spend an hour or two in the Hardware Mods section sorting through posts, there is A LOT of good info from people just like you who posted photos/lessons learned as they cracked open DJI products; probably save you from making their same mistakes.

Good luck and share it all, good or bad, you might help the next person who comes looking for info.

 

[bumper]

There’s always a nay sayer.
For one thing DJI had very different design goals than you or I might have. For example profit margin, ease of manufacture, testability and others.

I also think it’s pretty obvious the DJI doesn’t plan for everything look at the issues with the mini already.

You just never know what he might come up with if he’s willing to take on a task that could be arduous and met with many failures.

But if he has the will to see it through you
he could come up with An elegant new idea.

Inspiration is built on hard work.

Naysayer if you wish, but a practical one in this case. I've worked in the electronics field most of my life and designed, patented, and made mechanical things as well. I'm a pilot and aircraft owner, single engine land, instrument, glider and self launch glider. None of this makes me an expert, of course, but I do have a clue. One thing I know is I could never design and build a drone alone. It's unlikely any single person at DJI could do that either. It's much too complex and requires a team of specialists with diverse skills to pull that off. Even then they screw up.

I'm quite sure DJI's goals include eking as much performance out of their drones as possible, while delivering a product with performance and appeal at a "reasonable" price point. But physics being what it is, there are tough barriers to their goals. I'm not saying it's impossible for one owner to reverse engineer and improve on their product - - but that's not where the smart money would be betting. So okay, hold on, wait for it . . . "Nay!"

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Naysayer if you wish, but a practical one in this case. I've worked in the electronics field most of my life and designed, patented, and made mechanical things as well. I'm a pilot and aircraft owner, single engine land, instrument, glider and self launch glider. None of this makes me an expert, of course, but I do have a clue. One thing I know is I could never design and build a drone alone. It's unlikely any single person at DJI could do that either. It's much too complex and requires a team of specialists with diverse skills to pull that off. Even then they screw up.

I'm quite sure DJI's goals include eking as much performance out of their drones as possible, while delivering a product with performance and appeal at a "reasonable" price point. But physics being what it is, there are tough barriers to their goals. I'm not saying it's impossible for one owner to reverse engineer and improve on their product - - but that's not where the smart money would be betting. So okay, hold on, wait for it . . . "Nay!"

You’re right he should just give up now

 

[bumper]

You’re right he should just give up now

No, I didn't say that. His choice, his drone to experiment with. It's more likely a fool's errand, but there's a minuscule chance he might do better than all the engineers at DJI. But thenagain, they've already made a drone less than 250 grams, why reinvent the wheel?

 

[Deleted member 114292]

No, I didn't say that. His choice, his drone to experiment with. It's more likely a fool's errand, but there's a minuscule chance he might do better than all the engineers at DJI. But thenagain, they've already made a drone less than 250 grams, why reinvent the wheel?

Perhaps your not big on social interactions but for many of us:
fool's errand == just give up,
if ( errand == for_fools ) {
return just_give_up;
}