Did anyone try opening up the battery for the MA2?

[dawgpilot]

My Mavic Air 2 alone without any battery installed is 374 grams. I find it hard to believe you're going to shave off 125 grams and somehow get enough battery in that to fly for 20 minutes. ?‍

 

[Flying Nimbus]

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.

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

Small update. I got myself an ifixit kit and tried a second attempt at removing the battery from the plastic housing before going to work. I managed to get under the first cell and remove it. The internals are held together by sticky foam pads rather than glue but that doesn't make it any easier. The top plastic shell and the first cell I removed are still tethered to the logic board and I don't plan on removing them until I get the whole thing out. I have no idea how I'll get the rest out as it's very difficult to get under the second and third cell. I'll post pictures when I can.

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

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?

I had a mini before the m2a. The problem with the mini is that it doesn't shoot raw or 4k and has a terrible signal.

There is one big feature that the mini has to get it under 250g and that's the paper thin frame. The body of the mini is just a thin plastic shell with a motherboard inside of it. The m2a features a honeycomb-like structure that adds a lot more rigidity at the cost of weight.

My Mavic Air 2 alone without any battery installed is 374 grams. I find it hard to believe you're going to shave off 125 grams and somehow get enough battery in that to fly for 20 minutes. ?‍

It's gunna be more than 125g once you include the battery. The original battery is 198g. For now lets assume that 1 cell with the logic board and a simple 3D printed housing is 50g. The prototype frame I have currently designed is 30g. That means that order for this project to work is for the components of the m2a must be under 170g. If the weight of all the components is over that then there is very little I can do.

 

[bumper]

If you are planning on flying with a reduced number of battery cells (??) how are you going to deal with the reduction in system voltage? The drone, from computer to motors, is designed for a specific voltage range (to account for voltage drop during discharge). The batteries are typically wired in series (or in bigger drone sometimes in series-parallel configuration) so removing a cell drops system voltage by a nominal 3.7 volts. With a battery pack using several batteries in series (as most are) the only practical way to reduce weight is to replace all the batteries with smaller ones.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Small update. I got myself an ifixit kit and tried a second attempt at removing the battery from the plastic housing before going to work. I managed to get under the first cell and remove it. The internals are held together by sticky foam pads rather than glue but that doesn't make it any easier. The top plastic shell and the first cell I removed are still tethered to the logic board and I don't plan on removing them until I get the whole thing out. I have no idea how I'll get the rest out as it's very difficult to get under the second and third cell. I'll post pictures when I can.




I had a mini before the m2a. The problem with the mini is that it doesn't shoot raw or 4k and has a terrible signal.

There is one big feature that the mini has to get it under 250g and that's the paper thin frame. The body of the mini is just a thin plastic shell with a motherboard inside of it. The m2a features a honeycomb-like structure that adds a lot more rigidity at the cost of weight.


It's gunna be more than 125g once you include the battery. The original battery is 198g. For now lets assume that 1 cell with the logic board and a simple 3D printed housing is 50g. The prototype frame I have currently designed is 30g. That means that order for this project to work is for the components of the m2a must be under 170g. If the weight of all the components is over that then there is very little I can do.

I have to agree there - not that I am some kind of big expert I do make DYI drones and I can assure you it is very unlikely you can fly with one cell.
And if you can get it to fly with one cell, like maybe with a voltage converter it's going to draw a lot more current off the one cell.

 

[Flying Nimbus]

If you are planning on flying with a reduced number of battery cells (??) how are you going to deal with the reduction in system voltage? The drone, from computer to motors, is designed for a specific voltage range (to account for voltage drop during discharge). The batteries are typically wired in series (or in bigger drone sometimes in series-parallel configuration) so removing a cell drops system voltage by a nominal 3.7 volts. With a battery pack using several batteries in series (as most are) the only practical way to reduce weight is to replace all the batteries with smaller ones.

I have to agree there - not that I am some kind of big expert I do make DYI drones and I can assure you it is very unlikely you can fly with one cell.
And if you can get it to fly with one cell, like maybe with a voltage converter it's going to draw a lot more current off the one cell.

Hmm, that's an oversight on my part. Each cell is 3.85V and 13.78Wh according to the label. Would an aftermarket battery like this be fine?

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Hmm, that's an oversight on my part. Each cell is 3.85V and 13.78Wh according to the label. Would an aftermarket battery like this be fine?

MA2 is 3s then yes it could work. If your ok with 5 min flight time.(3500/500 = 7, 34/7 = 4.8)

 

[Flying Nimbus]

MA2 is 3s then yes it could work. If your ok with 5 min flight time.(3500/500 = 7, 34/7 = 4.8)

Well now the question is where can I get a stock BMS without having to cannibalize this battery any further. ?

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Well now the question is where can I get a stock BMS without having to cannibalize this battery any further. ?

You’re going to have to use the shell of the stock battery.
You need to splice it in where the old battery was connected so that the drone sees the battery.
There is communication between the micro processor in the battery and the drone

 

[lee82gx]

I'm even more curious about those who caution you, of course modification has risks.

Mavic Air 2 Battery Mod Thread

Alright, here we go again! Show us your battery mods!!!! Tell us about your amazing flight times! I haven't done any time testing yet but here is my first prototype and it works fine :-)

mavicpilots.com

The links above show some of the pictures of the battery split out to give you a clue.

Using the BMS is not as straightforward. You will need toolkits hardware and software from Texas Instruments. I forgot the toolkit name.
Also, cold swap a cell will immediately brick the BMS.

 

[everBit]

Well now the question is where can I get a stock BMS without

this part is not manufactured by DJI for sales like sparepart so the only way to get same is take out from stock battery.
There is still a workaround to use Dji Mavic Air battery bms and reflash it with MA2 battery firmware.
The socket and pinouts are the same as well as 3S hardware configuration.

You will need toolkits hardware and software from Texas Instruments. I forgot the toolkit name

these are ev2400 programming board and bqStudio DJI edition.

 

[lee82gx]

this part is not manufactured by DJI for sales like sparepart so the only way to get same is take out from stock battery.
There is still a workaround to use Dji Mavic Air battery bms and reflash it with MA2 battery firmware.
The socket and pinouts are the same as well as 3S hardware configuration.


these are ev2400 programming board and bqStudio DJI edition.

Have you experienced messing with it yourself? How about ubrt? Does it work well enough by itself?

 

[everBit]

It's idea only for now but it should work. At least some people already used reflashed MA1 BMS for Mavic Mini battery mod and it works.

How about ubrt? Does it work well enough by itself?

Yes, it should work at least with Premium license. Don't know if simple license would allow SREC reflashing.

 

[Mike4884]

The kid is 20 and i say kudos to him its his drone anyway keep the lectures for youselves. Anyway op if u do end up cutting motor wires it is imperative that u sand the outer coating (varnish) of the wires where u need to solder,( u will see them start to shine when sanding, now solder will adhere correctly) otherwise u wont get a good solder connection and risk falling out of the air. Now dji motors while brushless yes they are different to other rc brushless motors. Usually some of them u cant cut the leads and usually each of the 3 wires have multiple copper strands. Dji's usually are thin wires if i remember correctly literally one varnish coated wire for each of the 3 wires

 

[Flying Nimbus]

The kid is 20 and i say kudos to him its his drone anyway keep the lectures for youselves. Anyway op if u do end up cutting motor wires it is imperative that u sand the outer coating (varnish) of the wires where u need to solder,( u will see them start to shine when sanding, now solder will adhere correctly) otherwise u wont get a good solder connection and risk falling out of the air. Now dji motors while brushless yes they are different to other rc brushless motors. Usually some of them u cant cut the leads and usually each of the 3 wires have multiple copper strands. Dji's usually are thin wires if i remember correctly literally one varnish coated wire for each of the 3 wires

Sadly, I am 27. I just don't put my real birthday or name out on the internet.

this part is not manufactured by DJI for sales like sparepart so the only way to get same is take out from stock battery.
There is still a workaround to use Dji Mavic Air battery bms and reflash it with MA2 battery firmware.
The socket and pinouts are the same as well as 3S hardware configuration.


these are ev2400 programming board and bqStudio DJI edition.

The board cost $345! ?

 

[Manpreet Singh Bhatia]

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.

This guy is king of modifications on battery. He is russian but I could easily understand the mavic air 1 hacks. Try his channel, maybe ur in good luck. He is having 3 video only on mavic air 1 battery...

 

[robinbanks]

why reinvent the wheel?

MA2 has Ocusync 2.0, MM has... WiFi...
MA2 has ActiveTrack 3.0, MM has... not...
MA2 has APAS and Fore and Aft Obs. Avoidance, MM has... not...

Shall I continue to give reasons why one might want to "reinvent the wheel"??

 

[Pappy]

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.

Seeing how the MA2 weighs in at 380 grams WITHOUT the battery, it's going to be impossible to reduce the wight to just 249 grams and still be able to power up for a 1 minute flight.

 

[bumper]

Okay, consider just the battery, the part Flying Nimbus is working on. You cannot simply remove cells to reduce weight, as the cells are wired in series to achieve the operating voltage required by the system. The physical size of each battery, along with the quality of its construction, will determine current capacity. If the battery pack is 4 cells, it will need to remain 4 cells to function properly. Thus the only way to achieve battery weight reduction is to use the same number but physically smaller cells (and perhaps a lighter case). Smaller cells will have less current capacity (amp hour rating) as well as less peak current capability. Because the battery will then be operating nearer its maximum current capability, it will probably generate more internal heat and cell life may suffer.

The upside is the battery/motor combo will have less work to do with less weight to pack around. Still, I don't know if you can count on losing only half the flight time with a 1/2 reduction in battery weight. I'm just a lowly licensed electrician and electronics technician by training, not a design engineer. So the above is a WAG for sure, but an educated one.

There's an old aircraft engineer's saying about the "lightening holes" that are typically formed in metal aircraft parts to reduce weight. They jokingly refer to them as "heavying holes", as the holes result in a weakening of the structure so it has to then be reinforced, which adds even more weight.

 

[bcwoodcarver]

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?

Hi you sound like you know batteries-- my mavic 2 pro battery will not charge

 

[Manpreet Singh Bhatia]

Hi you sound like you know batteries-- my mavic 2 pro battery will not charge

If you know a person who has ev2300. It can be unbricked...or you need to parallel supply ur mavic with the bricked battery in drone, then just do firmware upgrade through nld. Check the video I posted above