DJI MINI 2 Operating temperature (Cold Weather)

livinbyinstinct · Nov 7, 2022

At what temperature can the DJI Mini 2 operate in the cold at. The info I find says anywhere between 0-40 Celsius. But then it goes on to say that it can operate in colder if the batteries are pre warmed. Just wondering if anyone has tested it and found a threshold? Im
from Canada and would like to get some winter shots.

Cheers.

Phantomrain.org · Nov 7, 2022

Recommend you consider getting the Mini 2 Wet Suit to help with the Freezing temps.

One of the issues we found when flying with the Mini 2 is when the Camera Starts to Chatter back an fourth very quickly . I think we have a video of it happening.

But the Wet Suit will give you every possible advantage when flying in the Snow and the cold and the Moisture that effects the Mini 2 and the sensors.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain, and Extreme Temps.

old man mavic · Nov 7, 2022

@livinbyinstinct , the actual temperature that the drone can be flown in during cold weather,will depend a lot on not just the actual air temperature ,but also the amount of moisture in the air,called the Dew Point ,which if conditions are just right can cause ice to form on the props ,which will have a big effect on flight performance, and in severe cases actually prevent the drones ability to stay airborne,also remember that as altitude increases ,then temperature can change as well
another factor for cold weather flying is to remember the effect it has on battery performance to deliver enough voltage to the motors ,which then reduces the flight time
and finally the cold will, and does ,have a detrimental effect on you the pilot ,such as very cold hands ,and loss of body core temperature ,which can cause loss of concentration ,and control of the drone ,so between flights take a break in a warm place ,if you can ,and yes starting off with warm batteries, carried close to your body in an inside pocket can help
one other thing with regards to the drone during flight in very cold conditions, is that the gimbal can become compromised by the cold ,and this will spoil the images
there is no reason not to fly in cold conditions,as long as you take precautions to limit its affects

mucek · Nov 7, 2022

Be aware of fog/humidity in near/bellow zero degrees. I crashed mine on January 1st this year due to propeller icing ... Shall be post somewhere in Crash area ...

However, I don't see other problems if battery is warm (i.e. kept in pocket) and inserted just before launching.

Regards,
Gregor

Chrislaf · Nov 7, 2022

Phantomrain.org said:
Recommend you consider getting the Mini 2 Wet Suit to help with the Freezing temps.

One of the issues we found when flying with the Mini 2 is when the Camera Starts to Chatter back an fourth very quickly . I think we have a video of it happening.

But the Wet Suit will give you every possible advantage when flying in the Snow and the cold and the Moisture that effects the Mini 2 and the sensors.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain, and Extreme Temps.

The camera chatter is not going to be improved/solved by your wetsuit as it is the gimbal mechanism that is being affected by the cold temperatures.

Chris

retiredNH · Nov 7, 2022

If you read the above, you can see there is no one answer. It all depends on the weather. The easiest way to handle the battery, the critical component other than the prop and icing, is to keep it warm (house, car or pocket near your body...) until just before use. Under normal flight, the drain from flight should keep it warm enough during flight, but watch the battery levels.

I'm not aware of anyone that has found a lower temperature limit, just slowly degrading performance (outside of icing, which can be dramatic, and can happen at surprisingly warm temperatures!)

Cold weather, especially with snow and ice on the ground, gives great flight scenery. Get out there and do it!

Chrislaf · Nov 7, 2022

I fly my drones in cold temperatures all the time. I have flown both my Spark and my Phantom 3 Standard in temperatures between -10 and -20 degrees Celsius without any problems. The coldest I have flown in was with my P3S and it was -23C. My two newer drones are both rated to fly down to -10C but I have not had a chance to try since they were both purchased after the cold winter temperatures had past (last spring and late summer).

I don't have a Mini 2 but one of the problems I had on my Spark in cold temperatures was that the gimbal would stick. It would not rotate its full range so automated functions like panoramas would fail. Sometimes I could get it to work properly if I rotated it up and down a few times before running an automated function but often it still would not work. It still took pictures and recorded video just fine and there was no lasting effects of having flying in the cold. Both my Spark and P3S still work perfectly.

Some tips:
-Make sure your batteries are kept warm and only insert them in the drone when you are all set up and ready to launch. It doesn't take long for an exposed battery to cool down especially in very cold weather.
-be aware that your phone or tablet screen may not be as responsive due to the cold and unlike the drone battery in flight, its battery does not warm up.
-Keep your Mini 2 in VLOS at all times. I have had my phone die on me suddenly because of the cold weather without warning and if the drone is in VLOS then you can easily see it and bring it back.
-I adjust my flying in the winter and especially in cold weather - my flights are shorter and I land with lots of juice left in the battery.
-I use disposable hand warmers to keep my hands warm and keep them in my mits until I am ready to fly.
-If I am flying in really cold weather, I will sometimes use a transmitter mitt that covers the tranmitter and keeps my hands relatively warm.

Hope this helps.

Winter is one of the most beautiful seasons to be out flying your drone. Good luck.

Chris

karlblessing · Nov 7, 2022

Though it's usually advisable not to fly in too extreme cold, it can hurt the battery in the long run.

Phantomrain.org · Nov 7, 2022

Chrislaf said:
The camera chatter is not going to be improved/solved by your wetsuit as it is the gimbal mechanism that is being affected by the cold temperatures.

Chris

Yes no one knows this better than we do that the wet suit is not able to stop the Camera chattering, But the fact that we were able to fly in below zero conditions in the first place is partly do to the Wet Suit protecting the drone.

My hands were so frozen I could not change the exposure on the Camera.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain /

Robert Prior · Nov 7, 2022

I've flown 10° below the minimum temperature, cautiously. I know someone who's flown an Air at -30°.

Other than icing and keeping the battery warm, be aware that the predicted flight time is likely to be an overestimate, possibly very much so. That predicted 10 min could start dropping before your eyes, so always have a safe landing spot picked out. Don't waste any time looking around: have a flight plan and execute it without delay.

Also, screens can turn black if the device gets too cold — had that happen while flying last winter. Very glad I was flying VLOS!

karlblessing · Nov 7, 2022

Phantomrain.org said:
Yes no one knows this better than we do that the wet suit is not able to stop the Camera chattering, But the fact that we were able to fly in below zero conditions in the first place is partly do to the Wet Suit protecting the drone.

My hands were so frozen I could not change the exposure on the Camera.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain /

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You just need one of those tablets that can work even with gloves

retiredNH · Nov 7, 2022

karlblessing said:
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Though it's usually advisable not to fly in too extreme cold, it can hurt the battery in the long run.

What's your evidence for this? Any reputable sources?

karlblessing · Nov 7, 2022

retiredNH said:
What's your evidence for this? Any reputable sources?

How extreme cold can crack lithium-ion battery materials, degrading performance

Storing the rechargeable batteries at sub-freezing temperatures can crack the battery cathode and separate it from other parts of the battery, a new study shows.

www6.slac.stanford.edu

Though discharging and storage at freezing or below won't necessarily damage them but can decrease their performance. However charging a nearly frozen battery will definitely damage them, so let them warm to room temperature before putting on the charger.

retiredNH · Nov 7, 2022

karlblessing said:
How extreme cold can crack lithium-ion battery materials, degrading performance

Storing the rechargeable batteries at sub-freezing temperatures can crack the battery cathode and separate it from other parts of the battery, a new study shows.

www6.slac.stanford.edu

Though discharging and storage at freezing or below won't necessarily damage them but can decrease their performance. However charging a nearly frozen battery will definitely damage them, so let them warm to room temperature before putting on the charger.

OK. We're on the same page...yes, lion batteries like goldilocks temperatures for charging, neither too hot nor too cold! BTW, the same goes for storage - they don't like to be stored in very cold temps, although I have several (cheap) lion battery powered tools and a light that I leave in my unheated mini-barn in temps below zero through several winters without obvious harm, in that they still work. OTOH, their total cost is less than one DJI battery...

Chrislaf · Nov 7, 2022

karlblessing said:
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Though it's usually advisable not to fly in too extreme cold, it can hurt the battery in the long run.

My P3S batteries would seem to prove this wrong. My oldest one purchased in 2017, has about 170 charge cycles on it. It has been flown numerous times in temperatures between -10 and -20C and it still has 70% capacity. All my other batteries also have been flown numerous times in sub zero temps.

karlblessing · Nov 7, 2022

Chrislaf said:
My P3S batteries would seem to prove this wrong. My oldest one purchased in 2017, has about 170 charge cycles on it. It has been flown numerous times in temperatures between -10 and -20C and it still has 70% capacity. All my other batteries also have been flown numerous times in sub zero temps.

Doesn't the phantoms have built in battery warmers?

Chrislaf · Nov 7, 2022

karlblessing said:
Doesn't the phantoms have built in battery warmers?

Not my Phantom 3 Standard. The heat is generated from the battery when it is being used. My Spark has also been flown in sub-zero temps but I had to be more careful as the battery is exposed unlike the Phantom where it is totally enclosed.

karlblessing · Nov 7, 2022

Chrislaf said:
Not my Phantom 3 Standard. The heat is generated from the battery when it is being used. My Spark has also been flown in sub-zero temps but I had to be more careful as the battery is exposed unlike the Phantom where it is totally enclosed.

I imagine the mini 2 would suffer worse than the spark in terms of how much of it is not as insulated.

Wasn't there one of the Mavic line that had a battery warmer?

Robert Prior · Nov 7, 2022

karlblessing said:
Wasn't there one of the Mavic line that had a battery warmer?

The Enterprise batteries are self-heating. They also work in the Mavic 2 Pro as well as the Enterprise.

(I was going to buy one so I had five M2P batteries, but decided to get the Mini 3 instead

. A good decision in hindsight — I've already put nearly as many flight hours on the Mini 3 in three months asI have on the Mavic 2 in three years. Makes a big difference not having to drive somewhere to fly!)