DJI Mini 3 Pro is very hot!

[ianmeg]

Hello,

Just received my DJI Mini 3 Pro yesterday and spent the night updating it, charging batteries etc. The top and sides of the drone get very hot very quickly and that's without flying it.

Today I turned it on and within a few mins it as very hot again and I've still not had a single flight with it.

Does anyone know if this is normal for a Mini 3 Pro to be hot to the touch once it's turned on?

Cheers

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

It is normal, if you are going to switch the drone on and NOT fly it, direct the 'blast' from a fan over and under the drone to
a) ventilate it and
b) cool it.

The mini 3 'needs' propeller draught moving through the drone to keep it cool, if there is no such draught you must supply an alternative.

 

[ianmeg]

It is normal, if you are going to switch the drone on and NOT fly it, direct the 'blast' from a fan over and under the drone to
a) ventilate it and
b) cool it.

The mini 3 'needs' propeller draught moving through the drone to keep it cool, if there is no such draught you must supply an alternative.

Ok, thank you.

I was worried it was faulty as I don't recall my Mini 2 ever getting that hot when it was sitting on but not flying.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

The mini 2 is a different drone and strictly speaking they do get warm if switched on and not flying.
With my mini 2 I either point a fan at it or stand it on its side, arms all opened out, so that a convection current flows over the heat sink but in general I don't do anything that needs the drone switched on but not flying.

 

[philztoy]

My mini 3 pro gets hot too. I bought a little portabe fan to blow on it which keeps it fairly cool. You could use a laptop cooling fan pad too. It needs it. None of my other drones generate heat like that one.

 

[old man mavic]

all the mini series of drones without an internal cooling fan will get hot ,during updates ,or when just sitting on the ground ,so even when you are out ,get the drone airborne as soon as possible after the home point is set ,especially in hot sunny conditions
the Mini 3 pro is probably the worse offender for this due to the amount of Power being used internally with the camera and sensors

 

[Talldiver]

Good to know about the heat. I ordered mine and now waiting for UPS to deliver.

 

[chiangmaicharlies]

The very thing that stopped me buying a Mini 3 Pro. Such a shame DJI didn't think this through better.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

The very thing that stopped me buying a Mini 3 Pro. Such a shame DJI didn't think this through better.

I am curious, what changes would you suggest that DJI make to build a drone that does not overheat when switched on but not flying?
If you think a cooling fan should be added, what would you suggest they remove in order to stay under 250g? Battery capacity, OA sensors etc.?
I do not know if it is feasible for them to reduce the number of processes and or circuit board components that are energised or 'throttle them' whilst the drone is switched on but not flying but .....

 

[MS Coast]

The very thing that stopped me buying a Mini 3 Pro. Such a shame DJI didn't think this through better.

They thought it out quite well. Not using a fan was a compromise decision to allow adding all the features not found on the Mini 2 without exceeding the 250g weight limit in so many drone regulations. They succeeded in making an amazingly capable drone at a reasonable price that stays under the 250g limit.

Not having the cooling fan is a minor inconvenience. It's really an issue only when making software and firmware updates with the drone powered on and not flying, and those are infrequent. I use a fan when updating at home, but I've done updates elsewhere by simply waving a sheet of cardboard to induce some airflow into the vent at the front of the drone.

I'm still delighted with the M3P. Since getting it, I find that I fly it more often than any of the other DJI drones.

 

[Wreckhunter]

I am curious, what changes would you suggest that DJI make to build a drone that does not overheat when switched on but not flying?
If you think a cooling fan should be added, what would you suggest they remove in order to stay under 250g? Battery capacity, OA sensors etc.?
I do not know if it is feasible for them to reduce the number of processes and or circuit board components that are energised or 'throttle them' whilst the drone is switched on but not flying but .....

Autel did it with the nano and nano+

 

[MS Coast]

Autel did it with the nano and nano+

Which did you buy? (Not being cute or snide, just curious about how the M3P stacks up against the Nanos.)

 

[Wreckhunter]

Which did you buy? (Not being cute or snide, just curious about how the M3P stacks up against the Nanos.)

I bought the Autel Lite+ ,five flights with it so far.The price on the premium bundle was too hard
to pass up for one.

 

[ianmeg]

Thanks to everyone for the many replies. I'd like your posts but I don't know how!

It is good to know the heating 'issue' is not just mine.

 

[Deleted member 162835]

The very thing that stopped me buying a Mini 3 Pro. Such a shame DJI didn't think this through better.

None of my non DJI FPV drones have active cooling and require an exterior fan if they are just going to sit in the on state. Not a lot of options available when you are designing a sub 250 gram drone with all the options DJI packed in. What is your suggestion to squeeze a fan in and stay under 259 grams?

 

[Deleted member 162835]

Autel did it with the nano and nano+

The nano+ is rated at a lower flight time than the mini 3 Pro and is not as fast (stable) as the mini 3 Pro. They have to compromise something to squeeze in an active cooling system.

 

[Wreckhunter]

The nano+ is rated at a lower flight time than the mini 3 Pro and is not as fast (stable) as the mini 3 Pro. They have to compromise something to squeeze in an active cooling system.

Correct, but the fact is they did it,so it is possible to do.

 

[MS Coast]

Thanks to everyone for the many replies. I'd like your posts but I don't know how!

It is good to know the heating 'issue' is not just mine.

There's a small "Like" button at the bottom right corner of each post, adjacent to the "Reply" button.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I'd like your posts but I don't know how!

click on the button marked "Like" and select the applicable response. oops gazumped

 

[ianmeg]

Cheers, my OCD has made me go back through this thread and hit like on everything