Drones after storage

[MassCoyote]

Due to health issues, I’ve had my Air 2 and Mini 2 in temperature controlled storage for almost two years.

Besides updating software, is there any other issues I should address when I use them again in about four months? TYIA

 

[GFields]

Yes, batteries. If they haven't been maintained, and it sounds like they haven't, then they may not charge or hold charge

 

[Cafguy]

If you stored the Batteries too, You need new ones.

 

[toucanf16]

That’s not true. The batteries will be fine as long as they were stored with a reasonable charge in them.

 

[Cafguy]

That’s not true. The batteries will be fine as long as they were stored with a reasonable charge in them.

This is what most DJI owners like to believe...Truth is leaving your batteries alone and not keeping them at a storage charge will KILL your Battery I see it all the time. Despite what DJI is telling you , IF you are not keeping your batteries at a storage charge and paying no attention to them they will die...Its just a fact. NOW you may get lucky and they still work but those working batts have lost countless cycles from misuse. a well treated batt will give you almost 300 cycles....one thrown in a drawer and forgotten, maybe 150 or so.....

 

[Kilrah]

is there any other issues I should address when I use them again in about four months?

Get it out now and charge the batteries.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

If you get them out and they charge. DON'T just go out an fly. Start it and let it hover 3-4 feet off the ground and see how long the battery holds before power levels drop. Fly it back and forth 10-20 feet repeatedly to put drain on it. But do not go up and fly around. This will at least give you an idea how much they have deteriorated and if they will hold any charge.

 

[D-Wreck BXNY]

I just recently took my drone out of storage. I discharged my batteries before I did so. I have since been told that this was the wrong thing to do and that what I should have done is maintain a 50% charge in them during storage.

However, I can report I had no problem at all recharging and using all three batteries even after they had been in storage for more than a year.

 

[Mike Morrison]

I have my DJI drone for at least 10 years. How can I find out if there is software to upgrade it? I paid $1400 for it at the time

 

[D-Wreck BXNY]

I have my DJI drone for at least 10 years. How can I find out if there is software to upgrade it? I paid $1400 for it at the time

I had similar issue. Download DJI Fly App DIRECTLY from DJI (it is no longer available on App store for Android or Apple). Select your drone from the drone list and it will let you know that a firmware update is necessary. Perform the update and your drone will be ready to connect and fly. This assuming your batteries and controller still working.

 

[waynorth]

I have my DJI drone for at least 10 years. How can I find out if there is software to upgrade it? I paid $1400 for it at the time

Which drone is it? A 10 year old drone probably uses the DJI Go4 app, not DJI Fly. Download the Go4 app from DJI website - not from any appstore. When the drone is connected to your controller and phone you can update the drone firmware if you want to.

 

[Zeprider]

Battery Storage

2. If a low battery warning appears, charge the battery until it reaches 40-60% for long-term storage.

Battery Maintenance

3. Fully charge and discharge the battery at least once every 3 months to maintain battery health.

Source: Mavic 2 Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines (V1.0 2018.07)

 

[ericole]

This is what most DJI owners like to believe...Truth is leaving your batteries alone and not keeping them at a storage charge will KILL your Battery I see it all the time. Despite what DJI is telling you , IF you are not keeping your batteries at a storage charge and paying no attention to them they will die...Its just a fact. NOW you may get lucky and they still work but those working batts have lost countless cycles from misuse. a well treated batt will give you almost 300 cycles....one thrown in a drawer and forgotten, maybe 150 or so.....

So can you point to a thread that already covers the proper way to store/charge them? Thanks

 

[dthreee]

I had similar issue. Download DJI Fly App DIRECTLY from DJI (it is no longer available on App store for Android or Apple). Select your drone from the drone list and it will let you know that a firmware update is necessary. Perform the update and your drone will be ready to connect and fly. This assuming your batteries and controller still working.

DJI Fly is still available on the Apple App store, at least in the US. If not, you’d have to jailbreak your iPhone/iPad to install it.

 

[diversions]

I find that the maintenance and tracking tools of AIRDATA.COM are invaluable with this regard. The system reports errors BEFORE they trigger errors in the app. I've attached screenshots of the battery performance in terms of "cell deviations" in a particular flight that generated zero notifications or errors in the flight app (Go4). However, this battery would fail completely just 6 flights later.

This has happened to me twice--early warnings in AIRDATA preempting an actual failure of the battery during a flight. There won't be a third time. Once I start getting these types of errors--it's time to retire / recell the battery.

Interestingly, the two times this has happened to me, it was with OEM / knock off batteries from an online store. I've since stopped buying knock-off batteries and have found a trusty technician who simply recells or repacks my old batteries for me with quality LiPO cells. Both of my OEM batteries started failing at the 45th or so charge cycle.

The "failure" I mentioned is when the battery launches with 98%... and drops to 30-ish% within the first 2-3 minutes of launch. On the first instance, I was lucky (or was I?) in that I was at flying at great altitude when the error popped up and the drone started a forced descent to land. I switched off sensors and pushed the drone (MP1) towards my home point while looking for a safe place to land. It forced-landed walking distance away and was still showing 20% when I retrieved it. I was lucky because the altitude bought me time. But I was unlucky because I thought it was that simple.

I marked the battery, and downgraded its status. But I still kept flying it... just never far. When the second battery started showing the same error, I didn't pay it much mind thinking it would fail the same way as the first. Since the error was only on AIRDATA and never tripped any notifications on the flight app (I use mostly Litchi), I kept flying it, waiting for it to fail like the first. I marked it at least and kept its missions nearby.

Well. Fail it did. But in a different way. It launched normally... displayed the same sudden power level drop (just 1m 37s in the flight). I did the same thing and started hobbling it home. But it flew just 12 seconds more and then dropped out of the sky. Thankfully I was just at 12m. Still tore off the gimbal.

So yeah. Lay off those knock off batteries.

There's a free tier of service for AIRDATA. I highly recommend it. I'm a paying subscriber now.

No, I'm not an employee or in any way related to Airdata. I just like the service.

*D