FAKE BATTERIES WILL COST YOU YOUR DRONE !

[odonovj]

Before I start ,I'm new and if I am posting this in the wrong section of the forums , please let me know.
Anyhow , I picked up a used Mavic Pro on ebay from a guy who found this on the roof of his building. It wasn't crashed ,just sitting there in a normal landed position.
Today when I put the battery in to the drone and I viewed the stats on the app on my phone and it showed no serial number , no past charges , simply no info.
Also on my phone was a battery warning which basically stated that there's no communication from the battery.
Then it hit me why this perfectly in tact drone that I got for $250 had landed on some strangers flat roof. The battery failed or something happened between the controller and the NON SMART BATTERY.
So ,some poor guy tried to save $20 or so on a cheap battery and it cost him his drone.To this day he has no clue what happened .
Anyway JUST A WARNING TO THOSE CONSIDERING SAVING A FEW BUCKS
Merry Christmas Y'all

 

[choo choo]

It’s a shame that nobody seems to have done the decent thing and attempted to reunite the drone with its owner. Instead they decided to turn a quick ‘buck’ on eBay. But it’s a good, if expensive lesson for the owner about buying cheap aftermarket parts, whether batteries or props.

 

[odonovj]

It’s a shame that nobody seems to have done the decent thing and attempted to reunite the drone with its owner. Instead they decided to turn a quick ‘buck’ on eBay. But it’s a good, if expensive lesson for the owner about buying cheap aftermarket parts, whether batteries or props.

No actually they did .

 

[PropSpin]

No actually they did .

Isn't the serial number tied into the DJI account used to activate the drone?

Either way seems that the owner should have known that they at least needed FAA registration, and it would have been a good idea to have their contact info on the drone somewhere. But people often pay little attention to things and sometimes jump in with little to no knowledge

 

[odonovj]

I thought that there was no longer a requirement for registering small drones as of 2018.

 

[PropSpin]

I thought that there was no longer a requirement for registering small drones as of 2018.

No, while the registration requirement was temporarily rescinded, it was later reinstated under the re-authorization act. Anything over half a pound has to be registered. $5 fee for all your recreational drones, and a different fee structure and certification requirements if flying for $$$ or for "furtherance of a business".
For what it's worth, it's not a good idea to tune out when it comes to your drones and legislation. The likely hood of the registration requirement going away for good were slim to none, and the FAA is still figuring out how to roll out the new rules. So pay attention to what the FAA is doing along with proposed legislation in your state and make sure you know what your state is trying to do in regards to drone laws and make your voice heard as you see fit (with your representatives).

 

[odonovj]

Good to know. I started off hearing that it was needed , then looked around the Internet (where else) and I found places that were saying $50 and $20 etc. Then I found the legit site saying $5 and then a highly subscribed you tuber saying that it was no longer required . Now I'm hearing you say it is required. So now I've gotten about 10 different opinions and I'm now more confused thank ever. Most of them sound just as legit as you do.
How,am I to KNOW with 100% certainty that I am getting the correct up to date info on the actual requirements.

 

[abtocmeptb]

FAA DOT GOV

As of drone...If battery disconnected mid flight i assume drone would crash instead of safe landing. Most likely either flyaway or flew too far out. Drone just landed where battery juice ran out. Just speculations at this point....

 

[CactusJackSlade]

I have ZERO sympathy for anyone who loses their drone an does not have their phone number and FAA number attached. If you want it back, make sure you have a way for the general public to contact you.

 

[abtocmeptb]

I have zero sympathy to those with zero sympathy to others. May all bad karma plague their life.

 

[DanMan32]

Registration requirement was reinstated way before the 2018 re-authorization act signed into law in October.
I think it was 2016 that it was suspended for about 6 months.

 

[odonovj]

OK , this thread is getting away from the point which nobody seems to be awknowleging, Fake Batteries.!it's great that you are concerned with the past owner who can't be found but I think what I brought up was to do with batteries. It would be nice to hear something on that topic.

 

[DanMan32]

Anyway, even genuine DJI batteries have generated that error. I believe there's a board on the AC itself that has been reported to go bad that will cause that error.

There is one third party brand battery that has had good reports. I forget the name.

 

[abtocmeptb]

you are not protected from buying bad battery. Original battery maybe bad. With less probability but it happened before.
You are getting into a hobby where lots of things can go wrong causing a crash.
That is why you start low and slow. Gain confidence in your gear. And even then its not 100% safe.

 

[PropSpin]

Good to know. I started off hearing that it was needed , then looked around the Internet (where else) and I found places that were saying $50 and $20 etc. Then I found the legit site saying $5 and then a highly subscribed you tuber saying that it was no longer required . Now I'm hearing you say it is required. So now I've gotten about 10 different opinions and I'm now more confused thank ever. Most of them sound just as legit as you do.
How,am I to KNOW with 100% certainty that I am getting the correct up to date info on the actual requirements.

Go to the source, it's not really that difficult to figure out where to look: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
Always pays to double check what some stranger is telling you when it comes to these types of things.

 

[PropSpin]

OK , this thread is getting away from the point which nobody seems to be awknowleging, Fake Batteries.!it's great that you are concerned with the past owner who can't be found but I think what I brought up was to do with batteries. It would be nice to hear something on that topic.

Fake and third party are two different things. I'm assuming by "fake" you meant third party though. I'm sure that there are reputable third party brands out there like was mentioned above. I think that you'd be out of a warranty claim though if something happened to your drone.

 

[mnis]

Anyway, even genuine DJI batteries have generated that error. I believe there's a board on the AC itself that has been reported to go bad that will cause that error.

There is one third party brand battery that has had good reports. I forget the name.

The brand name is Powerextra.
M1P batteries with this label do exactly the same thing as original DJI batteries. The M1P recognizes and accepts these batteries easily. A fresh battery initially has about 100mAh (3930mAh) more than specified. The flight times are identical or slightly longer. The reliability of these batteries is equal to the original batteries, there are significantly more positive reviews than negative.

But I have found that the battery contacts are a little looser, the batteries go a little easier in and out, the most noticeable when using the charging cable. And at the end of the usual flight times of 19 to 23 minutes, the batteries feel subjectively a little warmer. Sometimes it is possible to get the batteries for half the price of the original, which was the reason for me to buy two pieces.

 

[odonovj]

Go to the source, it's not really that difficult to figure out where to look: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
Always pays to double check what some stranger is telling you when it comes to these types of things.

Ya , I was there too and I do listen to others , thus being here . Thanks Buddy

 

[DanMan32]

Warranty voided only if proven battery was the cause. But powerextra stands behind their batteries.

 

[odonovj]

Thanks Dan. How many charges have you had on these, roughly?