M3 Battery Charging Times

[Drone Master]

The owner's Manual clearly states that charging time for one battery should be approximately 1 Hr, 36 Min.
There have been some reports of longer charging times as much as 4 to 6 hours per battery. What was your first charge time?
I am trying to verify if we may have some faulty chargers or hubs out there, or if this is just a battery conditioning itself for the first time.
Thanks for your responses.

 

[zeusfl]

I have the Fly more combo multi-charger and only takes about 1 hour per battery if they are under 15% of charge.
This is a 65W charger. All will depend on the charger Watts.

 

[Drone Master]

I have the Fly more combo multi-charger and only takes about 1 hour per battery if they are under 15% of charge.
This is a 65W charger. All will depend on the charger Watts.

Yes, I am referring to the charger and hub that comes with the combo.

 

[CanadaDrone]

They will charge in about the same time as the M2 batteries looking at the charging wattage and battery capacity.

Those 4+hr times are probably when you have 3-4 batteries on the multi-charger, because they charge sequentially and not simultaneously.

I'll be holding out for a third party charger this time around. I want something with a discharge function and a balanced storage charge function.

 

[Drone Master]

They will charge in about the same time as the M2 batteries looking at the charging wattage and battery capacity.

Those 4+hr times are probably when you have 3-4 batteries on the multi-charger, because they charge sequentially and not simultaneously.

I'll be holding out for a third party charger this time around. I want something with a discharge function and a balanced storage charge function.

This issue is with charging one battery in the hub, not all three.
Reports are first time Charge way exceeds normal average Charge time.
4 to 6 hours is way to extensive. Flight time after fully charged is no where as advertised. 18 minutes with 34% at landing. Virtually no wind or aggressive flying.

 

[bkushner]

I'm getting 1-130

 

[CanadaDrone]

This issue is with charging one battery in the hub, not all three.
Reports are first time Charge way exceeds normal average Charge time.
4 to 6 hours is way to extensive. Flight time after fully charged is no where as advertised. 18 minutes with 34% at landing. Virtually no wind or aggressive flying.

If it's taking you 4-6 hours to charge a single battery, and you are using all the supplied equipment to do so, there is definitely something wrong there. Same deal with the flight time - you should be getting close to 30 minutes with ~30% reserve. I would not trust that particular battery to safely charge itself or safely power the drone.

If DJI is forcing a trickle charge for the battery's first charge by design, that is news to me and was not the case with the previous M2 batteries. Have you tried it again since?

 

[wileycoyote]

The owner's Manual clearly states that charging time for one battery should be approximately 1 Hr, 36 Min.
There have been some reports of longer charging times as much as 4 to 6 hours per battery. What was your first charge time?
I am trying to verify if we may have some faulty chargers out there, or if this is just a battery conditioning itself for the first time.
Thanks for your responses.

I am experiencing excessive charge times with my Mavic 3 fly more combo…taking about 5 hours for a single battery using the charging brick. I believe that it’s the charging brick. I emailed DJI and they said I could send in the entire kit or just the batteries and charger…I don’t want to do either…I don’t want to be without a drone and can charge using the USB-C port on the drone…I’m not sure what else to do and would be interested if others are having issues also.

 

[wileycoyote]

The owner's Manual clearly states that charging time for one battery should be approximately 1 Hr, 36 Min.
There have been some reports of longer charging times as much as 4 to 6 hours per battery. What was your first charge time?
I am trying to verify if we may have some faulty chargers out there, or if this is just a battery conditioning itself for the first time.
Thanks for your responses.

I am having an issue with excessively long charge times for the batteries for my Mavic 3— I have the fly more pack. The batteries (just one in charging brick, not all 3) is taking around 5 hours for a charge…I emailed DJI and they said I could either return the entire kit for a replacement or I could return the batteries and the charger. I don’t want to do either…I believe the charging brick is the problem. Is anyone else having similar issues? Any advice as to what I should do?

 

[GadgetGuy]

I am having an issue with excessively long charge times for the batteries for my Mavic 3— I have the fly more pack. The batteries (just one in charging brick, not all 3) is taking around 5 hours for a charge…I emailed DJI and they said I could either return the entire kit for a replacement or I could return the batteries and the charger. I don’t want to do either…I believe the charging brick is the problem. Is anyone else having similar issues? Any advice as to what I should do?

Your hypothesis that the problem is the charging brick can be refuted by checking the charge time when the battery is charged in the drone, rather than in the hub, using the same charging brick. The hub seems to be the culprit. My charge time inside the drone is normal. My hub is backordered, but DroneNerds has numerous reports from buyers of the Combo kit needing 6 hours per battery to charge each battery on the hub! Until this is resolved, charge the batteries in the drone, instead of the hub. Hub may need to be replaced.

 

[wileycoyote]

Thank you - this is very helpful and this is what I will do while I await a response and replacement from DJI…I appreciate the reply…

 

[GadgetGuy]

Thank you - this is very helpful and this is what I will do while I await a response and replacement from DJI…I appreciate the reply…

Happy to help. Not sure if replacing the hub now will even solve the problem. I seem to recall a similar issue with the Air 2S batteries. They had to each first be charged off the charger hub, individually, to prevent problems. Perhaps DJI forgot to notify Combo kit owners of the requirement this time to charge them first, one at a time, in the drone. Something about how they are woken up from hibernation. Once they are each individually charged up properly inside the aircraft, they should then charge properly in the hub. Fingers crossed! Otherwise, the batteries may all need to be replaced!

Someone else on the forum solved my problem last night. Heads up: The Auxiliary LED's cannot be controlled until the motors are armed. I thought my Auxiliary LED's were defective when I couldn't control them on the bench through the app, with just the battery turned on, like on the Mavic 2. DJI had even already set up a warranty return for the entire M3 kit based upon this! The new one would have had the exact same issue! DJI just changed the functionality, and didn't document it!

 

[Drone Master]

DroneNerds has numerous reports from buyers of the Combo kit needing 6 hours per battery to charge each battery on the hub!

Exactly what I am referring to. I have not had the chance to further verify if the hub is the culprit, but will report back shortly on my findings.

 

[Richmond_Aerials]

My battery just took 1:34 to charge it from about 20%...plugged in directly to the drone.

 

[Drone Master]

Ok, I have in fact verified and confirmed that the charging hub is at fault for the excessive charging times.
So, if you are experiencing this issue with your charging hub, (brick), you will need to charge one battery at a time in the drone until DJI can replace the hub per warranty.
Or wait for a good 3rd party charger to be released.
Thanks for all of your responses, and share this info if you know of others that maybe having this issue.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Ok, I have in fact verified and confirmed that the charging hub is at fault for the excessive charging times.
So, if you are experiencing this issue with your charging hub, (brick), you will need to charge one battery at a time in the drone until DJI can replace the hub per warranty.
Or wait for a good 3rd party charger to be released.
Thanks for all of your responses, and share this info if you know of others that maybe having this issue.

1. Can you confirm that this is replicable on batteries that were initially charged in the drone first, such that it isn't merely a failure of the batteries to properly come out of hibernation on the hub?
2. Similarly, will a battery which was initially brought out of hibernation on the hub, now charge correctly inside the drone?

On prior drone batteries, there were similar issues if they were not initially charged separately from the hub to bring them out of hibernation. As long as the batteries were brought out of hibernation separately from the hub, thereafter, they would charge correctly on the hub. I want to make sure this is not that same issue. If it is, it isn't the hub that is defective, but the manner of bringing the batteries out of hibernation that must be done inside the drone instead of on the hub. Thereafter, they would charge correctly on the hub.

Also, when I used the term brick above, I meant the AC charger, not the hub. The hub is a hub and the charger is a charger. However, @wileycoyote used the term "charging brick" but clearly meant the hub, upon closer reading. Just want to be sure we don't create further confusion by using the word brick to mean both the hub and the AC charger. Best to leave out the word brick altogether! Hub or AC charger. The AC charger is fine. The hub may be the problem, or it may be the method of waking up from hibernation by using the hub for that purpose, instead of the aircraft. Those that didn't buy the Combo won't have the problem, as they never had a hub to use to wake the battery up from hibernation. Those with the Combo may not have even known that the battery can be charged in the drone, which is a PIA because you can't fly the drone while charging any battery, unless you have the hub!

 

[Dronelogix]

My batteries take about 1-1.5 each. Def should look into the hub being faulty

 

[Drone Master]

1. Can you confirm that this is replicable on batteries that were initially charged in the drone first, such that it isn't merely a failure of the batteries to properly come out of hibernation on the hub?
2. Similarly, will a battery which was initially brought out of hibernation on the hub, now charge correctly inside the drone?

On prior drone batteries, there were similar issues if they were not initially charged separately from the hub to bring them out of hibernation. As long as the batteries were brought out of hibernation separately from the hub, thereafter, they would charge correctly on the hub. I want to make sure this is not that same issue. If it is, it isn't the hub that is defective, but the manner of bringing the batteries out of hibernation that must be done inside the drone instead of on the hub. Thereafter, they would charge correctly on the hub.

Also, when I used the term brick above, I meant the AC charger, not the hub. The hub is a hub and the charger is a charger. However, @wileycoyote used the term "charging brick" but clearly meant the hub, upon closer reading. Just want to be sure we don't create further confusion by using the word brick to mean both the hub and the AC charger. Best to leave out the word brick altogether! Hub or AC charger. The AC charger is fine. The hub may be the problem, or it may be the method of waking up from hibernation by using the hub for that purpose, instead of the aircraft. Those that didn't buy the Combo won't have the problem, as they never had a hub to use to wake the battery up from hibernation. Those with the Combo may not have even known that the battery can be charged in the drone, which is a PIA because you can't fly the drone while charging any battery, unless you have the hub!

The first battery was charged in the hub by itself for the first time. It fully charged after 6 hours. Battery #2 was charged in the drone for the first time and reached 100% charge in just under 2 hours. Flew both batteries down to 35%.
I then reversed the batteries charging method. battery#1 in the drone and then battery#2 in the hub. I got the same results as the first time. Battery#2 took almost 5 hours. A little better time, however no where satisfactory.
The first battery charged in the drone and completed 100% charge in under 2 hours.
Also to note that the indicator lights on the battery where moving faster while in the drone charging, rather than in the hub.

 

[zeusfl]

Those times are weird. Mines only took about 2 1/2 hours all the first time.
I am using now a 65W Dell charger (USB-C) to charge the batteries and the DJI Charger for the remote control. The DJI charger really gets warm and the Dell one runs normally. The Dell one has the exact same specification as the DJI one and I am pretty sure is better quality and more reliable.

 

[Ronson]

The owner's Manual clearly states that charging time for one battery should be approximately 1 Hr, 36 Min.
There have been some reports of longer charging times as much as 4 to 6 hours per battery. What was your first charge time?
I am trying to verify if we may have some faulty chargers or hubs out there, or if this is just a battery conditioning itself for the first time.
Thanks for your responses.

I am going to start timing. Yes definitely extremely long charge times.