Mavic Pro Battery repair - what are my options

[ParHunter]

Hi,
I am new here and new to flying drones but
I recently got into possession of a Mavic Pro with 3 batteries. Unfortunately all 3 batteries are dead. I’ve ordered a replacement battery from AliExpress but it would be nice to ‘repair’ the Mavic Pro batteries.
I’ve watched a few video’s and read the thread on the DJI Battery Killer program.
It seems that the original Mavic Pro batteries are more difficult to repair.
Does anyone have the PIN layout for the original Mavic pro battery? Is the SDA and SCL really not accessible from the battery PINs?
This video seems to be specific to Mavic Pro

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I have an IMax B6 charger (and a LiPo charging bag), soldering equipment, multimeter etc and I’ve got the CP2112 board on order, so I should be able to do the mods. But I am confused on why he uses a NiHM program to charge the battery. I thought these are LiPo batteries?
When I charge my other LiPo batteries I normally connect another small connector for the balance charging (e.g. for a 3 cell LiPo it would have 4 pins - one for each cell and GND).

Has anyone managed to actually replace the batteries and get it back to life?

 

[Cafguy]

Welcome you should be able to find a wealth of info at GITHUB. I know people who have done it
I myself don't fool with batteries. BUT it is Doable for sure.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

Welcome you should be able to find a wealth of info at GITHUB. I know people who have done it
I myself don't fool with batteries. BUT it is Doable for sure.

One wrong connection and that battery will go off like an incendiary hand grenade. OP I sayeth verily unto thee, forsaketh yee all battery repair plans and thus tread the path of righteousness with a new battery requiring no surgery, to ensure that you too never require surgery after battery repair adventures.

 

[Cafguy]

One wrong connection and that battery will go off like an incendiary hand grenade.

That is very true!!!
That is one of the reasons this person should do their research on GITHUB.

 

[IronSky1]

Flying since 2015 I NEVER SCREW WITH batteries. In 2017 I had one burst into flames when I was adjusting something lucky I was by back door total meltdown. I always buy OEM replacements for batteries. Its not worth the risk.

 

[anotherlab]

When you have a video that starts with cracking open a battery that is not designed to be opened, you may want to reconsider. If you damage the battery while breaking it open, then you are running a real risk of it igniting.

I would get just a battery from Amazon, preferably one with lots of 4+ ratings

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!

I would not suggest trying to repair the batteries.

 

[Capt KO]

I used to buy/sell drones to support my drone habit and plenty had bad batteries. They're often a large part of the value when purchasing so confirming they are usable is very important. Many novice owners do not maintain batteries properly, as you've seen. I wouldn't try to repair, only replace them. You're new to the sport, don't start off with a disaster.
PS: most drones sold on this site show the battery health in the listing. If purchased elsewhere, get that same confirmation from the seller.

 

[Kilrah]

Does anyone have the PIN layout for the original Mavic pro battery? Is the SDA and SCL really not accessible from the battery PINs?

Nope, they used serial for the external connection at that time

Here are the pinouts of the Mavic Pro battery

Not sure why no place on google or elsewhere here has this info easy to find... so I eventually found it here:- https://github.com/o-gs/dji-firmware-tools/wiki/WM220-Battery-Intelligent-Board Here is the connector pinout: Pin Function 1 RXD (UART receive) 2 PACK- (GND) 3 PACK- (GND)...

mavicpilots.com

And you need access to the inside anyway to recharge the battery a bit since the BMS disconnects the external contacts.
He sets the charger to NiMH because since the cells are too low the charger would just give an error and refuse to charge if set to lipo, and it's just to give them a charge for a minute or so anyway.

 

[cjacoby95]

When replacing batteries is there an aftermarket brand that you all seem to find to be better seeing as you can’t get oem m1p batteries anymore?

 

[Starz]

find to be better

There are none”better”. There are aftermarket, but some have been found to be an issue.

 

[cjacoby95]

There are none”better”. There are aftermarket, but some have been found to be an issue.

I guess saying better is the wrong word. How about acceptable/reliable battery options?

 

[Starz]

acceptable/reliable battery options

Both these words are debatable.
If you’re looking for original, I probably have a few that are usable.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

There are none”better”. There are aftermarket, but some have been found to be an issue.

This observation is so true. Ali Express is the one-stop shop for after-market DJI batteries, and I bought quite a few that held up well for my Mavic 1 Pro and Mavic 2 Pro, but then most recently, I placed an order that included a few double-duration batteries from Ali Express, out of which I found THREE out of seven that were dead on arrival and could not be charged up even one time.

I took the loss because mailing these volatile batteries in the regular post from my Third World backwater all the way to China would be a waste of time. All the same, I'd still buy Ali Express DJI-copy batteries in the future since there isn't another online source that I have found that sells batteries for so many drone models.

 

[Starz]

Ali Express is the one-stop shop

Recent purchases? I’ve not been able to get to their order procedure for several different items that I’ve wanted to purchase on their site. Possibly they won’t ship to North America any longer?

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

Recent purchases? I’ve not been able to get to their order procedure for several different items that I’ve wanted to purchase on their site. Possibly they won’t ship to North America any longer?

How time flies. I'm an old geezer with a glitchy memory, so time often seems to have gone by in fast-forward when I look back. It has already been a whole year since that "recent" Ali Express purchase that I made, which was first delivered to my postal address in New York before transshipment to me several time zones away.

Your speculation that Ali Express may have ceased shipments to the USA during subsequent months might sadly be the case. Hopefully, this is not a permanent exit from the USA market by Ali Express.

 

[AMann]

I’m going to refresh a dead M2 Pro battery also- mainly to learn how to do it for now. In addition to using Battery Killer to reset the BMS, I would assume the 4 internal battery cells are dead and would replace those as well. It’s not worth flying your drone with questionable batteries. I have not found replacement cells that have the same size and capacity specs though, so I may design and print a new case top to fit it instead.

- As for safety when opening the battery- just do it outside, wear gloves and eye protection, and keep a bucket of water handy.

 

[Exphantomflyer]

I’m going to refresh a dead M2 Pro battery also- mainly to learn how to do it for now. In addition to using Battery Killer to reset the BMS, I would assume the 4 internal battery cells are dead and would replace those as well. It’s not worth flying your drone with questionable batteries. I have not found replacement cells that have the same size and capacity specs though, so I may design and print a new case top to fit it instead.

- As for safety when opening the battery- just do it outside, wear gloves and eye protection, and keep a bucket of water handy.

You can buy the case from https://szhengmao.en.alibaba.com/productgrouplist-948489981/Battery_For_drone.html

 

[AMann]

You can buy the case from https://szhengmao.en.alibaba.com/productgrouplist-948489981/Battery_For_drone.html

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind if I need one, but you don’t have to destroy the case to open it, there are clips inside. What I’m talking about is making a taller one that’ll fit different sized cells than the originals. If I do that, I can possibly increase the capacity as well.