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Someone will be hurt if DJI doesn't change its Mavic 2 battery mounting clip

Phil Brinkman

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After my Mavic 2 Pro fell from the sky at 122 feet because the battery had evidently come loose, I went looking for others who experienced the same thing. It's shocking the number of people who have had the same experience. In some cases, the battery has buckled; in others, the tabs have become loose. But the common thread seems to be a fatal design flaw that DJI has so far shown no inclination to fix: The springs intended to provide pressure on the tabs to hold the battery against the body of the drone get "mushy" over time. This can can cause the tabs to slip out of their slots, disconnecting the battery and turning your drone into a 2-pound brick.

The folks at drone-retriever.com appear to have put their finger on the problem here. From that post: "The metal used for the spring section of the retention design is NOT made of spring steel but rather is made of plain steel. If the battery retention clips are deflected beyond their design point they will not provide adequate tension against the plastic locking mechanism on the drone body which could easily cause the battery to disengage."

In hindsight, I'm certain that's what happened in my case. Before my flight, the tab on the right side of the battery did not provide the usual, satisfying "click" indicating it had properly snapped into place. I took it out, examined the battery, determined it was not buckled, and checked to make sure there was no foreign matter in the battery compartment. I put it back in, and this time both tabs clicked, but the sound was softer than usual and -- this should have been a huge red flag -- the back of the battery was sitting just proud of the body of the aircraft, by about a millimeter. But all systems appeared otherwise normal, so I took off. About a minute and a half into my flight over an empty parking lot, the drone just dropped from the sky.

Thanks to my DJI Care Refresh+, I was able to replace the drone and battery. But the bigger concern is, what is DJI going to do to fix this very obvious safety hazard? Already, you can see lots of people resorting to velcro straps and zip ties as a belt-and-suspenders fix. I see at least one company is also selling this after-market battery holder, but I haven't seen any reviews of it yet. These are ridiculous solutions to ensure your $1,500 flying camera can perform its first job, which is to stay in the air.

This does not appear to be a problem on new batteries at all. The replacement battery I got snaps into place much more sharply, and it takes more pressure to depress the tabs. But the tabs on my two remaining batteries, which are about a year old, have the same soft feel. It's simply unreasonable to a.) expect Mavic owners to replace their costly and perfectly good batteries once a year, and b.) know with certainty when the tabs on their batteries have become too deflected to safely fly.
 
you make a very valid point but as you say your new battery seems to have a better spring now, maybe the quality of the steel used has been improved,although i agree that you should not have to put a strap in place for extra security, i think that once you know about the issue then that would be something to do anyway to prevent another mishap
 
I agree using a strap is not the best option (compared to making a more secure battery latch system in the first place), however I also use the strap to attach my Marco Polo transmitter on top of the battery, and that works great because I can take it off easily to recharge it. Just simply attach a small piece of Velcro to the strap where it would go on top of the battery. It’s very secure and makes it a very convenient mount for things on top of the drone while it’s holding down the battery at the same time.
 
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Interesting! I have not experienced this issue as of yet, but I can definitely see how it's possible if they didn't use spring steel and instead used something else that's not meant to be repetitively worked hundreds if not thousands of times. I will certainly be on the lookout for this issue. Thanks for the heads up!
 
I have felt all along the battery in the Mavic 2 Pro does not lock down properly. Always feels loose when installed. I now use strips of Gorilla tape on each side of the battery and attach to the drone body. Makes me feel more confident when flying. With the tape in place it all feels solid.
 
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@Phil Brinkman: I totaly agree with your post...
I bought this part on Aliexpress (# 6 usd) to secure the batteries on the M2Z because I recently noticed from time to time after the flight, a slight space between the battery and the chassis ... The weight of this part is around 34g.
Capture.JPG
 
After my Mavic 2 Pro fell from the sky at 122 feet because the battery had evidently come loose, I went looking for others who experienced the same thing. It's shocking the number of people who have had the same experience. In some cases, the battery has buckled; in others, the tabs have become loose. But the common thread seems to be a fatal design flaw that DJI has so far shown no inclination to fix: The springs intended to provide pressure on the tabs to hold the battery against the body of the drone get "mushy" over time. This can can cause the tabs to slip out of their slots, disconnecting the battery and turning your drone into a 2-pound brick.

The folks at drone-retriever.com appear to have put their finger on the problem here. From that post: "The metal used for the spring section of the retention design is NOT made of spring steel but rather is made of plain steel. If the battery retention clips are deflected beyond their design point they will not provide adequate tension against the plastic locking mechanism on the drone body which could easily cause the battery to disengage."

In hindsight, I'm certain that's what happened in my case. Before my flight, the tab on the right side of the battery did not provide the usual, satisfying "click" indicating it had properly snapped into place. I took it out, examined the battery, determined it was not buckled, and checked to make sure there was no foreign matter in the battery compartment. I put it back in, and this time both tabs clicked, but the sound was softer than usual and -- this should have been a huge red flag -- the back of the battery was sitting just proud of the body of the aircraft, by about a millimeter. But all systems appeared otherwise normal, so I took off. About a minute and a half into my flight over an empty parking lot, the drone just dropped from the sky.

Thanks to my DJI Care Refresh+, I was able to replace the drone and battery. But the bigger concern is, what is DJI going to do to fix this very obvious safety hazard? Already, you can see lots of people resorting to velcro straps and zip ties as a belt-and-suspenders fix. I see at least one company is also selling this after-market battery holder, but I haven't seen any reviews of it yet. These are ridiculous solutions to ensure your $1,500 flying camera can perform its first job, which is to stay in the air.

This does not appear to be a problem on new batteries at all. The replacement battery I got snaps into place much more sharply, and it takes more pressure to depress the tabs. But the tabs on my two remaining batteries, which are about a year old, have the same soft feel. It's simply unreasonable to a.) expect Mavic owners to replace their costly and perfectly good batteries once a year, and b.) know with certainty when the tabs on their batteries have become too deflected to safely fly.

We knew this was an issue from day 1 with the Mavics and because they our so susceptible to moisture because of the open power button battery can be comprised quickly.

We recommend the Mavic Wet Suit which provide and air tight seal around the entire permiter of the battery and fully protect the power button.

We offer the Forum Members a nice package called the Twilight Package comes with 3 battery covers and 4 color designs our all included below $99.95 plus shipping.

Email me at [email protected] and I will send you out an invoice for the Twilight Special.

Keep in mind the Wet Suits only Weight 11 grams.

Screen Shot 2019-01-08 at 9.34.39 PM.png

IMG_5445.jpeg

These battery Covers provide an air tight seal all the way around the Battery.
Because the covers and Power Button stay on the battery they our Hassle free , which is a big plus .


Check out what you can do with them at phantomrain.org
 
Wolfboy and burma , please post pics of your fix. This is helpful for me and others. The more options with this problem the better.
 
After my Mavic 2 Pro fell from the sky at 122 feet because the battery had evidently come loose

I agree that the battery lock should be better - but what do you mean when you say 'evidently'?
Did you see the battery pop out?

I have read numerous threads on different forums about a "fall from the sky" where the only imaginable solution was a popped battery besides a bird strike.
But I have never read confirmation about this.
Maybe it's because they all fly beyond VLOS ;-)
 
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I fly a lot over or near water, and so I got a pontoon package, which has the sideline feature of securing the battery also. So 2 advantages, it keeps the battery from possibly falling out; and were I to have a crash in the water, the drone will float on the surface and either be reusable, or returnable to DJI under their replacement program. The pontoons weigh very little and do not seem to affect flight at all.
 

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I fly a lot over or near water, and so I got a pontoon package, which has the sideline feature of securing the battery also. So 2 advantages, it keeps the battery from possibly falling out; and were I to have a crash in the water, the drone will float on the surface and either be reusable, or returnable to DJI under their replacement program. The pontoons weigh very little and do not seem to affect flight at all.
Interesting idea, but don't you notice a lot more wind resistance with those quite large pontoons?
 
Why not just use a thick rubber band? Just move it out of the way to change battery, then slide it back in position... Cheap and working.
 
Why not just use a thick rubber band? Just move it out of the way to change battery, then slide it back in position... Cheap and working.

You will find when the battery does start to swell up , the rubber band will be of no help.

This is why the Seal on the Wet Suit all the way around the Battery is so effective.

Coal
Phantomrain.org
 
Interesting idea, but don't you notice a lot more wind resistance with those quite large pontoons?
I don't fly in real windy conditions (nor do I fly in sport mode), but I have flown in 10-15 knot winds a lot, and I haven't noticed any difference in performance of the drone due to the pontoons. I think they are awfully good insurance given that I am otherwise risking upwards of $1500 in flying over a lake or the ocean.
 
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