Swelling batteries

[Thomas B]

I have a mavic pro battery that is showing a verysmall sign of bloat(fully charged in pics),should this just monitored at this point or discarded

Right or wrong I believe that any battery with a bulge should not be charged or used again... they could even explode into a rather large fireball which you only need never..and yes I currently have a half dozen M2P batteries. Which are all 10 months old with about 600 flights on them total.
I do not like battery clips due to possible loss of power once in the air as well as the risks stated above. Batteries are cheaper than drones!
Just my $0.02 though.

 

[Rockowe]

I lost 4 out of 7 Mavic Pro Plat batteries in just a few days. They were purchased in vastly different time frames so it wasn't a "Bad Batch" issue.

SO after writing to DJI - They requested serial Numbers and Pictures-
… and after sending these - they replied that - it was too bad that the warranty expired -

After MOANING a Bit on the DJI FOrum (click) … See DJI Forum - Swelling Batteries

… they then sent an Email and asked for a VIDEO - showing the serial Numbers- and bloating
.... so I sent them this...

Remember this is Less than a Year since I purchased the FLy-More - and Now I cant fly... (the batteries don't fit in the drone)

Now waiting to see the follow up …. (from DJI)

 

[parkgt]

Just because they asked for pictures or video doesn't mean you should get your hopes up.

They have done the same thing about the defective waypoint issue and have yet to fix it after almost a year.

Hope I am wrong and that DJI will replace their defective batteries!

 

[Rockowe]

We didnt see significant numbers of users reporting mavic 1 batteries swelling between 6 and 11 months after release. The battery behaviour is different.
Mavic 2 batteries are being operated within limits and more are swelling and becoming unusable far far earlier than mavic 1 batteries.

My Mavic PRO 1 Batteries (four of them) - are still Perfect (Right Shape) after over 2 years (almost 3y)- They work as expected -
Just the Batch of the 4x M2 batteries bought OCT 2018 - have bloated

 

[ff22]

SO after writing to DJI - They requested serial Numbers and Pictures-
… and after sending these - they replied that - it was too bad that the warranty expired -

After MOANING a Bit on the DJI FOrum (click) … See DJI Forum - Swelling Batteries

… they then sent an Email and asked for a VIDEO - showing the serial Numbers- and bloating
.... so I sent them this...

Remember this is Less than a Year since I purchased the FLy-More - and Now I cant fly... (the batteries don't fit in the drone)

Now waiting to see the follow up …. (from DJI)

I'm convinced now I hope they are. Of course, the fact that you placed them in your microwave is the reason why perfectly good batteries did not last a year. Seriously, four batteries all swelling seems a manufacturing issue.

Good luck

 

[wco81]

That's why it has to be reported to the FTC.

Maybe a cause for a recall.

 

[bkushner]

All my batteries bought on release of drone have swelled and failed but not until this summer so out of warranty. Replacements bought recently are not swelling. Some of my batteries had 19-20 charges on them. No doubt in my mind early batches had something wrong...

 

[Mike4884]

All my batteries bought on release of drone have swelled and failed but not until this summer so out of warranty. Replacements bought recently are not swelling. Some of my batteries had 19-20 charges on them. No doubt in my mind early batches had something wrong...

So u had the original lipos for a year and only used them about 20 times? Well i can see why they probably went sour we all know dji lipos dont like to sit around and if at storage u have to check on them almost monthly and if need be charge back up to 50%.....they will slowly lose charge. Also keeping them in a toom that wasmt so hot. Like room temp....were u diligent with all this?

 

[Mega Man]

I hate to tell you guys, but batteries are not expensive. Those complaining that they are, need to take into account everything. 1 lithium batteries, 2 stringent quality control, both internal and external to dji, 3 drones are a hobby, but they are not made for hobbyists. They are made for business, welcome to reality on that, 4 if you can't afford it, then I am sorry but you need to find a different hobby. Imagine if you got on an airplane, and the owner said " meh, i know the engine maint is needed, but it's too expensive.... we are not going to do it " now realize you are doing the same. Now think about the lawsuit you are going to have to pay for due to negligence.......

batteries are not a perfect science. They have a life span that they may make, outlive, or under live. Move on.

 

[Greenflash]

I hate to tell you guys, but batteries are not expensive. Those complaining that they are, need to take into account everything. 1 lithium batteries, 2 stringent quality control, both internal and external to dji, 3 drones are a hobby, but they are not made for hobbyists. They are made for business, welcome to reality on that, 4 if you can't afford it, then I am sorry but you need to find a different hobby. Imagine if you got on an airplane, and the owner said " meh, i know the engine maint is needed, but it's too expensive.... we are not going to do it " now realize you are doing the same. Now think about the lawsuit you are going to have to pay for due to negligence.......

batteries are not a perfect science. They have a life span that they may make, outlive, or under live. Move on.

Less hate and more understanding of the battery problems would be helpful.

 

[BigAl07]

Less hate and more understanding of the battery problems would be helpful.

That wasn't hate... it's one of the best and most honest posts on this topic thus far in this thread.

 

[ff22]

Well, I for one do not think the batteries are cheap. And they should not require so much babying. Is this the Gillette of hobbies? Buy the drone and the batteries are disposable every few months?

 

[paulatkin73]

Well, I for one do not think the batteries are cheap. And they should not require so much babying. Is this the Gillette of hobbies? Buy the drone and the batteries are disposable every few months?

Batteries indeed can be disposable in a few months if they getting run hard and get depleted to min voltage every flight. Only a good education on lipos maintenance can help, it is what it is, unfortunately.

 

[gnirtS]

I hate to tell you guys, but batteries are not expensive. Those complaining that they are, need to take into account everything. 1 lithium batteries, 2 stringent quality control, both internal and external to dji, 3 drones are a hobby, but they are not made for hobbyists. They are made for business, welcome to reality on that, 4 if you can't afford it, then I am sorry but you need to find a different hobby. Imagine if you got on an airplane, and the owner said " meh, i know the engine maint is needed, but it's too expensive.... we are not going to do it " now realize you are doing the same. Now think about the lawsuit you are going to have to pay for due to negligence.......

batteries are not a perfect science. They have a life span that they may make, outlive, or under live. Move on.

Yes they're expensive but you're realistically expecting to get more than 20 uses out of them before needing to replace them...
In my case it worked out about $7.50 a flight for all 3 batteries before they all became unusable.

This thread, several others and the same on the DJI forum is showing M2 batteries are dying MUCH faster than the mavic pro or any other drone batteries have and that goes for batteries stored and used well within manufacturer guidelines.

 

[ZooCougar]

Knock on wood... I have over 300 flights last time I looked and 5 batteries and have yet to see any kind of issue.

I rarely fly them lower than 20%. I’m usually on my way back at 35% and landing between 25 and 30%. I keep them in a cool place. I am not real diligent about keeping them at 60% but I am getting better.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I am wondering, all other things being equal, if the type of drone use is also a factor in the battery swelling issue. I shoot almost exclusively video at 30mph, which provides additional cooling during flight. @gnirtS stated he shoots mostly photos, which would imply more hovering than flying. Hovering would likely build up more heat than continuous flight, especially in a high ambient temperature to begin with. I haven't seen any swelling yet on 6 M2 batteries from December on, and my batteries are also not excessively hot upon landing, even though I land between 0 and 10% remaining on every flight. Anyone else with swelling issues predominantly shooting stills in a hover rather than continuous video at 30mph? Thoughts?

 

[gnirtS]

Ive mentioned elsewhere (and in the thread i started about the same topic) i think ambient temperature is a factor.
I live in the tropics where the air is about 31c all year round. A few others had this too. And we're seeing lots of swelling reports in the northern hemisphere summer months lately.
My theory is the temperature range specified as safe for operating these batteries is incorrect. They seem to be swelling at ambients that are above average but well below what is claimed as safe to use (and far lower than the mavic pro, air or other dji batteries did).

 

[Thomas B]

I fly in the eastern and southern metro Phx area most commonly. I check, among other things, the ambient temp. I do not launch if the temp is 102degrees F or more. I am mostly flying sun up and sunrise times as a consequence, but am not experiencing any problems with batteries or drone with this habit.
Also, as mentioned above, after landing I put the bird in the shade with battery removed until the drone and it’s motors palpate to be neutral temp when I touch it/them. Same 5 batteries since December 2018 and about 600-650 flights.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Ive mentioned elsewhere (and in the thread i started about the same topic) i think ambient temperature is a factor.
I live in the tropics where the air is about 31c all year round. A few others had this too. And we're seeing lots of swelling reports in the northern hemisphere summer months lately.
My theory is the temperature range specified as safe for operating these batteries is incorrect. They seem to be swelling at ambients that are above average but well below what is claimed as safe to use (and far lower than the mavic pro, air or other dji batteries did).

I was wondering more about the stationary hovering while shooting stills, as distinguished from flying while filming video. Do you think that might be another contributing factor? If we could know more about how the other users with swollen batteries are using the drone in flight, it might add another data point to consider. Less cooling during flight from hovering during shooting stills also leads to more heat build up inside the battery. Just a thought.

 

[Thomas B]

I was wondering more about the stationary hovering while shooting stills, as distinguished from flying while filming video. Do you think that might be another contributing factor? If we could know more about how the other users with swollen batteries are using the drone in flight, it might add another data point to consider. Less cooling during flight from hovering during shooting stills also leads to more heat build up inside the battery. Just a thought.

Doubt it. I fly 4-5x/week in AZ desert. Due to temps 107-120 in the heat of the day. I shoot a sundown hyperlapse every time I fly. Drone is hovering for 22-25 min in 100-102degrees F at about 175’. No battery issues, and I’m hard on them usually landing with < 3-4 min battery left.
I have not experienced any swelling in my batteries, all of which are at least 8 months old.