Tight Battery Fit

[Mike Mas]

Not really a good idea to return a drone for a tight battery fit - there a good chance you'll end up with a referb or worse, somebody's return with flight problems.

Makes more sense to look at the battery to see where its marred the finish from being tight, then just 400 the area to make it fit or spray on some silicon or silicon grease and keep flying.

I had an Inspire battery do the same fit thing which I fixed in the same matter.

Mike

 

[screwthepap]

Not really a good idea to return a drone for a tight battery fit - there a good chance you'll end up with a referb or worse, somebody's return with flight problems.

Makes more sense to look at the battery to see where its marred the finish from being tight, then just 400 the area to make it fit or spray on some silicon or silicon grease and keep flying.

I had an Inspire battery do the same fit thing which I fixed in the same matter.

Mike

If it's like previous product exchanges I've done with Amazon, the replacement will be a brand new unit in the regular shrink-wrapped retail box. If Amazon and/or DJI are in the habit of repackaging previously used merchandise and passing them off as NIB, then we're looking at a bigger problem.

Not going to sand, cut, file, mill, hone, temper, drill, tap or otherwise rework a product that should be ready to use right out of the box. Especially one that I paid nearly $500 for.

 

[Mike Mas]

LOL it's not a Leonardo da Vinci painting or a BMW, it's just a plastic toy. After you hit the ground, the little tiny sanding mark, or silicon won't be that noticeable. Your not familiar with the Amazon horror stories regarding returns, they will tell you what you want to hear, but just like the DJI warranty, there is about an 80% chance you will end up with refurb drone that was sent in for flight problems or was previously crashed!

Do what ya gotta do!

Mike

 

[mavicn00b]

Try some lube? ?

 

[screwthepap]

The replacement Mini 2 arrived today. The battery included with it and the spare I had previously purchased both slide in and out of the battery compartment with little effort.

Problem solved!

 

[KurtpH]

Would some silicone lubricant spray help?

 

[Thomas B]

Would some silicone lubricant spray help?

If you don’t mind it eventually being literally everywhere I bet.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Would some silicone lubricant spray help?

It's really more a matter of deftly maneuvering the release mechanism in a tight space. You definitely don't want to make it so friction free that it can release on its own during flight!

 

[Howard70]

Hello Scewthepap:

I just received a new Mini 2 from B&H Photo Video and have the same issue you described - all three batteries are extremely tight to remove (I purchased the Fly More Combo). One was almost impossible to remove after I inserted it. I am correctly operating the door and the retention tab so the issue is not either of those points. In my case it is the first 0.75" of removal. Once I get the battery out that far it moves easily. Upon insertion the last 3/4" is the noticeable push, but pushing them in is easier than pulling them out (no surprise as there isn't much purchase for the thumb tip when removing).

I've worked the tightest of the three in and out about 5 times & it isn't getting easier. Will give B&H a call.

Howard

 

[screwthepap]

Hello Scewthepap:

I just received a new Mini 2 from B&H Photo Video and have the same issue you described - all three batteries are extremely tight to remove (I purchased the Fly More Combo). One was almost impossible to remove after I inserted it. I am correctly operating the door and the retention tab so the issue is not either of those points. In my case it is the first 0.75" of removal. Once I get the battery out that far it moves easily. Upon insertion the last 3/4" is the noticeable push, but pushing them in is easier than pulling them out (no surprise as there isn't much purchase for the thumb tip when removing).

I've worked the tightest of the three in and out about 5 times & it isn't getting easier. Will give B&H a call.

Howard

Return it for an exchange. That's what I did and the battery on the replacement unit did not exhibit the tight fit of the original. Seems like a QC issue with DJI.

Don't bother with the workarounds suggested by others in this thread to try to make the batteries fit. You didn't pay good money for a product that needs additional work on your part in order to get it to function as advertised.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hello Scewthepap:

I just received a new Mini 2 from B&H Photo Video and have the same issue you described - all three batteries are extremely tight to remove (I purchased the Fly More Combo). One was almost impossible to remove after I inserted it. I am correctly operating the door and the retention tab so the issue is not either of those points. In my case it is the first 0.75" of removal. Once I get the battery out that far it moves easily. Upon insertion the last 3/4" is the noticeable push, but pushing them in is easier than pulling them out (no surprise as there isn't much purchase for the thumb tip when removing).

I've worked the tightest of the three in and out about 5 times & it isn't getting easier. Will give B&H a call.

Howard

In the grand scheme of things, it isn't that big of a deal. Clearly, you are able to successfully remove even the tightest of the three. It does get easier with time. Exchanging for another unit will likely result in a unit from the same shipment, with little likelihood of improvement. If you learn to live with it, as most everyone else has, you can start flying today. Your choice. Exchanging is a hassle I would reserve only for major flaws, even with B&H, having done so for major issues, like defective video recording, or a complete battery failure, leading to a crash. All B&H drone returns go through a 3rd party.

 

[Howard70]

In the grand scheme of things, it isn't that big of a deal. Clearly, you are able to successfully remove even the tightest of the three. It does get easier with time.

Hello GadgetGuy:
Thanks for your perspective. I don’t disagree with you about returns being a hassle with remote vendors - shipping costs, etc. After reading through this and a couple of other threads I haven’t found any accounts of batteries getting completely stuck or breaking as a result of removal and, as you mention, most reports suggest removal ease improves.

My initial worries were that the removal might not improve with use, or that the housing of the battery (at least the tightest) could break. When I removal the tightest of the three the plastic between the tab and the “handle” distorts by nearly 1/4” and does look as though it could break. I’ve also just received the additional two batteries I ordered apart from the three of the Fly More combo and they are both easier to insert and remove.

So the combination of reports that the situation improves, the absence of reports of breakage or “permanent” sticking, along with my own inter- and intra-battery measurements convinced me to keep the unit I received.

In my personal case this is a compromise between some frustration with the unit, my eagerness to get it into the air, the expense of returning it and the possibility a replacement might not really be all that different.

In some ways this is a good illustration of the merits and disadvantages of purchasing remotely - the selection, information, pricing and help provided by some remote vendors (like B&H) is tremendous. But if I had a local vendor who I could physically visit and who could examine the unit in person I would definitely take it in and I’m convinced they would cheerfully replace it. In my case I’ve traded availability of such local vendors for my desire to live in a relatively remote setting within a state that has a low population density and great amounts of open country I can visit and where I can fly my drones!

Howard