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Battery Installation error then propulsion system error than crash!

Curious Nomad

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Wondering how many others have had this issue followed by a crash? I was flying for just over 6 minutes in Sport mode at 50+mph when I received the Battery Installation error at 50% charge remaining in the battery. This was followed 1 second later by propulsion system error and then Image transmission signal lost. I was in dis-belief at the tinme and waited 10 minutes to see if the drone might just RTH. I hiked out and found it 30 mihnutes later, 3 broken arms and camera gimbal dislodged. My question is this: I watched a Youtube video previously with a similar issue and the guy stated he was pretty sure his battery was firmly locked in and connected. After watching that video I have been very careful to be sure the battery is secure and well connected. And still this happened! Battery was still locked in after crash, but I cannot be sure if the connector was fully connected as I did not think to check it at the time. So I am wondering if the connector vibrated loose during the flight or what? Is there an after market product that can be used to keep the connector fully connected? I can fix it and was just happy to find the thing but feel this may be a design issue. Apreciate hearing fronm others. Thanks
 
I cant help you other to say, contact DJI and see what they might say..
 
This particular battery plug caught my eye as soon as it used it the first time. A bit tricky, but I do think they did a decent job on design. Certainly something that I double check each time it goes up.
Hope you get an answer.
 
This particular battery plug caught my eye as soon as it used it the first time. A bit tricky, but I do think they did a decent job on design. Certainly something that I double check each time it goes up.
Hope you get an answer.
Yes, I think the design is great overall. We were on vacation when this happened. The previous day (3 flights before the crash) I came in to land in N mode but the asphault was not level and sloped a bit. It bounced on landing, drifted rearward a bit before landing again and bounced higher before flipping over upside down. Motors would not shut off and I ended up picking the drone up by the battery and disconnecting the connector to shut it down. This is another issue others have had. The props were all damaged so I replaced them. Now that I am home and have viewed the video I notice some jello in the video's taken after that mishap. Jello is caused by vibration. I am thinking that the props were possibly out of balance causing the jello, just a guess. If that is the case the vibration may have caused the connector to work its way loose as well. I taped the arms back together to test the motors and camera and everything seems to work just fine. Repairs are nearly completed and I should be able to test fly it tommorrow.
 

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Repair job looks real good. As soon as I opened the first pic, I thought of either a fiberglass or carbon fiber repair.
 
Doubtful that vibration would be the cause of the battery plug coming out. You really have to work at this plug to remove it.
 
How did you find it, carrying out the replacement of the 3 arms?
It was almost sunset when it went down and it was 3/4 mile away so not much light left. I used the find my drone video from the goggles, and could see distinctive features so I used that. I also connected my phone to get the GPS coordinates just in case, however while the coordinates showed up the tracking for the App did not work because there was no phone service. Fortunately the drone was resting on a hill in plain view and easy to spot. Barely made it back to camp before dark. Next morning I re-tried the Find my drone feature but still no tracking. I transferred the GPS coordinates to my Gaia GPS App on my phone and that did provide a useful track, just wanted to see if it would work in case it happens again. Good to know that the Gaia app can be used when there is no cell phone service.
 
Doubtful that vibration would be the cause of the battery plug coming out. You really have to work at this plug to remove it.
Agree, but it did power down in mid flight and I am sure the battery was secured. At least one other person had the same experience on Youtube. I have video of the flight as well as the flight log showing the alarms just before it shut down, I'll post in a few days.
 
Link please.
Yep, looked but cant find it. Just remember it was a Canadian pilot and he mentioned he had heard about the battery problem and was pretty sure he had the secured the battery and connector before his crash. Had a lot of views and was posted maybe 3 weeks ago.
 
Not understanding why you need cell service for GPS to work on your phone...
 
i had a similar thing happen to me i was in manual mode and was banking lining it up and i started a climb. and then the transmission was gone goggles displayed propulsion system error. the find my drone on the goggles shelped but there app brought mew straight to it. it think what rktman was trying to say was that cell service has no bearing gps connectivity they are independent and even tho you have no service you almost always have gps connection if you are outside and have limited obstructions overhead. im my case i was pushing it hard hard full throttle threw everything trick after trick. in i had aftermarket landing gear on there that goes over it secring it in place. according to the log two of my motors overheated and shut down. and yes they sell a aftermarket batt retainer that goes from the triangle opening around the batt and a knob on the back that you turn to lock it in place. amazon ebay both sell them. ALWAYS be sure that batt is installed correctly. and don't jam it in the hole.
 

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