The DJI Phantom 4 is one of the world’s most popular consumer-grade drones. It lets you fly easily while capturing images and video from the camera of the drone. Unfortunately, there have been some issues reported regarding the battery of this drone.
If you have received an error message or are having difficulty getting your drone to work properly, you may have an issue with the battery of your drone. Most of the time, if you can identify the source of the problem, it is a fairly simple fix. Thankfully identifying the exact issue is normally pretty easy thanks to the LED error notification system installed on the batteries of the DJI Phantom 4.
So now that we are up to speed, let’s get started. Make sure that you have all of your equipment available before we begin. This will make it a lot easier to troubleshoot things as we proceed through this list.
The Batteries Firmware To Be Updated
One of the first things you need to check if you are having issues with the battery of your drone is whether it has up to date firmware or not. This is easy to check. On the mobile app for the drone, you will receive an error message that says inconsistent firmware. If this error message displays, it does not mean that your battery will stop working entirely, but its flight range may be drastically reduced.
To update the firmware and get your battery working again, you will need to update the firmware of the entire drone. This is done through the mobile application for the drone. Once the firmware has been updated, the battery should begin to work just fine again if this was the issue.
If you happen to own more than one drone and you have both different battery types, you may receive this error message if you swap from one battery to the other. This does not mean that there is any kind of issue. To get the error message to go away, you will need to update the firmware again. Otherwise, just stick with using only one battery for each strand that you have.
Hibernation Mode Is Active
The battery for this drone has technology built-in that keeps it from discharging all the way to 0% when you keep it in storage for extended periods of time. It is extremely harmful to the life of a battery for it to be discharged entirely. The hibernation mode prevents this from occurring and extends the life of the battery, but it can be confusing when your drone does not work.
If your battery has put itself into hibernation mode, you will be able to tell by looking at the LED lights that are on display. When you try to power a battery that is in hibernation mode on, it will create a solid red light. This red light will stay on for around five minutes.
To get a battery in hibernation mode out of hibernation mode, wait until the red light turns off. Once the red light has turned off, then you can plug it in. After the battery has charged for a little while, it should come out of hibernation mode all on its own. If you need to store your battery and do not want it to go into hibernation mode, get a charger that keeps it charged below 100% capacity and store the battery while connected to the charger.
High Heat Prevents Battery Charging
sometimes your drone mayfly perfectly well, but when you try to plug the battery up, it may not want to charge at all. There are a few things that can cause this, but the most common is excessive levels of heat. Once the battery reaches 104°F it will prevent itself from charging.
You can tell that this is what is going on if you notice that the fourth LED light on the right blinks three times per second. If that LED light is instead of blinking twice per second, that means that the battery is not charging because the temperature is below 41°F.
If you are experiencing this issue, then you need to get the battery back to room temperature. Try bringing it inside so that it can either warm-up or cool off. As soon and the battery reaches temperature within its operable range, it will allow you to begin charging it again.
To avoid this type of occurrence from happening in the future, you can try to keep your drone in a more temperature regulated environment. As long as it stays within its operable range of temperatures, it should never give you this error.
Amperage Exceeds 8 A
The amount of current that is supplied to the battery is measured by the battery. It is able to handle up to 8 A worth of current. In the event that the amount of amperage exceeds 8 A, the battery will automatically shut itself off from charging. This is an important safety measure, but it can be annoying if you cannot get it solved.
You can tell that the battery is preventing itself from charging because of the excess of amperage by looking at the second LED light. When the battery is receiving over 8, A worth of current this LED light will blink twice per second.
If you look at the second LED light and determine the battery is receiving too much amperage, unplug it from the charger. Let it rest for a couple of minutes and then try to plug it back in. Most of the time, the amperage will auto-regulate you plug it back in. If this does not happen, you can try a different outlet or a different charger. If you still receive this same error, it could be an issue with the battery.
A Short Is In The Circuit
if a short develops in the circuit of the charger, the battery will detect it. If a short is detected by the battery, then it will stop charging. Shorts can be caused by a phrase in the wire or other damages to the charging equipment. If you suspect that your battery is not charging because of a short that is now present within the charging apparatus, you can check the second LED light to confirm whether or not that is the case.
If there is a short in the circuit of the charger, the battery will let the second LED light blink. The second LED light will blink three times per second if a short-circuit is detected. If you notice that the LED light is blinking three times per second, you need to unplug the battery from its charger immediately. This is to prevent anything negative from happening, such as an electrical fire.
Once you have unplugged the battery of your drone from its charger, then you need to look it over closely. You need to look at the drone itself and where the charger connects to it and inspect for any damages. After you complete your inspection of the drone, turn your attention to the charger and the cord. Most of the time, a short-circuit will develop because of the phrase in the wiring of the charger if you discover that there is damage to the charger need to have it replaced.
Overcurrent Discharge Protection
The battery of this drone is capable of handling up to 12 V of electricity. Once the battery reaches a full 12 V of electricity, it will automatically engage in over-discharge protection. You will get a notification on your app that says battery overcurrent discharge when this happens.
The most common set of circumstances that leads to over-discharge protection from engaging is when you are flying your drone in sport mode aggressively. This can cause too much of a tax on the batteries system.
If you continue flying aggressively after receiving this error message, it is possible that your drone battery will disengage entirely and left the drone fall to the ground. If you get this error message when you are flying, try to safely and quickly return to the ground.
After you have retrieved your drone, you can try to check and see if there are any updates to the firmware. If there are install them and it should let you fly again without receiving this same error message.
Damaged Battery Charger
sometimes if you have a battery that does not charge, it can be as simple as having a bad charger. All you need to do if you do have a bad charger is replace it. It is not as easy to tell if your charger is damaged as it is with other issues that you may experience with the battery of your drone.
If you suspect that your charger is damaged and is in need of replacement, then you should closely inspect the charger for damages. If you notice that any of the pins are bent or if there are any obvious signs of damage on the wiring, then you are correct and need to replace the charger for your battery.
On the other hand, if you closely look at the charger you have and determine there are no obvious external signs of damage, it is more difficult to determine if that is truly the case or not. The best thing that you can do is try a separate charger to see if it works. You can also try to use the potential damage charger on a different battery.
If it is the charger that is damage to then, it will not work on another battery. If your battery is perfectly fine and it is the charger that is damaged, then trying a different charger on your battery should work as well.
Damaged Charging Port On The Drone
the charging equipment is not the only thing that can become damaged and prevent you from using your drone. On the drone, there is a port that allows you to connect the charger. Inside of this port, there are multiple pins that need to be aligned properly for the charger to work.
Sometimes these pins can become bent or corroded over time as you use your drone. Severe corrosion of the metallic pins inside the connector can prevent the current from running to the battery. If one of the pens is bent, then it can prevent the battery from charging at all.
Sometimes the battery may charge just fine whenever it is plugged in, but it is difficult for you to plug it in. If you find that this is happening to you, look closely at the connector port on the drone and see if there are any bent pins.
If there are bent pins, this perfectly explains the difficulty you have when plugging in the charger. You can try to get it fixed through the warranty of the drone, or you can try to re-bend the pens yourself. Just be careful because you could cause even more damage to the drone if you take care of it on your own.
Faulty Battery
finally, if you have looked at all of the above conditions and checked for all of the other signs of issues, then it could be that your battery has a problem. Sometimes you will have a brand name battery that simply has a damaged battery cell. Within the mobile app of the drone, there is a section that lets you monitor the health of the battery.
You can go to this section of the app to look and see if there are any damages to the cells of the battery. Go to the settings of the app and then click on the battery settings panel. You will see a display that shows you four different battery cells. If there is no damage to the battery, then they should all appear green.
If you check the battery settings on your app and see that there is a faulty cell to the battery, then you at least have identified the problem. Unfortunately, there is no easy way for you to prepare a single cell in a battery. If you have a damaged cell in your battery, then you will need to replace it. If you are lucky, then you may be able to have it replaced under warranty.
The batteries for these drones come with at least a six-month warranty. You have a damaged battery cell, and you have owned your drone for under six months it is definitely worth contacting the company to see if they will send you a free replacement.
Incompatible Battery
One of the most frustrating sources of problems when it comes to the battery of the DJI Phantom 4 is the illegitimate copies of official batteries sold across the country. If you need to purchase a replacement battery, make sure you are absolutely certain it is the one that you need.
There are many drone batteries available for purchase into some of them that are not made by the DJI Phantom crew will still connect to your drone. Sometimes your drone may work perfectly well with 1/3 party battery, but other times, it may not fly at all. Even if your drone will fly with 1/3 party battery, it does not mean that it is not causing any damages.
Third-party batteries are not subject to the same rigorous standards as the unofficial battery designs. You could end up with a battery that does not last as long as the official battery or damages easily. To avoid encountering this type of problem, you buy a replacement battery only to buy it directly from the manufacturer’s website or one of their authorized resellers.
If you determine that your issues are caused by an incompatible battery, then you will need to go and buy a compatible one. There is nothing that you can do to modify 1/3 party battery to become officially supported by this drone. Only batteries made by the manufacturer are natively compatible with the drone.
Final Words On Common Battery Issues With The DJI Phantom 4
flying drones has become one of the most quickly growing pastimes in recent years. That is despite all of the recent regulations limiting where and when you are allowed to fly them. The development of affordable and technologically advanced consumer trends has spurred the adoption of this technology. Unfortunately, even with a well-made drone, there can still be problems such as those discussed above regarding the battery.
Learning how to handle these issues before you encounter them is one of the best ways you can responsibly be a drone pilot. Knowing what is causing an issue and how to fix it will make the hobby that much more enjoyable for you. However, not all issues with the battery can be fixed without replacing the battery.
Many of the issues with batteries are the result of user error in the first place and can be avoided entirely by learning proper procedures for drone flights before you try it out. For example, as stated above, if a battery discharges below a certain level, it will go into hibernation mode. This can be avoided by simply keeping the battery charged to its minimum level.
Hopefully, you have been able to discover the source of your problems by following these guidelines. If you ever develop any new problems in the future, feel free to return to reference this guide for more advice. Being a drone pilot is very fun, but it is also a responsibility, so it is important for you to learn how to maintain your drone properly.
One final note before we finish looking at the common battery issues is that depending on when you purchased your drone; it could have one of two different batteries. Each of these batteries is more or less identical. The only difference between the two is one of them has a larger capacity than the other. Both battery types will display the same error messages and respond to the interventions described in this guide in the same manner. Do not fret if you discover that you have one battery type or the other as the capacity of the batteries is the only difference between them.
