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DJI has release an I-2 FW fix for the TB50 & TB55 batteries, is there a FW update for the M-200 series?

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I just read in the Inspire 2 forum that DJI has released a FW update (aircraft - v 01.02.0300) that addresses the TB50 and TB55 battery issue for the Inspire 2. Does anyone know
if DJI are planning to release a FW update that addresses the TB50 and TB55 battery issue on the Matrice 200 series aircraft?
 
I just read in the Inspire 2 forum that DJI has released a FW update (aircraft - v 01.02.0300) that addresses the TB50 and TB55 battery issue for the Inspire 2. Does anyone know
if DJI are planning to release a FW update that addresses the TB50 and TB55 battery issue on the Matrice 200 series aircraft?

Indirectly answered your own question.... TB50 & TB55... the Matrice 200 series uses the TB55.

Plus a couple of threads have been following and additional comments from those performing the update.
Critical PSA DJI Advises Customers To Fly With Caution When Using TB50 And TB55 Batteries In Drones

DJI M200 Series Grounded

Thread on Updated Firmware
DJI M200 Series Grounded
 
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I just read in the Inspire 2 forum that DJI has released a FW update (aircraft - v 01.02.0300) that addresses the TB50 and TB55 battery issue for the Inspire 2. Does anyone know
if DJI are planning to release a FW update that addresses the TB50 and TB55 battery issue on the Matrice 200 series aircraft?
Yes, there's in new FW release for M200 series, and it's a disaster in terms of handling power management issue. Just confirmed with two pairs of TB50 worth testing ... The machine is behaving fine until the power is reaching below 30% level. At +/- 25% the app is issuing Critically Low Battery warning, followed by immediate execution of emergency landing on the spot!!! Make sure you're above Home Point at this moment ...
 
Yes, there's in new FW release for M200 series, and it's a disaster in terms of handling power management issue. Just confirmed with two pairs of TB50 worth testing ... The machine is behaving fine until the power is reaching below 30% level. At +/- 25% the app is issuing Critically Low Battery warning, followed by immediate execution of emergency landing on the spot!!! Make sure you're above Home Point at this moment ...
Try turning off Smart RTH
 
Here an e-mail from DJI from Nov. 23, 2018:

TB50 & TB55 User Guidance

Background

DJI released a firmware update on 16 November 2018 following reports of a small number of TB50 and TB55 batteries that showed incorrect power levels which led to loss of power mid-flight. The firmware update addresses a rare issue involving the battery state of charge (SOC) calculation algorithm by incorporating the following conservative measures which serve to enhance the battery management system and optimize power supply during flight. These are interim measures until the release of a further firmware update in December 2018.

For TB55 batteries used with the M200 series drone, the firmware update imposes these new battery safeguards:

  • Battery temperature detection before take-off (S1)
The battery temperature must be 15°C (59°F) or higher before the aircraft can take off. This is because a battery with low temperature has a higher internal resistance, which causes lower voltage than in warmer conditions. A battery with low voltage will provide a lower level of power to the drone, and hence impose higher risk of a power loss.

  • SOC (state of charge) detection before take-off (S2)
The voltage of the battery will be used to verify the SOC value by the DJI algorithm in the new firmware. This SOC value will be compared to the one calculated by the battery SOC calculation algorithm to determine if there is a “false high” SOC reading. If there is a “false high” SOC reading, then the aircraft will not be able to take off.

  • Return-to-Home (RTH) or Automatic Landing (AL) (S3)
When the DJI algorithm detects a difference in SOC levels (this calculation runs within the battery and is therefore not visible to users through the screen) between the algorithm and the actual level that is greater than 5%, RTH (return-to-home) will be activated at a detected battery level of 30% and automatic landing (AL) activated at 10% (based on the DJI algorithm). If the difference is less than 5% then no action will be activated.

For TB50 batteries used with the M200 series drone, the firmware update imposes this new battery safeguard:

  • Battery temperature detection before take-off (S1)
The battery temperature must be 15°C (59°F) or higher before the aircraft can take off. This is because a battery with low temperature has a higher internal resistance, which causes lower voltage than in warmer conditions. A battery with low voltage will provide a lower level of power to the drone, and hence impose higher risk of a power loss.

Safety is DJI’s top priority which is why we implemented these conservative safeguards as a quick countermeasure to help prevent any further potential of M200 series drones experiencing loss of power mid-flight, while we continue our thorough investigation of the root cause of the issue and take further steps in the near future to remediate the issue.

These conservative measures, however, mean that some pilots may experience early and unexpected RTH or AL of their M200 series drone during operations as the batteries have been programmed to respond take an overabundance of caution when it detects even a small chance of battery failure or insufficient power to RTH/AL. During this interim period, we advise customers to plan their flights accordingly, allowing for the potential of an early RTH or AL function to be initiated. DJI has prepared the following guideline to help minimize potential disruption to our users’ operations as we work around-the-clock to release a new firmware update in December which will further address these issues and improve overall user experience.

Guideline

Latest firmware. M200 series drone users are strongly advised to update their drone and batteries to the latest firmware. From 23 November 2018, this safety-related update is mandatory for pilots using DJI GO 4 to operate their M200 series drone as they will experience a flight lock until the update is complete. This is why we ask that pilots allow extra time before their next flight to perform this update to minimize disruption to their operations.

Inconsistent Firmware Notification. For the time being, pilots who are using drones of both the DJI M200 series and the DJI Inspire 2 may receive an "inconsistent firmware" notification when using batteries updated with different firmware versions. This may lock the flight of the drone. DJI advises that pilots use batteries upgraded with the same firmware until the new firmware update is released in December. This update will solve this compatibility issue in addition to improving overall user experience.

Battery is taking a longer time to heat up. This is caused by S1. DJI suggests pilots pre-heat their batteries or keep them at room temperature (about 23°C/73.4°F) before flying outdoors to minimize risk of flight disruption.

Drone is returning home (return-to-home or RTH) or auto-landing (AL) earlier. Pilots may see their drone start RTH or AL when the battery SOC is still more than 30%. This is caused by S3 which intentionally implements a conservative algorithm in the flight controller to ensure the drone has sufficient battery capacity to sustain flight as it returns-to-home or auto-lands. If you are constantly experiencing earlier RTH or AL (where battery SOC registers more than 30% on the screen), follow the guidance of pre-heating batteries prior to flight. If it still occurs, please send your flight logs to DJI customer service at dji.com/support so our team can investigate and provide a recommended solution.

Guidance for pilots experiencing automated RTH or AL:
  • When a drone starts Smart RTH, pilots can interrupt and stop RTH by pressing the “X” on the screen
  • When a drone begins AL, pilots can still steer the drone using the joystick to help find the safest landing location. Pushing up the throttle can also slow or counteract the descending aircraft.

It is important to note that these responses are not caused by any hardware fault. Early RTH or AL is due to the risk mitigation strategy programmed into our flight controller.

While DJI, just like any other manufacturer, can never guarantee absolute safety in every case, we take safety very seriously and therefore are addressing this situation with an abundance of caution, while we work on a longer-term resolution to be released in December.

We sincerely apologize for inconvenience caused by these conservative measures and ask for our users’ continued understanding and patience as we work around the clock to release the next firmware update, which will address these non-critical but significant performance issues.

If you believe you may have experienced a related power problem involving the TB50 or TB55 battery, please contact DJI customer service at https://www.dji.com/support to report the issue.​
 
Update: e-mail from DJI (Dec 19, 2018)

Battery issues still not fixed? - another update will follow in January 2019...

TB50 & TB55 User Guideline (Updated – 19 December 2018)

Background
DJI released a firmware update on 16 November 2018 following reports of a small number of TB50 and TB55 batteries showing incorrect power levels which led to the loss of power mid-flight. The firmware update addresses a rare issue involving the battery state of charge (SOC) calculation algorithm by incorporating the following conservative measures listed below which serve to enhance the battery management system and optimize power supply during flight.

On 19 December 2018, DJI released new firmware updates which serve to address a small number of reports of Matrice 200 Series drone users experiencing early Return-to-Home (RTH) or Automatic Landing (AL). These cases were the result of false alarms triggered by the conservative measures DJI implemented in November. This new firmware update (v01.02.0301) further improves the algorithm accuracy of the battery management system to enhance user experience without compromising flight safety and product reliability which remain DJI’s top priorities.

For TB55 batteries used with M200 series drones, the firmware update will impose these new battery safeguards:

Additional battery heating before take-off (S1)
The additional heating will prevent batteries from turning off unexpectedly at low temperatures. The temperature of both batteries must now be 16°C (61°F) or higher before the aircraft can take off. This is because a battery with low temperature has a higher internal resistance, which causes lower voltage than in warmer conditions. A battery with low voltage will provide a lower level of power to the drone, and hence impose higher risk of a power loss.

Improved battery percentage and fault detection (S2)
The battery percentage check before take-off has been improved, and users will be warned when the battery is faulty or the remaining battery charge suddenly jumps to a false higher percentage. The voltage of the battery will be used to verify the SOC value by the further improved DJI algorithm in the new firmware. This SOC value will be compared to the one calculated by the battery SOC calculation algorithm to determine if there is a “false high” SOC reading. If there is a “false high” SOC reading, then the aircraft will not be able to take off.

Enhanced Return-to-Home (RTH) or Automatic Landing (S3)
When the DJI algorithm detects a difference in SOC levels (this calculation runs within the battery and is therefore not visible to users through the screen) between the algorithm and the actual level that is too large, RTH (Return-to-Home) will be activated at a detected battery level of 30% and Automatic Landing (AL) activated at 10% (based on the DJI algorithm). Previously observed false alarms, that triggered early RTH or AL in a small number of cases, have been reduced drastically.

For TB50 batteries used with M200 series drones, the firmware update will impose this new battery safeguard:

Additional battery heating before take-off (S1)
The additional heating will prevent batteries from turning off unexpectedly at low temperatures. The temperature of both batteries must be 16°C (61°F) or higher before the aircraft can take off. This is because a battery with low temperature has a higher internal resistance, which causes lower voltage than in warmer conditions. A battery with low voltage will provide a lower level of power to the drone, and hence impose higher risk of a power loss.

Guideline
Latest firmware
. While the update is not mandatory, M200 series drone users are strongly advised to update their drone and batteries to the latest firmware. We ask that pilots allow extra time before their next flight to perform this update to minimize disruption to their operations.

Inconsistent Firmware Notification. For the time being, pilots who are using drones of both the DJI M200 series and the DJI Inspire 2 with TB50 batteries may continue to receive an "inconsistent firmware" notification when using batteries updated with different firmware versions. This may lock the drone. DJI advises that pilots use batteries upgraded with the same firmware until a new firmware update is issued in January.

Battery is taking a longer time to heat up. This is caused by S1. DJI suggests pilots pre-heat their batteries or keep them at room temperature (about 16°C/61°F) before flying outdoors to minimize the risk of flight disruption.

In the rare case that a pilot experiences early trigger of RTH or AL:
  • When a drone starts Smart RTH, pilots can interrupt and stop RTH by pressing the “X” on the screen
  • When a drone begins AL, pilots can still steer the drone using the joystick to help find the safest landing location. Pushing up the throttle can also slow or counteract the descending aircraft.

It is important to note that these responses are not caused by any hardware fault. In the rare case that early RTH or AL is triggered, it is due to the risk mitigation strategy programmed into our flight controller.

While DJI, just like any other manufacturer, can never guarantee absolute safety in every case, we take safety very seriously and therefore are addressing this situation with an abundance of caution, while we work on a longer-term resolution to be released in January.

As an added guidance, as with all Lithium batteries, there are several factors that impact the usability of your TB50 and TB55 batteries, including external variables such as weather and altitude where your flight takes place, as well as factors in your control such as storage and handling methods.

Listed below are some tips DJI has prepared for drone operators – especially those conducting operations in cold weather environments.

Pre-flight
  • Make sure that the batteries are fully charged before use.
  • Preheat the battery at room temperature so that it reaches 16°C (61°F) (battery temperature can be monitored in the DJI Pilot /DJI GO /DJI GO 4 Apps).
  • If the environment is too cold, hover the aircraft for about 1 minute so the batteries can heat up to around 16°C (61°F).
  • Keep battery packs warm:
    ♦Hand warmers.
    ♦Warm rice is recommended since it stays warm for long periods of time and is reusable: microwave about 5-10lb of dry rice in a large resealable bag. Heat for 5- 10 minutes or until hot. Then place in a high-quality cooler with the batteries.
    ♦Keep the batteries close to your body to use your body heat to keep them warm.
    ♦Preheat the batteries while travelling so that they can be used immediately when arriving on site.

During flight
  • Remember that flight times will be reduced when operating in cold environments. Make sure there is sufficient battery capacity to allow for a Return-to-Home. This also applies to the remote controller as it could power down during the flight if battery levels are not monitored.
  • Do not fly any partially discharged packs or packs that have entered self-discharge mode state.
  • When removing the aircraft from a warm environment to the cold, please let it acclimatize without batteries for at least 10 – 15 minutes.
  • When moving the RC from warm to cold you could receive a calibration error. If this happens, please turn off the aircraft and perform an RC calibration via the RC tab in the app.
  • Make sure to bring dry towels and wipe off any moisture that might build up during flight or in the field.
  • Please make sure all contacts on cameras and batteries are dry before installing or putting them in storage.
  • Smart gloves are not a requirement but a recommendation. Smart gloves allow the use of a smart devices without the need of removing the glove.

Storage
  • Do not store charged packs at temperatures lower than 0°C.
  • Never store batteries outdoors in cold temperatures. Doing so can seriously damage the packs or shorten their life dramatically. Batteries should be stored in a temperature between 10 - 45°C (50 - 113°F).
  • Always keep packs between 50 - 65% during storage. If stored for more than a few months, it is recommended to check these storage levels regularly. It is recommended that packs in storage be charged once every 90 days and then return them to a storage percentage of 50 - 65%.

Please read our Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines for more detailed information to help minimize potential disruption to your operations.
 
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Thanks for the update and pasting in the document! Looks like January to get everything back to a normal track between I2 & M2 series.
 
What a load of old tosh and faff and totally unnecessary.

If DJI would not persist with this pathetic attempt at trying to correlate voltage into percentage none of this would have ever happened or be needed.

If they had advocated from day one to never fly by percentage (it should never have been introduced) and simply kept to voltage measurements all these problems magically go away!
 
What a load of old tosh and faff and totally unnecessary.

If DJI would not persist with this pathetic attempt at trying to correlate voltage into percentage none of this would have ever happened or be needed.

If they had advocated from day one to never fly by percentage (it should never have been introduced) and simply kept to voltage measurements all these problems magically go away!

I'd agree, better to have left as voltage... since percentage 0-100 has a non-linear matrix to voltage 4.35 to 3.0, leads to inconsistency and then add current resistance & IR into the mix to compound the readings.

That acknowledged, wasn't it also a matter of the "battery pair" not being in Sync or was that also an artificial SOC percentage out of sync? Now they've added in the Battery Temp, which maybe a sensor or a resistance calculation. But this has also added to the complexities of the final matrix.

Still not sure how damaging original problem or successfuly corrective this whole issue has been overall.

Many nice things about smart circuits & batteries, but the standard LiPo's voltage, cell balance & IR works great too!
 
What a load of old tosh and faff and totally unnecessary.

If DJI would not persist with this pathetic attempt at trying to correlate voltage into percentage none of this would have ever happened or be needed.

If they had advocated from day one to never fly by percentage (it should never have been introduced) and simply kept to voltage measurements all these problems magically go away!

I agree that there are some problems being had with the correlation of voltage and percentage but I think for a busy pilot that through the day may bounce from a M600, to M210 to a Mavic I much prefer to think of my fuel cell capacity as a percentage rather than a line between the fully charged voltage to the depleted voltage. I mean that without even considering voltage sag.

To be honest I keep an eye on both voltage and percentage but I judge my time remaining in the air on percentage remaining and I cross check that the voltage I’m seeing looks right compared to the percentage the system is reporting.
 
Update: another e-mail from DJI (Jan 16, 2019)

DJI Concludes TB55 Battery Investigation
Current Battery Firmware Meets Performance Expectations

January 16, 2019 – DJI has concluded its investigation into the issue concerning some TB50 and TB55 batteries reporting incorrect power levels in late 2018. The current firmware (v01.02.0301), which adds a redundancy algorithm to the battery management system, has successfully addressed the small number of early Return-To-Home (RTH) or Automatic Landing (AL) cases triggered by initial conservative measures DJI implemented during its investigation.

After extensive testing and close performance monitoring, DJI has determined that the current firmware, issued in December, eliminates the need for another firmware update this month. DJI customers who updated their TB55 battery firmware after December can continue using their batteries with no additional precautions. DJI testing also confirmed that these mitigations provide additional protection for drones operating with old batteries and in low temperatures.

DJI remains committed to providing powerful and reliable drone solutions for its users around the world and will continue to explore and implement new measures that further improve product performance through future firmware updates.

Please note:
Pilots who are using drones of both the DJI M200 series and the DJI Inspire 2 with TB50 batteries may continue to receive an "inconsistent firmware" notification when using batteries updated with different firmware versions. This may lock the drone. DJI advises that pilots use batteries upgraded with the same firmware as this solves the compatibility issue in addition to improving overall user experience.

As with all lithium batteries, several factors affect the usability of your batteries, including age and number of total power cycles, external variables such as weather conditions, as well as factors in your control such as storage and handling methods. Please read our Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines and follow our updated user guidelines to help minimize potential disruption to your operations if you are flying a drone on older batteries and/or are conducting operations in extremely low temperatures.
 
Update: another e-mail from DJI (Jan 16, 2019)

DJI Concludes TB55 Battery Investigation
Current Battery Firmware Meets Performance Expectations
Yep, I was expecting this. Apparently TB50 bats aren't up the task of powering heavy M200 series drone, while they may be fine with Inspire 2. This will send the idea of compatibility down the drain, punishing these of us who's piloting both birds alternatively. TB50 batteries "tuned" for M200 will not provide previously specified flight time, trimming it by estimated 10%, accordingly to sources close to DJI. Which I read as 25% ... Hopefully different tuning for Inspire will not affect their performance that much. In both cases, however, TB50/55 batteries will not be "abused" the way we used to. That much I've read between lines of this statement. Hidden conclusion? M200 need to be powered by TB55, keeping all TB50's exclusively for Inspire. Expensive lesson we've just learned ...
 
So does that mean that the Inspire 2 is stuck with the significant reduction in acceleration, which was a result of the previous firmware update?
 
I held off the FW updates since the initial issue was broadcasted and each time I pondered performing I read points of concern and delayed.

I performed the I2 and M210 updates this last weekend... and on all TB50 I2 and TB50 & TB55 M210 batteries (8 I2 TB50, 6 M2 TB50, 8 TB55). Each set Indicated 2-3 versions up from my current. Haven't tested the M210 yet, but did run 2 sets through the I2 and purposely ran to exhaustion to test performance and the previous issues mentioned about early RTH. Set the controller battery levels at 15% and 8%.
Temps were mid-20's F, avg 20mph winds, and had batteries in home pending tests, then turned on battery warmer prior to taking outside.

Appeared to fly in Sport mode at same speed as previous... it was a windy day of 15-20mph so it wasn't a focused test on speed, more battery.

I was able to continure flying ignoring (canceling) the RTH prompt (2 presented) when levels reached pre-set values. I was able to hover and continue to postpone the landing until 4%... if I brought I2 down near ground it would attempt to land but allowed me to override and lift back up to higher hover and moving in all axis several feet each way.

My conclusion was on a positive note, were no changes in behavior from 3 FW versions back concerning battery and associated percentage settings and when RTH was being forced and maintained the ability to be easily overridden.
Sport Mode speed wasn't measured as accurately, but 20 mph head wind still managed mid-40's and tail wind hit mid-60's.

On the batteries, my understanding is it's not a TB50 capacity issue with M210, but a FW version incompatibility between I2 & M210. Regardless of where the TB50 FW was updated: I2 or M210... they can be used in either platform but not mixed sets 1-I2 & 1-M210, must maintain 2- I2 or 2- M210. If paired and marked as pairs... not a problem.

I'll be testing the M210 and it's TB 50 & 55's for similar extended run exhaustion tests. I may be taking them down further % than suggested, but still within safe LiPoHV operating voltages and not damaging. My exhaustion tests provide a level of comfort to know how it will behave if ever caught further out from home base than anticipated and knowing she'll fly and not force land undesirely out range.
 
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So does that mean that the Inspire 2 is stuck with the significant reduction in acceleration, which was a result of the previous firmware update?
Just noticed your post... I"ll also examine that on mine too. As indicated in above post, I didn't notice a major difference... but I didn't take note of acceleration.
 
Just noticed your post... I"ll also examine that on mine too. As indicated in above post, I didn't notice a major difference... but I didn't take note of acceleration.

Top speed seems unchanged at around 55mph but the acceleration seems to have been reduced significantly.

I often shoot moving cars on race circuits and on my last job it was obvious that the acceleration had been sacrificed with the last update.
 
So does that mean that the Inspire 2 is stuck with the significant reduction in acceleration, which was a result of the previous firmware update?
Yes, to my understanding that's the situation. The purpose of this firmware tweak is to avoid high current surges as much as possible. Apparently TB50/55 batts aren't capable to deliver currents needed to perform high acceleration Inspire 2 was famous for. Or - more likely - power distribution circuitry isn't able to digest such current demands. Either way both platforms (I2 and M200 series) may exhibit some agility loss, while maintaining specified flight time and top speed.
 

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