Do DJI owe me a new drone

[x5yo]

Well, my inspire and x5r are in broke thanks to DJI.

Long story short, I was flying back to home, at 24% I was 100 meters away, the wind was so so, but bear in mind I had been flying fine for many minute before that and not had a single incident since day 1 of owning it.

As I am bringing it, down I get a motor overload warning, at which point the drone struggles massively against a wind it was previously doing fine with, I note that the drone is now being taken away by the wind and I am powerless to stop it, so I switch it into atti mode to get more power to try and fight, no good, at which point the thing is now heading toward a mountainside which I could have cleared but at 15% a warning flashes up on screen saying drone is now landing.

You already know the rest, my drone and camera are in bits 20 meters from the TOP.

I have the log on my inspire which confirms what I said. I was just wondering if DJI are liable?

For the record its the Inspire 1 V2 with the better motors, so the motor overload message is BS.

There were two critical problems from DJI.

1) The motor overload message at 24% made my drone massively inefftictive.
2) The auto land at 15% made a bad situation even worse.

I have flown this thing for over 2 years without a problem and I know **** well the motor overload and auto landing before it should caused this.

Does anyone know what the best course of action is?

I really cant afford to replace it and I feel DJI are to blame.

my inspire needs a new arm which isn't too bad, the X5R seems good on the top base, the bottom bit with the lens, but the mid section is bent and broke.

Drone still works, starts etc, so I am hopeful I can get her back up and running.

I am in the UK. Might just send it off to DJI and prey they have mercy.

I would need a fully loaded inspire 2 to beat it and the X5R is still huge money new.
I am quite reluctant to buy a second hand one without extensive testing before hand which makes a hard item, even harder to acquire.

 

[rent]

You should at least raise the issue with DJI and see what they say. I don’t think blaming auto-landing is valid, as you’d be in a worse shape if not for auto landing.

If you are past DJI’s warranty period, you are pretty much on your own. Maybe the credit card you used to purchase the drone provides extended warranty, but it’d be a long shot going that route.

 

[turbodronepilot]

Does anyone know what the best course of action is?

Hey there ..
I would definitely call dji support nearest your location.
Im not sure where that is in regards to the UK.
I can tell you with mostcertanty that you will have a better result when being courtious and respecrful dealing with support as im sure goes with any customer service representative in any business ..
I can say that in the USA DJI support will try very hard to correct any issues that may arise no matter how many attempts it takes..
Even though it's out of warranty there's a good chance they will work with you to obtain a good result ..Its possible to negotiate with dji on the cost of the repair price as I've done on more that one occasion ..
So I guess what im saying is give them a chance to help you out by being understanding and polite while describing your issue and be pro active in the repair process and call back support to follow up on the cost if you're not satisfied ..
Personally I think that's a big issue with the motor output being reduced also.. I just got a replacement i1 from support after having one issue after another after having the optical port replaced for the second time on my r.c.
I know that my i1 is not the beast it once was so I haven't put it in a position where it couldn't fly against the wind..
Meaning no more long distance flights...bummer...
I believe they should either make an off switch for the motor power output being rudeced deal or eliminate it all together and make it fly 60 mph again..
bla bla bla ..
good luck!!

 

[Scoobywrx05]

Battery percentage doesn’t mean anything. What was the voltage of the cells? Usually when you get the motor overload warnings a number of the cells are getting extremely low so you know realistically it wasn’t at the percentage that it was telling you.

 

[x5yo]

ok cheers guys, I will just be nice to them and explain what happened, I have been to DJi site submitted it, they send you an address label, in my case I have to send it to Netherlands, I will box everything up and include my ipad so the guy can see what I saw on the playback, it clearly shows as soon as the reduced motor warning kicked in I was in trouble.

I might upload it here actually for trivia.

I'll update this thread in the future with the entire process and how they treated, charged me etc.

 

[Mad_angler1]

Tbh there are a few things here that are setting off alarm bells if I’m completely honest but more info would be good.

Was you flying TB47 or TB48 ?

What the battery fully charged before the flight and how long had it been charged ?

How many cycles on it ?

Is it two years old like the craft ?

Can you post the log from DJI Go for us to take a look at ?

The remaining percentage at 24% with a camera like the X5R is pushing it even on the TB48, on a TB47 it’s even more so in the danger zone, further to that if the Inspire was struggling with the wind even with reduced propulsion output it was probably to windy to be flying.

Even when reduce output kicks in the Inspire is capable of safely flying in the maximum recommended conditions, reduced output is there for a reason and kicks in when the cell voltages are getting into the danger zone, I would need to see the log but I suspect your cell voltages took a dive and that’s what caused the issue, motor overload is not causing the issue it’s warning and it’s telling you something is not right, if the aircraft had not reduced output and auto landed it would probably have fallen from the sky anyhoo.

Post the log but it’s hedge my bets on battery voltage dive and windy conditions.

Sorry for your loss though as it does not help that issue but post the log and we can have a close look at what happed.

 

[turbodronepilot]

I have the motor power output being rudeced message while using each of my four batteries.
So I guess all my batteries have bad cells ?? sure....

 

[Mad_angler1]

I have the motor power output being rudeced message while using each of my four batteries.
So I guess all my batteries have bad cells ?? sure....

What setup and what batteries.

If flying X5 or X5R with TB47 you will get it regularly, TB48 should be less often, also batteries that are over a year old will not perform the same as packs when they are new, Inspire packs are at their best for the first 50 or so cycles but they do degrade after that.

The reduced propulsion output was put in place be cause of these things to prevent LVC kicking in, reduced propulsion is there for a reason and it’s doing the job it’s meant to do and take some of the higher load off the battery.

 

[turbodronepilot]

I didn't have this warning until I was forced to update my i1 to current firmware .. I was on old firmware from way back and when they switched to mandatory registration and stoped the pilot app that's when my optical port failed and the aircraft wouldn't take the new firmware and that's when the reduced motor bs started. . My i1 wouldn't take the new firmware and had to be sent into dji for repair several times to get the hardware and firmware to match...In the end my i1 didn't work properly and they just sent me a like new replacement aircraft for my out of warranty inspire one.
Through the process I received a brand new rc..yes a brand new rc and now a like new replacement aircraft..
I'll know very soon if it's my batteries causing the issue and if it is it's because I updated them from super old firmware to the present one..
My i1 flew like a dream for three years and never had a problem until the forced update ..

 

[turbodronepilot]

i1 with a x3 and two tb47 and two tb48

 

[huppe]

ok cheers guys, I will just be nice to them and explain what happened, I have been to DJi site submitted it, they send you an address label, in my case I have to send it to Netherlands, I will box everything up and include my ipad so the guy can see what I saw on the playback, it clearly shows as soon as the reduced motor warning kicked in I was in trouble.

I might upload it here actually for trivia.

I'll update this thread in the future with the entire process and how they treated, charged me etc.

If you are shipping to Droneland in the Netherlands at least your Inspire is in good hands.

 

[Scoobywrx05]

I have the motor power output being rudeced message while using each of my four batteries.
So I guess all my batteries have bad cells ?? sure....

Not bad cells but when the message comes across some of your cells if not all are in the red. This is DJI’s fix in the new firmware to lessen the likelihood that your bird will fall out of the sky from your battery shutting off like happening to a number of people on the older firmware. Before they had the limit set to low and batteries where shutting off before the limiter was triggered.

 

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

I would definitely call dji support nearest your location.

It had been my experience that all calls are routed to China. Only from there can you be forwarded to USA, or wherever. One time I asked where the call center was located and I was told. That must've been a new employee. The next time I was told it was none of my business. Quite a trivial matter for it to be none of my business after the money I spent with them that they converted into a worthless piece of plastic and circuitry.

I can tell you with most certanty that you will have a better result when being courtious and respecrful dealing with support as im sure goes with any customer service representative in any business ..

You are perhaps confusing the Western way of doing business with the Chinese way. Two VERY different philosophies.

I can say that in the USA DJI support will try very hard to correct any issues that may arise no matter how many attempts it takes..
Even though it's out of warranty there's a good chance they will work with you to obtain a good result ..Its possible to negotiate with dji on the cost of the repair price as I've done on more that one occasion ..

Dealing with USA DJI support is a mirage. They have some Americans that they eventually forward you to after so many persistent phone calls, and they will offer a sympathetic tone, (good luck getting ahold of that guy again,) but it's all part of the shuck-n-jive. An American calls you back? Try calling them back from that number- straight to China. Negotiating down from an outrageous response to a ridiculous one is not satisfactory.

So I guess what im saying is give them a chance to help you out by being understanding and polite while describing your issue and be pro active in the repair process and call back support to follow up on the cost if you're not satisfied ..

You can also spit into the wind.

I know that my i1 is not the beast it once was so I haven't put it in a position where it couldn't fly against the wind..
Meaning no more long distance flights...bummer...
I believe they should either make an off switch for the motor power output being rudeced deal or eliminate it all together and make it fly 60 mph again..
bla bla bla ..
good luck!!

Why is that, I wonder? Why do they all get progressively de-tuned then bugged, literally to death, with each new (forced) firmware update?
Planned obsolescence is not original to Chinese companies, they have just made it obvious with aggressive, direct methods, with no respect for at least allowing a modicum of value or return on your investment.

I remember when I bought my Inspire. 60+ mph, 7,400'+ range, no lag, no stupid, pesky false warnings. I was so grateful especially after reading the complaints here. Based on the info in this forum, I stopped updating at fw1.8 and was doing fine. I loved my drone, and it loved me back.

Then came the day I let the bastards in the front door with an email request to remove a NFZ. Nothing has been right since. Even with the replacement drone. I've got the equivalent of a giant, poorly built $150 drone that I've invested close to 4k in.

I guess I'm supposed to fork over another 7k now to get their latest system. Nope.

 

[sturgisphoto]

I put an X5 on my I1 and didn’t like it a bit. Seemed to really struggle in even a small wind, I got the feeling it was pushing the bird past it’s limits. I suppose an X5R would be even worse. In my case the solution was an I2 which was a total game changer, then a backup I2 just in case. I suppose there’s a bunch of guys on here with X5’s on their Inspire 1’s but it’s really not an ideal setup, as your experience now shows.

Bob

 

[Steve@AerialImagesPro]

You said you’ve been flying it for 2 years. If your batteries are 2+ years old, they may want those too if they’re going to help you. Batteries are the most likely culprit because if they haven’t been cycled and or stored and calibrated properly you can have all kinds of problems just like this.

It’s hard to blame the manufacturer if you haven’t done proper maintenance (and kept logs to prove it).

These are pretty delicate and complex beasts. And proving it was a manufacture defect would be almost impossible, especially with a 2 year old product.

 

[RAtrailers]

Well, my inspire and x5r are in broke thanks to DJI.

Long story short, I was flying back to home, at 24% I was 100 meters away, the wind was so so, but bear in mind I had been flying fine for many minute before that and not had a single incident since day 1 of owning it.

As I am bringing it, down I get a motor overload warning, at which point the drone struggles massively against a wind it was previously doing fine with, I note that the drone is now being taken away by the wind and I am powerless to stop it, so I switch it into atti mode to get more power to try and fight, no good, at which point the thing is now heading toward a mountainside which I could have cleared but at 15% a warning flashes up on screen saying drone is now landing.

You already know the rest, my drone and camera are in bits 20 meters from the TOP.

I have the log on my inspire which confirms what I said. I was just wondering if DJI are liable?

For the record its the Inspire 1 V2 with the better motors, so the motor overload message is BS.

There were two critical problems from DJI.

1) The motor overload message at 24% made my drone massively inefftictive.
2) The auto land at 15% made a bad situation even worse.

I have flown this thing for over 2 years without a problem and I know **** well the motor overload and auto landing before it should caused this.

Does anyone know what the best course of action is?

I really cant afford to replace it and I feel DJI are to blame.

my inspire needs a new arm which isn't too bad, the X5R seems good on the top base, the bottom bit with the lens, but the mid section is bent and broke.

Drone still works, starts etc, so I am hopeful I can get her back up and running.

I am in the UK. Might just send it off to DJI and prey they have mercy.

I would need a fully loaded inspire 2 to beat it and the X5R is still huge money new.
I am quite reluctant to buy a second hand one without extensive testing before hand which makes a hard item, even harder to acquire.

Hey man not an expert on the mechanicals of Inspire (I do have one) but I am a pilot and also have a 100 hours in a hang glider. One thing to remember is winds are not the same at different altatudes. 10 feet higher and the winds could have doubled and they can do that in a second and go away in a second. I know this as I broke my back in a hangglider from a change in wind speed when I was landing. Just another possible explanation to your delima. Who knows at this point. But some of your other responses have a lot of Merritt. Hope you get your bird fixed soon and back up flying.
Ron

 

[Rickrock60]

Well, my inspire and x5r are in broke thanks to DJI.

Long story short, I was flying back to home, at 24% I was 100 meters away, the wind was so so, but bear in mind I had been flying fine for many minute before that and not had a single incident since day 1 of owning it.

As I am bringing it, down I get a motor overload warning, at which point the drone struggles massively against a wind it was previously doing fine with, I note that the drone is now being taken away by the wind and I am powerless to stop it, so I switch it into atti mode to get more power to try and fight, no good, at which point the thing is now heading toward a mountainside which I could have cleared but at 15% a warning flashes up on screen saying drone is now landing.

You already know the rest, my drone and camera are in bits 20 meters from the TOP.

I have the log on my inspire which confirms what I said. I was just wondering if DJI are liable?

For the record its the Inspire 1 V2 with the better motors, so the motor overload message is BS.

There were two critical problems from DJI.

1) The motor overload message at 24% made my drone massively inefftictive.
2) The auto land at 15% made a bad situation even worse.

I have flown this thing for over 2 years without a problem and I know **** well the motor overload and auto landing before it should caused this.

Does anyone know what the best course of action is?

I really cant afford to replace it and I feel DJI are to blame.

my inspire needs a new arm which isn't too bad, the X5R seems good on the top base, the bottom bit with the lens, but the mid section is bent and broke.

Drone still works, starts etc, so I am hopeful I can get her back up and running.

I am in the UK. Might just send it off to DJI and prey they have mercy.

I would need a fully loaded inspire 2 to beat it and the X5R is still huge money new.
I am quite reluctant to buy a second hand one without extensive testing before hand which makes a hard item, even harder to acquire.

I think you may very well be pleasantly surprised, recently I stupidly nose dived into the ground from 30 feet and seriously damaged my X5 gimbal - Inspire was ok - sent X5 to DJI Netherlands, 8 day turnaround - sent me a brand new X5 for £125 inc return post.

 

[markfothebeast]

I'd posted recently about my battery low voltage condition causing an emergency landing with 90%ish battery. I have some understanding of Li-Po/Li-Ion batteries; these can be difficult for a computer system to monitor. These batteries require a complete discharge at some point in its life cycle (10 cycles on Inspire). I wasn't sure how accurate the monitoring system was previously but I did have my doubts.

Anyhow, in my post, others pretty much confirmed that the battery percentage calculations are merely a rough estimation via the Intelligent (or non-intelligent) batteries onboard computer. Discharging the battery in the drone till it completely turns off and than recharging the battery is a normal maintenance procedure as shown in the manual. DJI calls this battery recalibration. This should actually be outlined at the top of the manual and not burried several pages in.

Before I'd flown my drone I'd researched what the cause of a typical crash was. The number of crashes due to sudden battery discharge was by far the largest cause. That's what brought my attention to monitoring the batteries and voltage more closely. I've only flown 8 times with a used Inspire 1. Than I'd gotten the low voltage/emergency landing. I immediately went through the discharge/recharge cycle. My remote did the same as well and required a complete discharge to display a more accurate battery readout. I will be watching CELL VOLTAGE and not percentage from now on.

Speaking of gimbals smashing to bits, why hasn't anyone designed a protective gimbal cage? I might consider fabricating one myself.

Edit: I'd had the "Motor Overload" message at least 6 times. I'm not sure of the cause but I did hit some heavy winds. I've also had "Low battery temperature", and a message that lowers motor output due to temperatures. I was flying in 30ish or 40ish fahrenheit temps. The battery may diminish much quicker in low temps (or so I've read).

 

[markfothebeast]

Everyone that owns a DJI drone should take a look at this. It may have been overlooked in the manual but it is an important step.

 

[drew1house]

I sent an X5 into them and it was destroyed... I mean smithereens... $550 later and I had a new camera.