Speed after upgrade to 1.8...

Marketal · Apr 16, 2016

Hi all,

I just did the 1.8 upgrade. Got it the wrong way round (RC first, then the AC) but it seemed to work. I did the batteries as well (3*TB47 and 3*TB48), and they all seem OK, too.

However when flying into a light head wind during the test flight I noticed that it is slower than it was before. Also I had a message flash up on the iPad saying something along the lines of "Power output has been reduced to protect the battery"

I know some others have posted similar issues, but this seems to be counter productive for DJI. Whilst I won't be racing it, it does seem logical that the machine needs speed to stay stable in a high, or gusty winds in order to deliver good images.

Are there any work arounds to this? Or do I downgrade?

Cheers

Mark

Scotflieger · Apr 16, 2016

@Marketal I have been getting in excess of 21m/s (46mph) with the FW 1.8. This provides good stability and control up to my max permitted speed (PFAW) of 10m/s (22mph) gusting 15m/s (33mph). The message of power reduced was introduced in FW1.6 and will normally be seen with batteries under 25C. As you will be experiencing our late winter/Scottish spring temperature as I, I would suggest pre-warning batteries to at least 20C prior to flying. I use the DJI Battery Heater which only has a 2-3% hit.

Predator · Apr 16, 2016

Scotflieger said:
@Marketal I have been getting in excess of 21m/s (46mph) with the FW 1.8. This provides good stability and control up to my max permitted speed (PFAW) of 10m/s (22mph) gusting 15m/s (33mph). The message of power reduced was introduced in FW1.6 and will normally be seen with batteries under 25C. As you will be experiencing our late winter/Scottish spring temperature as I, I would suggest pre-warning batteries to at least 20C prior to flying. I use the DJI Battery Heater which only has a 2-3% hit.

Ahhh thx man its only 15c here still cold so when the weather is really warm 25c i should be able to feel the turbos kick in? lol

Scotflieger · Apr 16, 2016

Predator said:
Ahhh thx man its only 15c here still cold so when the weather is really warm 25c i should be able to feel the turbos kick in? lol

15C - luxury. Today we have 1-2C and snow showers. LiPo batteries work best between 25C and 45C.

Predator · Apr 16, 2016

Scotflieger said:
15C - luxury. Today we have 1-2C and snow showers. LiPo batteries work best between 25C and 45C.

Ahh man i feel you! After a long cold winter15c feels warm lol but i guess dji batteries are made for tropical weather...

Marketal · Apr 16, 2016

Yeah, it was cold, that's the Borders for you!

I skipped the 1.6 upgrade, so hadn't seen the message before...

Thanks for the reply.

Michael Morris · Apr 16, 2016

Scotflieger said:
@Marketal I have been getting in excess of 21m/s (46mph) with the FW 1.8. This provides good stability and control up to my max permitted speed (PFAW) of 10m/s (22mph) gusting 15m/s (33mph). The message of power reduced was introduced in FW1.6 and will normally be seen with batteries under 25C. As you will be experiencing our late winter/Scottish spring temperature as I, I would suggest pre-warning batteries to at least 20C prior to flying. I use the DJI Battery Heater which only has a 2-3% hit.

I am just embarking next week on a course leading, hopefully, to my PfAW. Can I ask you what is behind the limitation of your max permed speed of 10 m/s?

The Editor · Apr 16, 2016

Michael Morris said:
I am just embarking next week on a course leading, hopefully, to my PfAW. Can I ask you what is behind the limitation of your max permed speed of 10 m/s?

The max permitted speed that @Scotflieger quotes is not the speed of the aircraft but the rated wind resistance of the Inspire 1. If an operator was to say they would fly in wind speeds faster than this in their ops manual then they would be operating outside of the manufacturers rated limitations of the aircraft.
Hope that clarifies things.

Michael Morris · Apr 16, 2016

The Editor said:
The max permitted speed that @Scotflieger quotes is not the speed of the aircraft but the rated wind resistance of the Inspire 1. If an operator was to say they would fly in wind speeds faster than this in their ops manual then they would be operating outside of the manufacturer rated limitations of the aircraft.
Hope that clarifies things.

Thanks Mark, understood. Michael

slim.slamma · Apr 16, 2016

Scotflieger said:
15C - luxury. Today we have 1-2C and snow showers. LiPo batteries work best between 25C and 45C.

Your normally spot on

with your insight.
So why was this not an issue last winter?
What was the logic behind this power reduction?
It wasn't broke what did they fix...
I flew all last winter, 3× daily 10 degree Fahrenheit blizzard, gusty with gusto, whatever.
It's 50 now and I can't fly. Oh yeah right get a battery Warmer. Why it's the SAME tb48

slim.slamma · Apr 16, 2016

Predator said:
Ahh man i feel you! After a long cold winter15c feels warm lol but i guess dji batteries are made for tropical weather...

They wasn't last winter.
I got footage on the Canadian boarder i1 was a beast over lake Ontario now I wouldn't dare!

Scotflieger · Apr 17, 2016

slim.slamma said:
Your normally spot on with your insight.
So why was this not an issue last winter?
What was the logic behind this power reduction?
It wasn't broke what did they fix...
I flew all last winter, 3× daily 10 degree Fahrenheit blizzard, gusty with gusto, whatever.
It's 50 now and I can't fly. Oh yeah right get a battery Warmer. Why it's the SAME tb48

It would appear that some users were reporting battery failures in cold conditions. In response DJI introduced the changes in Dec last year with FW 1.6 to prevent motor start with a cold battery, warn users if battery temp below 15C and to reduce the strain on the battery until above 25C. I had to warm my batteries this morning before flying at 6C. Please don't blame the messenger.

Predator · Apr 17, 2016

Is it possible to go back to the previous fw just before the power was reduced?

Scotflieger · Apr 17, 2016

Predator said:
Is it possible to go back to the previous fw just before the power was reduced?

Why would you want to? It is there to protect the batteries. It is not a FPV speed machine so wait until the batteries are up to 25C before throwing it around.

I believe you can take the aircraft back to FW 1.3 (available on website) and then to FW 1.5 (if you have it).

Predator · Apr 17, 2016

Scotflieger said:
Why would you want to? It is there to protect the batteries. It is not a FPV speed machine so wait until the batteries are up to 25C before throwing it around.

I believe you can take the aircraft back to FW 1.3 (available on website) and then to FW 1.5 (if you have it).

Ino its not a racer but i still love going full speed sometimes lol (not while filming) 25c thats crazy i wont see that before june-july... And remember Philip Bloom was flying his i1 in Alaska winter 2014? never heard him say his battery died or shut off on him just saying.

Scotflieger · Apr 17, 2016

Predator said:
Ino its not a racer but i still love going full speed sometimes lol (not while filming) 25c thats crazy i wont see that before june-july... And remember Philip Bloom was flying his i1 in Alaska winter 2014? never heard him say his battery died or shut off on him just saying.

It is the battery temperature not air temperature. Pre-warming or hovering is the answer.

Predator · Apr 17, 2016

Scotflieger said:
It is the battery temperature not air temperature. Pre-warming or hovering is the answer.

You sure because cuz even after installing a warm battery i still find it slow!

Scotflieger · Apr 17, 2016

Predator said:
You sure because cuz even after installing a warm battery i still find it slow!

I do get the occasionally warning and reduce my stick input accordingly. I want to protect my battery life and wish to avoid putting unnecessary strain on them. It is a useful guide to the pilot.

The Editor · Apr 17, 2016

Predator said:
.. And remember Philip Bloom was flying his i1 in Alaska winter 2014? never heard him say his battery died or shut off on him just saying.

That would be because the firmware to limit the power output was not introduced until Dec of 2015.
PB would either have been on a pre release firmware version on an aircraft supplied to him by DJI or on the original production release FW. There were no limitation invoked back then.

Predator · Apr 17, 2016

Scotflieger said:
I do get the occasionally warning and reduce my stick input accordingly. I want to protect my battery life and wish to avoid putting unnecessary strain on them. It is a useful guide to the pilot.

Ill wait and see when it gets warmer out. i just feel like im driving a mustang with a 4 cylinder lol