Why no aftermarket I1 batteries

oldcomputech · Dec 22, 2019

Anyone got a reasonable explanation why there are no aftermarket I1 TB47 and 48 batteries?

I can get new P2, P3, P4, and Mavic Pro and Spark batteries aftermarket but no Inspire.

I just can’t get my head around the why.

Anyone have the definitive answer?

Thanks and happy holidays!

IronSky1 · Dec 23, 2019

I would think there is no where near the volume of Inspire 1 compared to the lower cost higher volume P and M series. There is s lot of upfront cost for molds and other tooling.

Donnie Frank · Dec 23, 2019

My hopes are the Powerextra produces Inspire 1 batteries. I have used their batteries for a while for everything from my Mavic Pro to my DeWalt drill. I have been very happy with the quality.

To answer your question, it makes zero sense that they don't make them now.

D

SierraSARPilot · Dec 23, 2019

The M600 drivers are in somewhat the same boat with the TB47/48s's. They could potentially be another good customer for a forward thinking aftermarket battery supplier.

oldcomputech · Dec 23, 2019

IronSky1 said:
I would think there is no where near the volume of Inspire 1 compared to the lower cost higher volume P and M series. There is s lot of upfront cost for molds and other tooling.

Not disagreeingwith you but there are so many niche product batteries out there I don’t quite get it. A case in point is the Typhoon H480. I can get batteries for that and if I was a survey type guy I would bet that sales numbers on that are not much higher than an I1

oldcomputech · Dec 23, 2019

I ag

Donnie Frank said:
My hopes are the Powerextra produces Inspire 1 batteries. I have used their batteries for a while for everything from my Mavic Pro to my DeWalt drill. I have been very happy with the quality.

To answer your question, it makes zero sense that they don't make them now.

D

I agree with PowerExtra. Pretty decent batteries. I noticed no difference in my Mavics flight times.
BTW thanks for the info/ tutorials on backwards firmware, you save my bird for me!

oldcomputech · Dec 23, 2019

SierraSARPilot said:
The M600 drivers are in somewhat the same boat with the TB47/48s's. They could potentially be another good customer for a forward thinking aftermarket battery supplier.

I did not know that. So the 600 pilots are also at risk of the orphanage? Wow!

jp_jackalope · Dec 23, 2019

Maybe it would be possible to hack the battery and remove the cells, and instead use standard size cells wired to it

Like this guy
Or this guy Best Battery Mod for DJI Inspire 1 , My Opinion

jp_jackalope · Dec 23, 2019

This video explains the wires in the battery and how you would connect them to a standard LiPo

Mixchief · Dec 28, 2019

I had seen Chinese knockoffs on eBay not long ago, TB 47s

Airhorn · Feb 2, 2020

Dose it have to do with shipping a large capacity 6s LiPo? Is that why the I2 has two batteries? This is my line thought. I just purchased a I1 v2 and never guessed I have issues getting batteries. I have many phantoms I still fly and would buy a phantom 3 again.

niki · Feb 2, 2020

Airhorn said:
Dose it have to do with shipping a large capacity 6s LiPo? Is that why the I2 has two batteries? This is my line thought. I just purchased a I1 v2 and never guessed I have issues getting batteries. I have many phantoms I still fly and would buy a phantom 3 again.

There are no batteries for I1 because they are not produced anymore by dji. Also batteries over 100W have to be transported only by land or water. I hope some 3rd party manufacturer to fill that gap.

niki · Feb 11, 2020

For the record, right now there are some TB48 batteries on amazon.com, good for the US customers

But in Eu I can't find a shop that have them on stock.

Mixchief · Feb 11, 2020

And for the record, someone that buys it will be walking funny> $350+ ARE U F*****gG KIDDING ME??? I'm walking funny just looking at it.

Airhorn · Feb 11, 2020

I found about 50 new tb48 @ 209. ea + tax and ship... and scored on the last cube charger for 29 bucks

niki · Feb 11, 2020

Mixchief said:
And for the record, someone that buys it will be walking funny> $350+ ARE U F*****gG KIDDING ME??? I'm walking funny just looking at it.

Yeah, the price isn't nice at all. But if you have gigs for your drone it should be paid off quickly.

ReadyKilowatt · Feb 19, 2020

I also fly a 3DR Solo, and we're in the same boat there. We're seeing batteries fail completely and the recommendation from the gurus is to not use any factory batteries. But there are several threads and instructions on how to swap out the cells for new, and a fairly extensive project to build an open source battery management system that will work like the factory smart battery. I imagine over time this might become a small business for people willing to take on the work of swapping in new cells. Otherwise the aircraft are still airworthy.

RMartin · Feb 20, 2020

Mixchief said:
I had seen Chinese knockoffs on eBay not long ago, TB 47s

I was specifically warned away from knock-offs. Apparently its hit or miss if they work or not.

niki · Feb 20, 2020

ReadyKilowatt said:
I also fly a 3DR Solo, and we're in the same boat there. We're seeing batteries fail completely and the recommendation from the gurus is to not use any factory batteries. But there are several threads and instructions on how to swap out the cells for new, and a fairly extensive project to build an open source battery management system that will work like the factory smart battery. I imagine over time this might become a small business for people willing to take on the work of swapping in new cells. Otherwise the aircraft are still airworthy.

Genuine inspire batteries are not failing if properly maintained, they are actually pretty good.

ReadyKilowatt · Feb 29, 2020

niki said:
Genuine inspire batteries are not failing if properly maintained, they are actually pretty good.

Yes, but they will lose capacity and likely fail at some point. ALL lithium battery designs face the same fate just because of the way they work. Recall Apple's problems with "battery-gate" a few years ago when they were programing in a processor slowdown as the battery capacity dropped to maximize the lifespan of the iPhone. They didn't do it because of planned obsolesce (in fact probably the motivation was the opposite goal), they were attempting to prevent having batteries fail completely.

My DJI batteries all show 4 LEDs when I do the long-press thing (or at least they did a few weeks ago when I checked them) and will still fly most of the rated time. However I expect that in the next year or so they will begin to fail just because of age.