Battery disconnected mid flight

[Sparky234]

I was flying my Spark straight up, nothing fancy, getting a shot above a mountain creek. Luckily l didn't fly away over any trees or anything. At over 100 feet the drone disconnected from my remote and I heard two splashes. I thought maybe someone was throwing rocks into the creek, but when I looked up I couldn't see my drone anymore. I looked where i heard the splashes and saw the bright blue of my drone. One of my friends dove for it (about 3 feet of water) and discovered the battery was absent. Luckily the battery is slightly brighter grey than the creek floor, so it was found easily.

Has anyone had issues with the battery coming unclipped from their Spark before? This is new to me.

As a sign of how resilient this drone is, after a couple days of drying it was able to reconnect and now flies perfectly, even after being under water for several minutes and falling over 100 feet.

 

[Spark 317]

Hello from the Mid-West, Sparky234.

Here are a couple of pictures posted here in the Forum from a member showing the difference between the old battery and a new one. Note the tabs.

This style of battery holder will hold the battery secure.

Inspect the tabs often and insure they both click when installing.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[RaWine]

Has anyone had issues with the battery coming unclipped from their Spark before? This is new to me.

Happened to me, two weeks into ownership. I always check my battery by giving a tug on it, and haven't had any problems since.

The problem is potentially hazardous to man and beast if it happens way up. The battery vibrates loose, it drops like a rock.

 

[Putz]

I have four of the better clip batteries, I still pull slightly each time I put a new battery in the spark. It's a quick mental habit now and a little piece of mind

 

[Guy]

It's never happened to me and I don't see it ever happening. My battery fits in really snug and I always test it and feel if it's in right before flying.

 

[Sparky234]

Pulling on the battery is a good idea, I'll build that into my pre-flight habits.

Not a huge fan of adding weight to the drone, every ounce means less flight time. I had propeller guards when l first started flying, but l feel like I get another minute with them off.

 

[MartyTravelsTheWorld]

As a sign of how resilient this drone is, after a couple days of drying it was able to reconnect and now flies perfectly, even after being under water for several minutes and falling over 100 feet.

Question: Shouldn't that be a case for a warranty claim? What if there are problems down the line? Are you sending it back to DJI?

 

[Sparky234]

I don't think I'll be sending it back, unless they contact me and want to investigate the issue further. The drone is working just fine now and I know from other posts that it's hard to get a warranty claim on water damaged drones.

 

[Linuxglobal]

It’s very common for the battery to unlock or to have weak battery clips. I guess the lucky side to this story is that the battery disconnects and the drone falls in the water with electronics un-armed. If it say flew into the water, more damage would occur and drying it would not bring it back to life.

I would be cautious with that battery, I hope you are not flying with the same water dipped battery.

I 3D Print and sell and these clips for very affordable rates on eBay, even cheaper than ebay for forum members.

Battery Safety Buckle Holder Anti-slip Lock Clip Portable Durable For DJI Spark | eBay

Send me a private message and I can send you a few clips.

 

[Roy Talangbayan]

I made one from a piece of an aquarium tubing and wire hanger cut to size for the hook up ends and weighs only 4 grams.

I was flying my Spark straight up, nothing fancy, getting a shot above a mountain creek. Luckily l didn't fly away over any trees or anything. At over 100 feet the drone disconnected from my remote and I heard two splashes. I thought maybe someone was throwing rocks into the creek, but when I looked up I couldn't see my drone anymore. I looked where i heard the splashes and saw the bright blue of my drone. One of my friends dove for it (about 3 feet of water) and discovered the battery was absent. Luckily the battery is slightly brighter grey than the creek floor, so it was found easily.

Has anyone had issues with the battery coming unclipped from their Spark before? This is new to me.

As a sign of how resilient this drone is, after a couple days of drying it was able to reconnect and now flies perfectly, even after being under water for several minutes and falling over 100 feet.

 

[Walter Hall]

I have both the new and old style of Spark Batteries. I have never have one come lose or fall off. I have noticed that sometimes you have to be careful and make sure the battery snaps on fully. I can see how if rushed the battery may not attach correctly. It's all about taking care and double checking the battery to see if it's been placed correctly. I always give the battery a hard tug before launching to make sure it's attached.

One final note, I have sent a few "NEW" batteries back to the source for not clicking on as firmly as some others that I have received. It seems new or old style batteries from DJI are not produced with very close tolerances thus batteries can be better than others with regards to clicking and then staying on the drone.

Regards,

Walt

 

[mrreddog]

Sparky234, I have a 3dr printer and make a very lightweight clip to stop that from happening again. private message me your address and I'll send you a couple clips....

 

[sparkhazz]

I was flying my Spark straight up, nothing fancy, getting a shot above a mountain creek. Luckily l didn't fly away over any trees or anything. At over 100 feet the drone disconnected from my remote and I heard two splashes. I thought maybe someone was throwing rocks into the creek, but when I looked up I couldn't see my drone anymore. I looked where i heard the splashes and saw the bright blue of my drone. One of my friends dove for it (about 3 feet of water) and discovered the battery was absent. Luckily the battery is slightly brighter grey than the creek floor, so it was found easily.

Has anyone had issues with the battery coming unclipped from their Spark before? This is new to me.

As a sign of how resilient this drone is, after a couple days of drying it was able to reconnect and now flies perfectly, even after being under water for several minutes and falling over 100 feet.

I lost a battery during flight yesterday! The battery got sepperated from the sparks body in about 30m after flying for 2 minutes. Both fell on a field. Luckily the spark did not get dammaged! It was lying on its propeller side next to some stones. Guardian angel or pure luck!? The battery however was not found in a 2 hrs search. It always seemed that this new battery (bought at Amazon.de seperatly) needed to be pushed a little stronger into the drones body than the other two batteries that came with the combo, but then stayed in place (I am always paying good attention when inserting the battery and make sure it 'clicks', maybe it was just "half a click"). Anoying. I cannot see my fault here. DJI wants me to send back the battery to get a replacement. Easier said than done without having found it... I guess I should just concentrate on the pure luck that the spark survived the crash. Please make sure your battery sits in place tightly! It is a terrible feelig to see the spark falling!

 

[Linuxglobal]

BATTERY SAFETY CLIPS very cheap insurance lol

I flew once without it and it was constantly on my mind. For those with 3D printers its super easy to make one out of ABS or PETG.

 

[graywoulf]

When I install a battery, I do not push it in while waiting to hear a click from it. I pull the release tabs back then slide it on fully then release the tabs. I then give the battery a good tug to see if it is secure. I figure this will eliminate any wear on the locking tabs. But just for the peace of mind, I have one of those battery holders on order. Better safe than sorry.

 

[graywoulf]

View attachment 4908 View attachment 4909 I made one from a piece of an aquarium tubing and wire hanger cut to size for the hook up ends and weighs only 4 grams.

Very nice and simple design. I wish I had seen those pictures before I ordered a holder.

 

[goixiz]

or a $1 oring

 

[Dave Canada]

I was flying my Spark straight up, nothing fancy, getting a shot above a mountain creek. Luckily l didn't fly away over any trees or anything. At over 100 feet the drone disconnected from my remote and I heard two splashes. I thought maybe someone was throwing rocks into the creek, but when I looked up I couldn't see my drone anymore. I looked where i heard the splashes and saw the bright blue of my drone. One of my friends dove for it (about 3 feet of water) and discovered the battery was absent. Luckily the battery is slightly brighter grey than the creek floor, so it was found easily.

Has anyone had issues with the battery coming unclipped from their Spark before? This is new to me.

As a sign of how resilient this drone is, after a couple days of drying it was able to reconnect and now flies perfectly, even after being under water for several minutes and falling over 100 feet.

I sent my spark in for repairs today after the 5th seperation it does it when i go into sport mode but the last time was after it started on the return home trip I thought maybe i wasn,t paying attention but since the first crash I been double checking the battery must bee a problem with my drone you are the first I,ve heard of it happening to someone else if i find a solution i will let you know

 

[sparkhazz]

View attachment 4919 or a $1 oring

Which size o-ring fits? Don't want to buy a whole set ..

 

[sparkhazz]

Since my spark lost its battery I have been looking for ways to avoid this in this future. I still think it was a faulty battery that has been purchased separately from the combo and I hope this won't happen again with my remaining batteries as I have the impression that they really fit in tightly.
However, here and at ebay there are quite a few battery clips being sold that make me wonder... Is it just so people have a better, safer feeling when flying or is there a real problem? If so we all should know, especially if this can happen to any battery. Are there different batteries around? What about the warranty? I personally did not upgrade my spark to dji's special one year replacement warranty as I am confident that I can fly a quadrocopter from years of experience. If this extended warranty however is necessary because of a faulty product there must be something wrong! It just cannot be my or our fault when the spark crashes due to a battery that doesn't reliably fit!
What do you think?