DJI batteries are a very important part of flying your drone. Keeping them charged and healthy will mean that you will be able to get much more enjoyment out of your drone and ensure that you are ready to fly at any moment.
DJI batteries have charging lights that indicate how full the battery is during charging and will also indicate any problems that occur whilst in use.
A DJI battery will blink its LEDs to indicate numerous problems including overheating, the battery being too cold, the charges voltage or amperage being too high, an overcharging warning, or an indication of the battery’s current power level.
This article will go through everything you need to know about DJI battery charging lights and the information that it is trying to convey through blinking.
How to know if your battery is charging?
When you first plug in your battery to a charger, the LED lights will start blinking.
This means that the battery is initializing and it is normal. The lights will then turn off and then back on again one at a time in a sequence.
When this happens, it means that the battery is charging correctly and you can expect it to be fully charged in about an hour or so. See below for more details.
Here is a rundown of what each of the flashing lights means in a DJI drone battery.
You can see that the LEDs will flash in sequence according to the battery level.
When your battery is fully charged?
When the drone battery is fully charged the LEDs will be solid green and not flashing.
Remove the battery from the charger and use within one day to ensure that the maximum power is retained by the battery.
DJI smart batteries will automatically dissipate their charge to protect the sensitive internal lithium polymer chemistry of the battery cells.
How long do DJI batteries take to charge?
Here are the charging times for all of the charging hubs available on the DJI official website:
Here are the charging times for all of the charging hubs available on the DJI official website:
| Type of Battery | Charging time per battery |
| Mavic Air 2 / DJI Air 2S Battery Charging Hub | 105 minutes |
| Mavic Mini Two-Way Battery Charging Hub | 97 minutes |
| DJI Mavic 3 Battery Charging Hub | 96 minutes |
| Mavic 2 Battery Charging Hub | 90 minutes |
| DJI Mini 2 Two-Way Charging Hub | 80 minutes |
| Phantom 4 Series Battery Charging Hub | 70 minutes |
| DJI Mini 3 Pro Two-Way Charging Hub | 60 minutes |
| DJI FPV Battery Charging Hub | 55 minutes |
| DJI Avata Battery Charging Hub | 47 minutes |
As you can see there is a lot of diversity within the hubs when it comes to charging time. This is because different drone models use different kinds of batteries with various capacities.
Battery charging lights not working when charging
If your DJI battery charging lights aren’t working when you’re trying to charge your batteries, don’t panic!
There are a few things you can check to troubleshoot the issue.
First, make sure that the charger is properly plugged into an outlet and that the batteries are properly inserted into the charger. If both of those things are good, then it’s possible that the charger itself is defective.
You can try using a different charger to see if that works.
Another possibility is that the batteries are damaged and need to be replaced. If you’ve been using your DJI drone regularly, it’s not uncommon for batteries to eventually wear out and need to be replaced.
There are several reasons why your battery lights may not light up when charging including, long-term storage affecting the electrolyte stability, end-of-life, or a failed battery update. You can read more about this in my other article – DJI battery won’t light up? Click here to read.
The most common reasons for a battery to not flash when being charged include:
- stored for too long – Some DJI smart batteries have an internal process that protects the sensitive lithium polymer batteries from under and overcharging. Unfortunately, the technology cannot safeguard drones that have been stored for more than three months.
- Electrolyte decomposition – The swelling of a drone battery, however subtle, can indicate that your battery is decomposing. The electrolyte is the material that allows for charges to be transferred between the metallic components of the battery and is often a liquid or polymer. The electrolyte produces gases as it decomposes and will swell up the plastic casing of a battery.
- End-of-life – A typical drone battery can take up to 500 charge cycles without any issue. I have had drone batteries that have lasted longer, but no matter how long you have had them – drone batteries will always, eventually, die.
- Failed update – Smart batteries sometimes receive firmware updates to solve known and common issues. Although unlikely, it may be that your drone battery has received a failed update and will not turn on.
Fixes for a battery that won’t turn on
Here are a number of fixes for a DJI battery that won’t light up or give you any indication that it is working.
Some of them are more complicated than others and, some need specialised electronic equipment that only very competent drone users should attempt.
- Plugged into a charger – allow your battery to charge release 24 hours.
- Send it back to DJI – if you have a floated drone battery you may be able to send it back to DJI for a replacement
- hard reset – remove the drone batteries ribbon cable and replace it to hard reset the battery. More information in this blog post.
Battery lights not charging only blinking
If your DJI battery is only flashing and not charging it may be a sign of trouble.
If you have a DJI battery, you must have noticed that there are four LED indicators on the battery. You need to be able to identify which indicators are flashing so you know what error they are showing. Here is a look at the common errors you can come across on your battery.
| LED | Flashes Per Second | Meaning |
| 2 | 2 | Overcurrent |
| 2 | 3 | Short-circuit |
| 3 | 2 | Overcharge |
| 3 | 3 | Over-voltage Charger |
| 4 | 2 | Temperature Too Low |
| 4 | 3 | Temperature Too High |
LED 2 Blinking Twice In One Second
If the LED labelled as 2 blinks two times in one second, this is a sign that there is an overcurrent being detected by the battery. An overcurrent is when the current going into or out of the battery is too high.
This can be caused by a faulty ESC or a problem with the motors. You will need to check each of these components to see which one is causing the problem.
You can also have a look at the instructional manual to understand what is causing the overcurrent and how to fix it. One simple method to do so is to pause charging and try again later, or to try a different outlet where there is no risk of fluctuating currents.
LED 2 Blinking Three Times In One Second
When you see that LED 2 is blinking three times in one second, you should immediately be able to pick up that the battery has short-circuited. This is what happens when the current going through the battery is too high and causes a spark or fire.
The most common cause of this is when you have damaged batteries, so it is important to always check your batteries before using them. If you see any signs of damage, such as cracks or missing wires, do not use the battery.
You can also get a short circuit if you try to charge the battery too quickly. Always use the recommended charger for your battery and do not charge it faster than the recommended rate.
LED 3 Blinking Twice In One Second
In the situation that the blinking LED is LED 3, you should note how many times it blinks within a second. If the answer is twice in a second, then this is a sign that there is an overcharge detected on the battery.
This is an error you can get when you are using a charger that is not meant for your battery, so make sure you are using the right charger. It can also be caused by using a power source that has too much voltage going into the battery.
You will need to find a new power source and make sure that the voltage is at the correct level before you try charging again. You don’t want to overcharge your battery as that can affect its ability to work effectively moving forward.
LED 3 Blinking Three Times In One Second
When LED 3 on the battery blinks three times in one second, the issue at hand is a charger that is overvoltage. An over-voltage charger is one that is putting out more voltage than what the battery is able to take.
This can cause damage to the battery cells and potentially lead to a fire. As with the other errors, make sure you are using the correct charger for your battery. You should also check the power source to ensure that the voltage is at the correct level. Once you have done that, you can try charging the battery again.
Once again, the best course of action is always to use the official DJI battery charging hubs as they are perfectly tailored to meet the voltage and current requirements of the battery. Using third-party chargers can cause irreparable harm.
LED 4 Blinking Twice In One Second
When LED 4 is blinking on your battery, that is a sign that there is an issue to do with the temperature. Specifically, when the blinking happens twice in one second, that means the charging temperature is too low.
When this happens, the battery will not be able to charge effectively. For most batteries by DJI, the minimum charging temperature is around 10 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is below this, this can impede the charging process because the battery may not be able to maintain the necessary chemical reaction to create power.
To fix this, you should try and find a place where the temperature is above 10 degrees Celsius.
Once the battery has warmed up, you can then try charging it again.
Sometimes, if the temperature is too low, the battery will not show any lights at all. In this case, you will just need to wait until the battery has warmed up before you can start using it.
LED 4 Blinking Three Times In One Second
In the event that LED 4 is blinking three times in a second, that means the temperature is too high and the battery needs to cool down. The maximum temperature that you can charge a DJI battery is around 40 degrees Celsius.
If the temperature is any higher than this, it can cause the battery to overheat, which places it at risk of explosions and fires. This is an extremely dangerous situation that you want to avoid at all costs.
To fix this, you should try and find a cooler place to charge your battery. Once the temperature has dropped down to a safer level, you can then start charging the battery again.
Wrapping up
This article has been through everything you need to know about DJI battery charging lights and what all that flashing means.
Make sure that you understand the difference between what is happening with your battery when is charging and when it is trying to warn you about certain problems. Ignoring a flashing DJI battery will cause it to quickly decompose and could lead to swelling and an explosion.
