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Evo Battery removal

I wouldn't say it's a bad product. For the money you can't touch the features. It's just rough around the edges, especially in this area. I didn't even know of Autel until I ran across the sale. Once I did some research I decided to give it a shot. I was going to buy a Mavic Mini, but I didn't want to pay full price on that drone since DJI basically cripples it so it doesn't rob sales from the Mavic.

I'm honestly hoping Autel can take on DJI. Competition is always good, I was also hoping they'd stand behind their products a little more as I read good things about their customer service. But how can they inspect my battery to drone connection without using the battery that came with my drone? And in the case they do use my battery, what's considered passible criteria? 2lbs, 5lbs, 10lbs, 25lbs?

I could have been dishonest and told them it came like this. But I was transparent and truthful hoping they'd stand behind their product, make it right, and use that information to improve future manufacturing and products.

Maybe I should cut my losses, return this thing and all the accessories I bought and look at Skydio. They actually seem to be innovating, not just following the leader. Time will tell if the Skydio 2 lives up to the hype they've created. I know Autel is releasing a new drone soon, but other than 120fps at 4k, who really needs 6k or 8k capabilities? Broadcast companies and content streaming services have already said they don't plan on going past 4k anytime soon due to the data throughput required. Most people are watching content on their phones and tablets now and you can't tell the difference between 1080p and 4k in most cases on those devices.
You might want to rethink the Skydio option ;)
 
You might want to rethink the Skydio option ;)


I saw that this morning. Yeah, that's not a product I'm going to buy. The autopilot looks to be relatively binary as well most of the time so the footage just looks weird.

I figured out where the issue lies with my drone. Autel has eight screws under the battery holding the drone together. The forward two screws are interfering with my batteries and not allowing them to release properly when the batteries are brand new.

I did an experiment where I handed the drone to a co-worker who is a project manager at my company. He had no knowledge of what was going on. I told him how to remove the battery from the drone and made a video of him attempting to remove it. He struggled to get it out. We then had a conversation about what was going on and during the conversation both of use were installing and removing the battery. Eventually it became relatively easy to remove so we started looking at it closer.

The forward two screws have actually cut channels into the battery on the two raised ribs, I pulled out a new battery from the box and we had the issue again where it took a ton of force to remove. You can see where the screws are cutting into the new battery as well. There is material transfer from the battery to the screw heads.

I sent this information to Autel, I'll keep you guys posted on what happens. I'm not sure how they could argue with this.

I have the feeling people with hard to remove batteries just need to clearance those ribs and the situation will get much better. Or it will improve with use as long as you don't damage the drone trying to remove it like I did.
 

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Okey, it would be enough to flatten the groove after about 5mm. to release the extraction.
This will not weaken the maintenance of the battery. Well seen.
 
Okey, it would be enough to flatten the groove after about 5mm. to release the extraction.
This will not weaken the maintenance of the battery. Well seen.

5mm is a lot. That's .19". I think half the height of that rib could be removed. Then again, over time the batteries will just wear in. It sounds like this issue isn't on all Evo Drones. I'm wondering the screws on on my drone and the others that have commented on this thread aren't fully seated. I've been communicating with Captian Drone from youtube and he said his batteries have released fine from day 1.
 
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5mm is a lot. That's .19". I think half the height of that rib could be removed. Then again, over time the batteries will just wear in. It sounds like this issue isn't on all Evo Drones. I'm wondering the screws on on my drone and the others that have commented on this thread aren't fully seated. I've been communicating with Captian Drone from youtube and he said his batteries have released fine from day 1.
The screws on my evo protrudes as your's, but maybe not as much because like Captain Drone, I have had no problem releasing batteries from the drone. They are snug, which is a good thing but not too snug. My batteries have no rib damage from the screws either. I do fail to see why Autel would not use countersink screws though.

scrw.jpgbat.jpg
 
Is it possible that some batteries are already swollen right off the shelf? This would cause a tighter fit. The bottom of the battery I would think should be flat and not have any roundness to it. Just thought I would ask. noidea (1).gif I'll go back to the XSP side now :)
 
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The screws on my evo protrudes as your's, but maybe not as much because like Captain Drone, I have had no problem releasing batteries from the drone. They are snug, which is a good thing but not too snug. My batteries have no rib damage from the screws either. I do fail to see why Autel would not use countersink screws though.

View attachment 5827View attachment 5828

The screws don't really need to be countersunk if they're positioned correctly.
 
Is it possible that some batteries are already swollen right off the shelf? This would cause a tighter fit. The bottom of the battery I would think should be flat and not have any roundness to it. Just thought I would ask. View attachment 5829 I'll go back to the XSP side now :)

They don't feel swollen to me at all.
 
Little update, Autel is going to inspect the drone and the batteries. I'll box it up and drop it off at fedex on my way home tonight.
 
Okey, it would be enough to flatten the groove after about 5mm. to release the extraction.
This will not weaken the maintenance of the battery. Well seen.

I just realized you meant flatten it back 5mm. Yes, that would probably work in my case. I thought you meant remove 5mm of height which would probably put you in the lithium ion cells.
 
I ran down to the metrology lab after work quick today and took some measurements before I shipped it out. My suspicions were confirmed.

The space between the drone body and the catch for the latch is 1.265".

The battery height at the latch with the button depressed is 1.250".

This results in .015" of clearance at the latch assuming the battery is fully seated against the mating face on the drone.

The grooves cut into the ribs on the battery are .020" deep. Which means it pushed the battery up towards the latch .020". I'm not sure if those screws are still cutting in into the battery, but at a minimum this means there was .005" of interference at that latch when new. Enough to make the battery harder to remove than with the designed clearance, but not enough to make it impossible to remove.
 

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It seems that you have a problem.
I have never had these problems.
My batteries remove and replace with reasonable pressure and effort.
manufacturing defects are a fact of life and often times do little to disrupt product functionality.
I did have a problem with my EVO that didn’t become clear until I tried to fly missions. It turned out that the electronics that allow mission execution were defective. Autel repaired my drone. The down side was the three week turn.
I am very happy with the EVO.
 
My first Evo the batteries came off easy, the replacement Evo I almost can't get them off some days and these are the same batteries from the old one as well as one new one that came with the drone. I am going to try a bit of silicone. I can't even get it separated enough to put a pry bar in there.
 
Tried the silicone route and batteries can be taken off somewhat easier now. Don't know how long it will last. I am pretty strong and have a good grip and it was questionable some days if I or the battery was going to win. Made a short video explaining what we did to lube them up. Evo Battery Removal Made Easier
When I got out the Evo I also found one battery is now slightly swollen (the original one I started with a year ago). That one is still difficult to remove, but easier with the lube. Cells seem OK, but don't like the looks of it. It was warm when I took it out of the case, probably in self discharge as I haven't used it in a while.
 
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Little update, Autel fixed my EVO sensor cover. For that I'm appreciative, but then they said their was no issue with the fitment or the force required to remove it. Which is a blatant lie (measurements and pictures above) and probably directed at keeping people with similar issues from sending their drones in for repair(that comes out of their bottom line). I pulled my new uninstalled battery out of the box when I received the drone back. Again, it was almost impossible to remove. The screw heads on my drone still have material transfer and cut into the new battery.

I have found that steady constant pressure is the key to removing them. I put one finger over the sensor covers so I don't repeat the previous incident and then brace the drone on my leg. A constant even pull and it eventually releases.

These batteries seem to self discharge fast. I had all three topped off last week and they all lost 1 bar just sitting since then.

With all things considered for the sale price I got it for it's still a decent deal as long as there are no major issues with it in the future, but I wouldn't pay full price for one. I'd go a different route.
 
I made a wedge from plastic. Then I ended up putting silicone on some different places on the body and the battery. I just had surgery on my right hand, and after using silicone I'm able to remove the battery without using the plastic wedge. It's much easier than it was before.
 
I made a wedge from plastic. Then I ended up putting silicone on some different places on the body and the battery. I just had surgery on my right hand, and after using silicone I'm able to remove the battery without using the plastic wedge. It's much easier than it was before.
I have problems with the fingers of one hand because of an off-road accident some years ago that left me with not much grip. My solution is to grip the body of the drone tightly with one of those small rubber ‘mats’ that help you to unscrew jar lids, press the button with the other hand and pull. Comes off easily.
 
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These batteries seem to self discharge fast. I had all three topped off last week and they all lost 1 bar just sitting since then.
You can change the self discharge rate in the app. From 1 to 10 days.
 

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