DJI Mini 3 Pro wind test. Battery full load warning. Overheating issue causes RC signal loss?

DC Rainmaker is making the most of his time in the windy and wet lowlands. In this latest video, he conducts a DJI Mini 3 Pro wind test with gusts of more than 30 mph. The strong winds overload the battery, which in turn seems to overheat the drone and cause an RC signal loss. Let's take a closer look!

DJI Mini 3 Pro wind test shows very capable aircraft

As you can see in the video below, the DJI Mini 3 Pro has little problem dealing with strong winds, even though this drone is considered an ultra-light aircraft, weighing less than 250 grams.

“Here's the only wind test you'll need to see on the DJI Mini 3 Pro and how well it handles 50KPH winds… out over the water,” says DC Rainmaker. “In this test, I cover not just flying, but also testing out features like Active Track and Spotlight POI mode, plus sport mode 120FPS slow-motion footage and plenty more!”

The drone seems to deal very well with the wind. It is remarkable how stable the footage is when DC Rainmaker flies the DJI Mini 3 Pro around the lighthouse.

Battery full load warning from the DJI Mini 3 Pro

During the video, DC Rainmaker receives a number of “strong wind warning,” which should come as no surprise considering the conditions he is flying the DJI Mini 3 Pro in.

However, at some point, he also receives a “battery full load” warning. At the same time these warnings start, you can also see the RC signal strength fluctuating between a full five bars and three bars.

“Battery full note. Check whether aircraft is under heavy loads and reduce excessive motion during flight,” the message on the DJI RC reads.

At one time, the signal strength even drops as low as two bars.

My experience flying the DJI Mini 3 Pro in strong winds

DR Rainmaker didn't point out that the RC signal strength dropped in the video, but I was paying close attention to it, as I flew the DJI Mini 3 Pro in similar conditions here in New York earlier this week.

In my case, the wind was blowing offshore, gusting to at least 30 mph as well. I had the DJI Mini 3 Pro in sport mode the entire time, to help the DJI mini drone fight off the gusts.

As my battery depleted and I started flying the drone back home, I experienced repeated signal loss. The drone's video feed on the screen of the DJI RC would freeze, and at one point, the drone initiated the auto Return-to-Home feature.

After having had two of these situations back to back within a minute or so, I then lost the connection to the drone altogether for at least 20 to 30 seconds. At this point, I could easily see the LED lights of the DJI Mini 3 Pro against the darkening sky as the unmanned aircraft was less than a quarter mile away.

When I finally regained control of the DJI Mini 3 Pro and landed it, you could feel that the battery was warm to the touch.

Unfortunately, I did not do a screen recording of the DJI RC so I have no footage to review to see what exact warning messages were shown or that indeed the signal strength dropped to zero before I lost the connection.

On the next windy day here in New York, I will take the DJI Mini 3 Pro out for a spin and see if I can recreate the situation.

DJI Mini 3 Pro overheating issue causes RC signal loss?

My own experience combined with what I noticed in DC Rainmakers' video (the dropping RC signal) makes me believe that we might have an overheating issue with DJI's latest mini drone.

It seems that when you work the drone too hard, i.e. in very strong wind conditions, the battery overheats, which in turn causes the RC signal to drop. You can see it doing so in the video. In my own situation, it dropped so far that I temporarily lost control of the aircraft.

Please keep in mind that this theory is only based on my own experience and on what I saw in this video. However, I am very curious to hear about your experience. Did your DJI Mini 3 Pro show a drop in RC signal when flying in strong winds? Please let us know in the comments below.

In the meantime, we will reach out to DJI and ask them for their reaction.

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