Propel Zipp Nano Not Charging: Here’s How to Fix It

You are here because your Propel Zipp Nano isn’t charging and you want to know how to fix it. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place as we’ll be talking extensively about the various reasons why your drone battery may not be charging and how to fix it. Continue reading to learn why your battery isn’t charging. 

The most common reason your drone battery isn’t charging is a faulty charger. Another possible reason your battery is not charging is that it may have become depleted after prolonged storage, which means you’ll have to charge it differently from the normal means.

Most drones nowadays come with Lithium Polymer batteries which have the benefit of being lightweight, with huge power storage capabilities. They’re also durable and have a longer lifespan than other types of batteries. But at the same time, lithium polymer batteries can be finicky and require a very specific method of storage. For example, you should never store your battery for a long period when fully charged. For long-term storage, always keep it at 40 – 65 % of total capacity. That figure is DJI’s recommendation for the storage of Lithium Polymer batteries which can also be applied to your Propel Zipp Nano Lithium polymer batteries.

If your Propel Zipp Nano battery isn’t charging, don’t panic yet. Usually, it’s fixable and we’ll be discussing various solutions. To start off, we’ll help you figure out some of the different reasons why your battery may not be charging. Understanding why your battery isn’t charging is obviously the first step to finding the right solution. 

Why Isn’t Your Propel Zipp Nano Charging? #

There are several reasons why your Propel Zipp Nano battery may not be charging. Let’s look at the most common issues:  

Faulty charger #

This one is self-explanatory. A faulty charger will not be able to charge your battery. So if your battery isn’t charging, you should naturally check if the charger is working. If you are connected to a wall socket, ensure that the wall socket is working. It could be that the problem is with the wall socket and not the charger or the battery at all. 

If you have another battery, you can connect your charger to that battery to check if the charger is working. If you have only one battery, you can use it to check if your charger is working, especially if you have at least a little bit of charge on the battery. 

To do this, turn the battery on, after which a blinking red light will come up. Connect the charger to the battery and the red light should stop blinking if the battery is charging. 

Short circuit detected #

Your Propel Zipp Nano battery comes with sensors that measure charging parameters to make sure that the battery is charged under optimum conditions. If the sensors detect a short circuit, then your battery will not be charged. Short circuits occur when current travels along an unintended path with very low impedance which will lead to excess flow of current. 

Now how does this affect your battery? Short circuits may occur in your charger – in the main body or along the wires. Check if there are any exposed wires on the charger or whether a burning smell is coming from the charger. You’ll have to replace the charger if you detect any short circuit in your charger. 

High amperage detected #

You are probably aware that chargers are typically rated for a particular voltage/current. If the voltage of your electricity supply gets too high, then your battery may not be charging to protect it from damage. Also, make sure you are using a compatible charger to charge the battery. 

Damaged pins #

There are a series of metallic contacts between your charger and the battery and these contacts are crucial for the charging of your battery. It’s possible for these pins to become damaged over time by bending out of shape or even becoming corroded should they come in contact with moisture. 

Inspect the metallic pins on both the battery and also the charger. Pins in good condition should appear shiny and straight without any of them appearing bent or curved. If you notice corrosion on the metallic contacts, you can fix it by cleaning the affected part with isopropyl alcohol using a soft, lint-free cloth. 

If the metallic pins appear bent or curved, it’s advisable you don’t try to straighten them as you will end up damaging them further. The best bet is to get a new charger or battery if their contact points are seriously damaged.

Damaged or ‘bricked’ battery #

You may have heard of bricked batteries before but not known what in the world the term means. Well, a bricked battery is one that has become damaged for some reason and may not be recoverable through normal means. 

There are a number of reasons why drone batteries may become bricked, but the most common is long storage in conjunction with poor maintenance. There are things you should do before storing your drone for a long time to maintain the integrity of the battery. Also, some maintenance practices must be carried out occasionally. Failure to do this may result in the battery becoming completely discharged. And if a battery is completely discharged, you’ll be unable to charge it using the normal method as the cells will have lost their capacity to store a charge.

Temperature of the battery is too hot or too cold to charge #

Your Propel Zipp Nano battery has an optimum temperature range for charging. And your battery will not charge above or below this range. So if your battery is too hot, it won’t charge until it has cooled down to room temperature. This is also the reason you shouldn’t charge your battery immediately after flying your drone. Make sure to give it some time to cool down first. Also, don’t leave your battery out in the sun, as it can easily get overheated and potentially be permanently damaged. 

Your battery will also not charge if it’s too cold. In such a situation, you’ll have to wait for the battery to warm up to room temperature before charging it. As you can see, most drone batteries operate within a particular temperature range and you should charge your battery within this range. 

How to Fix a Propel Zipp Nano Battery That’s Not Charging? #

The part you’ve been waiting for! You should already have a pretty good idea of how to fix the issue of your Propel Zipp Nano battery not charging, once you’ve identified the source of the problem. But we’ll give you a few more tips, just to make sure you get a good solution. 

Replace faulty chargers #

As we said earlier, the first thing you should do when your battery isn’t charging is to check if the charger is working. If the charger isn’t working, which may be due to any of the reasons we discussed above, you’ll have to get a new one. 

Buy chargers only from trusted sellers or directly from the manufacturer. Having a quality charger is important for the longevity of your battery. 

Let your batteries cool off before charging #

We know you are eager to charge your battery and return your drone to the skies when the battery gets low. But it’s important you exercise some patience and let your battery cool down a bit before charging it. 

Charging your battery when it’s hot may damage it, or the sensors in the battery may even prevent the battery from charging altogether, until it reaches the optimum temperature range.

Charging a hibernated battery #

Your battery will most likely go into hibernation if it has remained unused for an extended period. The reason for this is to prevent the battery from getting completely discharged. You’ll have to make sure the charger is working and then connect the battery for quite a long time (several hours) before it finally starts charging. 

If the battery doesn’t go into hibernation and becomes completely discharged, it’s going to become “bricked”. A bricked battery has to be charged using special methods, as you just can’t connect your charger and expect it to start charging. You’ll need the bricked battery, a LiPo balance charger, and a NiMH charger. Start by connecting the bricked battery to the NiMH charger, and start by charging at the lowest available current which is usually 0.1A. 

Depending on the type of NiMH charger you are using, you may be able to select the output voltage. If this is the case, choose a voltage that’s the same as your battery’s nominal voltage. 

Continue charging the battery until you have about 3.3 volts per cell. You can figure this out by dividing the total charge by the total number of cells to get the volt per cell. After that, connect the lithium-polymer balance charger, and continue to charge at either 1C or 0.5C (0.5C is safer) and wait until the battery is completely charged. You should hopefully have a functional battery again!

Image Credit: Propel