Any tricks to better battery life?

[B3dr]

I'm not getting 20 minutes out of my batteries. After about 10 minutes I get the 25% message. I've not flown it to empty, but I assume I'm not going to get another 10 minutes out of it. Maybe 15 total at best.

I can live with that, but are there any settings tricks that will allow me longer flight time? I have everything pretty much default. If I flew it in Manual mode would that save battery?

I want to keep the camera going also I realize it would save some battery life w/out the added weight and power of the go pro.

Thanks

 

[Jim.....]

B3dr,
If you connect via Tower app then look at the parameter list and find the BATT_CAPACITY parameter. On a fresh charge it should read 5200. I had a battery that only charged to 3435 and only lasted ten minutes. 3dr swapped it for a fresh one for me.

 

[Deleted member 3203]

I'm interested in this subject also. I have one battery that I only get about 11-12 min out of. I thought I read with a new battery your supposed to initially fly with them until the return to home kicks in at 10% to help condition the battery. I'm looking for the article and will post if I can find it. Anyone else know if this is the case or can advise to the best practices for new battery to help extend flight times?

 

[Deleted member 3203]

B3dr,
If you connect via Tower app then look at the parameter list and find the BATT_CAPACITY parameter. On a fresh charge it should read 5200. I had a battery that only charged to 3435 and only lasted ten minutes. 3dr swapped it for a fresh one for me.

Is Tower available for the iOS? I can't find it on the App Store.

 

[B3dr]

B3dr,
If you connect via Tower app then look at the parameter list and find the BATT_CAPACITY parameter. On a fresh charge it should read 5200. I had a battery that only charged to 3435 and only lasted ten minutes. 3dr swapped it for a fresh one for me.

Thanks for that. I checked it on tower and both batteries say 5200. So that's not an issue. I haven't used them long maybe they need a couple more full cycles to get where they need to be.

 

[Chuck]

I think 15 min. flight time is about average from what people on here have posted. It helps to fly smoothly, and not make fast ascents and turns. I don't recall any article that says to fly down to 10% before landing. That is too low. These batteries can be damaged taking them too low. Also, flying below 25% may not get you home to land, depending how far away you are, since the last 25% goes down real fast. You also do not want to try and get more flight time by flying without the camera in the gimbal, since the gimbal was designed to work properly with the GoPro mounted in it. Even powering up Solo without the camera in the gimbal is not advised. I think most would agree on here that flying in manual is very good to know, but it takes practice to do it safely. Set either your "A" or "B" button to manual mode, and practice in a very open area with no obstructions nearby. Take off in Fly mode with good gps lock, and then you can switch to manual to practice. Just remember that in manual, Solo will hold altitude, but will drift with the wind as well as forward momentum. If you run into a problem, or get nervous, just press "Fly" and you will be back in gps mode again. I have not heard that flying in manual saves any battery time, but I do know that the slower and smoother you fly does add to flight time. Also, I believe that the Tower app is only for Android devices. I believe there is an equivalent for ios, but you would need to search for that thread. Also, if you haven't done so yet, I recommend downloading and printing the Solo user manual from the 3DR website. We welcome you guys to the forum, and wish you happy and safe flying.

 

[Maddog]

Like Chuck said, Tower is only for Android devices. I bought a cheap Nexus 7 on Amazon so I could use Tower.

Mav Pilot is an iOS app that is very similar to tower. It's about $12 in the App Store. Read more about it here:

Mav Pilot for iOS | 3D Robotics Drone Forum

 

[PdxSteve]

3DR is supposed to be making higher capacity batteries, but flight time directly equates to the weight (gimbal installed?), the type of flying you do (faster/more rough moves = more power) and the wind conditions (how hard Solo has to fight to maintain position). Most of those are variables.

I typically get 14-16 minutes with gimbal/gopro.

 

[Maddog]

3DR is supposed to be making higher capacity batteries.

That would be nice!

 

[erikgraham]

One tip not mentioned here is to drain your battery to between 40 and 50% for long term storage (more than 5 or 6 days). Then fully charge the night before you fly.

If you leave batteries fully charged in your bag they will begin to deplete on their own. If you leave them that way for a long time it's not good for them.