Drones are a trendy thing nowadays, and the number of drone pilots is increasing these days. But one of the biggest obstacles of drones is their flight time and battery life. Most of them are still stuck between 10/30 minutes max flight time. Have you ever thought of the flight time of a drone and how you can extend its battery life? To prevent any unwanted situation, here we are giving you some tips on maximizing the drone’s battery life and the flight time of the drone when it is flying in the air.
What Affects a Drone Battery’s Life?
A typical drone can fly for about 20 minutes. Though it can vary from drone’s quality and model, a lower quality drone’s battery lasts from 5 to 10 minutes, while a mid-range drone’s battery lasts from 15 to 30 minutes. But many factors affect the overall performance, and it decreases the drone’s battery life. If you are conscious of the elements, you will fly the most using the battery. It will also ensure your drone lasts for a long time.
Weight
Weight is one of the significant factors that impact the performance of a drone. A drone with a higher weight uses more power to lift off because it maintains the vertical distance from the ground to the air. More power is needed for the propellers to fly in the air and support the altitude with extra weight. So, if the weight of your drone is high, more battery will be drained, and if the weight is low, a low battery will be applicable. So, try to minimize the weight of your drone to get the maximum performance from your drone.
Type of Battery
The battery type of your drone also affects the overall performance. Generally, lithium batteries are used in drones, and they are considered the best batteries for drones as they can last longer than other types of batteries. Moreover, the maintenance of these batteries is free and lasts for a long period. While choosing LiPo, consider the cell count, capacity, and C-rating. These batteries have the maximum weight, and they provide enough power after being charged fully. So we can say that LiPo batteries are much better than NiCad batteries because they store large amounts of energy and deliver faster. They can cost more, but you get what you pay for.
Flight Style
The flight style of a drone pilot can also have a great impact on the drone’s battery life. If you fly aggressively, you will undoubtedly use more battery power, and the flight time will decrease gradually. Here flying style means changing the drone’s direction very often or doing any flip that affects the drone’s battery life.
Add-Ons
Any add-on on the drone can affect the flight time. If you put some gadgets on the drone, like a camera, sensor, recorder, it makes the drone heavier and more power is needed to keep the drone in the air. That’s why the battery drains faster, and the battery life/flight time is reduced.
Effective Tips to Extend Drone Battery Life
As a drone owner, you must want a drone that has a longer flight time. Here we are providing you with some tricks that can help you increase your drone’s flight time.
Flying in a Good Weather
The first step to increase the battery life is to avoid flying while the weather is windy, rainy, or snowy. The more power your drone needs to fly against bad weather, the faster the battery drains. Fly your drone in clear skies, little wind or no wind, and mild temperatures. Your batteries will last longer.
Flying in Right Position
Flying aggressively and changing the flying direction very often drains the battery fast. It can be fun flying your drone fast and doing some flips and stunts, but it will soon decrease your drone’s battery life. That’s why you should always fly in one direction to increase your flight time in the air.
Reduce the Weight
Reducing the weight of the drone can increase your flight time, as mentioned before. Please take off the prop guards carefully because they sometimes add extra weight to your drone. You will certainly notice how magically the flight time and the battery life of your drone increase gradually. You can also remove the camera if you don’t need it because it also adds extra weight.
Minimize the Propeller Size
Though most drones have mid-sized propellers, you can change it to a different size if you want to increase the battery life. A large propeller puts more weight on the drone, and putting on a smaller propeller means your drone uses less energy to fly in the air. So minimizing the size of the propeller can extend your battery life.
Upgrading the Battery
Most of the time, you need to upgrade your drone’s battery because the battery that comes with your drone doesn’t perform well. You may think that a bigger battery will give your drone much energy. But the truth is, a bigger battery will just put some extra weight on your drone, and the weight of a drone’s battery should be around 3.5 kilograms. So buy a new one that fits well with your drone. Upgrade your battery with a higher mAh and has the same voltage as the other battery. If the battery is much heavier than before, it will also decrease our battery life. You can also keep some extra batteries like 2-3 batteries if you need them in an emergency. You can also use a wetsuit to protect your battery.
Charging Drone Hours Before Every Flight
Charging the batteries correctly helps you to avoid any unwanted situations. Drone batteries drain in a few days after every flight. If you don’t fly your drone daily, don’t charge just after the flight. Wait for the day of or the day before the flight to charge. So, when it is time to take off, you know your drone has the full energy to take off to the right place.
Charging Time and Storing
A drone owner always look for drones with long battery life, so you don’t need to charge too often. A 2 amp charger needs 60 to 90 minutes to get charged, and you can use a 6 amp one to get your batteries charged in half the time. Keep the batteries in a place where they won’t come between direct sunlight or heat and in a 64° F-82° F environment, between 45-85% relative humidity, with at least a 50% charge. You should not charge a battery that has less than 3.0 volts/cell. Always remember to disconnect batteries after charging.
Also Read: How Far Can a Drone Fly?
Conclusion
Drones are fun to use and a necessity for aerial photography, cinematography, weather forecast, and many more purposes. As a drone owner, you must want to get the best of your drone. We hope we have covered some ways to extend your battery life and increase your drone’s flight time. These tips and tricks can improve your drone’s flight time and overall performance.
