When flying a drone the goal is to keep it in the air for as long as possible. The main component that is going to influence the longevity of your drone’s flight is the battery.
If you have found that your drone struggles to stay in the air for as long as expected, you may be looking for ways to make the battery last longer.
First, you must make sure that your drone and the battery are compatible. The battery should have the capacity to support the power of the drone. Now, this is where things become slightly more challenging.
Whilst a battery with a larger capacity is recommended, it is going to be bigger, adding more weight to the drone. A drone that is carrying more weight is going to consume more power.
It is also important to plan your drone’s flight before launching it. Thorough preparation will ensure that unnecessary mistakes are avoided. Pay close attention to the weather conditions.
During harsh and windy weather, your drone is going to have to work much harder than it would on clear or dry days.
As such, you will find that the battery drains pretty fast as a result. For this reason, you should plan to fly your drone on days when adverse weather is not expected.
If you have a drone that is equipped with a camera, we would advise you to take more shots than you may think necessary during the flight. This is because you do not want to land your drone only to discover that the photos are of poor quality.
Having to take a second flight to capture better footage is only going to consume more battery power.
Flight checks and maintenance are also paramount. Attempting to fly your drone when the battery is almost drained means that it isn’t going to have the power to complete a lengthy flight.
Conducting pre-flight checks will allow you to evaluate whether the battery has enough charge to fly for as long as needed. In the majority of cases, the battery will need to be drained for at least six hours ahead of flight.
Ideally, you should charge them just before you intend to use them. You may not know this, but the second the battery is removed from its charging source, it will begin losing some of its charge.
Can I put a bigger battery in my drone?
Insufficient battery power is an issue that many drone pilots are confronted with and this often leads them to question whether they can install a bigger battery in their drones.
Of course, a bigger battery will allow you to fly longer but it is also going to add more weight to your drone. The more that the battery weighs, the less time your drone is going to remain in the air.
Now you may be wondering how you can overcome this issue. Because a bigger battery is going to reduce flight time, it is recommended that you swap the current battery instead and replace it with a new one mid-flight.
This means that during the initial stages of the flight, your drone will function via a primary battery then as it begins to lose power, it will switch to the secondary battery which will become the main source of power.
Although this is a concept that sounds fairly straightforward, the secondary battery needs to be carried by a smaller drone in which it will then dock alongside to transfer the batteries.
Hybrid drones are perhaps one of the most versatile types of drones available. A drone of this kind is designed with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.
As they operate they can transition between two power modes. As such, they are likely to last for a decent amount of time in the air.
Why do drone batteries die so fast?
There are several reasons why the battery inside your drone may be dying fast. Preparing your drone for flight only for the battery to die shortly after launching can be a major inconvenience. Your flying habits can cause the battery to die sooner than you would like.
For example, if you are constantly focusing on speed and executing sudden and sharp movements, the battery has to use more energy to meet these demands. This doesn’t mean that you can’t fly your drone at speed, but it is important to be cautious.
It could also be that the battery is coming towards the end of its life and no longer has the power or capacity to fly for prolonged periods. The most obvious sign of a bad battery is one that struggles to hold its charge and drains quickly.
As previously stated, if the drone is carrying a lot of excess weight, the battery is going to die a lot faster. This is because it has to use more energy when trying to transport its weighty load. To alleviate some of this weight, you should remove any accessories that are not required for this particular flight.
For example, if your drone is equipped with a camera but you don’t plan on using it on this occasion, remove it along with any accompanying accessories. Less weight means that the drone will have the power to function for significantly longer.
Another reason why the battery may be dying so fast is because it has become accustomed to being run until it is completely dry. This is particularly applicable to cheaper drones because they tend to lack any features that control the charge of the battery.
It is also important to remember that weather conditions can affect the longevity of the battery. If flown excessively in strong winds, the drone has to work much harder.
There may be instances where flying the drone in adverse weather conditions is unavoidable, but it is important to bear in mind that the battery is likely to dry much sooner than it would in normal conditions.
