How to Improve Drone Battery Life

Drones offer an exhilarating flying experience, yet the prevalent issue with contemporary recreational UAVs lies in their limited battery life. While the longest known duration hovers around 40 minutes, many drones typically last between 25 to 30 minutes. Some users have even reported a decrease in their drone's battery consumption, dropping from 20 minutes to 17 minutes. The quest for extended flight time remains a challenge in the drone industry.

In this article, I will show the most practical ways on how to improve drone battery life, based on experienced drones and trusted forums. 

Always Properly Charge Your Battery  

This one is a no-brainer but your battery charger should be appropriate for your drone. Usually, a battery can take a maximum of 4.2V and if you overcharge it, the charger may cause overheating to the point where your drone battery might set ablaze (I’m not even kidding). Fully charging takes an average of an hour but if you can’t wait that long, I highly suggest you buy a charger with a better amp.

Weight Reduction Helps  

The more your drone carries, the more it consumes batteries. These include propeller guards, smartphone clamps, GoPro mounts, and an extra camera. If necessary, you should remove only the ones that you feel are extra. If you are just going to do stunts or fly casually, remove the device mounts. If you want your drone to be faster while saving more battery power, you can take out the propeller guards. However, this does not apply to drones with fixed parts. 

Constantly Check Your Batteries’ Health  

Treat your drone like a child to you. Always make sure you see the status of your drone’s battery is still in healthy condition. High-end drones like DJI and Holy Stone have better batteries than a lot of brands and they also have a battery health checker too. If it is almost depleted, You should certainly buy spares in case the current batteries decide to completely wear off.

Carry Spare Batteries All The Time  

This one is also quite obvious but drone batteries can be quite spontaneous. Some batteries simply last longer than others, yet it’s not always guaranteed that they will live for a very long time. As a precaution, always bring back-up batteries with you all the time. You don’t need to charge them completely all the time though, just let it sit there until the current is fully drained.

But, if you plan on flying for a long while, you should charge your spare battery so in case your drone decides to return after low on power, you can quickly switch batteries. At the same time, you can get to charge your current battery whilst using the back-up for flying. This is one of the most ethical ways of flying a drone.

Only Launch Your Drone to the Actual Area Where You Want to Take a Photoshoot  

According to forums, some drone pilots have the tendency to launch a UAV from a far area before they start picture-taking on a different location. It’s a given: if you launch your drone from the same zone that you are planning to take pictures on, you will save not just precious extra minutes, but also preserve your battery’s health. This is a very good method if you are planning to take pictures somewhere around the 300 to 400 feet altitude.

Let The Battery Return to Room Temperature Before and After Recharging  

I know that flying a drone is very fun, but hear me out first. When the drone returns to you for recharging, it is always best to wait for a while; around 3 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot the battery is. Your drone may also be prone to overheating when you use it just after charging. You don’t need to hurry up. All you need is a bit of patience before you start your fun again.

Always Activate Conservative Flight Mode  

Conservative Flight Mode is seen on more complex drones - the type of drones that experts and racers like to use. This mode allows your drone to save up on the necessary power by disabling some parts and software within it. Aerobatics, while fun, also consumes a lot of power; which is why by switching to the safe mode, your drone will have limited maneuverability until you activate it back to its normal flight mode. This is usually best when your drone is not doing any important task and you just want to enjoy the beauty of flying, or if you are running low on battery and you need it to return to you as soon as possible. 

It’s Not Hard to Extend Your Drone’s Battery Life  

As long as you follow these steps, you won’t ever have to worry a day about your drone. After all, just like any gadget, with good maintenance comes a longer life.

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