Charge controller while flying

[Allan_FG]

I'm wondering if anyone has figured out how to charge the remote while flying. The remote takes a very long time to fly and from my limited flying I don't think it will last through multiple batteries.

 

[tbk]

Two weekends ago I flew three batteries worth of time (about 18 to 19 minutes each, with about 10 minutes in the car between each to warm my hands up again) and while flying the second and third batteries, had the first battery on the charger, and then flew that one for the fourth flight of the morning. I believe when I was finished the remote said it still had somewhere around 50% charge. How many batteries are you using in between remote charges in order to need to charge it

 

[Allan_FG]

I just got the Mavic Air and the remote had about 50% charge. It wouldn't even get through the software update process on the remaining 50% charge. I then charged it for about 20 minutes and it got through just one battery. Last night I fully charged it so I can test it and see how many batteries I can get out of a charge.

I have 4 batteries. I also have a P3P and I run that controller all day on one charge, so I might be biased

 

[tbk]

If you mean it was 50% charged out of the box, I never trust ANY rechargeable battery "percent remaining" till its been charged, discharged to at least 10% and recharged at least once.

 

[Kilrah]

3 batteries bring it down to about 40% (with an android phone, less with ios).

You can use a power bank if you connect the mobile device to the bottom port

 

[daisy-girl]

You can use a power bank if you connect the mobile device to the bottom port

My Power Bank has 3 USB outputs. I use the one for iPhone and my RC never drops below 100% charge, if that is what I start with.

 

[synaesthesia]

I fly with four batteries and have never got below 2 lights on the controller... are you charging your mobile device from flat with the controller or something?

My understanding is (correct me if I'm wrong as I've not tried it) that if you plug the mobile device into the bottom USB port, you can charge via the port on the side.

 

[daisy-girl]

I fly with four batteries and have never got below 2 lights on the controller... are you charging your mobile device from flat with the controller or something?

No. Why do you ask? I charge my iPad Mini 4 WiFi + Cellular with Apple SIM to 100% using the supplied charger and cord before flying. I could charge it with the same Power Bank that I use for the RC but I've never had a problem with the device running low on charge before I'm done flying for the day.

My understanding is (correct me if I'm wrong as I've not tried it) that if you plug the mobile device into the bottom USB port, you can charge via the port on the side.

Exactly. I learned about this from the same gentleman who pointed out that the iPad Mini 4 fits perfectly into the loving arms of the Mavic Pro's RC. I've forgotten which web site is his, but I believe it has the word Drone in its URL. I'll look for it and report back if I find it.

 

[hkRyan]

Yeah this worries me a bit too. I have only flown 3 batteries, but that brought the RC to below 50%. The RC takes so long to recharge which if fine for now since you need at least 5 hours to recharge 4 batteries in series. It's more of a concern later when the after-market charger comes out that lets you charge all 4 batteries simultaneously in around 90 minutes, while the RC will still need at least a few hours to recharge.

 

[daisy-girl]

Yeah this worries me a bit too. I have only flown 3 batteries, but that brought the RC to below 50%. The RC takes so long to recharge which if fine for now since you need at least 5 hours to recharge 4 batteries in series. It's more of a concern later when the after-market charger comes out that lets you charge all 4 batteries simultaneously in around 90 minutes, while the RC will still need at least a few hours to recharge.

With the Phantom 4 100W charger($55 at DJI, plus $5 for the AC cord) and the Advanced Mavic Pro hub (also $55), I can charge 4 Mavic Pro batteries from 30% to 100% in about two hours. This is an important reason to use a Power Bank to keep the RC charged and ready to go.

 

[daisy-girl]

I fly with four batteries and have never got below 2 lights on the controller... are you charging your mobile device from flat with the controller or something?

My understanding is (correct me if I'm wrong as I've not tried it) that if you plug the mobile device into the bottom USB port, you can charge via the port on the side.

Yes, Rick of Drone Valley has a clip re doing this. If I can find it, I'll post it.

 

[Tom_Keen]

Hi.

Different question but MA controller charging related.

Is it safe to charge 3 batteries via the hub and a controller at the same time ?

 

[Allan_FG]

Since the batteries are charged serially it doesn't matter how many you charge. It will charge the one with the most charge first and then work to the one that is most dead. According to DJI charging the remote and the flight battery at the same time is fine.

 

[baksideDisaster]

I hit low RC battery power for the first time this weekend. I was out filming in the backcountry with my snowmobile, by battery 5 I got low RC battery warning. I was concerned to fly battery six as I really didn't want to find out what happens with RC powers off mid flight, plus I was having some disconnect issues so I was feeling uneasy already. Next time I'll bring a battery to charge the RC between locations. I'm pretty sure that five/six batteries is max on full RC charge though.

 

[sberfield]

I just learned from experience that if you forget to recharge the controller after use, then drive really far from your house to fly, you get to sit in the car for quite a while as it recharges. Doh!