dismal battery life

[Alejoviade]

Brand new, Mini2, got battery bank (so 3 batteries in total)... I took it out today for the first time...
Did a few (less than 15' of flying and I had to bring it back for low battery.... then...
Did about 2.5 minutes of video (and maybe another 2 minutes of flying at the most) freshly charged battery at 100%) and the app was already indicating battery down to 63%. it doesn't seem this will last more than 12' ? (if that)... I'm not doing a whole bunch of crazy things, up and down and all that... just getting used to it.. a couple of quick shots but I can see the battery counting down like no other when flying ... is this normal ?? Tried other batteries ....pretty much the same...

I understand the fact this is a small drone and all that but from what I see there is NO way I'll get even close to the advertised flight time. Maybe 15' max and good luck getting it back home !!!

I'll need an 18 wheeler full of batteries right next to me to get any enjoyment out of this... So disappointing... I find myself paying more attention at the battery than the drone itself....

 

[Kilrah]

What's the estimated time in the app? I do get the 20+ mins just fine.

 

[Alejoviade]

What's the estimated time in the app? I do get the 20+ mins just fine.

well, I estimate it to be another 10' since only 63% remains after 5' of flying...

 

[Mr Mint]

Hello Just curious but the very first time that you charged your smart batteries, did you charge each battery individually on the single power cord or did you use the multi charger first? I think on about page 24 of the owners manual, they mention something about charging each battery one at a time on the first charge when the batteries are brand new. Any comments?

 

[DanMan32]

The main manual doesn't include info about the hub as technically it is a separate accessory included in the FMC. Hub only charges one battery at a time.

That page is probably saying what every manual for a device with LiIons say: charge fully before use. It just means don't use the battery with 20% charge right out of the box.

100% to 10% should give you 20 minutes or more flight time. The 30 minutes in the ratings is ideal flight conditions and down to 0%. AC will want to land at around 10%, sooner if you're really high.

 

[Mr Mint]

Have you been searching any YouTube videos on this subject?

 

[Alejoviade]

Hello Just curious but the very first time that you charged your smart batteries, did you charge each battery individually on the single power cord or did you use the multi charger first? I think on about page 24 of the owners manual, they mention something about charging each battery one at a time on the first charge when the batteries are brand new. Any comments?

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions.
Regarding the batteries.. I charged them using the multi-charger. It never occured to me that if all such "limitations" and or "recommendations" existed they wouldn't put a sticker or something on them to warn the user... that's pretty basic advise... But again, that's in the past... Are these batteries supposed to have some "special" treatment (discharge percentages, charge percentages and so forth..? ) I hope not,,,, it would take away a lot of the joy if I not only have dismal battery endurance but have to spend my time doing the "discharge - re-charge , etc) that takes a LOT of time to trickle down the charge and so forth and being they only last a handful of minutes... I would need 10 batteries to get some flight time a day....

 

[Alejoviade]

Have you been searching any YouTube videos on this subject?

Hello, I have done some research but then much is regarding other models and not the Mini2 and then I'm left wondering if what works for one type of battery works for another... very confused... It seems to me this shouldn't be that complicated... Maybe the manufacturer "inflates" things or maybe not and something else is going on....

 

[Alejoviade]

The main manual doesn't include info about the hub as technically it is a separate accessory included in the FMC. Hub only charges one battery at a time.

That page is probably saying what every manual for a device with LiIons say: charge fully before use. It just means don't use the battery with 20% charge right out of the box.

100% to 10% should give you 20 minutes or more flight time. The 30 minutes in the ratings is ideal flight conditions and down to 0%. AC will want to land at around 10%, sooner if you're really high.

OK, well... maybe the battery depletes rapidly at first and then it slows down depleting at that rate? Regarding the ideal flight conditions... OK, I understand that but the time reference I made about the 5' was for flights in ideal conditions. sunset, no wind, doing 2 or 3 attempts at Quickshots and being cautious of altitude changes and hovering time... I take it that one, as new to this as I'm may not use the drone 100% accurately but from there to the battery life I seem to be getting seems rather radical. Like I said... all I do is constantly check that battery.... 5' tops of flying and the battery depleted 35% ? wow ! that gives me less than extra 10' (considering I got to land with 10% remaining)...
Ohh by the way, I did charged all batteries to 100% before use...

 

[boblui]

Can you post the flight logs of all the batteries to Airdata or PhantomHelp ? may be the data will tell something.

 

[Alejoviade]

Can you post the flight logs of all the batteries to Airdata or PhantomHelp ? may be the data will tell something.

Hello Thomas.. OK, I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with how to do all that but I guess I can probably figure it out... Will do some research and then report back. I'm new to this so my knowledge is limited. My apologies for that.
Thank you very much for your input !!

 

[DanMan32]

Here's a topic on how to do it:

Mavic Flight Log Retrieval and Analysis Guide

With the introduction of the Mavic Mini there has been a noticeable uptick in the number of posts requesting help with lost or crashed aircraft. While there is plenty of help and advice available on this forum, and detailed guidance and options on several other websites, I thought that perhaps a...

mavicpilots.com

 

[Yeunglings]

I'm no detective like a good number of people here are, and I mean really good detectives!, but some basics I look for are your location. Elevation, temperature and mode can really effect battery life. On my MM or MA2 I can pretty consistently get about 25-30 minutes here in the Philadelphia area when it's comfortable outside on normal mode. Drop that temp to 20 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the Denver area on sports mode and you might get 10 to 15 tops. The thinner the air due to temp or elevation will make the props have to work harder. The colder temps will decrease the usable battery time. And sport mode is kinda like removing the governor on an engine. Peak performance for distance and battery life (flight time) occur in normal but if you take off that governor by switching to sport mode you are trading flight time for speed even if you're not really using it to its fullest. Moving from A to B to C, even if close together, will happen enough quicker in sports mode to eat at your battery life.

 

[Alejoviade]

Here's a topic on how to do it:

Mavic Flight Log Retrieval and Analysis Guide

With the introduction of the Mavic Mini there has been a noticeable uptick in the number of posts requesting help with lost or crashed aircraft. While there is plenty of help and advice available on this forum, and detailed guidance and options on several other websites, I thought that perhaps a...

mavicpilots.com

Thank you so much !!!

 

[Alejoviade]

I'm no detective like a good number of people here are, and I mean really good detectives!, but some basics I look for are your location. Elevation, temperature and mode can really effect battery life. On my MM or MA2 I can pretty consistently get about 25-30 minutes here in the Philadelphia area when it's comfortable outside on normal mode. Drop that temp to 20 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the Denver area on sports mode and you might get 10 to 15 tops. The thinner the air due to temp or elevation will make the props have to work harder. The colder temps will decrease the usable battery time. And sport mode is kinda like removing the governor on an engine. Peak performance for distance and battery life (flight time) occur in normal but if you take off that governor by switching to sport mode you are trading flight time for speed even if you're not really using it to its fullest. Moving from A to B to C, even if close together, will happen enough quicker in sports mode to eat at your battery life.

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation. I'm also grateful for the instant kind and thorough replies that I'm getting to all my questions in this forum, really nice group of people !!! Regarding the batteries... Well, I'm only 900' ASL so altitude shouldn't be a factor but perhaps it was rather cool yesterday and that played a role. I don't use Sport mode, only cinema so for the time being that doesn't play a role either.
I will continue to monitor and see what happens. Overall I'm please with the drone so far (this is my first drone ever so my experience is basically 30 minutes !!! but luckily enough it is still in one piece. Coming from flying airliners perhaps doesn't help as my mind revert to that type of flying which is not really applicable to this !!!

 

[6 String Fan]

I own an original 'Mini' and I also have a 'multi' battery charger.
My charger appears to charge each battery separately but fully before moving on to the next one.
I'm fortunate to get my flight times as advertised, at least so far.

 

[Kilrah]

well, I estimate it to be another 10' since only 63% remains after 5' of flying...

I was asking about the estimations given by the app when you tap on the battery indicator while in flight, not yours.

 

[jshreen]

Well, I'm only 900' ASL so altitude shouldn't be a factor but perhaps it was rather cool yesterday and that played a role. I don't use Sport mode, only cinema so for the time being that doesn't play a role either.

Cold temperatures have a very significant effect on LiPo batteries. If you were flying with batteries that had been stored where their internal temperature was in the 40-50 degree F range, you were probably flying with a battery that had a significant reduction in power output. Make sure your battery has been warmed up to about 70-80 degrees F prior to flight for optimum performance. There are many good online articles about cold LiPo batteries and their reduced performance. Here's one: TECH TIPS: COLD WEATHER AND LIPO BATTERIES — Castle Homepage

 

[Alejoviade]

I was asking about the estimations given by the app when you tap on the battery indicator while in flight, not yours.

Sorry, I realized that after responding to you.... Once again, my apologies, I'm not familiar yet with all the indications given on the app so I missed that, only remembered the "bigger" number next to the battery display. I will double check that next time. I was reading the manual and noticed the "cold weather" statements so I'm sure that might have played a role too... difficult to tell ... I'm in SE Indiana and was rather cold yesterday... We have a few days with temps in the 50's so I will keep and eye on this issue and see what happens then....
Thank you once again for taking the time to respond to my questions...

 

[Scoobychief]

yeah me too was very dissapointed with battery life when i bought it i was think occu sync awesome 31 minutes battery life awesome, as it happens i very lucky to get 22 mins flying time from it before critical low battery.