DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

I did a more realistic battery life/flight time test.

svenmarbles

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Messages
201
Reactions
263
Age
39
Location
Chicago
I did a battery flight time test for the Mavic mini. The test was done trying my best to simulate actual use. I drove the drone around, went high, went low, hovered and panned around,... the entire time, until failure.. I feel like this video result best represents the ACTUAL expected battery life one can expect.

The conditions were challenging as well. There were pretty significant winds and it was about 22 degrees Fahrenheit.

The video is fairly long because I never cut away the entire time. I only fast-forwarded some portions.


 
Interesting. But keep in mind that there is at least a 10-15% loss in energy for the battery at 22F compared with about 75F. I would add 2-3 minutes for that.
 
I have a battery question regarding the controller. I find the controller battery dies fairly quickly. I have 3 batteries for the quad that seem to have about what they say for lasting
under ideal conditions. 25 minutes or so each.
The 3 quad batteries will outlast the controller battery before the controller needs recharging. I am wondering if this is what others are finding.? No point in having 3 batteries in the woods if the controller wont last.
I never had that problem with other cheaper quads.
Otherwise the unit works real well and doesn't seem to have other problems to date after flying 8 or 10 times.
One exception to that is a gimbal overload problem with the protector cover off. A reset seems to cure it for a while.
 
I have a battery question regarding the controller. I find the controller battery dies fairly quickly. I have 3 batteries for the quad that seem to have about what they say for lasting
under ideal conditions. 25 minutes or so each.
The 3 quad batteries will outlast the controller battery before the controller needs recharging. I am wondering if this is what others are finding.? No point in having 3 batteries in the woods if the controller wont last.
I never had that problem with other cheaper quads.
Otherwise the unit works real well and doesn't seem to have other problems to date after flying 8 or 10 times.
One exception to that is a gimbal overload problem with the protector cover off. A reset seems to cure it for a while.
Is your phone at 100% before flying? The RC will charge your phone whilst it's connected.
 
Last edited:
not had any issue with the controller battery not lasting for three batts in fact i still have 3 lights on mine after 3 flights ,probably because i use an ipad which is not charged by the controller
 
not had any issue with the controller battery not lasting for three batts in fact i still have 3 lights on mine after 3 flights ,probably because i use an ipad which is not charged by the controller
Not surprised given the Android phone charging issues.
My SC will easily go through 3 batteries in my M2P....
 
Thanks guys. Now that I think of it I did read on DJI Mavic site
the controller lasts much longer with iphone something
over 4 hr, the android only a bit over one hour. I totally forgot until you guys pointed that out.
I wonder why that is but maybe I can get another device besides Samsung android?? Looking like this is not the device to use.
 
  • Like
Reactions: old man mavic
Thanks guys. Now that I think of it I did read on DJI Mavic site
the controller lasts much longer with iphone something
over 4 hr, the android only a bit over one hour. I totally forgot until you guys pointed that out.
I wonder why that is but maybe I can get another device besides Samsung android?? Looking like this is not the device to use.
Because the android device is charging your controller. Under iOS this does not occur.
 
  • Like
Reactions: old man mavic
Nothing wrong with using a Samsung. That's what I use. Just make sure it is fully charged when you start. I think it is possible to modify a cable to not provide a charging path. But I have not done that myself. Some say it is possible, others say not and it may depend on the controller device. Might be my next retirement project ;-)
 
Last edited:
I might be wrong, but on an android if you do the developer thing isn't there a setting to set it to, to not charge the phone when you plug it in?
 
I did a battery flight time test for the Mavic mini. The test was done trying my best to simulate actual use. I drove the drone around, went high, went low, hovered and panned around,... the entire time, until failure.. I feel like this video result best represents the ACTUAL expected battery life one can expect.

The conditions were challenging as well. There were pretty significant winds and it was about 22 degrees Fahrenheit.

The video is fairly long because I never cut away the entire time. I only fast-forwarded some portions.


I get the exact same results as you almost every time in the same conditions. It's nice seeing others getting the same results.
 
If all you are doing is sending the drone up to take a photo and bring it down again what's the lowest battery charge you would risk launching with? I generally only take photos and do lots of short flights to capture images. Many thanks...
 
what's the lowest battery charge you would risk launching with?
The drone will refuse to launch if it's below 30%.

I might be wrong, but on an android if you do the developer thing isn't there a setting to set it to, to not charge the phone when you plug it in?

This has been discussed previously. Let's share some links:
 
  • Like
Reactions: WooZie
Nothing wrong with using a Samsung. That's what I use. Just make sure it is fully charged when you start. I think it is possible to modify a cable to not provide a charging path. But I have not done that myself. Some say it is possible, others say not and it may depend on the controller device. Might be my next retirement project ;-)

OK I now have an extra cable on order. I will experiment with it to see if isolating the power wire does not stop the controller and Samsung phone from communicating. I will post the results.
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
130,584
Messages
1,554,096
Members
159,586
Latest member
maniac2000