Increase flight times of AirS, Mav Air2, Mavic2 series. STARTRC sells the easiest to install ribbon adapters to install extra batts safely

[Interficiam Stercore]

STARTRC for DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom Battery Power Out Connector Battery Adapter: STARTRC for DJI Mavic 2 Battery Power Out Connector Battery Adapter Increa F2S1 194982804715 | eBay
Mavic Air 2 and Air2S : STARTRC Battery Power Out Connector Power Adapter for RC DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone | eBay

This isn't an Ad. Just thought you folk might want to know your options. You can get flight times up to that of an EVO2 with these ribbon cables and the right size
11.1 or 11.4 high voltage lipo batteries.
3s batteries for The Air2s And MavAir2

4s Batts for the Mav2 Series

XT60 adapter is used.

You'll need lipo batterie that can put out between 75C and 100C continous output.

 

[StantonZ]

I believe we traded messages in another thread (and I will update that thread when I get mod up and running), but I think a couple of clarifications are in order:

• there are different cables/pinouts/part numbers for the MA2/MA2S and Mavic2, so make sure you order the correct one
• you don't really need a continuous output of 75C-100C, but I wouldn't go much below 45C-50C

The latter affects battery size/cost in addition to performance (speed/acceleration).
Great mod!

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

I believe we traded messages in another thread (and I will update that thread when I get mod up and running), but I think a couple of clarifications are in order:

• there are different cables/pinouts/part numbers for the MA2/MA2S and Mavic2, so make sure you order the correct one
• you don't really need a continuous output of 75C-100C, but I wouldn't go much below 45C-50C

The latter affects battery size/cost in addition to performance (speed/acceleration).
Great mod!

Yeah, we were interacting in another thread. I didn't know they had the ribbon cable for the Mavic 2 zoom and pro as well. I can't find one for the mini or mini 2 or how to mod it without a lot of effort. I noticed my extra batteries, I use to keep the flight going longer do not get hot in any way? The DJI battery cretainly gets hot, but the mod battery doesn't. Why would that be? I would think the drain from the mod battery would be high enough to at least get it warm, but it's cool to the touch at landing.
Oh gues what. I got My AIR2S to make a round trip of 4 miles , that's over 16,000 ft with 20% battery left over when I landed home. I was using an 1800 mah battery. These mods are amazing.

 

[StantonZ]

I noticed my extra batteries, I use to keep the flight going longer do not get hot in any way? The DJI battery certainly gets hot, but the mod battery doesn't. Why would that be? I would think the drain from the mod battery would be high enough to at least get it warm, but it's cool to the touch at landing.

I can think of a couple of reasons why that is (besides the fact the DJI battery simply has a higher mAh capacity):
1) The DJI battery is taking the brunt of load (with respect to C rating).
2) The "mod" battery is exposed to airflow on (almost) all sides, while the DJI battery is enclosed with additional electronics.

Just another reminder that these things get hot and you should let them cool before/after use to extend their life.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yeah, we were interacting in another thread. I didn't know they had the ribbon cable for the Mavic 2 zoom and pro as well. I can't find one for the mini or mini 2 or how to mod it without a lot of effort. I noticed my extra batteries, I use to keep the flight going longer do not get hot in any way? The DJI battery cretainly gets hot, but the mod battery doesn't. Why would that be? I would think the drain from the mod battery would be high enough to at least get it warm, but it's cool to the touch at landing.
Oh gues what. I got My AIR2S to make a round trip of 4 miles , that's over 16,000 ft with 20% battery left over when I landed home. I was using an 1800 mah battery. These mods are amazing.

Which extra external batteries specifically have you tried and with what increase in flight time? Links to the source of the batteries, if you have them, would be awesome, too!

Been wanting to add externals to my M2P as well. DJi recommended payload on the Mavic 2 is up to 200g, but the Mavic 2 can physically actually lift 1100 grams. Some external weight in between 200g and 1100g is the sweet spot for extra flight time, stability, and durability! My guess is around 400g of external batteries. Which battery or combination of two batteries weighing 400g total gives the most mAh? That's the $64,000 question!

If anyone knows of anyone reputable that can do a hardwired battery mod for the Mavic 2, I'd love to get in touch with them. While the clip definitely works, a hardwired mod makes a much more solid, reliable electrical connection, without risk of inadvertently shorting out terminals.

 

[JohnnyD913]

How much time is added?

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

Which extra external batteries specifically have you tried and with what increase in flight time? Links to the source of the batteries, if you have them, would be awesome, too!

Been wanting to add externals to my M2P as well. DJi recommended payload on the Mavic 2 is up to 200g, but the Mavic 2 can physically actually lift 1100 grams. Some external weight in between 200g and 1100g is the sweet spot for extra flight time, stability, and durability! My guess is around 400g of external batteries. Which battery or combination of two batteries weighing 400g total gives the most mAh? That's the $64,000 question!

If anyone knows of anyone reputable that can do a hardwired battery mod for the Mavic 2, I'd love to get in touch with them. While the clip definitely works, a hardwired mod makes a much more solid, reliable electrical connection, without risk of inadvertently shorting out terminals.

So far, I have used these batteries separately on the A2S. SEE PICS. Tattu 1800mah and 1550mah both are 11.1v 75C 3S. If you google them you should be able to find their weight. Maybe.

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

How much time is added?

I'd say 8-10 extra minutes. But I haven't done a time test. I've only done battery % tests. Home at 0% umodded equates to Home at 35% modded. You get plenty of extra flight time. I'm getting near EVO2 flight times on an A2S with an 1800mah batt. mod.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I'd say 8-10 extra minutes. But I haven't done a time test. I've only done battery % tests. Home at 0% umodded equates to Home at 35% modded. You get plenty of extra flight time. I'm getting near EVO2 flight times on an A2S with an 1800mah batt. mod.

EVO2 advertised flight times of 40 minutes, or EVO2 realistic flight times of 28 minutes or less?

 

[GadgetGuy]

So far, I have used these batteries separately on the A2S. SEE PICS. Tattu 1800mah and 1550mah both are 11.1v 75C 3S. If you google them you should be able to find their weight. Maybe.

Cool!
157g and 136g respectively, according to their advertised weights. Two of either should fit the bill on the Mavic 2, adding 3600 mAh to the stock 3850 mAh that is actually only 3300 mAh. That should increase flight time by 50% based upon my prior experience with externals of the same total parallel capacity as the internal battery! That would increase my current average 23 minute flight times to 34 minutes, adding 11 minutes of precious flight time!

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

EVO2 advertised flight times of 40 minutes, or EVO2 realistic flight times of 28 minutes or less?

In the real world, and EVO 2 flies for about 28-30 minutes like a DJI mav pro will fly for about 22-26 minutes . It depends on crosswinds and downdrafts and the way the pilot flies.

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

By the way, I'm guestimating. I've never took my phone out and ran the digital stop watch. Maybe I will start doing so, in order to provide more accurate information. If weather permits, I'm about to take up the Air2S into a 400ft hover and do a hyperlapse of some storm clouds. I'll try posting the results and the battery used. I should do it sometime today.

 

[PompousWindbag]

I'm curious about something. Does the added flight time of the battery mod, and increased weight by carrying the extra battery, put more strain/wear on the motors? Generate more heat when flying in warmer climates? If so, that may mean a case of diminishing returns that possibly might not justify the extra flight time that the extra battery provides?

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

I'm curious about something. Does the added flight time of the battery mod, and increased weight by carrying the extra battery, put more strain/wear on the motors? Generate more heat when flying in warmer climates? If so, that may mean a case of diminishing returns that possibly might not justify the extra flight time that the extra battery provides?

DJI says you should fly their drones in no greater than 104F or 40C out door temps or operating temps as they call it.

Does the added flight time of the battery mod, and increased weight by carrying the extra battery, put more strain/wear on the motors? Yes, but as long as you don't fly in temps close to their max operating temps. So I try to only do extended time flights in 95F or less.

I monitor my batteries internal temps as those are more important. DJI and Autel drones will give you a warning and tell you the drone will operate in low performance mode when the internal temps hit 65C. That's about 166F. As long as you can land within a few minutes of hitting that temp and get the batteries to cool you'll be ok, but I don't have a year or 2 of testing under my belt, so i'm guessing.

My rule is too keep the internal battery temps below 55-56C. The drone flies fine and I haven't seen any batty swelling whatsoever. AS soon as I hit 60C, i'm coming home and landing. This usually takes over 20 minutes of constant flight to occur and at outdoor temps greater than 100F. As I said the max outdoor temp i'll fly in with the added weight is 96F as a precaution. The motors never get too hot to touch them as long as you keep the battery weight centered well.

These are just the practices or rules I have given myself with a little input from what I observed the internal battery temps doing when I fly with extra weight. I'm trying to strike a balance.

 

[1TenaciousG]

STARTRC for DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom Battery Power Out Connector Battery Adapter: STARTRC for DJI Mavic 2 Battery Power Out Connector Battery Adapter Increa F2S1 194982804715 | eBay
Mavic Air 2 and Air2S : STARTRC Battery Power Out Connector Power Adapter for RC DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone | eBay

This isn't an Ad. Just thought you folk might want to know your options. You can get flight times up to that of an EVO2 with these ribbon cables and the right size
11.1 or 11.4 high voltage lipo batteries.
3s batteries for The Air2s And MavAir2

4s Batts for the Mav2 Series

XT60 adapter is used.

You'll need lipo batterie that can put out between 75C and 100C continous output.View attachment 132713

Any options available for the Mini 2? (Fingers Crossed)

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

Any options available for the Mini 2? (Fingers Crossed)

I couldn’t find any

 

[malinkigoosik]

Conclusively, the started adapter and a protek graphemes plus lihv 4500mah 3S 11.4v (200g) in parallel with my 3500mah intelligent flight battery gets me 40minutes of flight time. If really requested, I can upload a video.

 

[JohnnyD913]

So do the mah determine how long a battery will last?
What if I went lower mah?
The higher the mah the more the battery of course..

 

[malinkigoosik]

its all about finding the balance of power to weight. When running two batteries of separate capacity but same voltage, its important that they discharge at the same rate. My best results were with the protea 4500mah battery, but I think optimal config is a battery of about 200g. I made an error in my previous post because my external battery weighs 236grams. If I cannot find a 3800-4000mah 3s battery that weighs 200g, I will try to do some weight reduction, because it honestly does make a difference if you want 2-4 extra minutes.

 

[Mid-AtlanticDroneServices]

Just got my stuff and am working on install. I need to get some velcro instead of the mounting tape with the STARTRC

1x StartRc Air 2/Air 2s ribbon cable/power out adapter (eBay)

2x Sunpadow 2250 mah 3s 11.1v 70c LiPo with XT-60 (Amazon)

1x Tenergy Balance Charger (Amazon)


Installation of connector: A little trickier than I thought with no instructions I could find. Ended up just a aligning the ribbon connector over the contacts in the drone and pressing down. It's quite secure.

The issue I ran into was the way the battery wires were positioned on the battery, and how stiff they were. I will end up positioning them like this using some electrical tape or maybe a small zip tie:


As mentioned, I need to pick up some more velcro as well. I plan to put one square on the drone (see right of picture), one on the DJI battery (left of picture, left of DJI button which is concealed under the battery) and will secure the connector itself somehow. FYI Amazon says each battery weights "approximately" 201g, but it frankly feels heavier than the DJI battery which is supposedly 245g.

Some interesting thoughts: The drone powers up even if the DJI battery isn't installed (the third party battery obviously has no switch). That means one could fly with both batteries or even (I think) just the third party battery. Looking at some relatively cheap 5000 mah + batteries that weight about 400g. In fact, the StartRC connector has two plugs, meaning I could likely use both my batteries simultaneously with the DJI installed and be under the payload limit. Gonna be fun experimenting!