Longer flight times

[TimmyM]

Hi Peeps,
I have a stock F550 running Aeroxcraft landling gear and a VTR gimbal. I am running 2 3300 3s batteries and getting between 6-7 minutes of flight time has anyone experimented with bateries to get a longer flight time?

 

[Jareth_Atian]

Not long ago, I posted a very similar question:
http://www.multirotorforums.com/showthread.php?11848-Unexpectedly-short-flight-times

For me, the problem ended up being my voltage-protection settings.

My suggestion is...try running your F550 through eCalc and figure out what flight-time your current setup *should* have. That will probably give you hints about what needs to be changed in order to improve your flight time.

Out of curiousity, though...What is your hex' weight with the batteries loaded, and what size props are you using?

 

[ewr]

Like Jareth said....your AUW will dictate your choices. ecalc lets you play around with prop size, AUW, and battery weight/mAh until you find the spot where you start getting diminishing returns for mAh vs weight of more batteries.

 

[Jareth_Atian]

For those newbies unfamiliar with aircraft terminology, AUW is an abbreviation for all-up weight. I had to look it up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_gross_weight

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Timmy, as Jareth hinted at, check to see what your battery voltage is at the end of your flight a verify if you have truly exhausted your batteries (80% rule) or if you voltage warning thresholds are too high.

 

[Dewster]

Get a lipo checker or telemetry to see the values of your batteries. Be careful when pushing or testing the limits, especially if you have Voltage protection activated (WKM) or you're using old lipos. My craft hit 2nd level voltage protection when my old lipos flatlined. It resulted in a pretty fast drop from the sky. Here's the vid of it:

http://youtu.be/hGZWIQRBVE8

 

[Benjamin Kenobi]

I switched from 2x3S 2200mah lipos and 10" props (got about 6 mins also) to 4S 5000mah lipo with 9" props and now get 11 minutes moderate flying. I use an EZOSD current sensor which displays on the goggles how much mah you've used so you can fly right till the end (about 4000mah to leave 20% in).