Flight Times Vs Weight Opinions

[hoveringal]

Hello Everyone,
I am somewhat new to quads, but not to RC aircraft. I currently am operating a Flamewheel 450 with the stock DJI 30 amp ESC's and stock 2212/920 brushless motors. The props are 10x4.7. The payload consists of an Alware 2 axis Camera Mount, Go Pro Camera, 5.8Mhz transmitter, 4500/45-90 Non-tech Li-Po and a 1300mah Li-Po for the camera. I am not 100% sure of the weight - need to buy a scale. My flight time which consists of mostly hovering and some slow easy forward flight is approx 6-8 minutes. This seems short to me - is the weight factor? Though I love the results of the camera set up, which is the quads primary function, I was considering removing the camera gimbal & servo's and mounting the Go-Pro directly to the frame and trying to locate a smaller mah battery for the 5.8GHZ camera. My concern here is the dreaded "jello" video affect.. Another option, perhaps more costly, is to upgrade the ESC's, motors and blades to accomodate the weight. I need opinions and advice please..
Thank you - Al

 

[Roger Ramjet]

Hi there,

You are definitely overloaded with your set-up. Just mention a 4500 mAH + a 1300 mAh Lipo on a F450 and your are pretty much busting for weight. DJI recommands 400 gr per motors so the F450 max T/O weight is 1600 g et F550 2400g. A usual battery for this set up is 2200 mAh to 3500 mAh. I personally think that you can play + 10% (160 g) and get away with it but not much more safely....

The accessories you just described would be best suited for a F550. Having said that, there is a solution with the F450, if you want to use it for that purpose. Keep the Alware 2 camera mount, connect the 5.8 Mhz Tx to the main board, drop the second battery and use the 1 hour + autonomy of the Gopro to FPV/record your flights. Buy another Gopro battery if need be... Lastly, assuming your are flying 3S batteries, use your 4500 mAh with 10 X 5 Graupners props that you will ideally balance prior to installation. The Graupner props are much more efficient. This should push your flight enveloppe to 11 - 13 minutes in GPS-Att mode.

Also, for 10 to 15 bucks, get an electronic scale at Wall Mart in the kitchen dept.... As we do not have wings to generate lift and solely rely on the props and batteries to keep us in the air EVERY gram counts! A scale is a good way to keep a good look at this! This is my best scenario for fitting your purpose without breaking the bank.

 

[gtranquilla]

There are risks associated with overloading an MR including an inability to recover from a rapid descent because of downward momentum, a restricted flight speed and altitude etc.
In my case I have a loaded F550. When powered by one 4S 4000 mah I get excellent flight time of 12 minutes but when I use a 4S 5000 mah battery, I onl gain an additional 2 minutes of flight time...... Why? because I did not take the time to do a thorough evaluation of system using eCalc for multirotors. If I had done that first I would have selected a smaller capacity battery.

Hello Everyone,
I am somewhat new to quads, but not to RC aircraft. I currently am operating a Flamewheel 450 with the stock DJI 30 amp ESC's and stock 2212/920 brushless motors. The props are 10x4.7. The payload consists of an Alware 2 axis Camera Mount, Go Pro Camera, 5.8Mhz transmitter, 4500/45-90 Non-tech Li-Po and a 1300mah Li-Po for the camera. I am not 100% sure of the weight - need to buy a scale. My flight time which consists of mostly hovering and some slow easy forward flight is approx 6-8 minutes. This seems short to me - is the weight factor? Though I love the results of the camera set up, which is the quads primary function, I was considering removing the camera gimbal & servo's and mounting the Go-Pro directly to the frame and trying to locate a smaller mah battery for the 5.8GHZ camera. My concern here is the dreaded "jello" video affect.. Another option, perhaps more costly, is to upgrade the ESC's, motors and blades to accomodate the weight. I need opinions and advice please..
Thank you - Al

 

[hoveringal]

Interesting - thank you. I am considering upgrading to the F550 and picking up the extra 1.5 pounds of lift as a comfort zone. I can buy the motors, ESC's and Frame for under $150.00 and use my exsisting parts to build her up. What I will do first is try to lighten her up right now a bit. I will replace the 115 gram Li-Po for the FPV transmitter with a 41 gram Li-Po. She flies so stable now perhaps 8 minutes is just within the acceptable range.

 

[Dewster]

Batteries and motors account for most of the weight. I get 8-9 minutes flight time, but my craft is heavy at just shy of 7 pounds.