Most consumer drones run on a power source, which are usually batteries. More often than not, drone batteries are heavy and don’t last long. They need to be charged on a regular basis and are usually expensive.
How to choose Drone Batteries?
While choosing best drone batteries we need to keep certain criteria in mind.
Charge capacity
The first thing to check while buying a drone is that, if they have a charging accessory sold with the main product. Although it is a small accessory it is better to make sure they are sold along with the drone to avoid overhead. These charging stations can be turbo charging or slow charging. Using a higher input station will usually cut down the charging time by half. It is always better to have them while using your drone.
Battery Life
Life of drone batteries depends on multiple factors like weight, model, propellers, usage of video devices etc. The life of your battery is usually directly proportional to the weight of the drone. Typically an average sized drone has a battery capacity of about 15 minutes. So it would always be wise to store spare batteries when there is extended usage.
Battery Technology
Modern day drones are usually equipped with LiPo (shorter form of Lithium Polymer) batteries. LiPo batteries have a higher energy-to-weight ratio, thus making them better than the previously used NiCad batteries. LiPo batteries have faster output power and a longer life.
Manufacturer-only Drones
Some drones will work properly only with specific batteries, which are proprietary to the manufacturer of the drone. This way the manufacturer tends to increase the cost of the drone. It’s better to always check if your drone runs with an aftermarket product. This will reduce the cost on the longer run.
Battery Replacement
While buying a drone, it is also wise to calculate the battery replacement cost for the same. A typical DJi Phantom drone costs around $500 – $600.However, the battery replacement cost for this drone can go up to 20% of the original cost.
RC Drone Batteries
Remote control batteries, as said earlier, are usually made of Lithium Polymer. Let’s look at the maintenance checklist for these batteries.
- Charge your batteries:
LiPo batteries need regular charging, even during extended periods of inactivity. In the off season, when you don’t use your drones much, you will have to prep your batteries. Although these batteries do not need regular discharging, we need to ensure that they maintain at least 70% charge, by charging them on a regular basis.
- Battery explosion:
Batteries in rare cases explode or catch fire. It’s similar to battery explosion in your smart phone. This usually happens when the battery is charging or discharging. It might also happen when there is a physical damage to the cell. While we can’t do much to prevent this crash, we can take certain precautions.
It’s better to ensure that we charge the batteries in a place without much upholstery or flammable materials. We could also use a containment bag, which is specifically made for this purpose.
- Balance Charger:
While most consumer drones come with their own chargers, it would also be good to invest in a balance charger. A balance charger usually acts like a stabilizer for your battery. It would make sure that your battery is not affected by any voltage fluctuations, thereby ensuring all cells of your battery are charged at the same level. In addition, it will also diagnose battery issues for troubleshooting.
- Power chord:
It is always a good practice to make sure you store your power chord properly. Before charging, do make sure that there are no physical damages to the power chord.
Choosing cheap and best batteries
Batteries are similar to heart in human body and we must make sure that we take acute care while maintaining them. Choose a wise product which would last longer and would also not create a huge overhead cost, while buying your drone. To know more about latest drones in the market, stay in touch with bestflyingdrone.com