Quadcopter Long Flight Time | TEN TIPS TO FLY FPV LONGER
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- Uncertain about what to buy? Check out THE ULTIMATE FPV SHOPPING LIST: www.fpvknowitall.com/ultimate...
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON at: bit.ly/2Ep5Sia
THIS IS MY FULL TIME JOB. Here are other ways that you can support me: www.fpvknowitall.com/support-me/
---
Here are ten tips for getting long flight time out of your FPV quadcopter.
1. Reduce weight.
2. Lower uptilt angle.
3. Fly calmer (throttle limit)
4. Lower pitch props.
5. Smaller motor / lower kv.
6. Larger diameter props / lower kv.
7. Larger battery.
8. Higher C battery (make sure C rate is high enough).
9. Lower voltage battery on same kv.
10. Higher voltage battery on lower kv. (6S low kv hype?)
These 10 crazy tips will help you last longer! Doctor's hate him!
Title clickbait should read “10 TIPS TO KEEP IT UP LONGER”
Yeah, Joshua, keep up the good work. For as long as possible.
What.
I'm genuinely confused
lol
Keep up the "hard" work JB I promise to try and remember to go through the parts list link but so far I've been an idiot sorry bro. I will try "harder" lol
Joschua BARDSTALE love to clickbait and telling old storys. TH-cam need some ignore function to block money hungry uploader.
@Joshua Basrdwell Reason High-voltage / low kv works (electrical engineer here): You transform the same amount of power into thrust but transporting it through your electrical system using higher voltage and less current ([V]*[A]=[W]) and less current means less resistive load on your lipo cells, cables and ESC transistors. Same principle as high-voltage lines. Now you'd theoretically already do the same with just higher voltage and less throttle but if the kv to propsize ratio is not optimized you have motor losses swallowing the advantage.
How is the lower voltage approach explained?
@@TiagoTiagoT I don't consider it a very useful approach for FPV racers because you're essentially just cutting maximum power: If you have a lower voltage with the same kv and props that means you have less power available and full throttle has less punch and you're forced to use less energy... Also less lipo cells have less weight overhead in separation and wiring but not sure how much this actually contributes. Note that all these optimizations only hold to a certain degree until they either become less fun or even unflyable or you have other energy consumption problems like vibrating oscillations or unmatched motor prop combinations or unmatched battery size to vehicle size. The right combination for your needs makes it best...
@@MaEtUgR With lower voltage you want more kV - not the same.
Make a top 15 beta flight command line commands vid, like the arm angle, ... and so on ...
Tells me I will learn something today, totally learned something today. Thanks JB!
Flying drunk always increases flight time. Of course you spend more time looking for your lost quad than actually flying it 😉
Bro how funny is it after a few beers or rums , my mate and i do it all the time yew 👊
@@tribefpv always a hoot!
We did that indoor with a 6 axis helicopter 450 size... Oh the fun with analog tx's and getting the wrong one... from that day it became digital with arm switch...
I saw a video on PID tuning where the main problem seemed to be crashing in water, and the dryoff and cleanup. I almost suggested using conformal coating.
Flying high too, not altitude..lol One time, spent all day working on Leader3 ,roomate passed me community bong as I was finishing up. Didn't think, just took a hit, it was sneaky stuff. Went out to closed golf course behind house for quick flight b4 dark, felt fine. It wasn't in the air 10sec and I thought, holy SH*%, I'm high. Winds picked up, ended up using failsafe, went down in wooded area next to course, never saw it again. Kids, Just say no!!! 😵😲😂
I just want to say thank you for the videos. I'm new to this and you make clear sense. Keep on flyin!
Thanks for the insight Joshua 👌🏻 I’m one year into FPV and I still learnt something today 😃
Thanks for the video, I have been thinking about a long range quad and this is perfect to help me start designing it!
I'm Levi and I always love learning something new. You've been super helpfull
HI Joshua, I do love your vids, keep on going. I was surprised at how much more flight time u get on 6s. Was big difference at first , but now with more power I'm starting to use it, lowering it back a bit. What fun!, having a ball in Indiana. U keep getting better on camera I'm gonna have to up my patreon. Lol
I've been using the throttle limit in BF to set my hover point at around 50% throttle input on my transmitter. I find it helps my laid-back cruising style.
Joshua, always a fan and love your stuff!
Thanks JB! Your tips are invaluable!
Old saying in racing. You can't take 100lbs out 1 spot. But you can remove 1lbs from 100 spots.
I couldn't find titanium screws 😢
Point no 8 is a bit controversial. If you have motors that do not take a lot of current (say 2206 or 2205 motors), you can actually use smaller C rating batteries. And having lower C rating usually means a battery that weighs less. As an example, my Turnigy nanotech 1300 mAh 45C weighs 142 g and Turnigy Graphene 1300 mAh 65C weighs 178 g. That's 36g that might make a huge difference depending on your motors.
That's an interesting point
So what you're saying is: If I have 2205 2550kv motors ona usually running 4s graphene platinum 130c batteries and get 2-2:30min flight time and I drop the C rating on battery (get lower)I will get longer flight time? Once my friend gave me a battery to test... It wasn't able to hold up. It had massive sag and felt that I was way heavier than normal. Battery was hot and started puffing up in flight because I could feel the cells started dropping out. Oh yes my motors usually peak at 114amp current on full stick punch. I'm so confused what do do to extend flight times-yes I know I need to learn fly slower too and maybe more efficient-less punching!
Thank you Joshua for do this video I live at 8546 ft above sea level and here the flying times get reduced to the half of sea level flight time so it was very interesting for me
In your case, I suggest using higher pitch props. It will somewhat help make up for the lack of air density. The good news is that your thin air is easier for the props to move. So you can run like 5050 props and not kill your batteries like I would.
All things that needed to be said. Thanks JB
Great topic. I recently changed my main quad's motors to what is recommended, but I miss the long flight times of my smaller motors which flew great. Time to build another.
Do a follow-up video with your ultimate flight time quad build parts please!
Man, superb channel!
Just wait till 2023 when new battery types with higher specific energy become available as many electric car companies have announced. Think 400mWh/g vs now with 100 to 150mWh/g.
can't wait for the future of batteries for FPV!!!
Car batteries don't have to give so much amps. But if energy density is three times higher C rating could be three times lower to give same current from same weighting battery.
It's more likely to affect those who already have long fly times, not those who drain their batteries is two minutes
You could suggest people get your FC, I love it and it changed the way I see FPV, I have been flying it...since I got back into fpv!
First quad I built was FT270. It was a 6" with 1600KV motors and a 2800mAh battery. 10 Minutes was easy to get, but it was the most docile, boring 10min ever! Take what you will from my experience. I'd say stick to the usual 5" 2450KV 1500mAh setup.
Thank you, Joshua Love your channel
If I try to fly longer, everybody overtakes me on the race track -_-
This is just the video I needed!
Original plans for my first 2 fpv cam was with this in mind. Initial plan was 2 forward FPV cameras, one low tilt for efficient flight and 2nd high tilt cam for engaging insane mode after flying out to the target area.
My favorite tip is larger props. I used to run 4S and 5S packs and various 5" and 5.5" props on F40 Pro V2 2600 KV motors on the OwlRC Dragon frame (that you pointed out to us ages ago!). It was too much KV for either prop size, especially on 5S--it sounded like a banshee at 80% throttle with 5.5" on 5S!
You sure don't have to get the KV right for larger props to increase flight time, but I'm sure you do even better with appropriate motors. At the time, I used to get about 3.5 minutes of freestyle out of that quad on RK 5046 props on 5S or a bit over 4.5 minutes on HQ 5.5x4x3.
I wasn't attempting to fly any differently with each prop. The larger props are less responsive, slower on the top end, and have more bite coming out of a free fall, though.
I've moved on to different frames, motors, and batteries, but my time with the larger props has encouraged me to keep running 6" capable frames. It is nice to have the option of being able to stay in the air and extra minute or two if need be!
I'm usually "done" (physically) after the typical three to four minutes - my body just won't stand the adrenaline rush for much longer at a time... xD
Same here. 3 to 5 minutes is usually enough. A friend has a 200GT, that can fly much longer, but he also usually stops after 5 minutes, unless he's flying very gently.
Yeah I get it, just one look at the "drone" and it's all over for me., "flying" is so exciting and fun. Need better "batteries" to "fly" longer
This is definitely a consideration - I've had to learn that if I'm pushing my performance limits that anything I do beyond the 3" mark is going to be much higher likelihood of a crash.
I judt dont get the adrenaline rush :(( i have a brushless betafpv 85 pro and it does fly really fast (I dont want/have to fly faster(about 100kp/h)) but wont get the rush???¿ what can i do to get it ? Do i have to fly really close gaps at really fast speeds¿
Jonas Hediger do risky stuff! thats what fun for me :)
Joshua this worked well for me HQ 5.1x4.6x3 V1s. On my Brother Hobby R6 2207-2700kv. It’s a good balance to performance and endurance.
You are amazing, thanks for the video
Hey Joshua, just a requests. You sometimes mention other amazing pilots, don't know if it's out of your scope, but I think it would be really cool to get a video with an overview of some of the most known and talented pilots out there. Cheers. Absolutely love your content!
Joshua is cool like that. He regularly has different guest on from time to time
"Dont use a too large battery, 1800 is large enough"
Me who only flies with 2500 mAh: "shh Joshua, stop takling if you know what's good for you•
What is your flight time?
@@jamescarlyle2630 between 5 and 12 minutes, depending on how aggressive I fly
@@kingofthenoobs590 thats unreal mate, exactly what I’ll be doing! Can you still do freestyle moves etc?
Cringe in 17500mAh 3S 5P lithium ion in 5inch octacopter
@@pranjal3727 nice 3s. Whats your flight time and usecase?
I have 1 more, use 2 bladed props. Good vid.👍
Great tips. Could the high voltage - low kv trick have something to do with lower current and thus lower resistance and heat loss in the wires?
You be so right ! Less weight is my formula ! I built a 220mm Quad that is just at 380g plus 2.7K camera ! This one can fly about 12 minutes on a 4S 1600mAh Bat. But it´s pain in the ass to save every gramm you can save.
Awesome channel with such an amazing detail! I wondered whether you’d had any knowledge of mixing same voltage LiIon and LIPO batteries wired in parallel for long range quads. It struck me that the LIPO would be good for instantaneous current draw but the LiIon would be better for energy density. Charging would be done as separate units. Good or bad idea?
I don't think it would work.
A lot of the key to Li-Ion's energy density is that you can bring it down to much lower voltages before you have Problems.
If you parallel it to a LiPo, you can't take the entire pack below 3.5v without damaging the LiPo, and you lose use of that entire region of the Li-Ion.
You forgot one trick, Joshua.
Reducing blade numbers.
I use to fly two blades props on a very light quad, with agressive pitch (5050), and I get very much flight time than "soft" props (5040x3). The thrust seemed to be the same, but the comportement was different.
5050 more floaty, but faster, with a little bit less amp drawn at full throttle, as the 5040x3 were snappier, but with more amp drawn onto the whole throttle range.
A good way to increase flight time too. 😉
Hi Joshua,
Can you advise me what quad to buy for a long-range drone pls? And also to have a better fly time.
Thanks body for your time that you spend for all of us.
All the best
For reference, racing quads can be down in the 425g AUW range and still fly pinned for a full two+ minutes (this is a 4S Toothfairy build running 4S 1300mAh packs) without durability compromises. For a budget racer using 30x30 stack parts and 2206 motors you can still be under 475g rocking CNHL 4S 1300mAh 100C packs, and that's the best option to use.
For 6S 2207 rigs you should still be right around the 525g weight target running a 6S 1050mAh pack, 555g moving to a bigger heavier battery.
Some good info. I do miss going to 2-blade props. These tend to be more efficient than 3-blade props.
Yes that is the #11 tip. It can do 20-25% and it allows to use a smaller motor because a 2-blade-prop is lighter and will spin up faster
Tip #1 listen to all the good honest fpv pilots on youtube, about what parts/choices they made for longer flights. :)
Cause most of us dont have the time/money to try out all the new parts/settings for ourselves.
You need a helination link I place huge orders with them all the time thanks to there bundle items i just ordered the isdt t8 w/24v supply for the bench... thanks for all the help and I will be using as much of these tips as I can as I'm a slow flyer and want longer up times. 🥃cheers🍻
100% Agree, Thanks!!
Another tip for longer flight time: Tuning the flight controller filter settings to reduce the influence of motor vibrations on the gyro and the control loop, as this noise induces counter-forces. This is of course wasting energy, the more noisy your quad is. Also, more energy is wasted due to the additional heat in the motors. The frame design could help too, if there are two sections (noisy, where the motors are mounted vs. less noisy where the FC is mounted) and those are decoupled with silicon dampeners etc.
Awesome! Thank you.
I bought some 4s 4,200mAh packs for my 5" 😅 they actually fly great
One of my favorite quads is a 6inch Mode-2 Ghost with 2207-2500KV motors on it. I usually spin 5.5x4x3 HQprops on 4S and I can do acro for almost 5 mins, but every now and then I just like to slap a 1300 5S on there and pull it dry in under 2 mins :P
Steele's test of 6s vs 4s flight also included that he felt that there was more punch and less sag on 6s, so he is now using 6s, but its a higher amp hour battery that adds a bit of weight but the increased power cancels it out apparently.
Havent tested it myself yet, hoping to build up a Super G+ this year 😅
To add to this 4 yrs later, i noticed in all other applications where i work with multi cell batteries, there will usually be less sag and heat in an equivalent battery with more cells, because the load demand is always split among all the cells, also increasing bettery lifetime, so for a given capacity i usually prefer to go with more cells of less capacity than less cells with higher individual capacity.
Thanks josh
Thanks Joshua 👍🏻
6S LowKV is real, and I can set you up with the math whenever you want to go over that. We should probably put together a Skype interview discussing that AND issues with VTX performance.
I'll argue against smaller motors being necessarily helpful - I've found that tall stator motors combined with lower pitch props actually equalizes the flight time with some improvement in being locked in, which more than overcomes the added weight I'm seeing. Weight reduction matters, but spending that weight budget on stator and magnet mass is a better investment.
For reference, i'm talking about low KV 2208 motors as efficiency rigs, and finding that I get better flight times than even my lighter 2205 setups on the same props, batteries, and camera angles.
As far as running really low KV, my 6S builds running 6" props on 4S batteries are absolutely amazing - that is solid advice.
Tip 11: Fly in ground effect. (Altitude lower than prop diameter). Challenging low level floaty flying can milk precious flying seconds out of your battery. Could be the best way to bring it home if you let low voltage sneak up on you too far out. Be sure to choose smooth surfaces like pavement for maximum savings.
Gonna try that throttle limit. I got me new build flying today and it hit like 175 amp on punch out and just short blips cause lipo to hit 14v within 15-30sec. Lol. But nice tips
I don't feel a need to show off my flights in gopro quality. It would only show how bad I am in higher definition. Saves a lot of weight.
thanks heaps great info!!
Hey there, I am not sure about these but how about
11- check your center of gravity is at the same distance of all 4 motors shafts, it will reduce amps draw since motors don't have to work to compensate for the unbalance.
12- check your aerodynamics on the quad. remove/reposition elements that are creating resistance to air flow. Don't drill holes in your arms but if you do, let me know if it worked.
13- clean your props from any dirt, change your props if they are damaged even if the quad is flying well.
14- avoid sharp turns. if a curved trajectory can get you the same result you will spend less amps. You can think of it as 'keep your momentum'
15- center your masses. you need less amps to flip/roll/yaw the closest the masses are to the center of gravity. if you are using 4 ESCs, you want them as close as possible to the center of the quad
16- add wings to your quad (ok just kidding on this last one:)
Overall tip number one is golden, SAVE WEIGHT by well designing your quad.
Hi. I've only recently come across the drone hobby. I never seen a drone and I'm probably months away from my first flight. But I've really enjoyed going down this TH-cam rabbit hole of research. My question is this, say you successfully build your first drone and it works to some extent but its really unstable. Is that when you go in to Betaflight and make tweaks to get stability? What else do you do?
2208 or 2207 motors with 2150kv on a 5.5X4 tri-blade is nice sweet spot if your AUW is around 600grams
Great tips 👍
I just built a TI 5" Armattan with the old Emax red bottom 2205 2300kv on 4s and i get at least 2mins longer than any of my other drones , and yes flattened the cam tilt and be smooth 👊
I have a decked out 680 sized quad that will fly for almost an hour on a 6s 10,000 mah battery. It’s a lot easier to do when you can swing 15” or 16” props. Can’t wait until we can get a major breakthrough in battery technology. I can only imagine the flight time I could get without having to carry a massive brick around.
Hi Josh, is "limiting throttle" the same as lowering the KV. My motor KV is too high, and wondering if I should just spend on a low KV motor.
Awesome tip bruh
Half of this is exactly what I do!
6” 1750kv 2207 on 4s 1300-1800mah batteries is the way to go!
Then again, I fly mellow, so maybe I am an anomaly.
I never full send Teeno FPV style.
Dear Joshua, which kind / type of battery pack would You recommend for a 7 inch long range quad? (Iflight Chimera 7) thanks
If you go low on motor size and increase prop size wouldn't it be dangerous for the motor?
For e.g. could we use a 1806 with a 6030 prop on a 450g (including 3s battery + camera) quad, while flying smooth?
I know you had a bad experience with those Sunnysky 1806. I purchased three and only had two bad bearings. Then I started buying building my own with Cobra, Brother Hobby. and other 1806. IOt is still my absolute favorite everyday flyer. I also LOVE that new Diagtone "anniversary" edition. $10.00 gets you cusgtom graphics. Why haven't you done a video about the JC Memorial Frame ???
Using the Ummagawd Remix, went from the stock 5.5" arms, 5" props, 2306 ~2500kv, 4S 1500 batteries to 6" arms, 6" props, 2208 1666 kv, 6S 1050 batteries and my flight times did get pretty close to doubled. I still get that "wow... it looks like I still have a couple more minutes left" feeling.
My understanding of the whole 6s thing, lipos don't like big sudden current draws, so by spreading the same draw over 6 cells vs 4, it evens out those big dips and allows each individual cell to perform better. The nice thing is, the RDQ 1050 battery is basically the same size as the 1500 4s, so I don't even have much of a weight change other than the arms!
Will I get more fly time with less oscillation and propwash, or it isn't very noticable?
IMO if you want a decent flight time with a nice balance of power and speed
Great tips. May I suggest those less familiar with the hobby might benefit from being told not to try ALL of these at once?
4... + 3.... + 5.... = 20! yep that checks out xD. Awesome vid JB.
Thanks for all the great info. Glad I'm looking in the right kv and size range for my lr motors/props. Found a file on thingiverse for a lr quad, so printed the frame and am looking for parts. After watching this, will continue with my plan of 7 inch props, on 2204-2206, 1700-1750kv motors and a large 3s battery. Also trying to figure out a way to keep the structure of the arms, but have them collapse down to 5 or 6 inch easily.(arms are tubes) So I can swap it to a 5 inch freestyle or race quad running 4/6s at the field if I want. (Going with the 50 or 60A diatone mamba f722 30mm stack, crossfire, and most likely tbs unify pro 32) Just need to find specific motors that should be good. Either the mamba Toca, brother lr or xing camo are what I am thinking.
@flat-earther the 3d printed frame didn't work out. First test flight had too many oscillations, and it just went into a fly-away. But got a GEPRC MK4 HD7 frame for it after that, and flies well enough for smooth cruising and light acro. Ended up with xing e-pro 2207 1800kv motors, the 50A f7 stack, and elrs on 3s for the moment. May try 4s in the near future, with a motor output limit.
Longest flight has been 16 minutes on a 3300mAh 3s LiPo, so far. Averaging about 50km/hr.
Hello Josh , all what you do is 100% of truth , i have now the Hobbywing Grafeno Lipos with 1300mph 5S and 65C and iiam flaying longer and there are so powerfull WOW . Thanks for your vidios, and soon we will have 4.0 i see it on 99% . It is like we are waiting of Santa Claus . I read 3 days all over 4.0 , and i think i undersand the new way ,and i have seen the vidio on the river in Germany and its going so fantastic . Best regards and now i will use your links to buy from you . I whish you great flaytimes . Your Spanish folower and RC friend . Frank :-)))))))))
Now wee have the new Tattu V3 4S 2000mph 120C loooooooong flighttime !!!!!!!!
Hey ! that's a Great Looking shirt ! Shout out to the "Columbus Multirotor Club" !
Is there a race format where instead of just having a fixed number of laps and ranking the racers by the time it takes to finish those laps, the ranking is done by multiplying the number of laps completed by the flight time, or something along these lines?
Dear JB, is there any Proven/famous Freestyle Setup that can offer longer flight time along with a Gopro hero on board to capture cinematic stuff ?
Will running 1s in parallel raise my flight time alot on a tinyhawk since it can do 2s
Reduce drag I guess that would be included in frame choice though. Minimalist vs bulky bando slayer style
Thanks.. I presume long range setups use all of these..?
Is there an update to this video? Any new insight or technology for longer flight?
BTW you got me, I'm subing. If you havnt noticed I been commenting like crazy. What can I say, when I get into a hobby I dig in deep lol my first drone will be here next month and I won't have any less questions by then I can promise you that 😅
Somebody else has probable already said this, but I'm not reading through 400+ comments. Larger props are more efficient not just for their ability to move more air (in the sense that an 8" would move about twice as much as a 4") but because the longer the prop blade, the fast the tip moves - so it is moving through (and pushing) a larger amount of air per revolution.
Recently i flew a 80c 1000mah battery on a 5 inch rig for a longer flight than a 100c 1300mah. Il have to do it again trying to take notice if im smoother on the throttle. Gonna have to get on the throttle with the 1000mah to see how saggy it feels.
I need that beast class part 2!! ❤️
I saw the email notification and my heart dropped when it wasn't part 2 :(
hi is there a maths table to work out what your weight should be ,i am using 10 inch props with brotherhobby t1 3115 900kv its 2kg at mo with 4000 mha battery and gopro 7
Can you do a video and show the flight times of different drones?
So if I have a 4s 850 that weighs 105 grams, then switch to a 3s 1000 or 3s 1300 that weighs about the same, I should get a longer flight time, right?
1 weight reduction mention the run-cam split ditch the gopro weight very noticeable
I've got 7 .5min to 8 on skystars with 6cell 1800mah👍😉 moderate Free style to hard core flying👍
Doesn't BetaFlight tune play a role here too? I'd expect a generally smoother tune, that doesn't try to correct that aggressively will put less stress on the batteries.
Why does my brand new Tattu's 4s 1300 mah (v1.0) drops to around 12.5V fully charged when I just do a punch up to air and go down..
Usually when I hit the throttle to get high up, it even beeps once. I don't think I am too aggressive, at its already happening right of the start of the flight.
Other than that battery is doing great, if you dont fly too agressive.
Nevermind, I should have watched the whole video before commenting. Does using a lower kv get completely offset if you go to a higher voltage? I.e. 6s 2500kv vs 12s 1250kv? The reason I am wondering about this is that losses in the ESC would be lower at the same power level if the voltage is higher, so you might be able to get longer flight time without compromising performance by going to a pack made from a larger number of smaller cells and a motor with a correspondingly lower KV.
You have got to create your own sticker brand if you haven't done so. Would be nice to decorate some drones or remote controls with stickers.
I fly the Joshua Bardwell f4 and 4in1 with racedayquads 2205 2450kv motors on a tbs source two frame. If I am going all out I can get about 3 and 1/2 minute flight time. If I am just cruising around I can get an 8 and 1/2 minute flight time. Normally i get about 4-5 minutes. Running ethix props and 4s
Hey Joshua, a 7" quad with those motors of yours... Around 1600kv for 4s or 1200kv to 6s I guess... I think it would be amazing! 😃
I thought I heard you say more recently to use a battery that is no more than 1/2 or 1/3 the AUW of your quad. 1/2 AUW correct? Maybe it was Ciotti that said it. ?
Joshua I love man it's just you sounds exactly like Leonard from big bang theory :)
Great video thanks Again for sharing
Hahahhaha! This got me! Thinking I think ive seen this already. Lol.
Do you mind if I connect the iFlight BumbleBee HD V2 and TITAN XL5 HD , Basen 18650 4 battery 3400mah?