As a potential new owner, I'm wondering what a realistic flight time is with a gopro onboard.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Realistic flight time
- Thread starter Bhixon
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I get between 8 to 10 minutes on a full charge using a gopro hero 3 in the gopro waterproof case (not the phantom holder). I get less time when I just sit and get sunset footage compared to longer times when I fly around. It is actually a fairly good flying time. When you get really technically and weave in and out of trees and what not it takes a look of mental ability and you will be tired after 8 minutes. Buy 3 or 4 batteries and you'll be fine.
it very much depends on how you mount your GoPro to the Phantom. - the heavier the mount the less flight time you'll get.
using the bare-frame mount that GoPro sells, you'll get the most flight time, at around 11 minutes I would guess.
with a waterproof case it drops to 9-10 minutes
with a brushless gimbal it drops to 6 minutes. (roughly)
using the bare-frame mount that GoPro sells, you'll get the most flight time, at around 11 minutes I would guess.
with a waterproof case it drops to 9-10 minutes
with a brushless gimbal it drops to 6 minutes. (roughly)
My Phantom has the upgrade board, Zenmuse gimbal, Hero 3, and an Immersion RC 600mw FPV transmitter with cloverleaf antenna.
I get a very consistent 8 minutes to the second warning, on a stock battery. (I have seven of them and they are all within 10-15 seconds of each other.)
I get a very consistent 8 minutes to the second warning, on a stock battery. (I have seven of them and they are all within 10-15 seconds of each other.)
MikeEvangelist said:
Any ideas why you get 8 minutes while most people would report having only 4-5 (which is significantly less, almost half) at a similar setup. Is it because of the way you fly? Or certain components you used?
I don't really know. I fly pretty conservatively, so that could be a factor. Props are well balanced. Otherwise, nothing special.yalag said:
Here's how my durations changed as I upgraded -
Naked Phantom - about 14 minutes
add GoPro in waterproof case - about 9.5 minutes
add FPV transmitter - little or no change
add Zenmuse - 8 minutes
MikeEvangelist said:
How did you measure those time? How can you even tell when the battery is used up? Do you fly until the light flashes red or something?
I have the standard phantom fitted with a jello mount and a GP3 in the waterproof housing, I get exactly 8 mins on a good day, or 7 mins on a windy day.
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@Yalag:
A good practice is to have a record of your batteries (put a number on each one) and register, #, flight time (use a timer) / date / phantom loaded or naked, voltage meassure after landing, etc
If you use a cheap timer you can follow times from starting motors to red voltage blink led. In addition, wehn you fly with "naked" phantom if longer of course, but if you fly and record with a camera, your video length can also help to know your flight times
I used a timer joined to my TX with velcro. I set alarm to 4 / 8 minutes, depending if naked or loaded phantom :mrgreen:
A good practice is to have a record of your batteries (put a number on each one) and register, #, flight time (use a timer) / date / phantom loaded or naked, voltage meassure after landing, etc
If you use a cheap timer you can follow times from starting motors to red voltage blink led. In addition, wehn you fly with "naked" phantom if longer of course, but if you fly and record with a camera, your video length can also help to know your flight times
I used a timer joined to my TX with velcro. I set alarm to 4 / 8 minutes, depending if naked or loaded phantom :mrgreen:
yalag said:
I have a timer, but also check the duration of my recorded videos (I always record when flying, so it's easy to check).
I set my timer for 7 minutes, to remind me the end is near, so I have time to get 'home'. And I watch for the red lights.
MikeEvangelist said:
Just curious -- what values do you have your 1st and 2nd level voltage warnings set in NAZA assistant (both volts and drop)? I have exactly the same setup as you and on the stock battery I will get the first warning when only about 1250mAh have been taken out of the pack, which is invariably around 5 minutes exactly. Intellectually it seems that I should be able to get another 500mAh (say 2-3 minutes) out of the pack, so I'm wondering if the Zenmuse + Immersion draw is pulling the voltage levels low enough to set off the alarm when in fact I could probably fly longer.
At what time do you get your first warning LED?
I haven't changed the values; they are at the defaults.MrMediaGuy said:
Haven't timed that. I'll try to watch it when I fly next time, and report back.MrMediaGuy said:
MikeEvangelist said:
Thanks -- would appreciate that. Most people seem to indicate they can't/won't fly more than 30 seconds after the first-level warning, but I suspect the more "stuff" you have pulling the voltage down, the longer you could probably fly after that warning using the default settings. (Sounds counterintuitive, I know.)
In other words, I'm theorizing that the first-level warning is coming artificially early because the voltage drop from Zenmuse + VTX and other goodies is higher than just from the Phantom alone. So you get to an undervolt situation sooner, when the pack is only about 60% depleted, rather than getting to 75% depleted which would be optimal.
None of the above. I soldered the power leads for the transmitter directly to the main power input terminals on the upgrade board. The Immersion transmitter accepts 6-25 volts for power, so the main connection is perfect.Rigger609 said:
my phantom weighs in at 1256 grams and I will get over 8 mins of flight time with tri blades and a higher C rated battery. With stock props and battery I get around 6 and a half minutes. When the 2nd low voltage warning occurs the stock battery will drop out of the sky and the 60C battery will hover for about 30 sec.
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With stock battery, isolation mount, and Gopro H3B in waterproof housing, I would get about 8:30 to the first alert. I just modded my two batteries to 3s2p, added a Tarot gimbal and my first test flight was 12:40 to first alert (flight slow and smooth).
Weird.. I just mounted my FPV (DJI 5.8) to my Phantom that has the ZenMuse and got 4-5 min at best before first warning. I have a small battery powering the FPV so the drain on the big battery isn't an issue...other than weight. But I lost a solid two minutes from yesterday without the FPV. Which is quite light.
If someone comes out with a kick *** battery for these things that gets a solid 15 min, I will buy a pickup truck full.
If someone comes out with a kick *** battery for these things that gets a solid 15 min, I will buy a pickup truck full.
I have a Tarot gimble,FPV, and GoPro on my Phantom. I get about 5-7 minutes before my OSD reads 11.5 volts and I bring her down. I think for me watching the voltage on the OSD has helped get to know when it just dips to 11.5 briefly or if the battery is really low. I think from the first time I see it hit 11.5 until it is really permanently that low is around 2 minutes. I can see how people with fully loaded Phantoms that see that quick red blink and land right away say they only get 4.5 minutes of flight time.
Thanks all for the info! It's greatly appreciated. I think I'll hold off, save some money and look at something like the turbo ace...
