Weight vs. Battery

[Baron Von Blubba]

Hey guys, I have a Phantom 2, H3-3D, GoPro 4 Black, and FPV setup with iOSD mini. It works great, and I've used a dime to counterbalance the gimbal so the GoPro rests flat when not powered. It's a little heavier than I'd like though, at 1338 grams. DJI's max recommended takeoff weight is 1300g. I discovered that I can remove the battery from the GoPro and it will still function properly when the Phantom is powered on. The battery, along with the coin used to counterbalance the gimbal, weighs 25g. But removing it means that it will rely solely on the Phantom's battery for power. Which would you choose? Heavier, but GoPro operates under its own power - or lighter, but the GoPro relies on the Phantom's juice?

 

[mendezl]

I read before that the gopro would not turn on without the battery so I never tried it, i'm surprised. Do you have the new motors with new propellers, they produce more lift. I have the same equipment onboard and it flies perfectly. I can fly it fast and high and get 14 minutes. The power used by the gopro is negligible, maybe a few seconds flight time.

 

[dptcalvin]

What transmitter do you have? I went with the IRC 600 bc it is one of the lightest. Transmitters like the AVL58 are heavy in comparison.

People are flying with FPV, GoPro filters, and GPs trackers just fine. Slight loss in flight time but it's the price we pay for the things we want.