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Battery capacity question

Posted by Ty on June 6, 2013 at 8:12pm

Hi everyone. I'm new to multirotors and have a question regarding batteries. I've built the 3DR Arducopter kit with APM 2.5. I've been using 3 cell, 11.1v 2200mAh lipo batteries. I am able to get 9-11 minutes of flight time per battery. I'd love to be able to get more flight time.

I've read several sites about batteries and understand them this way - lipos have 3.7 volts per cell, thus a 3 cell has 11.1 volts. Capacity is measured in mAh. The higher the number the higher the capacity.

So here's my question - as long as I stay with a 3 cell 11.1 volt battery, can I upgrade the mAh number? I saw some 5000+mAh batteries that were 11.1 volts and assumed that one of these would give a longer flight time. True?

Also, I've come across some cables that let you run 2 batteries in parallel. Obviously this adds more weight, but is this another good option for increasing flight time?

Thanks.

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Tags: arducopter, battery
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Replies

  • Admin
    Morli June 9, 2013 at 12:42am

    The heavier the airframe , the more power you need to burn. More capacity also means more weight.

  • Moderator
    Dwgsparky June 7, 2013 at 4:52pm
    Not just kill but burn, maim and destroy, it's the current that kills you , 50ma can be deadly, 24volts can push over 100ma through your body in perfect conditions, more volts=more current. Electric cars are especially deadly. A 24v (6s) battery can push 240amps into a 0.1 ohm short circuit or nearly 6kw of pure heat, think serious smoke and flames. Treat electricity with great respect, it bites.
  • Euan Ramsay June 7, 2013 at 7:25am
    Once you've tried 4S, never go back.

    But once you 6S, you never go back 4S...:-)

    (Caveat: I run 3S and 6S. Logic would dictate a 9S or even 12S monster next...:-)
  • Ty June 7, 2013 at 6:29am

    Thanks for the replies. I just didn't want to overpower and burn something up. Since my post, I've looked at what I have plugged in on my Arducopter - The APM Power Module says it has an 18V max input. I'm assuming that the little circuit board on the Power Module is what regulates the power going to the APM 2.5, so as long as I stay under 18V I'm good. The ESCs in my kit specify "2-4 LiPO, 5-12 NIHM/NiCd" in the battery section.

    Starting to understand this stuff more and more each day, thanks to this forum!

  • CyberCrash June 7, 2013 at 5:29am

    Once you've tried 4S, never go back.

  • T3
    Richard Boyhan June 7, 2013 at 3:24am
    The simple answer to both questions is yes. You can also fly 4S batteries. If you fly 4S you will have more power. Your copter will fly like a rocket. You also will need to tune some of PIDs down for stability.
    Good luck and fly safe.
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