So all of you M300 pilots out there what is the ideal number of sets of batteries to have for your M300 to be able to fly all day. Payload will be the RR R1A. yes will have a generator in the field for most operations. I had this figured out for my DJI Inspire 2 and knew that if I had four sets of batteries I could fly all day as long as when I landed and did a battery swap and got back up in the air by the time I got to my fourth set of batteries the first set should be charged and good to go. Just trying to get some information from the community on this topic.
Hey there! I generally say about 30 min per battery set. I have used a lot of batteries or I’ve used a generator to charge- it’s really up to you. I have done 500ish acres on 3-4 sets of batteries consistently. If you need to fly more I’d suggest 4-6 sets and a generator. I did 3,000 acres with this setup and an r2a in 4 days.
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I would suggest 4 sets of batteries… should cover most scenarios.
We have three sets and we need to charge in the field on occasion… however, after the 5/6th mission, you will hit a wall where you must wait for batteries. With 4 sets, this would not be the case.
Has anyone noticed that batteries charged in the field are not “fully charged”… I can have my batteries charged in the field, bring them home, and plug into the wall… and they charge even more!!
I use 5 sets and have a 1000watt power inverter wired into our mobile command station that we can use to charge and run all day. Ive noticed that due to the TB60 batteries needing time to cool, if we put them in the truck and run the AC vent on them after directly removing from the M300, they can begin to recharge after 20 minutes or so. Sometimes less but you will get hot days that you are just better off giving them time. Usually if we are through the 5th set, the 6th set (1st set after cooled and recharge), is fully ready, and so on. Good luck!
Daniel,
With the headache that generators can be, the fueling, the mechanical side, etc…, I recommend a wired in,
(4 to 6 gauge wire is needed minimum for a Clean sign wave when using the DJI Battery charger case for the M300, in order for it to work clean and without throwing any error codes)
and just Idling the vehicle you use while charging to keep your battery and alternator amps up. I use this one and wired it in myself and it works fantastic. I’m not affiliated in any way to this company for the inverter, i just have a good experience with thier brand. Everyone should do this homework on what inverter would run good with the size alternator and engine they have in their vehicle though. Thanks for always being so awesome and so informative, Daniel!
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We use a mix of truck mounted inverter or generator. We do a lot of work in and around wheat fields and an idling truck is a surefire way to start a fire. That being said I strongly agree that having a pure sine inverter is the way to go in the majority of situations.
We keep a couple of fire extinguishers handy for the fire part.
Too bad batteries are eye wateringly expensive, or I would have many many many sets!
The TB-55’s for the M200 are getting super expensive, if you can even find them. Just want to get at least one more year out of the ol’ girl!
Hey Daniel,
Have you ever used any of the Goal Zero Generators for charging batteries in the field. I will be working in a very hot location for this upcoming corridor job and I don’t think that a generator in the back of the truck with the heat will be a viable solution. Any and all suggestions from anyone welcome! Thank you!
Best,
John
So you will charge a battery to recharge your batteries, eh?
Okay… so, you need to make sure that the battery in your Goal Zero can handle the significant amp/voltage draw that the battery station demands. The hot weather will only make things worse and your batteries will “freak out” if they are hot.
If the Goal Zero is able to handle the continuous amp/voltage draw, make sure the capacity of the onboard battery is considerably greater than what you will be filling (like filling a 5 gallon bucket from a 55 gallon barrel, you won’t get all the water out of the barrel).
How hot is hot? We routinely work in 35°c weather (don’t know the °f, no one tells temp that way here) in the dry grass in the hot parts of the day. My 2,000w Honda purrs along at full throttle to keep my batteries charged up. We utilize our portable shade generator (cheap umbrella on a survey tripod) for shade and a cooler for the batteries when they come out of the bird.
You will have an attrition point, where the charging won’t keep up with your use. Plan for that. Typically, we pause on battery 4 to allow it to catch up (lunch time!) and back we go. The batteries cool way better in the ice box before they see the charger, or you will wait a long long time before it charges.
Keep your fire extinguisher handy.
I haven’t used those. I’ve usually setup a canopy and used my vehicles AC to keep the batteries cool or cool them down before recharging. Each area and job is different though! It was 102 F yesterday and I was out flying and the batteries handled like a champ!
Thanks Daniel, That is encouraging to hear. I think I’ll be working in around the 100 degree F realm, but I will be moving around a lot doing a corridor map and was trying to minimize setup and breakdown of canopy and moving the generator to/from the truck.
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Thanks for the recs! I will try the cooler and tripod shade Idea next week and let you know how it goes. How long do you usually let the batts cool down in the cooler after the flight before throwing them on the charger?
I typically wait 20 minutes.
Don’t cool them too fast.
I also bring an ice pack for my ipad to rest on (if you are flying that way), it gets pretty toasty!
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Yep. Ipads without any cover or AC/etc usually only last about 15 min out in the sun down here in Georgia in the summer. Yikes!