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Battery Availability??

My 3 batteries are so far so good, have not checked the number of cycles in the year I've had it... In any event..

When I do fly, the flight time is becoming an issue... I think its never quite 15 minutes and Sport Mode really runs it dry fast... So eventually, if you stop and think about it at an average of $60 a battery, 5-6 batteries over time almost buys a Mini that flies twice as long on average.

So it maybe time to consider a Mavic Mini or a Mavic 2 Air, though the 2 Air is a bit of a budget buster at the moment. But the advancements if your doing more than figure 8's and water towers :), are eventually going to push me to upgrade as my batteries wane and flights get shorter...
 
My 3 batteries are so far so good, have not checked the number of cycles in the year I've had it... In any event..

When I do fly, the flight time is becoming an issue... I think its never quite 15 minutes and Sport Mode really runs it dry fast... So eventually, if you stop and think about it at an average of $60 a battery, 5-6 batteries over time almost buys a Mini that flies twice as long on average.

So it maybe time to consider a Mavic Mini or a Mavic 2 Air, though the 2 Air is a bit of a budget buster at the moment. But the advancements if your doing more than figure 8's and water towers :), are eventually going to push me to upgrade as my batteries wane and flights get shorter...
Eventually, I will have to look for a replacement for my Spark, but it likely won't be the Mavic Mini. What I use my drone for and the type of flying I do is not really suitable for the Mini. I mostly take photos and do lots of Panos and Tiny Planets and I fly in all types of weather (except rain) often when there are strong gusts. I also fly my Spark with numerous flight apps (Litchi, AutoPilot, Hammer) none of which will work on the Mini or even the new MA2.

Aside from the short flight time, the Spark is an amazing versatile drone. I think the Mavic Mini was necessary to meet the need for a drone under 250g, but I really wish DJI would have updated the Spark (longer battery life, 3-axis gimbal).

Right now I have 4 batteries that are in use (2 are brand new). I am even considering buying another because the Spark is just SO good!

Chris
 
Eventually, I will have to look for a replacement for my Spark, but it likely won't be the Mavic Mini. What I use my drone for and the type of flying I do is not really suitable for the Mini. I mostly take photos and do lots of Panos and Tiny Planets and I fly in all types of weather (except rain) often when there are strong gusts. I also fly my Spark with numerous flight apps (Litchi, AutoPilot, Hammer) none of which will work on the Mini or even the new MA2.

Aside from the short flight time, the Spark is an amazing versatile drone. I think the Mavic Mini was necessary to meet the need for a drone under 250g, but I really wish DJI would have updated the Spark (longer battery life, 3-axis gimbal).

Right now I have 4 batteries that are in use (2 are brand new). I am even considering buying another because the Spark is just SO good!

Chris

I do like my Spark, its a great starter drone, no doubt about, just like the Mini is now. Your right, the Mini is a bit light, and sometimes windy conditions are not avoidable, but even with the Spark, modest winds have an impact..

While I have not had a reason to venture off into other apps to do my flights, which the new models with the Fly App have obsoleted for now, assuming that eventually DJI will provide the API's to let other apps work again.. Watching videos, I think I sort of like the Fly App better, but without actually using it, I don't really know..

But we'll see, it may not be this year for an upgrade.. I just know that I am really beginning to envy longer flight times without having to come back and swap a battery when I watch these videos where they are flying up to 25 minutes or more, even in Sport mode..
 
I just know that I am really beginning to envy longer flight times without having to come back and swap a battery when I watch these videos where they are flying up to 25 minutes or more, even in Sport mode..
Yes, that is one of the major downsides of the Spark. If I need longer flight times, l’ll use my Phantom 3 Standard.

Chris
 
Unfortunately after reading this threat about battery availability for the Spark, a drone so many value greatly, there still is no known reliable source for purchasing Spark batteries. Odd, since the Mavics have great third party batteries on sale. You'd think there would be a ready market for them to include batteries for the Spark. The Spark would continue to have continued longevity if there was power to run them. Sad manipulation on the part of the manufacturer to force upgrades and make past investments in a good quality drone suddenly become obsolete.
Anyone else angry about that??? I wonder if DJI realized that this alone would cause many potential buyers hesitate to buy any drone from them when they lack this future support for the product.
 
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Hell yes,..The same happened with the original OSMO. Invest money only to find out 2 short years later, it's a dinosaur being replaced with the OSMO Pocket. lol
If you are going to discontinue, at least support your products in their afterlife. 2 years the Spark was the new kid, the buzz word. Tons of youtube videos. it is sad.
 
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Batteries availability is not a problem, yet.
I did ordered a pair, five weeks ago, already received them.
I covered them with numbered fluo orange skin and, currently
using five batteries, I re-pack and put aside the two new ones,
leaving them in their "hibernation" state until I need them.
If I take good care and do not hurt(damage) Sparky, should be
good for years of fun.
 
The same happened with the original OSMO. Invest money only to find out 2 short years later, it's a dinosaur being replaced with the OSMO Pocket. lol


Uh-oh.

I have a dinosaur OSMO. ? .

:oops:
 
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Unfortunately after reading this threat about battery availability for the Spark, a drone so many value greatly, there still is no known reliable source for purchasing Spark batteries. Odd, since the Mavics have great third party batteries on sale. You'd think there would be a ready market for them to include batteries for the Spark. The Spark would continue to have continued longevity if there was power to run them. Sad manipulation on the part of the manufacturer to force upgrades and make past investments in a good quality drone suddenly become obsolete.
Anyone else angry about that??? I wonder if DJI realized that this alone would cause many potential buyers hesitate to buy any drone from them when they lack this future support for the product.
I’m not angry, but a bit frustrated that no third party supplier has jumped in to produce batteries for Spark like they have for other DJI drones. Likely due to market dynamics. I recently bought two new batteries and have considered a third new one but am going to wait and see how my two older batteries hold up - both have well over 100 charges.

Both my Spark and P3S are now no longer made but I will continue to fly them until I either crash or can no longer get batteries for them.

My biggest pet peeve is how technology in general becomes obsolete even if it still performs just as it did when new because batteries are no longer available or the company no longer supports them forcing upgrades. Although, there are ways to recycle old tech, I still think it is a huge environmental problem, that’s why I try to use my drones until I can no longer fly them and use my other tech until it is no longer possible.

Chris
 
I’m not angry, but a bit frustrated that no third party supplier has jumped in to produce batteries for Spark like they have for other DJI drones.

It may have something to do with the "intelligent" circuitry of the Spark battery that probably is patented by DJI and can't be replicated?

Just a thought. ?

I'm not sure if the other batteries in the DJI fleet are "intelligent" as it seems to be a trigger word when discussing Spark batteries.
 
I guess I will have to just hang it up in my room by a thread like we used to do with airplane models backin the day. lol
 
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Why buy a DJI drone, no matter how fine it is, if there is no product support just two years later? This has become a factor for me in any future drone purchase. Sounds like an opening for a company: Make drone kits allowing buyers to build their own, including assembling batteries.
 
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I guess I will have to just hang it up in my room by a thread like we used to do with airplane models backin the day. lol

How many times have you blown the stuff up with firecrackers? ?

I think that was half the fun of building a model and then retiring it to learn about the structural integrity of it back in the day.

And then create hybrid models from the pieces left over.

You only have some much room in your Hanger. ;)

Thanks for the flashback. ?
 
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Why buy a DJI drone, no matter how fine it is, if there is no product support just two years later? This has become a factor for me in any future drone purchase. Sounds like an opening for a company: Make drone kits allowing buyers to build their own, including assembling batteries.
I do agree, 2 years is insane. I thought only automobiles and mobile homes decreased in value from the time you drove it off the lot. hahahha
 
Looking at the DJI Store, it seems you can order Spark Batteries for $55, which is about as low a price as your going to get.. Now whether you'll find availability in 2021, thats another question,

I guess the other question is, how long will a Spark battery last if well taken care of.. eventually like a computer, all good things come to end and you'll need to upgrade, but if you got hundreds of flights, thousands of pics and videos, did you get your $$ worth??
 
Looking at the DJI Store, it seems you can order Spark Batteries for $55, which is about as low a price as your going to get.. Now whether you'll find availability in 2021, thats another question,

I guess the other question is, how long will a Spark battery last if well taken care of.. eventually like a computer, all good things come to end and you'll need to upgrade, but if you got hundreds of flights, thousands of pics and videos, did you get your $$ worth??
Good points. ? I've been flying my Spark for just over a year now. My two oldest batteries have 200 cycles on them so how much longer they've got I'm not sure but I do keep track of their performance and up till now they seem to be holding up quite well. I've been thinking of upgrading my AirData account to 360 Gold temporarily so I can have all my logs on there at once from over a one year period (1K/705MB) and then get a view of any battery trends or any other interesting data points. I'm a sucker for graphs but I've been holding back as I don't see a batch upload option for more than 20 logs at a time. If I get them all up there I'll post some of data back here on the forum.

As for the excellent question of did one get their money's worth, I've often told myself that if I lost Sparky tomorrow (horrors!) I've got my money's worth many times over. Like the MC commercial, DJI Spark - $700 - All that I've come to love about flying UAV - priceless! :)
 
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